Zechariah 1-8, Luke 3:1-20

The message of Zechariah is perhaps the most Messianic in nature of all of the prophets. The prophet’s name is significant. It means “The LORD (Yahweh) remembers”. “Yahweh” is the personal, covenant making name for God. That gives us an immediate “heads up” that we’re dealing here with the unbroken continuity of God’s ways towards His people, and them to Him. The message of Zechariah focuses on the absolute sovereignty of God in the past, present and future. Like with the message of Haggai, encouragement is a central theme as God’s people are called to “Return, Return, Return to the Lord” (chp. 1), to totally focus on God (chp. 7), and so be ready for the blessing to come (chp 8). The message of Zechariah, when set into our Advent season, gives the same focus as that of John the Baptist (Luke 3): “prepare the way for the coming King”. We are to know that God, our Father, promises that “I will renew, I will restore”.