YOUR KING IS COMING
Opening Prayer
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Read ZECHARIAH 9:9–17
The Coming of Zion’s King
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[a] to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,
and make you like a warrior’s sword.
The Lord Will Appear
14 Then the Lord will appear over them;
his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;
he will march in the storms of the south,
15 and the Lord Almighty will shield them.
They will destroy
and overcome with slingstones.
They will drink and roar as with wine;
they will be full like a bowl
used for sprinkling[b] the corners of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
17 How attractive and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.
Footnotes:
a Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates
b Zechariah 9:15 Or bowl, / like
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“King of glory, King of peace, I will love thee … Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee.” (George Herbert, 1593–1633)
In verses 1–7 God declares judgment on some of Israel’s traditional enemies. The language suggests a conquering army moving down from the north. After this, God promises to defend and restore his people. They are urged to rejoice at the coming of a new king. Initially he is described in a way that echoes earlier prophecies of a “new David” (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5). However, whereas the context might imply the coming of a warrior riding a war-horse, this king is “lowly” (9, “Gentle” in Matthew 21:5) and rides a donkey – an animal fit for royalty (2 Samuel 16:2) but not war. Through him, God will bring peace to Israel and the nations. God promises to liberate those Israelites who are enslaved in exile and urges them to return to the security of their homeland. The Gospel writers saw the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:4, 5; John 12:14, 15). The phrase “blood of my covenant” (11) recalls the making of the Sinai covenant and was cited by Jesus at the Last Supper (Exodus 24:8; Matthew 26:28), when he declared that his death would liberate us from sin.
After talk of peace and an end to war, verses 13–17 are surprising because of their war-like imagery. However, much of it is the traditional imagery that is used of appearances of God, as at Sinai. The prophecy is about God saving his people “on that day” (16). In the Old Testament, this often refers to the end days when God judges the nations and establishes his universal rule. For Christians, this means the second coming of Jesus. A prophecy containing hope and encouragement to the returned exiles at a difficult time does the same for us – and we have the added assurance of knowing that its fulfillment has begun in Jesus.
Apply
Consider what it should mean for you to love and praise God as King in your daily life. How well are you doing this?
Closing prayer
Lord, we shout and rejoice greatly with Your people Israel over the triumphal entrance of our Messiah.
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