Zechariah 9:1-17

     Zechariah chapter nine is an undated prophecy that addresses how God deals with Gentile nations who threaten Israel (Zec 9:1-8), promises the future coming of Messiah (Zec 9:9-10), and the return of Israelites back to the land with blessing (Zec 9:11-17). The chapter opens with the names of cities familiar to Israelites in Zechariah’s day; cities the Lord was against; namely, Hadrach, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre and Sidon (Zec 9:1-2). Though Tyre had built herself a fortress and accumulated great wealth (Zec 9:3), God would throw her wealth into the sea and destroy the city with fire (Zec 9:4). The surrounding cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod will be judged (Zec 9:5), and God will “cut off the pride of the Philistines” (Zec 9:6). He states, “I will remove their blood from their mouth and their detestable things from between their teeth” (Zec 9:7). This most likely refers to the eating of flesh with blood in it, which God detested (Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17). Interestingly, some of the Philistines would respond positively to God’s judgments, turning to the Lord in faith, and “be a remnant for our God, and be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron like a Jebusite” (Zec 9:7b). God promises to protect His people, saying, “But I will camp around My house because of an army, because of him who passes by and returns; and no oppressor will pass over them anymore, for now I have seen with My eyes” (Zec 9:8). Some Bible scholars see the events described in verses 1-8 as a prophecy concerning Alexander the Great’s military conquests in the fourth century B.C. (Constable, Johnson, Ryrie, Wiersbe). That’s possible, though one cannot be dogmatic here. What is emphasized in this section is God’s sovereign control over Gentile nations and the promise to judge them because of their pride. Zechariah 9:9-10 is a split prophecy that refers to Jesus at His first and second comings. The entire church age fits in between these two verses. Other split prophecies are found in the OT (Isa 9:6-7; 61:1-3; cf. Luke 4:16-21). The picture of the Messiah coming, riding on the colt of a donkey, is a picture of a humble and gentle ruler, not the splendor and pride one would expect of a ruler riding on a warhorse. We know Jesus was rejected by Israel just prior to His crucifixion; and the passage ultimately finds its fulfillment in the second coming (Rev 19:11-21), when Jesus establishes His kingdom on earth (Rev 20:1-6); a kingdom that will be universal (Psa 72:8; Dan 2:35), marked by righteousness (Isa 9:6-7; Jer 23:5-6), and bring peace to the world (Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3). But to the Israelites of Zechariah’s day, who were related to God by covenant, He would set them free from the pit of Babylon (Zec 9:11), and give them hope and a double blessing to make up for their suffering (Zec 9:12). God is then pictured as a divine Warrior who uses His restored people as a weapon to bring judgment upon surrounding Gentile nations (Zec 9:13-14). The Israelites will rejoice when this happens because God will both save them from their enemies (Zec 9:15-16) and bless their crops (Zec 9:17). In all this, God is portrayed as the sovereign Ruler over His people as well as the Gentile nations who surrounded them.