Zechariah 9:9-13, 16-17
SS Lesson for 07/02/2023
Devotional Scriptures: Isa 57:15-18
There are about 30 men in the Bible named Zechariah, and the passage Zechariah 1:1 allows us to identify the one of interest today. The names of the man’s father and grandfather listed there point to the prophet whose work can be dated from 520 BC onward. He and his contemporary Haggai played a leadership role in rebuilding the temple following the return from Babylonian exile (Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Zechariah 1:7; 7:1). Zechariah joined Haggai with a general exhortation (1:1-6), followed by a series of eight visions that provided encouragement in the project of building a new temple. A tremendous assurance is given toward the end of the first vision when, the Lord declares that “my house will be rebuilt” (1:16). In that regard, those two prophets lived during the time of King Darius of Persia, who reigned from 522 to 486 BC.
The book of Zechariah is located in a section of the Old Testament known as the Minor Prophets. It is the longest of those 12 books, comprising about 22 percent of that section. Following an introductory paragraph (Zechariah 1:1-6), the book falls into three major parts. The first part, Zechariah 1:7-6:15, features eight night visions, and the format is apocalyptic—vivid, unusual visions of future events. This type of literature seems to have its origins during the time that the Jews were captives in Babylon. Some text in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel also are examples. Zechariah 7 and 8 constitute the second major part, revealed to the prophet about two years after the night visions (compare 1:7 with 7:1). This segment records responses by the Lord to observances of fasting that were asked by a delegation from Bethel. The Law of Moses prescribed only one day of fasting for the Israelites: the Day of Atonement. That fasting is inherent in the phrase “deny yourselves” (Leviticus 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7). But while the Jews were in Babylon, they had introduced more fasts into the calendar (Zechariah 7:3, 5; 8:19). Zechariah 9-14, the third major part of the book, presents itself as two undated prophecies. The first prophecy, chapters 9-11, speaks of God’s forthcoming actions of judgment and mercy; today’s lesson text is part of this prophecy. The second prophecy, chapters 12-14, describes a coming Day of the Lord. As Zechariah 9 begins, the first eight verses are believed to focus on events during the time of Alexander the Great (lived 356-323 BC). He defeated the Persian army under Darius III at the famous battle of Issus in 333 BC, near the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. Alexander then turned south, and the places named in Zechariah 9:1-8 parallel his route. Verse 8, which immediately precedes the text of today’s lesson, is thought to refer to the fact that Alexander’s Greek army did not attack Jerusalem but continued on to Egypt. God blessed and condemned empires and kings throughout the centuries. Each one had a role in God’s plan that would ultimately bring the Messiah into the world at just the right time in history (Galatians 4:4). Alexander’s conquests are considered very important, for they fulfilled what God intended! If the time line references above are correct, it means that there is a gap of more than 300 years between the events predicted in verses 8 and 9, given how this text is seen to be fulfilled in Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15. Some students have called this literary feature “prophetic foreshortening”: what appears at first glance to be prophecies that are to be fulfilled closely together in time turn out to be separated by centuries. Another example of prophetic foreshortening is found in Isaiah 61:1-2, given where Jesus stops his quotation of that text in Luke 4:16-19. The time gap between the utterance of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and its fulfillment is even wider: at least 500 years.
The Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.'
11 "As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.
13 For I have bent Judah, My bow, fitted the bow with Ephraim, and raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you like the sword of a mighty man."
2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord — that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
13 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called—
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."
20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
11 My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.
16 The Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land
17 For how great is its goodness and how great its beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
The Lord sent a burden (Heb. massa’, heavy pronouncement; cf. 2 Kings 9:25-26; Jeremiah 23:33) to Zechariah that announced judgment and blessing. [Note: For an excursus on the meaning of this rarely used Hebrew word, see Baldwin, pp. 162-63. For a more thorough study, see P. A. H. de Boer, An Inquiry into the Meaning of the Term Massa’.] It concerned the lands of Hadrach (Hatarikka, near Hamath), [Note: See J. B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pp. 282-83.] Hamath on the Orontes River (a city farther south in Aramea, cf. Amos 6:2), Damascus (the capital of Aramea, still farther south), and Tyre and Sidon (Phoenician cities between Aramea and Israel, cf. Ezekiel 26:3-14; Ezekiel 28:20-24). The order of these cities in the text is from north to south. Earlier prophets had seen enemies invading Israel from the north (Isaiah 41:25; Jeremiah 1:14-15; Ezekiel 26:7), but now Yahweh would take the same route destroying Israel’s enemies as He came.
