Judgment Upon the Nations
Here in Zechariah 9 we hear Zechariah look towards the nations and
forecast doom. Of course, this is a
theme with which we have grown quite familiar.
Let’s take a look at what Zechariah says with respect to the reason for
judgment.
If we look at Syria (Damascus) and Phoenicia (Tyre and Sidon) we
see that the usual issue rears its ugly head again here in Zechariah:
wealth. These people were merchants and
were masters at it. They made money
through their business transactions.
What does Zechariah say about them?
They heap up silver like dust and fine gold like mud on the streets.
Imagine a place where gold is so common it seems like mud on the
streets! Or imagine a culture where
silver is so common it is described in the same sentence as dust! Yes, the main issue with Damascus, Tyre, and
Sidon is their wealth. They were a
shrewd, affluent, and economically focused pair of nations. They made profit from others, consuming more
than their fair share of wealth – disproportionately way more than their fair
share!
What does the Lord promise with regard to them? The Lord will strip her of her
possessions. Yes, it is indeed wealth
that is their issue. Their wealth has
come between them and any understanding of God that they might find. Their affluence has become an obstacle – an obstacle
that has become so commonplace that they value it about as much as one values
dust!
Zechariah next turns to Philistia (Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza). The issue here is violence. They are bloodthirsty. They enjoy war. Their enjoy conflict. They enjoy physical confrontation.
What will happen to Philistia?
God will rise up against them. The
Philistines will either be driven out or merged with the Hebrew people. They will become like His own children as the
Jebusites did under the time of David.
The Jebusites were the native population of Jerusalem before David
conquered the city. When it was
conquered, the people of Jerusalem (Jebus) were assimilated into Hebrew
culture. Philistia would not endure when
judgment came.
Before moving on to the next section of text, I can’t help but
wonder what God might do to a nation that had all of the problems mentioned so
far. If wealth brought about God’s wrath
as did having a people who love violence, then what about the country that is
wealthy and that loves violence? What
might God think about such a place?
The Lord’s King
In the next section Zechariah talks about the coming king of the
Lord. The Lord speaks about the one who
will rule. Naturally, the ruler in the
time of Zechariah was Zerubbabel, but he was no official king.
Let’s look for a moment at how this king comes. The king comes riding in on a donkey (you
should think about the Triumphal Entry, here).
The king will also be reason for the people to shout and call out loud (here
is more evidence of the Triumphal Entry).
The king has salvation with him when he comes (you should think about
the crucifixion here).
However, there is more subtle evidence here that tells us that
these verses bring us to Christ as a fulfillment of God’s words. Notice that in these words the chariot and
the bow and the war horse are cut off.
The Lord’s King will not come and become king through warfare and
violence. Rather, it is through peace that
the Lord’s King shall be known.
When I think of Jesus, I always think of peace. Yes, Jesus healed people and drew the
outcasts to Him. In that respect He was
about peace. But even more importantly
and far more deeply Jesus was about peace between mankind and God. Until Jesus died on the cross, mankind and
God were at war. With Jesus’ atoning
death upon the cross mankind came into peace with God. The cross more than any other part of His
story is an implement of peace. How is
it that Jesus comes to be the Lord’s King?
He dies so that we might know peace with God.
Protection
In the last section of the text we hear about a time when the Lord
will protect His people. We don’t truly
know when it is in history that Zechariah is referring. But in the end, that isn’t really all that
important. What we can glean from this
text is that the Lord fights for His people.
He is their deliverance. He
saves. He lifts up His people like
jewels on a crown.
Passages like this remind me just how awesome God is. He could have walked away from us and let us
destroy ourselves. He could have judged us
all into misery. But instead He saves us
and treats us like jewels upon His crown.
That’s an amazing God!
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