God's Promise: Restoration and Presence
Notes
Transcript
In the Hebrew Bible, this would be chapter 2, verses 5-17. In our English translations, we are in chapter 2, verses 1-13.
This is the third of eight visions given to Zechariah in the same night. The effect of this vision is God’s guarantee to the remnant of the future prosperity and expansion of Jerusalem and the nation as well as the future glory of Israel.
1. The Promise of Restoration, 2:1-5.
1. The Promise of Restoration, 2:1-5.
1— Zechariah’s third vision is of one in appearance as a man (probably an angel) with a measuring line in his hand. This is a construction, or reconstruction, motif.
In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city.
So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.
2— Zechariah’s question brought a response from the man:
He is going to measure Jerusalem’s dimensions (how wide… how long). This would be an act done in preparation for the restoring and rebuilding of Jerusalem.
The restoration in Zechariah’s day would only be a foreview of a much grander restoration,
‘For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’
And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod.
Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
3— the interpreting angel of chapter 1 goes out, met by another angel, who is probably the angel of the LORD (context, verses 5ff.).
4— This one spoke to the interpreting angel to run and speak to that young man (Zechariah) these words:
Jerusalem will be inhabited
Jerusalem will be without walls
Jerusalem will be filled with multitudes, both of man and livestock.
Normally Jerusalem’s restoration would include walls to help secure the city, yet we find in Nehemiah that few people wanted to live in Jerusalem, even with walls.
The promise is of a future restoration, but is a great encouragement to Zechariah as well as the remnant.
The Mormons twist verse 4. They interpret the young man as being Joseph Smith, the angel as Moroni, who supposedly revealed the golden plates of the Book of Mormon
5— Now the LORD makes two great promises which Zechariah will proclaim to the remnant:
“I will be a wall of fire around her” — this recalls the pillar of cloud and fire of the exodus, cf.
then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.
There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.
The LORD Himself will be Jerusalem’s protection, her defender.
“I will be the glory in her midst”— Instead of the glory of men, or of the temple, the glory of the LORD — His personal presence — will be in Jerusalem’s midst,
Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
“No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory.
Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east;
and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.
And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.
And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east.
And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
“The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The Lord is there.’ ”
In the time of Zechariah (and in history until today), this has not happened; therefore it is a future event to be completely fulfilled, yet it is an encouragement to the remnant, for the God who promises keeps His promises.
2. The Proclamation of Return, 2:6-9.
2. The Proclamation of Return, 2:6-9.
6-7— The call of verses 6 and 7 is to those who have not returned to the land. “You there!” is followed by a command to flee from the land of the north. To invade Israel, invading armies would come either from the north or the south.
The Northern Kingdom was destroyed and the people taken captive by the Assyrians, who later fell to Babylonia. The Southern Kingdom was conquered by Babylonia and many of the people brought to the lands around Babylon.
Some escaped or were taken to Egypt, Jer 43:7
and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.
Others escaped to Moab, Ammon, or Edom, Jer 40:11-12
Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.
Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
Still others to Persia, and other surrounding nations. All the nations in the area were vassals of the Babylonian Empire by conquest or capitulation.
When Medo-Persia overcame Babylonia and Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their land and rebuild the temple, many stayed right were they are, dispersed throughout the nations and became what we call the Diaspora.
The LORD calls His people to escape from Babylon and her vassals, to return home, and help rebuild the temple.
This is also a prophetic call for the Jews to abandon the “Babylon” of their day, those who are living in the end times, Rev. 18:4-8
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;
for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
“Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
“To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’
“For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
8-9— They should do this because after glory, God’s representative, the Messiah, is sent with a glorious, dreadful purpose. Here the Father is sending the Son to glorify Him, both in the Son’s first advent and second advent.
Messiah is coming against all the nations which plundered His people and His land, because they are most precious to Him. The pupil (the apple of the eye) is the most sensitive part of the eye. Messiah is being sent to right that which His people have suffered and endured through and he is doing so with great power. He is waving His hand and they will be plunder for the lowest, their own slaves. Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
They have reaped what they have sowed in their treatment of God’s people.
This will be evidence that this is Messiah, sent by the LORD to reign and rule in the Millennial kingdom.
3. The Presence of God, 2:10-13.
3. The Presence of God, 2:10-13.
10— Israelites will respond with joy and gladness for the LORD’s intervention (“for behold I am coming”) and presence (“I will dwell in their midst”).
11— On that day, the day of the LORD, the nations will come to Jerusalem and acknowledge the LORD alone as sovereign,
Psalm 47:9 (NASB95)
The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.
Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;
Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.”
For the second time, The LORD promises that He will dwell in the midst of His people, all His people, the Jewish people, adding in those from the other nations who join themselves to the LORD and become His as well.
That miracle will confirm to the Jews that the LORD of Hosts has sent them Messiah.
12— It is the LORD who possess Judah as His inheritance in the land— they will be His forever. The term “holy land” is found only here in the Bible. It will only be the holy land when Jesus returns to dwell among His people.
At that time, Jerusalem will again be chosen for special blessing.
13— There is nothing we can say to thwart God’s plan and promises; indeed, nobody can frustrate God’s purposes. He is aroused to take action upon the earth. He will accomplish His plan.
Today, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have a reason to “sing for joy and be glad” right now because of Jesus who by the Holy Spirit, lives in and through us.
He dwells with us; He declares that He will never leave nor forsake us.
He is our constant companion. He is our future hope.
Our God, through Christ, is restoring us to bear His image in righteousness. We are a people growing into who we are meant to be to live with the Father and His Son, Jesus. That work of restoration (sanctification) will continue until we see Him who we love face to face.
And because He has chosen to be with us, we can have both enduring assurance and peace.