Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king, they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 24:20-21)

Killed For Preaching Truth

Zechariah was stoned to death by the people of God in the house of the Lord for preaching truth. He challenged the king, who was taking the nation away from God. Zechariah’s father had been a close counselor of the king and helped bring the people back to the Lord. After Zechariah’s father died, the king listened to the wrong advisors. The king heeded the will of the people, leaving the worship of the one true God for the wooden images and idols of the pagans. God sent prophets to the people to declare the word of the Lord, but they refused to listen.

The Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah, and he told the people they were transgressing the commandments of the Lord. Moses warned the people that if they rebelled against the Lord, He would bring His wrath to bear upon them. Zechariah appealed to the Law, reminding the people of the dangers of leaving the word of the Lord. God warned His people that if they forsook His word, He would forsake them. As the hearts of the people turned to idols and wooden images, God’s grace and love turned away from the people. The prophets warned the people, but to no avail. Zechariah boldly proclaimed the word of the Lord to the people. A group of men conspired against the man of God and stoned him to death in the Temple area.

Zechariah stood against the king, the false prophets, and the people because they were wrong. Joash did much good for the people as long as Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, was alive. But his heart was turned away by those he allowed to influence him. It was bold for Zechariah to stand against the will of the king. Zechariah was in conflict with other prophets who gave the people a false hope. Even the people were against Zechariah. Truth exposed the sins of the people. They responded by rejecting the word of the Lord. Those who conspired against Zechariah enacted revenge by stoning the prophet of God to death.

The death of Zechariah did not change the word of the Lord. What the prophet said was true. The Lord would punish the people for their rebellion, and the word of the prophet Zechariah would bear testimony to the sin of the people. Truth will always be victorious, and false words will always be defeated. Killing Zechariah did not alter the plan God had for His people, as they would go into captivity and eventually be destroyed. The Jews killed Jesus because of envy and jealousy, but their hatred for the Son of God exposed the love of God for all mankind. Killing Jesus became the power of the gospel in the cross. Zechariah was a courageous man who preached the gospel of truth, resulting in his death. His death became his resurrection. Truth stands. God’s word is everlasting.