Old Voices New Beginings. Part 2. Zechariah 9:9.
Old Voices New Beginings • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Good morning church and merry Christmas. Today we are talking about Kings and Humility. Two words that historically don’t really go together.
Alexander the great, who was given that moniker after his death because of his military acumen, started off his first days as king by having most of his family and anyone who could have any claim to the throne other than him, killed.
Genghis Khan believed he was destined to rule over the entire world and determined that anyone who stood between him and that goal should be dealt with as harshly as possible. He would not be denied.
Henry the 8th famously got into a fight with the Pope about his flippant view towards his marriages, 6 in all, and finally, not to be told “no” by anyone and frustrated with the Catholic church, broke off the church of England from the papal authority
King Tut, Pharoah from 1332-1323 B.C. of the 8th Dynasty famously had his tomb discovered in 1922. In the tomb, consisting of 4 rooms, including his own treasury. In all 5329 artifacts and treasures meant to bring him further honor, glory, and position in the after life, taking his fame and riches with him. Its estimated to be a 26 million dollar funeral in today’s money and is insured at 1 billion dollars.
Tension
The point is that for almost all of human history leaders, kings, queens, and leaders of nations got to the positions they did by being famous, great, strong, fear inspiring, and in some cases egomaniacs. In fact, a part of the King’s court usually would employ a version of a herald of sorts who would just give speeches and justifications for the King’s glory and achievements. In some cases songs would be commissioned and sung about the king, for the king, so that all those around would know of his glory and achievements. Now, Any of us who turn on the news today and see our political world don’t have to be convinced of very much of this. Election years bring this to the forefront more than anything in our world. It becomes all about how great I am and how bad the other guy is.
But here is the rub, today, according to a 2023 study by Forbes, 95% of people agree that they appreciate leaders that are humble. What is more, surveying business leaders, politicians, and those in charge of organizations or companies, 80% of these people considered themselves to be humble leaders, while only 36% of their employees agreed.
So, how did we get from almost all of human history following the loudest, braggiest, blustering, egomaniacs, to almost flipping the switch years later and demanding that those who lead be honest about their weaknesses more than they brag about their greatness? Its seems strange, but I would put to you all that I feel that Jesus Christ had as much to do with this reversal than any other person in all of history.
As we continue with our series “Old Voices: New Beginnings” today we go to the book of Zechariah.
The book of Zechariah has been called by scholar George L. Robinson as “the most messianic, the most truly apocalyptic and eschatological of all the writings of the Old Testament.” This is because it is cited 41 times in the NT.
Zechariah was a prophet born in the tribe of Levi in Babylon during the exile there, traveling with almost 50,000 Jews who went back to Jerusalem, and he served as both a priest and a prophet. His name literally means “Yahweh Remembers”.
The air in Zechariah’s time was filled with uncertainty and anticipation. Many who were alive during the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Judah were now dead, and all that knew of it now were all second hand acounts. They’d grown up in Babylon and with the fall of the nation at the hands of the Persians, Cyrus the great allowed the Jews to go home and rebuild their temple. You can read up on this time in the book of Ezra chapters 1-6.
The excitement of the people to rebuild the temple was cut short when external oppression and internal depression halted the peoples resolve for about 16 years of spiritual apathy.
At this time God raised up the prophet Haggai to encourage the people (Haggai 1:1; Ezra 5:1-2). Haggai preached 4 sermons in 4 months then basically disappeared from record.
2 months after Haggai’s first sermon Zechariah's prophetic ministry began, seeking to encourage the people to spiritual renewal and motivating them to get back to work rebuilding the temple.
As God revealed his messages for the people, a theme began to weave itself into most of them: God had a future for Israel. One that would look forward to God’s continued work for them. They would not be forever defined by the past failures and sins, past defeats and exiles, but God was going to do something new and glorious for them.
The writing is composed of the first 6 chapters comprising what we call apocalyptic or revelatory literature: highly figurative descriptions of eschatological encouragements. He does this through 8 prophetic dream-visions that he saw all in a single night (Zechariah 1:7-6:8). In chapters 9-14 we see two prophetic oracles that consist mostly of promises of Israel's future salvation. In this time we see Zechariah’s words displayed.
Truth
Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)
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.
Prayer
Exposition
Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)
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.