"Originally the Mediterranean coast had been designated Israel’s territory (Numbers 34:5-6) and yet it had never been possessed by Israel. Now at last the Lord will claim it." [Note: Baldwin, p. 157.]
This revelation concerned a time when all the people of the world, especially the Israelites, would be looking toward Yahweh. Some translators believed the text means that the Lord has His eye on all people as He does on the tribes of Israel. [Note: E.g., ibid., p. 159.] As history would show, this was when Alexander the Great was rapidly moving south toward Egypt after defeating the Persians at Issus in 333 B.C. The whole world was worried about what he would do next, especially the residents of the cities of Palestine that lay in his path. All these people would have their eyes on Alexander, but he was only the Lord’s instrument, so Zechariah could say that they were really looking to Yahweh. The nations would have done so unwittingly, but Israel would have looked to Him for protection.
The first four verses of this poem deal with the north and the last four with the south. The first two verses and the last two speak of salvation, and the middle four speak of judgment. The passage begins and ends with a reference to eyes, the eyes of men (Zechariah 9:1) and the eye of God (Zechariah 9:8).
Tyre had trusted in physical fortifications for her defense and in stockpiles of silver and gold for her security. She had built a 150-foot high wall around the city, which stood on an island just offshore following Nebuchadnezzar’s earlier unsuccessful 13-year siege (cf. Isaiah 23:4; Ezekiel 29:18), and she had gained great wealth through commerce. There is wordplay (paronomasia) in the Hebrew text. Tyre (Heb. sor, rock) was a fortress (Heb. masor, stronghold, rampart). Nevertheless the Lord would dispossess Tyre and displace her wealth casting it into the Mediterranean Sea. The parts of the city that would not go down into the water would go up in flames. Alexander destroyed Tyre by building a causeway from the mainland to the island city and leveling it. [Note: For accounts of Alexander’s destruction of Tyre, see G. W. Botsford and C. A. Robinson Jr., Hellenic History, pp. 314-20; and A. A. Trever, History of Ancient Civilization, 1:456-59.]
The Philistine cities farther south along the Mediterranean coast would observe Tyre’s fate and fear, especially Ekron, the northernmost of the four cities mentioned. The fifth city of the Philistine pentapolis, Gath, had lost all significance by Zechariah’s time, which probably explains its omission here (cf. 2 Chronicles 26:6). God would also destroy these cities and populate them with a mixed group of citizens. Thus He would humble the pride of the Philistines. This too happened when Alexander swept south. [Note: McComiskey, p. 1162.]
The Lord would also remove the blood that these pagans ate, which was forbidden in Israel, from their mouths. He would take the unclean, detestable food that they ate from their mouths. Drinking blood and eating unclean food was part of Philistine pagan worship (cf. Isaiah 65:4; Isaiah 66:3; Isaiah 66:17), so the judgment in view included punishment for idolatry. Some remaining Philistines would turn to the Lord and become like the Israelites in their faith in Yahweh. As the Jebusites became incorporated into Israel in David’s day (cf. 2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Chronicles 21:18), so would the Philistines in the future from Zechariah’s viewpoint.
The Lord promised to protect His people and land as with a band of soldiers since enemies would oppose them. "House" is probably a metonym for the whole land including its people. No enemy would oppress them ever again because the Lord had seen the plight of His people and would defend them (cf. Zechariah 4:10; Exodus 3:7; Psalms 32:8). This promise of no more oppression anticipates the second advent of Messiah.
"For their preservation at the time of Alexander and for their future deliverance from every oppressor, Israel is indebted to the providence of God which watched over them for good." [Note: Unger, p. 160.]
This section is a prophetic description of Yahweh’s march from the north, using Alexander the Great as His instrument, destroying Gentiles nations but preserving the Jews. Zechariah later predicted the coming Roman Empire (Zechariah 11:4-14) and the kingdom of Messiah (chs. 12-14).
"As history shows, the agent of the Lord’s judgment was Alexander the Great. After defeating the Persians (333 B.C.), Alexander moved swiftly toward Egypt. On his march he toppled the cities in the Aramean (Syrian) interior, as well as those on the Mediterranean coast. Yet, on coming to Jerusalem, he refused to destroy it." [Note: Barker, p. 657.]
