December 27
Zechariah 9-10
Psalm 147:10-20
Proverbs 31:10-14
Revelation 18
The Coming of Zion’s King
“See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. Because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign will sound the trumpet; He will march in the storms of the south, and the Lord Almighty will shield them.” Zechariah 9: 9-11, 14-15
The book of Zechariah is filled with prophecies about the first and second coming of Jesus. Biblical scholars have identified over 100 prophecies in this short book. 31 were fulfilled with His first coming and the rest are yet to come. Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled in Matthew 21:2-7 when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of a donkey at the Triumphal Entry the week before His death. Zechariah 11 portrays Jesus as a Shepherd for the flock of Israel (Jesus describes Himself as a shepherd in John 10:10-12) Chapter 11 also says He will be detested, attacked, rejected, and betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-16, 27:3-10). Zechariah 12 says that His side will be pierced, and He will become an opened fountain for sin and impurity (fulfilled in Matthew 26:28, John 19:34). Zechariah 13 foretells that His disciples will be scattered when He is smitten (fulfilled in Matthew 26:31). Chapter 13 also says that His two hands will be wounded which was fulfilled when He was nailed to the cross in John 19:18. These are just a few of the prophecies that have already been fulfilled. Zechariah was written when the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem after the long period of Babylonian captivity around 540 BC. The specificity of the fulfillment of all these prophecies over 5 centuries later and the fact that Jesus perfectly fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies with His first coming is proof that He was indeed their long-awaited Messiah.
When Zechariah wrote this book Jerusalem was in ruins, and the people had no idea what their future held. God used him to give them hope and assure them that He had not forgotten them. He wanted them to know that He had a plan to restore them and bring them back into fellowship with Him. They misunderstood Zechariah’s prophecies and those of the other prophets. They were not expecting a humble, gentle, servant king who came to bring peace and offer Himself as a sacrifice. They were expecting a warrior king who would come and conquer their enemies and rule the earth. They did not understand that He is both servant and warrior. His first coming was not what they expected, and many missed it. Many Jews still do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. They are still looking for a warrior king who will ride in and save them. Jesus came the first time to make peace between God and man. He set us free from sin and death by the shedding of His blood. He is the risen King, and He wants to rule and reign in the hearts of His people. He offers peace and redemption for all who accept Him.
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