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What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerub′babel you shall become a
plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace,
grace to it!’” Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The
hands of Zerub′babel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands
shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has
sent me to you.
Historically Zerubbabel did not complete God’s house, namely the restored Temple of Jerusalem. It was finished in a later generation {@Biblasia’s answer shows that it finished sooner than this} during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra 4 describes how Zerubbabel refused help from fellow would-be-worshipers (apparently the future Samaritans), saying:
“You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but
we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the
king of Persia has commanded us.” Ezra 4:3
Why was Zechariah’s prophecy, that Zerubbabel would finish God’s house, not fulfilled? If he had accepted the help of these future Samaritans, would things have turned out differently? And since the prophet mentions the success of Zerubbabel’s building project as a test for us to know the God has sent him (Zechariah), how should we respond?