Josephus reported that Alexander had a dream and because of it decided to spare Jerusalem. [Note: Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 11:8:3-5.]
"The first section of this . . . part of the book establishes from the start two important facts: the Lord’s victory is certain, and he intends to bring back to Himself peoples long alienated from Him. These truths underlie all that follows and culminate in the universal worship of the King, the Lord of hosts, in Zechariah 14:16-19." [Note: Baldwin, p. 162.]
"One should not . . . anticipate a future scenario in which God will literally march from Hadrach to Jerusalem, establishing his dominion over all opposition. What is at hand is a formulaic way of asserting an unquestionably literal establishment of YHWH’s kingship in the end times, a suzerainty to be achieved in the pattern well known to Zechariah and his fellow countrymen on the human level." [Note: Merrill, pp. 247-48. Cf. Chisholm, Handbook on . . ., p. 468.]
The Israelites should rejoice greatly because their King was coming to them (cf. Zephaniah 3:15). The first part of this verse contains three figures of speech. Zechariah personified Zion and Jerusalem as rejoicing and shouting, he named the city in place of its inhabitants (metonymy), and he used the city to represent the whole nation (synecdoche). Israel’s King would be a just ruler who would bring salvation with Him.
"He is victorious, not in himself or anything that he personally commands, but by the grace, and in the might, of the God of Israel. . . . His triumph, therefore, is the triumph of the faith of the Servant of Yahweh." [Note: H. G. Mitchell, "Haggai and Zechariah," in A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Jonah, p. 273.]
"The world’s peace depends upon a Savior and His salvation." [Note: Feinberg, God Remembers, p. 165.]
The king would, therefore, be humble, not proud and boastful. Zechariah pictured this humble king riding on a gentle donkey colt (cf. Genesis 49:11; Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:12-15). A donkey’s colt was a purebred donkey, one born of a female donkey rather than of a mule.
"It thus qualified to be a royal mount." [Note: Baldwin, p. 166.]
In the ancient Near East rulers commonly rode donkeys if they came in peace (Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14; 2 Samuel 16:2; 1 Kings 1:33), but they rode horses into war. This verse gives one reason the Israelites should rejoice: the coming of the King. Alexander the Great’s coming inspired fear, but Messiah’s coming would inspire joy.
"This text is one of the most messianically significant passages of all the Bible, in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. Judaism sees in it a basis for a royal messianic expectation, whereas the NT and Christianity see a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion (Matthew 25:5; John 12:15). Thus, though the fulfillment may be in dispute, there is unanimous conviction that a descendant of David is depicted here, one who, though humble, rides as a victor into his capital city Jerusalem. The way will have been prepared by the imposition of universal peace, following which the king will exercise dominion over the whole world." [Note: Merrill, pp. 249-50. For further explanation of the Jewish view, see Joseph Klausner, The Messianic Idea in Israel, pp. 203-40.]
"We have pictured for us: (1) the Agent of peace, (2) the method of peace, and (3) the kingdom of peace." [Note: Feinberg, God Remembers, p. 163.]
"The entire age of the church fits between Zechariah 9:9-10, just as it does between Isaiah 9:6-7 and after the comma in Isaiah 61:2." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 467.]
This verse gives a second reason for rejoicing: the establishment of the King’s kingdom. The Gospel writers believed Jesus was the coming King, but they said He fulfilled only Zechariah 9:9, not Zechariah 9:10, during His past earthly ministry (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15; cf. Revelation 19:11-16). The Lord would end war in Israel and would establish peace in the world with His sovereign proclamation (cf. Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 9:5-7; Isaiah 11:1-10; Micah 5:10-15). Note the worldwide extent of Messiah’s kingdom predicted here.
"The chariot, the war-horse, and the battle bow represent the whole arsenal used in ancient warfare; so the passage implies the destruction of this whole arsenal." [Note: Barker, p. 663.]
Yahweh would rule through this King over Israel, and His dominion would be worldwide, from the Euphrates River in the East to the ends of the earth (a merism; cf. Psalms 72:8-11; Isaiah 66:18). In both of these verses, Messiah contrasts with Alexander the Great, the king who initially fulfilled Zechariah 9:1-8.
