Zechariah 2

Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern. This week we are studying the second chapter of Zechariah, a continuation of the prophet’s vision sequence: eight visions in one night making up the first six chapters of the book. The chapter begins with the prophet speaking in first person, “I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand” (2:1). Looking up or being roused is Zechariah’s standard introduction for every vision except the fourth. Zechariah, accustomed to interacting with the characters in his visions, asked the man with the measuring line, “where are you going?” The man answered the prophet, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is” (2:2). The man’s optimistic answer comes off as either naïve or noble. In the sixth century BCE, the postexilic community was tasked with rebuilding their once beautiful but now ruinous city. They were low on resources and, according to Haggai, also low on enthusiasm. The young man’s response is heartening to Zechariah. He is not only measuring the foundations of the Temple, but he is also surveying Jerusalem’s old boundary lines, in anticipation of the full city’s restoration. In Zechariah’s first vision, Yahweh assured the prophet that as he rebuilt the nation a “measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem” (1:16). Now the task of the measuring line is being carried out. When reading Zechariah, it is helpful to keep a look out for how the themes of each vision interlock as the scenes and characters change. The man with the measuring line represents the community once they have internalized God’s message through Haggai and set ambitiously to the task of rebuilding Jerusalem. The man in the vision cannot see how God is complementing his efforts. The same is true with the returnees. While they might feel discouraged that Jerusalem is never going to reach its former stature, Yahweh is moving in another sphere of time and space to bring about their redemption. Only Yahweh knows every link in the chain of the restoration process. In verse three, two new characters enter the vision. Zechariah refers to the first as “the angel who spoke with me” and the second is vaguely referred to as “another angel” (2:3). Zechariah scholars often identify the first angel with the angel on the red horse from the scene in the myrtle trees. The second angel may be the mediating angel that was also in the previous vision. Throughout Zechariah’s dream sequence, certain angels appear and reappear, giving the sequence continuity of characters. Zechariah addresses his questions to the second angel while the first angel runs to meet the young man with the measuring line. The scene has a lot of hurried movements. The first angel instructs the young man to stop his work because he has good news to share: “Jerusalem shall be inhabited like unwalled villages because of the multitude of people and animals in it” (2:4). Apparently, the man was measuring Jerusalem’s dimensions in order to rebuild the city’s wall. The angel tells the man that Jerusalem cannot have a wall because an influx of returnees is coming that will far surpass the city’s capacity. The new Jerusalem has to be unwalled and unlimited.Ezekiel, the prophet in exile, also experienced a vision of an unlimited Jerusalem (Ezek. 40-48). In Ezekiel’s vision, the prophet was transported to a mountaintop overlooking all of Israel. An angel with a bronze-like appearance met Ezekiel on the mountaintop with a measuring reed in his hand (Ezek. 40:3). The angel preceded to give Ezekiel a precise blueprint of the future Temple with its gates, courts, recSupport the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.