Sharper Iron — The Post-Exilic Prophets - Zechariah 9:1-17: The Humble King

In the second part of his book, Zechariah preaches especially about the coming King for the people of God. The LORD sees not only His people; He sees all people. Neither the Phoenicians nor the Philistines will be able to stand against the LORD or His people. Jerusalem will rejoice, for the LORD is sending His humble King who will put an end to warfare and bring peace and righteousness over all the earth. Those who cling to the LORD and His coming King will have His protection and salvation. By quoting from Zechariah 9 in the Gospels, the Evangelists plainly reveal that Jesus is this humble King.

Rev. Luke Zimmerman, pastor at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Zechariah 9:1-17.

“The Post-Exilic Prophets” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Through the preaching of these faithful men, the LORD sent His Word to His people who returned home after their exile in Babylon. Not only did the LORD encourage His people in the work of rebuilding the temple, but even more than that, He pointed them forward to the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises in the coming kingdom of our true King and great High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

Zechariah 9:1-17

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

9 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,^[a]
²and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
    Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
³Tyre has built herself a rampart
    and heaped up silver like dust,
    and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
⁴But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
    and strike down her power on the sea,
    and she shall be devoured by fire.

⁵Ashkelon 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;
⁶a mixed people^[b] shall dwell in Ashdod,
    and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
⁷I 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.
⁸Then 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

⁹Rejoice 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.
¹⁰I 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 River^[c] to the ends of the earth.
¹¹As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹²Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.
¹³For 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

¹⁴Then 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.
¹⁵The 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.

¹⁶On 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.
¹⁷For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
    Grain shall make the young men flourish,
    and new wine the young women.

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Footnotes

Zechariah 9:1 Or For the eye of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, is toward the Lord
Zechariah 9:6 Or a foreign people; Hebrew a bastard
Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).