Rejoice the LORD is King

Introduction.

This morning is Palm Sunday 2021. While we celebrate this morning in a certain context which is unlike our celebrations in the past, the reason we celebrate remains the same. We celebrate the procession of King Jesus into Jerusalem as foretold by Zechariah. As we consider the celebration of Palm Sunday this morning, I’d like us to turn our attention to Zechariah 9. I will also refer to the events in Luke 19, which records the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy.

The fall of Jerusalem to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. marked the finale of the kingdom of Judah, much as the earlier defeat at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 b.c. brought to an end the Northern Kingdom of Israel. [i] The events of this book spanned from 520-about 515 BC. Luke was written sometime between 58-50 AD)

Zechariah 9 :1-8 talks about God’s blessing on Israel by judging her enemies. The chief priests and teachers of the law knew the timetable:

Most conservative commentators regard 9:1-8 as a prophecy of the conquests of Alexander the Great throughout the area of Palestine in 333 b.c. Zechariah, living in the days of the Medo-Persian Empire, predicted the coming Grecian Empire (9:1-8, 13), the Roman Empire (11:4-14), and Israel’s future in the last days (chaps. 12-14).[ii]

You will remember that the events of Daniel cover the Medo-Persian empire. The events in Daniel 8 occur a couple of years before the Medo-Persian Empire begins to rule over the captives in Babylon.

We pick up in Zechariah and celebrate the king who rescues, rules and restores.

I invite you to turn in your bibles to our text: Zechariah 9: 9-13

Shall we pray?

Almighty God and Loving Father,

We thank you for this Palm Sunday morning. We’ve gathered to celebrate the coming of our King, Jesus Christ. Allow us with pure hearts and focused minds to be drawn into your word and be impacted by it. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

This king, rescues, rule and restores.

I. Rescues (Zechariah 9:9)

“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.” (Zechariah 9:9, ESV)

Rejoice – be glad, jubilant…note: this joy may be expressed in song, shouts, or even joyous shrieks and calls[iii]

Used three times in Scripture: In Joel this word is used in the context of God’s renewing blessing on Israel…

““Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!” (Joel 2:21, ESV)

Almost 550 years after this the people rejoiced as Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem

“As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,” (Luke 19:37, ESV)

Infact, when the religious leaders tried to quench the enthusiasm of the people listen to what Jesus said:

“And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”” (Luke 19:39–40, ESV)

Righteous (used 206 times) This describes Christ’s character: the one who is upright, just, innocent; in accordance with a proper (God’s) standard, and so implying innocence[iv].

Is that something people seek? The Associated Press wrote an article about Alan Hevesi’s sentencing, in it they write: “Plenty of powerful and promising figures in New York politics have seen their careers end in scandal.” As if it’s okay, and accepted fact of political life. Is it? Do you require integrity in your leaders? Christ is righteous… The righteous one ….

Having Salvation

This king has with him salvation, the ability to rescue, to deliver… divine salvation has its focus on rescue from earthly enemies[v]

This is the one, who doesn’t just deliver from earthy enemies, he Rules…

II. Rules (Zechariah 9:10-11)

“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. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.” (Zechariah 9:10–11, ESV)

Take Away: Chariots, war-horses, and the battle bow – objects of destruction and war.

Gave peace, but not just peace… it was a restoring of a broken relationship…for Israel, war was a direct result of breaking their covenant with God. (Deuteronomy 30). Israel broke their covenant with God, God is now telling them that he would take away their punishment. He would give them grace. Listen to Deut 30:1-5

““And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.” (Deuteronomy 30:1–5, ESV)

They experienced the Babylon Captivity because they did not keep the covenant. Yet Zechariah points to Christ, their future hope.

Because Christ kept the demands of the covenant in his perfect obedience, this condition is not possible for us. We are in Christ! Ours is the freedom to live in light of full covenant with God.

Christ’s rule is proof that we enjoy unbroken covenant with God.

Proclaiming Peace – Zechariah renders this “to speak peace” in verse 10. Christ actually speaks peace . Think about the significance of Christ speaking to anything. When the creator speaks what happens? The King speaks peace into a place where there is none.

שָׁלוֹם šālôm (occurs 237 times in the OT) … wholeness; peace can have a focus of security, safety which can bring feelings of well-being, and contentment[1]

The effect of His Rule Freedom through the blood of the covenant …

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13–15, ESV)

III. Restores (9:12-13)

“Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. 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.” (Zechariah 9:12–13, ESV)

Return to your fortress - The coming of the King permitted Israel to return to their fortress… that fortress (as described by David) that is a rock that his higher than they… (Psalm 61). This fortress that allows them to be strong and courageous, to have a sense of safety… this fortress allows them to be still…. this fortress brings hope.

Prisoners of Hope notice the language here. We have not just hope, but we are “captives of Hope”. Remember that Zechariah returned with the other Babylonian captives… this concept of captivity was known to him and to his hearers. No longer are they captives to a foreign army… they are captives of Hope.

Are you a captive of hope? Wow! Why put it this way?

Listen to this… “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow [pursue] me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6, ESV)

Restore Twice as Much… He restores twice as much as was taken away by sin. There’s a beautiful picture of this type of restoration in Joel… listen “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.” (Joel 2:25–27, ESV)

This was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Luke in Acts 2 records Peter’s sermon in which he referred to Joel 2. After he quoted from Joel 2, he said:

““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts 2:22–23, ESV)

He continued: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” (Acts 2:32–33, ESV)

He attributed the fulfillment of this prophecy to Christ.

No wonder they cried with shouts of joy… No wonder they danced…

We also rejoice! On this day, we celebrate that our king has come to rescue, rule and restore.

We rejoice, for our king has come!

[1] William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1055.

[i]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:1545.

chaps. chapters

[ii]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:1562.

[iii]James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), DBLH 1635.

[iv]William D. Mounce, Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Includes Index. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1025.

[v]William D. Mounce, Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Includes Index. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 954.