As one of the largest books of the Minor Prophets, Zechariah presents an encouraging word of assurance to a demoralized people. The prophet Haggai had led the way in rebuilding the temple…but the people lost focus during the process. Crop failures caused financial distress at home, and the work grew tedious at the construction site.

The prophet Zechariah rolled up his sleeves and plunged, with reckless abandon, into the work of helping his friend Haggai. But Zechariah’s style was very different. Rather than rebuking the workers, he relied on words of inspiration and positive encouragement to motivate the people. The book of Zechariah is a refreshing change from the reproving style of other prophets. However, both styles are needed to get a job done.