The Book of Zechariah-Part 5

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The Book of Zechariah—Part 5

This article is the fifth in a series of articles designed to give a brief commentary on the prophetic portion of the Old Testament known as the book of Zechariah. In particular, this article will deal with the Vision of the Surveyor given in Zechariah 2:1-13 (Hebrew text is Zech. 2:5-17). These verses describe the third night vision within a series of eight such visions (Zech. 1:7-6:8). The third night vision actually continues the positive affirmations of hope given by God in the earlier visions to Zechariah. In particular, this vision highlights the same positive hope for the future of Jerusalem and national Israel that was present in the previous two visions.

As in most of the visions, there are several personages described. Zechariah is, of course, the one receiving the overall vision from God (2:1). He also appears to be the young man in verse four who receives a message from an angel within the vision itself. All in all, there is little interaction between Zechariah and elements of the vision. He begins by seeing a man holding a measuring line in his hand (2:1), i.e., a surveyor, and asks him where he is going (2:2). The surveyor responds by asserting that he is going to measure the breadth and width of Jerusalem. This man is not identified although several factors in the text itself point to his identity as an angel or the angel of the LORD. In 2:3, he is re­ferred to as an angel who speaks to Zechariah in the same way that the interpreting angel seems to do throughout the various night visions. The man’s connection to the idea of future measuring and building links him to 1:16 where the LORD Himself predicts His work in using a measuring line. In that same vision (1:7-17), it is the angel of the LORD (also called a man) who does the bidding of God (1:11). In addition, the idea of the Lord’s hand through one of His messengers using a measuring line would not be a new one to Zechariah’s audience. Ezekiel had already used the same image during the recent Babylonian captivity. There, he looked forward to a future building of the temple, which will be fulfilled in the millennium (see Ez. 40:1-4ff). Furthermore, the angel of the LORD is mentioned in the next vision of Zechariah (3:1). While none of these reasons prove the identity of this man beyond a shadow of a doubt, taken together they increase the likeli­hood that the man is an angelic personage, even the angel of the LORD.

The surveyor meets another personage, a second interpreting angel, in 2:3. This sec­ond angel tells the surveyor to run (implying urgency) and tell the young man (Zechariah), “Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. For I, declares the LORD, will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory of her midst” (2:4-5). Here the information is not intended to contradict and counteract any alleged wrongness in the work of the surveyor. It is meant to clarify why the surveyor is doing the measuring of Jerusalem in the first place. He is doing so to highlight the presence of God’s protection even in the early post-exilic days when the city has no walls. The instructions of the interpreting angel to the surveyor continue and close out the entire vision (2:6-13). In that section of the vision, there are four prophetic messages from God, which Zechariah is supposed to hear and pass on to the nation. Each one supports the theme of divine protection expounded in 2:4-5.

First, those Jews in Babylon are commanded to flee from that place (2:6-7). Babylon is referred to as the land of the north (v. 6) and is named directly (v. 7). The reference to Zion (v. 7) refers to those Jews who still live in Babylon during Zechariah’s time. The dispersion of the Jews mentioned in 2:6 is neither the time of their earlier captivity in Babylon or a post-exilic judgment. It is a positive promise that God is doing a work for the nation that involves the gathering of the Jews back to their land where God is their protection. It also sets up the next promise, since fleeing from Babylon would also protect the Jews from any judgment poured out on Babylon by God Himself.

Second, God promises to judge the enemies of Israel (2:8-9), which would naturally include Babylon. The prophecies of Daniel with reference to the four world kingdoms (Dan. 2, 7) would also be familiar to Zechariah’s readers. However, Babylon would be foremost in their minds. The gist of the promise is that God will one day balance the books. Those who had plundered would themselves be plundered by those whom they had victimized. Feinberg mentions that two years after this prophecy of Zechariah there was a time of great danger to Babylon itself during the Persian reign of Darius although he does not relate fulfillment directly to that time (God Remembers, 47). However, the overall presentation of the vision appears to be messianic in tone. The reference to glory or honor (v. 8) calls forth the image of the national glorification and time of refreshing for Israel. The image of One who is “sent” (both v. 8 & 9) refers to the Messiah who would judge those who had touched the “apple” of God’s eye (v. 8) and who would bring in a time when the nation would “know” that God had done a work in sending Him (v. 9). The “apple of My eye” refers to the Jews metaphorically as the place where light enters God’s eye. It is an intimate and warm refer­ence. Many of those who have mistreated Israel and the Jews down through history have already felt God’s wrath (recall Adolf Hitler). Others will do so when Messiah comes to restore the fortunes of the nation. There is no place in God’s plan for anti-Semitism, least of all on the part of Bible-believing Christians who accept these prophecies of Zechariah as the Word of God.

Third, there is the promise of God’s future presence (2:10-11). The presence of God after Messiah comes will be an occasion for joyous singing and gladness for the Jews (v. 10). The primary reason is God’s wonderful and delightful presence (mentioned in both verses). His presence is complemented by the fact that in that day many nations (apart from the Jews) would turn to God (v. 11). This allows the reader of the Bible to understand that, even though God has a special place in His heart for Israel, He loves all people and includes those in His coming kingdom from every tongue and nation (cp. Dan. 7:13-14). The only condition is trust in Messiah Jesus to take away personal sin. The presence of God promised here is also tied to the knowledge in the nation of Israel that Messiah has indeed come (v. 11). In that day they will know that Jesus Christ is indeed their long awaited Messiah.

Finally, Zechariah’s prophecy shows God’s special choice of Jerusalem (v. 12-13).

The phrase “the LORD will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land” (v. 12) reveals that God has a unique ownership relationship to the Jewish nation as a whole, even though Judah is mentioned specifically. Jerusalem is mentioned once again as God’s special choice as well. This promise should remind the reader that, even though subsequent history showed God’s judgment upon Israel such as that in 70 A.D. and the beginning of her dispersion and judicial blindness, the ultimate plan of God is one of restoration and deliverance of the nation in keeping with all of His prior commitments to the nation (Gen. 12, 2 Sam. 7, et al). Consequently, it is impossible to harmonize a preterist view with this prophecy and others in Zechariah. Preterism teaches that there is no ultimate prophetic fulfillment of deliverance for the nation of Israel. Zechariah’s words cannot be made to fit into such a scheme without doing violence to the holy text of Scripture.

What immediate hope did these promises give to the Jewish contemporaries of Zechariah? For one thing, they could live in confidence and hope knowing that God’s promises would be fulfilled and that the nation had not been cast away forever. Whether in exile, gathered in weakness after the exile, or experiencing divine blessing, the nation could be sure of one thing: God had chosen her and made her special. In this way, this vision dovetails nicely with the overall theme of all of Zechariah’s night visions with their message of future hope.

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