"One clue to the anticipation of a twofold event-a Palm Sunday as well as eschatological procession-lies in the clear difference in tone or emphasis between Zechariah 9:9 and Zechariah 9:10. In Zechariah 9:9 the coming one, designated king to be sure, nevertheless is described as ’humble’ or ’lowly,’ a most inappropriate way to speak of one whose triumph is complete in every respect. Only in Zechariah 9:10 is that triumph translated into universal dominion. The lowly one of Zechariah 9:9, though victorious in some sense, does not achieve the fruits of that victory until Zechariah 9:10.
"Admittedly, exegesis of the passage apart from NT considerations would never uncover the distinction just suggested between the verses." [Note: Merrill, p. 250.]
This ambiguity resulted in some pre-Christian sects of Judaism, including the Qumran community, expecting two Messiahs. [Note: See Klausner, p. 394.]
As for the Israelites (Zion), the Lord promised to set free those of them whom their enemies would hold prisoner. He pictured this as taking them out of a dry cistern where they were captives, like Joseph and Jeremiah (Genesis 37:24; Jeremiah 38:6-9).
"God’s people had been in the ’pit’ of Babylonian exile, but they would find themselves in a worse predicament in the end of the age. From that pit God would again retrieve them according to His faithfulness to His covenant promises." [Note: Merrill, p. 258.]
Blood sacrifices ratified the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15:9-11) and the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 24:3-8; Exodus 29:38-46; cf. Mark 14:24).
Before Messiah can reign in peace, He must destroy all enemies and deliver and restore His people (cf. Psalms 110).
The Lord called these former Israelite prisoners of the nations who were now free to return to their Stronghold, namely, Himself (cf. Psalms 18:2; Psalms 31:3; Psalms 71:3; Psalms 91:2; Psalms 144:2; Jeremiah 16:19; Nahum 1:7). He Himself promised to restore to them double of what He had allowed their enemy to take from them (cf. Job 42:10). A double restoration of joy pictures a complete restoration (by metonymy; cf. Job 42:12-13; Isaiah 40:2; Isaiah 51:19; Isaiah 61:7).
Yahweh, as the divine Warrior, would use Israel as a weapon to subdue the Gentiles. Judah would be His bow, and Ephraim would be His arrow. He was in complete command of Israel’s affairs. He would come against the nations like an army called to advance with a trumpet and like a strong southern storm (cf. Exodus 24:9-10; Exodus 24:15; Exodus 24:18). This verse saw initial, partial fulfillment when the Jews overthrew the Greeks during the Maccabean revolts in the second century B.C. But final, complete fulfillment awaits Messiah’s second coming. [Note: See H. A. Ironside, Notes on the Minor Prophets, p. 394.]
The Lord would defend Israel and would cause His people to be victorious over their enemies. The death of these enemies would be a sacrifice to Him. However, the Israelites would experience deliverance and victory, like a flock of sheep protected by their Shepherd. They would be precious and beautiful in the Lord’s land, as jewels in a crown as they circled Jerusalem’s hills. They would trample on the sling stones (Zechariah 9:15) used in warfare and would become precious stones in the King’s crown (Zechariah 9:16).
The Israelites would be very attractive then. They would all enjoy plenty of the best food and drink; they would prosper having an abundance of all that human beings need.
An amillennial view that illustrates spiritual, as contrasted with literal, interpretation follows.
"The citizens of Christ’s kingdom as well as God’s ancient people are a landed people. Hebrews 3, 5 make this clear, affirming the believer’s landedness in the gospel-’at-homeness in Christ.’ Today, the fruit of the land that causes its citizens to flourish is the fruit of salvation." [Note: McComiskey, p. 1174.]
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/zechariah-9.html)
Imagine a father playing a board game with his young son. The game involves buying and selling things with play money; thus the youngster learns quickly the value of the money in his hand. As the lad expresses his appreciation in that regard, his father responds, “Someday I’m going to give you thousands of dollars.” The boy is eager to receive the gift, but what he doesn’t realize is that his father is referring to real money. The father doesn’t make the distinction at the time of the promise because his son hasn’t yet reached the age where he can appreciate the difference. The son is focused on the apparent value of play money. So it would seem with today’s text. God is intent on bringing eternal life (“real money”) to those created in his image. But he made promises to those under the old covenant in terms of physical, earthly deliverance (“play money”) because that was their frame of reference. Even into the New Testament era, people had a hard time seeing the spiritual as surpassing the earthly, of seeing beyond the temporary to the eternal (Matthew 13:10-13; Acts 1:6; etc.). Where are you in that regard?