_The Second Part of the Prophecies--The First Burden--Judgment upon
Hadrach, Hamath, Tyre and Sidon--His People Kept--The King of Peace
and Righteousness Announced--Victory over the Enemies._
With the ninth chapter begins the second part of the book. In it God
shows through the prophet new and glorious visions of the Kingdom,
the conflicts which His people Israel will have, their victories and
final deliverance, ending with the sublime visions in the fourteenth
chapter. The Deliverer, the King Messiah, is seen here likewise,
suffering, rejected, pierced and slain, the Shepherd is smitten and
rejected, false shepherds take charge of the flock, and calamities
follow till the true Shepherd appears again and they look upon Him
whom they pierced. The Gentiles are seen at last coming up to
Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts. Like the first part
of the book, we have in the second a series of prophecies which are
progressive, leading up higher and higher till the whole purpose of
God is made known, and the summit of Glory to God in the Highest,
Peace on earth, is reached, in the establishment of the Throne of
Jehovah in and over the earth. Oh, how blind man is! that he passes
by the thoughts of his God and does not consider them, nor find
delight and pleasure in them. The words of man are read and studied,
and the Word of God is set aside. The great mass in Christendom is
wise in their own conceits and hastens on to the great waking up,
when it will be too late. It is for the few to look into these things
and to know the secrets of our God. Let us do it faithfully and
prayerfully.
Twice in this second part of Zechariah we meet with the phrase "The
burden of the Word of Jehovah." The first time it stands in the
beginning of the ninth chapter, and the second time in the twelfth
chapter. We may conclude from this that the ninth, tenth and the
eleventh chapters were given as one prophecy, and the twelfth to the
fourteenth were perhaps given some time later.
The land of Hadrach against which the first burden in chapter ix.
commences cannot be correctly located. Its close connection with
Damascus and Hamath show that the land of Hadrach must have been a
province of the Syrian kingdom then in existence. The Phoenician
cities Tyre and Sidon are next, and then mention is made of four
Philistine cities. Against these, Syria, Phoenicia, and the cities of
the Philistines, a great calamity and overthrow is prophesied by
Zechariah. They are conquered by the hosts of an enemy, and the rich
treasuries of Tyre are heaped together in the streets--silver as the
dust and gold as the mire--the bulwarks are smitten, and she herself
consumed by fire. From there the conquest goes on rapidly to the
Philistinian cities, and the King of Gaza perishes. The question
arises, What conquest and calamity is this? Is it accomplished or is
it still future? History records one great conqueror who rapidly
overthrew the countries and cities mentioned in this burden.
Alexander the Great and his expedition so successfully carried on is
undoubtedly meant here. All students of the prophetic Scriptures know
how prominently he likewise stands out in the Book of Daniel. The
young monarch, after the battle of Issus, besieged and quickly
captured Damascus. Sidon was easily taken, but Tyre resisted him some
seven months and was burned to the ground. Gaza and the other cities
came next. Thus the burden of the Word of Jehovah as uttered here by
Zechariah was literally fulfilled in the Syrian conquest of Alexander
the Great. However, history tells us that the armies of the youthful
monarch passed by Jerusalem a number of times without doing harm to
the city. This is remarkable, and in accord with the prophecy of
Zechariah, for we read in the eighth verse, "And I will encamp
against mine house, against the army, against him that passes through
and returns, and no oppressor shall come over them any more, for now
I have seen it with mine eyes."
The Jewish historian Josephus gives a very interesting account of the
oppressor, and how Alexander the Great punished the Samaritans, and
the reason why he did not besiege and conquer Jerusalem. The account
which Josephus gives is so important that we have to quote from it.
"After the destruction of Tyre, the conqueror marched against Gaza,
which was razed to the ground. While Alexander was at the siege of
Tyre, he sent to demand the surrender of Jerusalem. The High Priest
sent an answer in which he stated that Jerusalem had entered into an
alliance with the Persian monarch. After taking Gaza, Alexander
advanced suddenly against Jerusalem. Jaddua, the High Priest, and the
entire city were much frightened. But in a vision God told the High
Priest to be of good cheer, to decorate the city and open the gates
wide, and to go forth in his priestly robes with all the priests in
his train, and the people of the city clad in white garments. Jaddua
obeyed and the doors were opened, and the astonished enemy beheld a
startling spectacle. No sooner had Alexander seen the High Priest in
his gold embroidered robes with the holy name engraved on the turban,
then he fell upon his face and worshipped. His attendants were
greatly astonished. The Syrian kings who stood around feared that
Alexander had lost his reason. One at length asked why he, whom all
the world worshipped, should do homage to the High Priest of the
Jews. Alexander replied that he did not worship the High Priest but
his God. In a vision in Macedonia that figure in that very dress
appeared to me. He exhorted me to conquer Persia. Alexander entered
with the priest into the city to offer sacrifices. The High Priest
then acquainted him with the prophecies of Daniel, showing that a
Greek was to overthrow the Persian empire." The account is without
doubt a correct one, and we relate it here because this prophecy of
the Alexandrian conquest shows the wonderful escape of Jerusalem that
the oppressor shall not come over it.
