Reading for Today:
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Zechariah 7:1
Chapter 7 1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth `day' of the ninth month, even in Chislev.
–9:17
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Psalms 148:7-14
7 Praise Jehovah from the earth, Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps. 8 Fire and hail, snow and vapor; Stormy wind, fulfilling his word; 9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars; 10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying birds; 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; 12 Both young men and virgins; Old men and children: 13 Let them praise the name of Jehovah; For his name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and the heavens. 14 And he hath lifted up the horn of his people, The praise of all his saints; Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye Jehovah.
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Proverbs 30:29-31
29 There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any; 31 The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.
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Revelation 18:1-24
Chapter 18 1 After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: 5 for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 Render unto her even as she rendered, and double `unto her' the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double. 7 How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning. 8 Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her. 9 And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall weep and wail over her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning, 10 standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more; 12 merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet; and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and `merchandise' of horses and chariots and slaves; and souls of men. 14 And the fruits which thy soul lusted after are gone from thee, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous are perished from thee, and `men' shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; 16 saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearl! 17 for in an hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any wither, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood afar off, 18 and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What `city' is like the great city? 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her. 21 And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all. 22 And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23 and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.
Notes:
Zechariah 9:1–8 This oracle features a series of judgments announced against the nations surrounding Israel (vv. 1–7), with deliverance promised for His people (v. 8). Most understand this to be a prophecy of the victories of the famous Greek conqueror, Alexander the Great, given approximately 200 years before he marched through Palestine. He provides an analogy of Christ returning to judge the nations and save Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21).
Psalm 148:14 the horn. Refers in general to the strength and prosperity of the nation, which became the cause of praise for Israel. This suggests that Israel enjoyed better times than in the past, e.g., during David’s and Solomon’s reigns or after returning from the Babylonian captivity. A people near to Him. Also “My chosen [people]” (Is. 43:20) and “His special treasure” (Ps. 135:4).
Proverbs 30:29–31 three things…majestic in pace,…four. The 3 creatures and the king all picture wise, stately, and orderly deportment. Each offers a glimpse of the Creator’s power and wisdom (
Job 38:1
Chapter 38 1 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
–42:6) and illustrates the dignity and confidence of those who walk wisely.
Revelation 18:24 blood of prophets and saints. The religious and commercial/political systems embodied in Babylon will commit unspeakable atrocities against God’s people (6:10; 11:7; 13:7, 15; 17:6; 19:2). God will avenge that slaughter of His people (19:2).
DAY 28: If
Zechariah 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass.
refers to the First Advent of Christ, how does v. 10 relate to that?
“Behold, your King is coming to you;…riding on a donkey” (v. 9). Unlike Alexander the Great, this King comes riding on a donkey (Jer. 17:25). This was fulfilled at Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1–5;
John 12:12
12 On the morrow a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
–16). The Jews should have been looking for someone from the line of David (2 Sam. 7; 1 Chr. 17). Four elements in this verse describe the Messiah’s character: 1) He is King; 2) He is just; 3) He brings salvation; and 4) He is humble.
Zechariah moves to the Second Advent of Christ and the establishment of His universal kingdom in v. 10. “His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea.’” Not characterized by bloodshed, the Messiah’s rule will be a kingdom of peace in which weapons of warfare will be destroyed or converted to peaceful uses (Is. 2:4; 9:5–7; 11:1–10; Mic. 5:2, 10–15), and peace spreads from the Euphrates River (the terminus of civilization) to the world.
The two advents of Christ are here compressed as though they were one as in
Isaiah 61:1
Chapter 61 1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening `of the prison' to them that are bound;
–3 (
Luke 4:16
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read.
, 21). Verse 9 refers to His First Coming and v. 10 is His Second. Old Testament prophets didn’t see the great time period between the two comings. The church age was a “mystery” hidden from them (Eph. 3:1–9; Col. 1:27).
From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.
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