The Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah

From the valley of Messiah's humiliation, to the mountain-height of His exaltation, Baron expounds the strikingly clear prophecies of the Messiah that outshine all else in the book of Zechariah. Baron expounds the writings of the prophet 'about His divine and yet truly human character, and of His sufferings and of the glory that should follow'. Baron also sees with remarkable clarity the literal fulfilment of the glorious prophecies of Zechariah concerning God's nation, Israel.' At the time of writing, Baron noted that nearly all of the books on Zechariah available at the time employed the 'allegorizing principle of interpretation by means of which all references to a concrete Kingdom of God on earth, a literal national restoration of Israel, and the visible appearing and reign of Messiah, are explained away.' In addition to this, the writers of Baron's day were largely caught up with 'Higher Criticism' and ended up with 'much of criticism in their works, but very little which is worthy of the name of exposition'.

'Visions and Prophecies' began in the form of articles written spanning an eleven-year period, for 'The Scattered Nation', the quarterly publication of the Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel. Baron afterward collected the articles together and put them into book form.'

Baron begins by beautifully unfolding the picture of Messiah, the 'Man that stood among the myrtle trees', identified with His nation Israel in their humbled state.' Israel is represented not in the proud cedar or lofty oak, 'the symbols of the great world powers', but with the 'lowly, fragrant myrtle, growing for the most part in the shady valley out of the world's gaze'.' With scholarly reasoning, Baron suggests that the words 'in the valley' could or should be rendered 'in the deep', as in the Psalms (88.6; 107.23,24). He suggests that the valley is representative of Babylon, the Gentile world-power of that time; yet, 'in the very midst of the great deep, as if threatened to be swallowed up by it, stand the group or thicket of lowly myrtles; but the Angel of Jehovah, “ the Second Person in the blessed Trinity, Who, in His love and in His pity redeemed and bore and carried them of old" is among them in fulfilment of His word, 'When you pass through the waters I will be with thee, and the rivers they shall not overflow thee' '.

Baron believed the plain sense of the Scriptures as he read them and understood them by the Spirit of God, however unlikely or improbable it would seem. For this reason, although he was writing prior to the formation of the modern State of Israel, Baron clearly foresaw, 'the presence in Palestine of a representative remnant of the Jewish people in a condition of unbelief' prior to the Tribulation (the Time of Jacob's Trouble) that would come upon them, leading to their final repentance and restoration.

Joshua, the high priest, pictured in filthy garments before the Angel of Jehovah in Zechariah's third chapter, stands as 'type and representative of his people', Baron points out. Clothed in filthy rags, the sins of the nation, this remnant from the Babylonian Captivity (the 'brand snatched out of the fire') stands accused by the adversary. Baron points to a more general and deeper truth that Israel is 'always in the fire, yet God never permits them to be wholly consumed'. The glorious future of Israel when the Lord shall 'wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion' (Isa 4.3,4) is shown here in symbol to Zechariah. The priestly garments with which Joshua is clothed represents 'their reinstatement and reconsecration to their priestly calling as a nation'. Their guilt is removed, they are accepted before God, they are fully equipped and fitted for high-priestly function. God's original purpose for the election and calling of the Jewish people is realised and they 'shall be named throughout the earth 'the priests of Jehovah' and men everywhere shall call them 'the ministers of our God' (Isa 61.6). Besides the literal promise of this beautiful passage for the nation of Israel, Baron also makes application to believers who have been snatched as brands from the fire and made into 'a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession'.

'Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah' by David Baron is printed by Keren Ahvah Meshihit, Jerusalem.