However, it is to be noticed that the eighth verse says that no
oppressor shall come over them _any more_. This puts before us again
the final deliverance of Jerusalem and Israel's land as it is seen in
the last chapter. It is said that history repeats itself, but divine
prophecy again and again announces events for the near future, and in
it is seen a foreshadowing of other events, and the original prophecy
awaits a greater and final fulfillment. The sentence quoted, that no
oppressor shall come over them any more, brings the first burden of
the word of Jehovah in connection with the coming final deliverance
of Israel when they shall be planted upon their land, and they shall
no more be plucked up. A final destructive visitation will be upon
the enemies of Israel and Jerusalem; in fact, many of the ancient
foes of Israel are seen revived in prophecy in the latter days then
to be swept away, while Jerusalem will again be miraculously saved.
In our exposition of the fourteenth chapter we hope to show the
details of this.
The second section of the ninth chapter, verses 9-11, which is so
closely connected with the burden from verses 1-8, strengthens the
above exegesis. Who would say that verses 9-11 have seen a complete
fulfillment? The greater part of it is still future, and so it is
likewise with the third section of the ninth chapter. Let us quote
first verses 9-11:
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion,
Shout aloud daughter of Jerusalem,
Behold thy King cometh to thee,
Just and having salvation,
Meek and riding upon an ass,
Even upon a colt, the she-ass's foal,
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,
And the horse from Jerusalem,
And the battle bow shall be cut off,
And He shall speak peace unto the nations,
And His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
And from the river to the ends of the earth.
As for thee also, for the sake of thy covenant blood,
I send forth thy prisoners from the waterless pit,
Return to the stronghold--Prisoners of hope
Even to-day I declare I will render double unto thee.
This stands in contrast to the Grecian conqueror, and it needs no
proofs that the coming King whom Zechariah beholds is the King
Messiah. The Jews acknowledge it as such. One of the greatest Jewish
commentators says (Rashi): It is impossible to interpret it of any
other than King Messiah. An interesting fable is based upon this
prophecy, and well known among orthodox Jews. Rabbi Eliezer says,
commenting on the words lowly and riding upon an ass, "This is the
ass, the foal of that she-ass which was created in the twilight. This
is the ass which Abraham our father saddled for the binding of Isaac
his son. This is the ass upon which Moses our teacher rode when he
came to Egypt, as it is said, And he made them ride upon the ass (Ex.
iv: 20). This is the ass upon which the Son of David shall ride."
Other interesting quotations could be given from Jewish writings, but
this is sufficient to show that the Jews believe it to be a Messianic
prophecy. And what blindness that they do not see Him who is the
Messiah; but is not the so-called "higher criticism" existing to-day
in Christendom being taught in churches and schools, that there are
no Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, much greater blindness?
Alas! so it is, and the outcome can be nothing else in the end than
the denial of the divinity of our Lord, or Unitarianism.
Every reader of the new Testament knows that this prophecy is quoted
in the Gospels. Let us look to the Gospels and see its application.
First, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter xxi: 5: All this was done
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Tell the daughter of Sion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek,
and sitting upon an ass, upon a colt the foal of an ass. The context
shows a great multitude there crying, Hosanna to the Son of David:
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the
highest. But soon the cry is changed into, This is Jesus the prophet
from Nazareth of Galilee. Notice the Holy Spirit quoting from
Zechariah leaves out the sentence, "He is just, having salvation."
This is not an error, but it is the divine right of the Spirit who
gave the prophecies in olden times to apply them correctly in the New
Testament. In the Gospel of Mark in the eleventh chapter there is
likewise the description of Christ's entry into Jerusalem, but
Zechariah is not quoted. The same is true of the account given by
Luke, chapter xix., and here He is mentioned as the King that cometh
in the name of Jehovah, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. In
the fourth Gospel, chapter xii: 15, the account of His coming to
Jerusalem is much shorter than in the other Gospels. It says there,
Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting upon an
ass's colt.
