THIS

prophet was colleague with the prophet Haggai, and a worker together

with him in forwarding the building of the second temple

(Ezra v. 1);

for two are better than one. Christ sent forth his disciples two and

two. Zechariah began to prophesy some time after Haggai. But he

continued longer, soared higher in visions and revelations, wrote more,

and prophesied more particularly concerning Christ, than Haggai had

done; so the last shall be first: the last in time sometimes

proves first in dignity. He begins with a plain practical sermon,

expressive of that which was the scope of his prophesying, in the

first five verses;

but afterwards, to the end of

ch. vi.,

he relates the visions he saw, and the instructions he received

immediately from heaven by them. At

ch. vii.,

from an enquiry made by the Jews concerning fasting, he takes occasion

to show them the duty of their present day, and to encourage them to

hope for God’s favour, to the end of

ch. viii.,

after which there are two sermons, which are both called burdens of

the word of the Lord (one begins with

ch. ix.,

the other with

ch. xxi.),

which probably were preached some time after; the scope of them is to

reprove for sin, and threaten God’s judgments against the impenitent,

and to encourage those that feared God with assurances of the mercy God

had in store for his church, and especially of the coming of the

Messiah and the setting up of his kingdom in the world.