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https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-minor-prophets/zechariah
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https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-3-god-our-strong-defender-and-benefactor-zechariah-118-213
God Is Our Defender and Protector Zechariah 2:3-5 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: "Run, tell that young man, 'Jerusalem will be in a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it, declares the Lord, and I will be its glory within'
Application: If we want God to be a wall of fire around us and to be the glory in our midst, we must walk in holiness before Him each day, allowing His purifying fire to cleanse our hearts of all sin. We must be captivated with the beauty of His glory as we grow to know Him more and more. Vision Applied The vision is applied with three commands. The first (2:6-9), “Flee,” is given to the exiles who are still living in Babylon. The second (2:10-12), “Sing for joy,” is directed to the “daughter of Zion,” which refers to believing Jews who are looking for Messiah. The third (2:13), “Be silent before the Lord” is directed to all people (“flesh”) of the earth. FLEE Flee Babylon! Escape while you can! This command took faith to obey. Babylon (or the Medo-Persian empire, which had conquered Babylon) was then prospering. It was the hub of the civilized world. Jobs, culture, comfort—Babylon had it all! But Jerusalem was a heap of rubble. There were no walls of defense. Hostile neighbors threatened every attempt to rebuild it. Yet God says to His people, “I’m going to bless Jerusalem and judge Babylon. So flee Babylon while you can!” God’s love for His people is also given as a strong motivation to flee Babylon. In the Scriptures, Babylon represents the world system as opposed to God. Even as God’s people, it’s easy to dwell there. It has many enticements: money, pleasure, status, the good life—and you can experience it all right now! The church, world missions, the kingdom of God—that’s all nice, but not nearly as enticing as what the world dangles in front of us. But the Bible clearly warns us, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). It’s a matter of God’s love! You will either love this evil world and all that it offers, or you will renounce the world because by faith in Christ, you are now the apple of God’s eye. We should ask ourselves: Are you dwelling in Babylon or Jerusalem right now? Are you living for this world and what it offers, or are you seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness? Are you storing up treasures on earth, or are you committed to building God’s temple in the Spirit? SHOUT AND BE GLAD The focus of their joy is the coming of Messiah and the salvation of the nations, when God will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land. In later chapters, Zechariah's prophecies pertain to Jesus' first coming. But here the focus is on Messiah’s second coming, when He will dwell literally in the midst of His people and the nations will find salvation in Him. Cole says: While there is no good reason to deny the literal future fulfillment of this promise in Christ’s millennial kingdom, we also should apply it to the church today. God’s purpose is to be glorified among the nations. He has called us to find our joy in Him and then to take that joy to the ends of the earth. We have His promise that His kingdom will prevail, in spite of the difficulties and setbacks that we may encounter as we seek to proclaim Christ to the nations. So heed the command to sing for joy and be glad over the promise of His coming. But don’t keep that joy to yourself. Take it to the nations through your prayers, your giving, and (in some cases) your going with the good news of Christ the Savior who has come and is coming again. BE STILL BEFORE THE LORD The command to be silent before the Lord is given to all flesh. It is saying, “In light of everything that has been said to this point, in light of the certainty of God’s future judgment of the nations and the establishing of Messiah’s kingdom, hush up, people! Be in awe, because God is aroused and about to act!” This is a command to believers not to despair at God’s seeming delay of judgment and a command to unbelievers to make haste to submit to God before it is too late. CONCLUSION: How you apply this message personally depends on where you are at. If you profess to know God, but are living with the daughter of Babylon, God’s word to you is, “Get out of there quickly!” “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15)! If you are dwelling in Jerusalem, but discouraged over the trials you are experiencing, God’s word to you is, “Sing for joy and be glad, for behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst” (Zech. 2:10). Rest in the promise that you are the apple of His eye and that He will judge those who harm you. If you are not one of God’s people, His word to you is, “Submit your life to Jesus Christ now, before He comes in judgment and it is too late!” No matter how great your sins, He invites you to trust in Christ as your sin-bearer, to join yourself to the Lord and become one of His people. Zechariah 6:9-13 9 The word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak.[a] 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he[b] will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ See Isaiah 11 and Zechariah 3 Joshua was the High Priest at this time leading the people under a theocracy. This was a prophcy declared in Isaiah 11 and Jeremiah 23 pointing to the Branch of Jesse. While this was fulfilled in Joshua's time, this was also pointing forward to Jesus. Yhoushua (Hebrew transliteration) = Joshua The Septuagent translated the Hebrew Old Testament to Greek. The Old Testament texts quoted in the New Testament quoted from the Septuagent. This same word used in the original Hebrew as Joshua is translated as Jesous (Greek transliteration) and = Jesus. See also references to Zechariah in arcticle The Branch Named which explains this. Here is an excerpt from this article:
Joshua was the High Priest at the time (Haggai 1:1). In his vision, Zechariah saw the High Priest in the presence of the LORD (standing before the Angel of the LORD), and he was clothed with filthy garments. Joshua wasn’t in God’s presence just as a spectator but as a ministering priest.
The Accuser
The Angel of the LORD is Jesus and He is exercising His authority, standing before Satan rebuking him and preventing his advance. "The Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" The Lord rebuke you!
He has chosen us and snatched us from the fire
Our sins are exchanged for His robes of righteousness "See, I have taken away your sin and I will put fine garments on you...Put a clean turban on his head."
This vision and word from Zechariah shows how much God wanted to encourage and strengthen Joshua, and He does it in the best way: setting his eyes on our Messiah, Jesus Christ. That is always our best encouragement. Zechariah 3:8-9 8 “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes[a] on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. See Isaiah 11 and Zechariah 6 See also references to Zechariah in arcticle The Branch Named |