Praying for Leaders

Zechariah receives an order from the Lord to take gold and silver from the returning exiles (verse 10), make a crown, place it on Joshua’s head (verse 11) and then tell them what God’s message is (verses 12-13). It seems that what the prophet is doing and what he is saying are not making sense. For example: A priest isn’t supposed to wear a crown (cf verse 11 with 3:5). Is verse 13 about a king or a priest, or about a priest-king?

In spite of these questions, one aspect is clear: Zechariah received a message of encouragement and hope for the exiles returning to a Jerusalem that is still without walls and where there is only a half-built temple. Even though the circumstances they encounter seem bleak, they must know that the Lord will intervene. God will give them all they need, and this includes the calling and equipping of the right leaders. The prophet illustrates this leadership that God will provide with two important offices from the Old Testament: the office of king and the office of high priest.

When these two offices become intertwined in verses 11 and 13, it reminds me of texts like Psalm 85:10-11 and Matthew 23:23.

What a confused world and broken people need, are righteousness (the office of the king) as well as love and charity (the office of the priest).

The absence of strong leadership with regard to the AIDS pandemic in various areas of the community (including churches) has often been deplored. Let us pray that God will call and equip the leaders we need at this time.