Daily Devotional Sunday 9th April 2023
by William MoodyZechariah 9
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
9:1 The oracle of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach
and Damascus is its resting place.
For the LORD has an eye on mankind
and on all the tribes of Israel,1
2 and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
3 Tyre has built herself a rampart
and heaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
4 But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
and strike down her power on the sea,
and she shall be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid;
Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;
Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;
6 a mixed people2 shall dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
7 I will take away its blood from its mouth,
and its abominations from between its teeth;
it too shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like a clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
8 Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,
so that none shall march to and fro;
no oppressor shall again march over them,
for now I see with my own eyes.
The Coming King of Zion
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River3 to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
13 For I have bent Judah as my bow;
I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, O Greece,
and wield you like a warrior’s sword.
The Lord Will Save His People
14 Then the LORD will appear over them,
and his arrow will go forth like lightning;
the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet
and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
15 The LORD of hosts will protect them,
and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,
and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the LORD their God will save them,
as the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
17 For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
Grain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.Footnotes
[1] 9:1
Or For the eye of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, is toward the Lord
[2] 9:6Or a foreign people; Hebrew a bastard
[3] 9:10That is, the Euphrates (ESV)
The nations who have attacked the people of God such as Philistia, Tyre and Sidon are hear warned of judgment to come (v1-8). The Lord will fight against them and protect His people.
Then in the midst of this prophecy we have the familiar words about the coming of the King to Zion (v9). Not a king on a mighty charger but the humble King who comes on a donkey as He has come to save.
This king will end war and bring in days of great peace (v10). Through the blood of the covenant, the blood shed at Calvary, prosperity will be restored to God’s people who have suffered (v11-13).
This is the king who will be all conquering and victorious (v14-15), acting on behalf of His people who are his flock and like a jewel of His crown (v16). We’re encouraged to marvel at the goodness and beauty of this King (v17).
As we think of the cost to Jesus in bringing salvation, freedom and blessing to His people, let’s praise Him for such amazing grace and love.
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