Discouragement had hit the remnant of Judah, the small band of exiles that had chosen to return to Jerusalem. After seventy years in exile, they had returned, but only a tiny group. They’d returned to build the Temple, but hopelessness, apathy and discouragement had overtaken them, and they had stopped building for seventeen years.

The Book of Zechariah is located in the penultimate position at the conclusion of the Old Testament, part of a collection of prophetic writings often referred to as the Minor Prophets. So named, not because they are any less important than the Major Prophets, but because the prophetic writings were broken into two groups based on their size. 

As we get closer and closer to the New Testament, we begin to feel the increase of the prophetic message pointing towards the coming Messiah - Jesus Christ.  Zechariah is the second last prophet that speaks before the silent years (the 400+ years between the Old and New Testament) and the third last prophet to speak before the coming of Jesus Christ himself (Malachi and John the Baptist being the final two).

In many ways, this prophetic declaration in Zechariah 2 is a microcosm of the whole story of the Bible. It certainly captures the essence of the theme which pervades every page of the book: God’s desire is to create a world in which He can dwell in relationship with people. It is God’s pursuing and abiding presence which thematically unites all of Scripture.