Zechariah 10

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Predictions of the Coming Messiah and Return of Israel

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Israel will be delivered from her enemies and dependent on her Messiah.

  2. Israel will be regathered to the land and restored to the Lord.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Have you responded to God’s whistle?

QUESTIONS

  1. At what point in Old Testament history did Zechariah prophesy?

  2. Zechariah was one of the captives who return from Babylon. How do we know this?

  3. About how old was Zechariah when he returned from Babylon?

  4. What is a prophet’s role?

  5. What was God’s purpose in speaking to the people through the prophet Zechariah?

  6. How does Romans 15:4 relate to Zechariah’s prophecies?

  7. Why is it important to keep Israel distinct from the Church?

ANSWERS

  1. He ministered to God’s people Israel after their return from the Babylonian captivity.

  2. From the records in Nehemiah chapter 12.

  3. He was probably only a teenager.

  4. To speak forth God’s word. When God’s word is spoken, it is both convicting and comforting; it is both exhorting and encouraging.

  5. To encourage God’s people Israel because of their bright future.

  6. As believers we can draw spiritual lessons and applications from Zechariah, even though his messages were addressed to Israel.

  7. Prophesies to Israel will be literally fulfilled to the Jewish people in the future. These prophecies are not to be spiritualized away from Israel to the Church.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Before the Lord returns set up His kingdom on this earth, there will be once again idolatry in the nation of Israel. In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus said that during the Tribulation Period, the anti-Christ will set up an image in the temple. The prophet Daniel called him “the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31). Revelation chapter 13 makes it clear that both Jews and Gentiles will worship this image. The false shepherds and leaders (Zechariah 10:3) refer primarily to those operating under the false messiah or the anti-Christ of the last days. At this time all nations will be gathered against Israel for war (Zechariah 12:3). What a dreadful and discouraging scene! Then comes the good news! The Lord will visit His flock and there will be a spiritual restoration of the nation Israel. Many will believe in the Messiah whom they once rejected. Then the Lord will return and lead His redeemed people in victory over all evil and enemy forces. What an encouraging and glorious scene!

  2. Note the four titles that are given to our Lord as Messiah in Zechariah 10:4. Consider the meaning of each title.

  3. Read Zechariah 10:6-12. These are promises made to the Jewish people and they are still valid today. Like a shepherd, the Lord will whistle for His flock, and the Jews will return from the far countries of this world. The best part is that Israel will be restored to the Lord. What a great prophecy! The return of the Jews to Israel today is now in unbelief, but in the future it will be in faith.

CHALLENGE

  1. In context, God’s whistle is for the return of Israel to the land and to the Lord. But it has application for us. Is God whistling for you to come and receive His free gift of salvation in Christ, or to come back to Him if you have wandered away? Don’t delay!

KEY VERSES

  • “The Lord will visit His (wandering) flock.” Zechariah 10:3

  • “I will bring them back because I have mercy on them…I am the Lord their God.” Zechariah 10:6

  • “I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries…and they shall return.” Zechariah 10:9



Zechariah, Talks, Old TestamentDeb HarmsZechariah 10