June 19 - Zechariah 9

June 19 - Zechariah 9:1-17

As you read Zechariah 9:1-8, you may not realize that what you are reading is the march of Alexander the Great and his armies as they marched through and took possession of the land around Jerusalem in the fourth century b.c. The cities represent the progression of Alexander through the region. Zechariah 9:1b tells us that all of the people of Israel watched as this happened and when we get to the Lord's promise to defend Jerusalem in Zechariah 9:8, the truth is that Alexander's armies never touched Jerusalem. They passed it over and over and never laid seige to that city.

There was one song in Handel's "Messiah" that I always wanted to sing, but absolutely never had the vocal technique to pull off. Too many runs throughout the piece. I practiced and practiced, but you could always tell that I was forcing the runs ... so, it fell by the wayside. "Rejoice Greatly" comes from this passage in Zechariah 9:9.

This is one of the beautiful prophecies of the coming Messiah. We find the prophecy that he fulfilled when he entered Jerusalem riding on the donkey. This Messiah is the King of peace. This peaceful reign will come when the Messiah returns the second time.

The promise in Zechariah 9:13 is that the land of Ephraim (the ten northern tribes) will be reunited with Judah (the two southern tribes).

Zechariah 9:14-17 - The Lord Will Appear.

The Lord will appear in the clouds with the sound of the trumpet. This imagery is repeated by Paul and by John in the Revelation. We are not going to miss it.

The promise is being made to Israel that there will be unrestrained joy at the end when the Lord finally comes. They will be beautiful symbols of God's fulfilled promises.