The Minor Prophets Speak To Today
O Come, O Come Emanuel - Our Lord, Jesus
Zechariah 9:9-17 NLT
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Zion’s Coming King
9 Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
11 Because of the covenant I made with you,
sealed with blood,
I will free your prisoners
from death in a waterless dungeon.
12 Come back to the place of safety,
all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day
that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.
13 Judah is my bow,
and Israel is my arrow.
Jerusalem is my sword,
and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
11 Because of the covenant I made with you,
sealed with blood,
I will free your prisoners
from death in a waterless dungeon.
12 Come back to the place of safety,
all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day
that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.
13 Judah is my bow,
and Israel is my arrow.
Jerusalem is my sword,
and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.
14 The Lord will appear above his people;
his arrows will fly like lightning!
The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn
and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert.
15 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people,
and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones.
They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine.
They will be filled with blood like a bowl,
drenched with blood like the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people,
just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
17 How wonderful and beautiful they will be!
The young men will thrive on abundant grain,
and the young women will flourish on new wine.
his arrows will fly like lightning!
The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn
and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert.
15 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people,
and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones.
They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine.
They will be filled with blood like a bowl,
drenched with blood like the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people,
just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
17 How wonderful and beautiful they will be!
The young men will thrive on abundant grain,
and the young women will flourish on new wine.
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As a child, one of my favorite hymns was When He Cometh (click for video). It was often sung on Children's Day, but we loved it all year long, both we children and the adults. Being inquisitive, I looked in the back of the hymnal and found the passage on which the song way based: Zechariah 9:16b.
BRIGHT GEMS FOR HIS CROWN
As a child, one of my favorite hymns was When He Cometh (click for video). It was often sung on Children's Day, but we loved it all year long, both we children and the adults. Being inquisitive, I looked in the back of the hymnal and found the passage on which the song way based: Zechariah 9:16b.
When He cometh, when He cometh
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
Refrain
Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
He will gather, He will gather
The gems for His kingdom;
All the pure ones, all the bright ones,
His loved and His own.
The gems for His kingdom;
All the pure ones, all the bright ones,
His loved and His own.
Refrain
Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
Little children, little children,
Who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
Who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
Refrain
Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
(When searching for the lyrics for When He Cometh, I pulled up a fascinating story of the multicultural, multi-national unifying effect of this song. I encourage you to read it.)His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/w/h/e/n/whenheco.htm
Sometimes we need a reminder that we are God's little children. We, plus the people from the Jewish conversion, and the people of the Palestinian conversion will be the "bright gems for His crown." What a day that will be. I look forward to it.
PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE?
That will be an amazing day! But seriously, this passage seems to have a past, a present, and a future application.
Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15 quote verse 9 to describe The Triumphal Entry - the basis of our Palm Sunday celebrations. John 12:16 states that that event fulfilled Zechariah 9:9.
A past application.
But what of the rest of the passage. Where does it fit in?
Zechariah 9:10 remains one of the great peace passages yet to be fulfilled:
10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
For another statement of this message, see also Isaiah 2:2-4 KJV:
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Yet another can be read in Micah 4:1-4 NLT:
In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
2 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
3 The Lord will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!
A future application. Even so come Lord Jesus!
Zechariah 9:11-12 has been partly fulfilled when Christ descended into the bowels of the earth and brought out from death those who came before him who believed in his coming. But, because of the covenant sealed in Jesus' blood, these verses are also true for us today and for all who come after us.
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
2 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
3 The Lord will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!
A future application. Even so come Lord Jesus!
Zechariah 9:11-12 has been partly fulfilled when Christ descended into the bowels of the earth and brought out from death those who came before him who believed in his coming. But, because of the covenant sealed in Jesus' blood, these verses are also true for us today and for all who come after us.
12 Come back to the place of safety,
all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day
that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.
Zechariah 9:12
What a promise for all of us. What a great promise for those who suffer for the name of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ both now and in the final of the days before he brings his peace to the world.
A present and future application. Even so come Lord Jesus!
The meaning of Zechariah 9:13 remains obscure. Did it already happen? Is it true of the Jews whether or not they are being faithful to God and accepting their Messiah? Is it a future statement? If it is it includes all of us who have been adopted by God and become the new Israel.
A past, present, or future application? Even so come Lord Jesus!
The remainder of Zechariah 9:10-17 describes the future coming of Jesus to physically establish his kingdom on earth. Presently, the Kingdom of God is spiritually present on earth in his believers wherever they live or travel. We are the physical presence of the Kingdom of God, but the day is coming--the day of our Great Hope--when Christ returns to establish his often prophesied physical kingdom on earth. The kingdom described in the passages about peace.
Zechariah 9:10-17 speaks to today. Speaks clearly to God's people.
14
The Lord will appear above his people;
his arrows will fly like lightning!
The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn
and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert.
15
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people,
and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones.
They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine.
They will be filled with blood like a bowl,
drenched with blood like the corners of the altar.
16
On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people,
just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
-- -- --
Just reading this passage makes my heart race with anticipation and joy.
A future application!
Even So Lord Jesus, Come Quickly!
Photo Credits:
O come, O Come Emmanuel by Ryan Bliss, www.digitalblasphemy.com
Palm frond by Samuel John, some rights reserved @flickr.com
Gems by Orbital Joe, some rights reserved @flickr.com
Assorted Gems by Garry Wilmore, some rights reserved @flickr.com
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