God had given the Old Testament Prophet a message of hope for the hopeless builders of his temple. Pulling it apart we can see despair replaced by coming promises. This prophecy takes place in 4 pieces of information that give us more insight in the tone and mood as we allow it to seep in. I think, having the feel of the historical background here acts like a french press. Coffee is great but when you fresh grind the beans, allow it to steep inside of the press for a while, then push that plunger down, all the oils and flavors expand in a way that a kurig only wishes it could. So lets steep in the context here for a moment.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Verse 9 starts out with an unlikely imperative. Remember that he is talking with a apathetic and downtrodden people. They came to rebuild the temple, they were allowed and even endorsed by the Persian king to do so, and since they got here its been all pause and struggle. Their resolve and moral are at a low point and the past 16 years have rubbed salt in this demoralizing existence they’ve been called into. The people have forgotten that they serve a God who is for them and see only struggle.
Yet in the face of that reality, God has sent Zechariah to tell them to learn to rejoice again. Don’t let the struggles of the past win your day today. Don’t just learn to rejoice, bring it back into your life and your worship “greatly”. With many muches. These truths about to be revealed to you should give you such a reason to rejoice and even shout aloud. If you knew the truth of what was awaiting you you’d be compelled to give your full breath to its glorification and exaltation.
On top of that 2 titles are given to the people. They are the daughter of Zion and of Jerusalem.
The word Zion occurs 152 times in the Old Testament describing the city of Jerusalem itself, Mount Zion (understood to be a mountain located south of Mount Moriah), The temple mount located on mount moriah, the land of Israel, the afterlife in Jewish understanding commonly discussed as the “world to come”, a sacred place of worship (a sort of spiritual fortress where God would protect his people), and a place of paradise. And many times when it is used in a specific context, like we just mentioned, it also carries with it the greater context of all of these meanings. Yeah, we are talking about the city of Jerusalem but also the promise of it, the promise of God’s people, and the future that He’s giving them. Yeah we are talking about a temple here and now but more than that we are foreshadowing and pointing toward a temple that will be destroyed and 3 days later resurrected and built again, never to fall again. A daughter is a part of your family, a cherished member who is tender and cared for by her father until the day in which she is ready to take on a husband of her own. As such, the “daughters of Zion, of Jerusalem” are awaiting the day in which they too will be brought before their groom to take hold of the promised future.
Are you starting to see all the parts come together?
“Broken and downtrodden people. Right now you are focusing on the negative of the moment, brought low by what you feel in the now but I’m telling you. If you only knew the future that God has planned and even now set into motion you wouldn’t be able to contain the joy and worship that would overtake you. You are his cared for and cherished children and he is reading you now for a coming promise, future, and culmination that will bring such glory that you can only guess at right now.”
Behold, your king is coming to you;
While they sat in defeat at the obstacles around them, God was going to send them a king. They have all been the pupils of such teachers for years that taught them of God’s word, all pointing forward to a day in which they would see the coming of the messiah. He would be a king of all of the kings. Now Zechariah points them to this King and his message, “He is coming to you.” Now, historically we know that none of them would put their physical eye balls onto the person of Jesus Christ. This instead is a look at them as a spiritual group as God’s children. The messiah is coming to God’s people in the future, not necessarily in their lifetime. But the promise was still there, he hasn’t changed his mind. He hasn’t wimped out. He’s not sitting back on the couch. No, he is coming. And he is not coming without power or authority, but as a king.
Now we started out today discussing what kings were and how they’ve acted historically. Remember key players in even these people’s history. Cyrus the great, Nebuchadnezzar, The Pharoahs, Darius, Ahasuerus, Artaxerxes. These kings ruled by the threat of power and military might. They could kill you, your family, enslave you all, and not think anything of it. They had authority, might, and power and no one doubted it because the law of the land was might makes right.
So imagine the sight that was painted in the imagination of all the people hearing that they would see a king that was not coming to enslave them or impose his will over them but that he was coming to and for them. They were finally going to get a king not as a dictator of vile evil over their lives but one that was for them. However, Zech describes their king in greater detail.
righteous and having salvation is he,
First off he will be a king of righteousness. צַדִּיק ṣǎd·dîq
just; innocent, in the right; upright, devout. Unlike the kings walking the earth, this King will be one who is upheld by rightness and devotion to the Holiness of God. Moreover he is not just upheld by these standards, he is the source of such standards. he is of different substance than the earthly kings that currently plague your hearts.