We see from this that the four Gospels give each an account of the
entry of the Lord into Jerusalem; two of them quote from Zechariah
and the other two do not. The quotations themselves are differing
from the prophecy in Zechariah ix. in two respects. The first words,
Rejoice greatly, is not at all used. In Matthew it is, Tell the
daughter of Sion, and in John, Fear not daughter of Sion. The
sentence, He is just and having salvation, is left out in both.
A superficial exposition of the Word claims that Zechariah's prophecy
was fulfilled in the event recorded by the Gospels. As far as His
entry into Jerusalem is concerned, riding upon the colt the foal of
an ass (and note in Matthew it is shown that both the colt and the
ass are brought to Him. He could ride of course only upon one, but
the she-ass had to go along in fulfillment of prophecy), and the way
He came, meekly, in this respect the prophecy was fulfilled. This
entry of the Son of Man into Jerusalem was His formal presentation to
Jerusalem as its King, but, as stated above, the Messianic cry of
welcome Blessed is He, soon changes into, Jesus the prophet from
Nazareth in Galilee, and that again in the final cry of rejection,
Crucify Him, crucify Him! There was no salvation for Israel then, and
no kingdom for Him, hence no rejoicing is mentioned in the
quotations.
It is His second coming to Jerusalem as the Son of Man in His glory
which will bring the fulfillment of Zechariah ix: 9-11. True, the
colt, the she ass's foal, will not be the animal He rides, but He
will come upon a white horse followed by the armies of heaven. He
comes then truly for Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecy, Just is He
having salvation (marginal reading, Victory). There will be again the
welcome cry of the 118th Psalm, Blessed is He that cometh in the name
of Jehovah, preceded by the plea, Hosanna, save now.
The tenth and eleventh verses show clearly that the prophecy is yet
to be fulfilled and can be only fulfilled in the coming of the Son of
Man in His glory. One of the reasons why modern Judaism rejects Jesus
of Nazareth, and does not believe Him to be the promised Redeemer, is
in this prophecy. Rabbi F. De Sola Mendes, of New York, brings in a
little book, "A Hebrew's Reply to the Missionaries," the following
argument: "We reject Jesus of Nazareth as our Messiah on account of
His deeds. He says of Himself: 'Think not that I am come to send
peace on the earth; I came not to send peace but a sword,' etc. But
we find that our prophets ascribe to the true Messiah quite different
actions." Zechariah says (ix: 10), He shall speak peace to the
nations. Jesus says He came to send the sword on the earth; whereas,
Isaiah says of the true Messianic time, "They shall beat their swords
into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall
not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any
more."
Of course the Jew is right in expecting the literal fulfillment of
this prophecy, and it will be fulfilled when He comes again and the
restoration of all things will follow, as spoken by the mouth of all
his holy prophets.
When He appears again, in like manner as He went into heaven, that is
not for His saints but with His saints, there will be peace for
Ephraim and for Jerusalem, and the kingdom is then restored to
Israel, that is, to the house of Judah and the house of Israel. The
chariot, the horse, and the battlebow will be cut off.
Not alone will He bring peace to the covenant people but to the
nations. He will speak peace. "And He shall stand, and shall feed His
flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of
Jehovah His God, and they shall abide; for now shall He be great unto
the ends of the earth. And this man shall be our peace" (Micah v: 4,
5). There will be abundance of peace (Ps. lxxii: 7). His dominion
will be from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth.
The prisoners of hope to be released, by the blood of the covenant,
from the pit wherein there is no water, is the nation whose captivity
is now ended. How strange that people should take a passage like this
and interpret it as meaning the restitution of the wicked and the
ungodly from the pit. There is nothing taught in the Word like that
which some people term a larger hope. The restitution (restoration)
of all things is not left to the fanciful interpretation of the human
mind, but is clearly defined by the Word itself, as spoken by the
prophets. In the vision of the dry bones in Ezekiel xxxvii, Israel's
complaint is, Our hope is lost. But when He is manifested, who is
indeed the Hope of Israel, the prisoners (the captives), will be
released and cleansed. Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes
from tears. . . . "There is hope for thy latter end, saith the Lord,
and thy children shall come again to their own border" (Jer. xxxi:
17). The exhortation to return to the stronghold follows. Israel will
then sing, "He brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the miry
clay, and He set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" (Ps.
xl: 2). Double will be rendered unto them, as promised, "Speak to the
heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of
the Lord's hand double for all her sins" (Is. xl: 2). "For your shame
ye shall have double, and for confusion they shall rejoice in their
portion; therefore in their land they shall possess double;
everlasting joy shall be unto them" (Is. lxi: 7).
