The prophet Zechariah’s series of ten visions in the night continued, these coming to him near the end of Judah’s seventy-year exile in Babylon. Reading the next vision from Zechariah 2:
5 I lifted up my eyes—and behold, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 6 I asked, ‘Where are you going?’
He answered me, ‘To measure Jerusalem to see how wide and how long it is.’
7 Then behold, the angel speaking with me left and another angel went out to meet him, 8 saying to him, ‘Run, speak to this young man saying: “Jerusalem will be inhabited as a village without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. 9 For I”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“will be a wall of fire around it and I will be the glory inside it. Zechariah 2:5-7 (TLV)
At the time of this vision, Jerusalem and Judah had been lying as a complete ruin for the duration of the exile, having been destroyed by the invading armies of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. But now, God is disclosing His plans to Zechariah to not only rebuild, establish, and protect Jerusalem, but He is promising to reside there, bringing His limitless glory to the center of it. Jesus Christ would later present Himself in Jerusalem as King on Palm Sunday during His triumphal entry into the city, on the Sunday before His crucifixion and resurrection. While a partial fulfillment, this prophecy will be completely fulfilled at the time of Jesus’ second coming, when He returns in glory from the Father’s right hand.
Adonai-Tzva’ot, Hebrew for the Lord of Hosts, then promises to treat all those who have punished Jerusalem in the same way that He treated Pharaoh and the Egyptians after they had enslaved and abused the Israelites. He freed His people using ten plagues, and with the Israelites taking taking plunder with them as restitution.
Finally, God promises Zechariah that, when He returns to the land, He will draw people to Himself, from all over the globe. Continuing from Zechariah 2:
12 “For thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, He has sent me after glory to the nations that plundered you—because whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye— 13 ‘For behold, I will shake My hand against them and they will be plunder to their servants.’ Then you will know that Adonai-Tzva’ot has sent me.
14 “‘Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will live among you’—it is a declaration of Adonai. 15 ‘In that day many nations will join themselves to Adonai and they will be My people and I will dwell among you.’ Then you will know that Adonai-Tzva’ot has sent me to you. 16 Adonai will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will once again choose Jerusalem. 17 Be silent before Adonai, all flesh, for He has aroused Himself from His holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:12-17 (TLV)
God made His choice for His special nation, called out first among all peoples through Abraham, to be holy and held close as the apple of His eye. But their calling did not stop there – His mission for them was to be a blessing to the entire world, as a kingdom of priests, and as the ancestry and royal lineage of His Messiah, Jesus. He wanted to use them to call out you and I to Himself. The Lord loves each one of us, and our own heritage, and longs for each of us to turn our hearts towards Him, in return.
Jerusalem has held divine importance to God throughout history, and this vision to Zechariah tells us that it will continue to do so, throughout eternity. God refers to Judah here as “the holy land”, perhaps the only place in the Old Testament where that expression is actually used. The angelic measuring line, God’s surveyor, is the first step in God’s plan to rebuild the chosen spot for His throne and heavenly footstool on the earth. It is the place where He first instructed Abraham to bring His precious son, Isaac, in Genesis 22, and where His own precious Son, Jesus, would be crucified as a sacrifice for our sins, to be resurrected on the third day as the first-born of many, bringing all people of faith with Him to new life.
Five centuries after Zechariah’s experience, the apostle John would receive His own divine vision of Jesus’ return to the holy city, as recorded in the New Testament book of Revelation.
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 I also saw the holy city—the New Jerusalem—coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
“Behold, the dwelling of God is among men,
and He shall tabernacle among them.
They shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be among them
and be their God.
4 He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more.
Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer,
for the former things have passed away.”
5 And the One seated upon the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” Then He said, “Write, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 Then He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will freely give from the spring of the water of life. Revelation 21:1-6 (TLV)
The promises of God are too amazing for us even to visualize due to the earthbound limitations of our human experience. But they are also too wonderful to just walk away from or ignore. God is so good and full of so many blessings for us to experience and to share with others. May His name be praised in heaven and on earth, and may all people open their hearts to Him in faith, even if, at first, just a small crack with an ounce of willingness, to consider Him and His wonderful love for us. May we all thirst more and more for spiritual drink from the spring of Living Water, the Rock and Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Reflection
God loves to share the end from the beginning, and does so all throughout His word. Many prophecies in the Old Testament point to the coming of Christ, first as a divine sacrifice to purify a people of faith and make them holy, then coming again as a loving King and Shepherd, to rule over them throughout eternity in the magnificence of His glorified presence. May we all seek His grace and mercy in order to be there with Him, forever.
Lord, bring us into eternity with You through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. May all of His believers rise from the dead with Him, covered and redeemed by His blood and bathed in His pure holiness and the light of His glory. Thank You for all Your goodness and the many blessings You have showered us with. We thank You and praise You, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed day in the glory of the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 