Preparing for Christmas Advent Devotional 8
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Zechariah 9
Judgment on Israel's Enemies 

9 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,[a]
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[b] 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.

The Coming King of Zion

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[c] 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.

The Lord Will Save His People

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.

Advent Day #8
John Denler

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. 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. Zachariah 9:9-10

Jesus came on the lowly beast of burden. Like so many pictures in the Bible, God shows us a backwards order of events. Kings of the world come in full battle array on a mighty steed to conquer. They paraded through the capital city displaying their regal power and authority riding a symbol of strength. The world of Zachariah’s day viewed a king riding on a donkey as humiliation and defeat. The Greeks and many others would mount a defeated king on a donkey in mockery. But God shows the foolishness of worldly wisdom. God’s Christ is King of Kings. He came to establish peace with God. Jewish priests and prophets and kings often rode beasts of burden when traveling to discharge civil duties. They came as servants of the Lord. Jesus did not come to be served but to serve giving His life as the ransom payment for sin. He came and offered Himself as the messianic King of Israel. The Jewish nation rejected Christ as their king in fulfillment of prophecy. God had hidden the truth in order to “speak peace to the nations”.

This season of celebration of Advent is the time to “speak peace to the nations”, in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:10. The Holy Spirit reaches back through the progressive revelation of the Scriptures making application to all who are called as saints. There are a great many passages alluding to the “speaking peace to the nations” brought forward in the New Testament. For an example, look at Ephesians 2:1-22. Because of Jesus triumphing over sin and by the power of His resurrection He has spoken peace to us of non-Jewish ethnicity. The linchpin to this connection is in verse 17. Jesus is speaking peace to Jews and the nations now! His reconciliation ministry or mission is now ours by His Great Commission command. The Holy Spirit reveals more specifics in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Zachariah knew he was prophesying about Christ the King who was to come on a mission of peace. We know that Jesus is our peace compelling us to speak peace to the nations as well. May you be blessed and a blessing, living forgiven, and each day closer to the glory set before us by our King.

  1. The coming king of Zion brings peace. Why is the peace He brings better peace than anything the world offers?
  2. Who are some people in your life who need to hear about the Messiah's peace?
  3. The coming King arrives in an unexpected way. What are some ways in which the Lord has unexpectedly worked in your life for which you can praise Him?

Write a short prayer thanking God for the peace He brings, and for peace in your relationships with others.

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