And now we come to the third section of this chapter. The scene
changes once more. The chapter commences with scenes of war, strife,
battles and overthrow, and it ends with scenes of war and words of
cheer for Zion. In the middle stands the King and His advent, the
kingdom of peace, which He will establish.
Alexander's successor, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Zion's successful
resistance, is undoubtedly the first fulfillment of the third
section. The Prophet Daniel speaks likewise of this terrible man of
sin, Antiochus Epiphanes (chap. viii). Not like Alexander, passing by
Jerusalem, he invaded the land of Judah, and endeavored to force the
idolatry of Greece upon the Jews. Entering Jerusalem, he slew 40,000
of the inhabitants, and a larger number were sold as slaves. He then
entered the temple, seized the rich treasures stored there, and
commanded a big swine to be sacrificed upon the altar of
burnt-offering, and with the blood the sacred place was defiled. A
bitter struggle commenced, for Antiochus tried to exterminate the
Jews and their religion as well. Every observance of the Jewish
religion was forbidden, the Sabbath had to be profaned, and unclean
food had to be eaten. Idols were set up in the temple. Instead of the
Jewish feasts, the feasts of idols, with all their shocking
abominations and immoralities, were introduced, and the Jews were
forced to join in them. Thousands suffered martyrdom. But all at once
a few people stood up against the abominations, the Maccabeans, and
in a struggle lasting about twenty-five years, they fought
successfully against the enemies. Miraculous victories were achieved,
and thousands and tens of thousands of the idolators slain, and
Jerusalem and the land freed from the abomination.
This terrible visitation of the land and the wonderful victory of the
Maccabeans is foretold by the prophet in the closing verses of the
ninth chapter. We will quote the passage:
"I bend for me Judah and fill the bow with Ephraim,
And I will stir up thy sons, Zion, against thy sons, Greece,
And make thee like the sword of a mighty man.
Jehovah shall be seen over them,
And His arrow shall go forth like lightning,
And the Lord Jehovah shall blow the trumpet.
He shall go with whirlwinds of the South.
The Lord of Hosts shall cover them;
They shall devour and tread down slingstones,
And they drink and make a noise as from wine,
And they shall be filled like bowls, as the corners of the altar.
And Jehovah their God saves them in that day, as the flock of
His people;
For jewels of a crown shall they be, glittering over His land,
For how great is His goodness and how great His beauty!
Corn shall make the young men flourish, and new wine maidens."
But again we have to remark that this prophecy is only partially
fulfilled. The terrible tribulation of the land of Judah when
Antiochus Epiphanes invaded the land, is but a type of the great
tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble. Antiochus Epiphanes, in his
awful fight against Jehovah and the Lord's people, is a type of the
final Antichrist, and the Jewish saints slain by him are types of the
Jewish saints which will be beheaded during the tribulation. Jehovah
will fight then, as it is stated here, against those nations in that
day (Zech. xiv). The remnant of Israel will then be victorious. Thus
everything is seen in this chapter in a past fulfillment, but only
partial, and in it a future fulfillment, which will be complete.
We cannot leave this chapter without calling attention to the blessed
statement:
"For jewels of a crown they shall be, glittering over His land."
The slain who suffered martyrdom are meant, and all those who fought
for Jehovah's name and honor. May not the statement in Hebrews xi.
refer to this time? "Others had trials of mockings and scourgings,
yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were
sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword they
went about in sheepskins, in goatskins: being destitute, afflicted,
evil entreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in
deserts and in mountains and caves and the holes of the earth" (Heb.
xi: 36-39).
And all will find a repetition during the coming tribulation. But the
time for reward has not yet come. The throne of glory is not yet
revealed, and the jewels, the saints made up in a crown, glittering
over the land are not yet seen. But the assurance is given, "They
shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels" (Mal. iii: 17). "Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the
hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God" (Isa.
lxii: 3). "And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads or in their hands, and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years." Revel. xx: 6. Oh, blessed hope
of all the saints! To be with Christ in Glory, in His throne, and
sharing His rule. In that day of manifestation, when Christ our life
is manifested, and we shall be manifested with Him in glory--glory
never ceasing, but ever increasing, in the countless ages to come,
redeemed sinners will be the jewels of His crown, and He shall see
the travail of His soul and be satisfied.