“Sea to Sea…To The Ends of the Earth.”

Pastoral Prayer

Read Zechariah 9

Zechariah 9 ESV

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, 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 people 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. 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 River 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. 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.

KEY QUESTION: Do you see the glory of the LORD in His majesty and power?

I. God will Carry Out Judgment on His People’s Enemies.

The people of the nations around Israel and Judah consistently fought against them and held them in contempt.

The nations ridiculed God, thinking that idols and religious practices were sufficient to have success in their daily lives.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets a. The Destruction of Nations and Preservation of Zion (9:1–8)

The judgment with which the first oracle begins commences north of Palestine and proceeds south down the west coast of Syro-Palestine (9:1–7). But Israel will be preserved for the advent of her Messiah (9:8).

II. God’s Ultimate Judgment is Found in Jesus Christ.

Just as in the days of the OT, a nation that lacks leaders is a sign of divine abandonment, so to the opposite, God is judging the nations by delivering a Divine King to the people of Judah.

God is showing the complete nature of His judgment as He promises to decimate His enemies while entering the fray as the Once and Future Promised King.

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

III. The Lord’s Victory is Both Delightful and Dreadful.

MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary

Reminiscent of the Exodus (Ex 19:16–19; Hab 3:3–15), the Lord will protect and empower them (cf. Is 11:11–16; Zec 12:6, 8). The initial historical fulfillment of this prophecy came when the Maccabees defeated the Greeks ca. 167 B.C.; the final, complete fulfillment will occur at His Second Advent. The Maccabean triumph is only a pledge and a preview of final triumph over all enemies.

To the nations, Holy judgment and justice is a terrible event that haunts consciences and imaginations. At the same time, to the LORD’s people, it is retribution for suffering and shame for trusting in Him.

The judgment is cast, and the epic of redemption plays out before our eyes. God is not mocked; His bride will be pure; the enemy will be overcome.

John 3:16–21 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

KEY QUESTION: Do you see the glory of the LORD in His majesty and power?

What Is God Attempting to Communicate to His People?

God is longsuffering and is not fooled into submissiveness to us.

‌God has, is, and will keep faithfulness to His Word for Name’s sake.

‌The Gospel call is part of God’s holy judgment in the world.

‌For all who trust in God, His appearance will be a great joy and an excellent promise fulfilled.