In addition, he is bringing salvation with him. This must have felt like hot chocolate after a day in the freezing cold. They wanted to freedom of salvation so much right now with all these struggles bearing down around them from outside and even inside. Salvation was a hunger within all of them, feeling the recent history of military defeat at the hands of Babylonians, the exile and captivity, and the constant bowing to the rule of foreign leaders. For some this salvation without a doubt looked like victory over these powers. However, this salvation would not be from local kings and inflencers over their lives but a salvation that payed for their sins long after names like Xerxes and Nebuchadnezzar had become nothing but memories and dust. Then the part that would have caught everyone off guard.
humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
conquering kings don’t come on donkeys let alone a foal of a donkey. The reason why gets a little cultural. You see, in there day you had a couple options for transportation. A horse was fast and agile, strong and powerful. You would see such people riding them too. Just as they represented these physical traits they also projected them in the people too. Kings would often ride the most immaculate and powerful horse available to show their status. When a king’s army conquered a neighboring kingdom, he would come into town riding such a horse as a statement to all the people, that I own you now. You’re defeated and should recognize that their is a new sheriff in town.
to contrast that, a donkey was seen as a beast of work and of peace. You don’t bring a donkey into battle because they aren’t suited for it. They are a representation of the work that can happen in times of peace. You use them to build houses not destroy them. You plant rows and crops with them, not destroy them. There are even historical examples of kings riding out to talk with opposing armies riding a donkey as a sort of flag of peace. It meant I want to talk, not fight.
So put all of this together. Zechariah was telling the people that God has a great and glorious future held out for them as people of his promise. They would be so thrilled to behold this future that they should explode in rejoicing and worship. What cause for worship would bring this great joy? That God had not forgotten or forsaken them, even while they still felt the shame of Judah’s defeat and years of captivity. No, God was going to send them the messiah as a king. However, despite their context for what a king is and what a king does, this king would not be cruel or destructive. He would instead be just, good, and do what is right in God’s eyes. To top that off, he would not come as a conquering king as was the practice of the king’s of the day but he would come in and for peace. He would bring with him hope and security, not the sword.
And now for the reveal.
Jesus would come. He would come as a baby to no name parents in the backwater of Bethlehem. He would come to no pomp or circumstance. He would live a righteous life, honoring God every step of the way, refusing to bend to the people’s desires, demands, even resisting Satan.
But the final reveal is found in John 12:12
John 12:12–15 (ESV)
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
This, no doubt is a very familiar passage to many of us that is know in the church as the “Triumphant Entry.” Jesus is being ushered into Jerusalem and the mood and the feel inside of the town is like a powder keg ready to blow.
There are those that see him as the conquering king. For many of the people who knew the Old Testament and were believers in Jesus they put 2 and 2 together. They knew all the things they had been told by their rabbis. That God would send a messiah to the Jewish people and that he would come to usher in a never before seen height of prosperity for the Hebrews. All that that ever opposed the nation of Isreal would be cut down and they would be left on top of the heap as God’s undisputed people, while their enemies would flee in fear. All eyes were fixated on their Roman oppressors, ready to see there might crumble in the face of the real power of God. They were looking for a white horse and a king upon it.
There are those that see him as a threat to Rome. The Roman troops had gotten used to dealing with uprisings by the Jews as they’d become common. There would be a group that would get too big for their britches, they’d start some sort of gang who sought to kick Rome out of Jerusalem and inevitably they’d be found, imprisoned, and dispatched like all the others. The only real threat to their power would be a person who could unite all the people, and as it had always happened, the Jews couldn’t come together through all the infighting, so that wasn’t really a problem.
There are those that see him as a threat to Judaism. The pharisees, the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, and all those who had used the religious system to build up a nest of power for themselves had a great deal of vested interest in keeping the status quo the way it is. The people knew that they were the source of God’s wisdom and truth and as such, they used this influence to keep the people in line. However, the line had stopped being God’s truth long ago. They had made rules and guidelines that cared more about their power than God’s law and his truth. As such, they wanted to maintain their throne and their place upon it more than they did seeing Jesus as the long awaited prize God promised so long ago.
There are those that are just there for a free meal. Many of the people saw all the miracles, they heard the stories, they saw some of them with their own eyes, they heard the teachings, and yet, they still followed Jesus only for what he could provide to their physical struggles, not seeing that he came to save them from their spiritual bankruptcy. He would heal someone then talk about coming to heal the sinners and set the captives free, and they’d be all like, “Sounds great but heal me.” He’d feed 5000 people, showing a genuine miracle before their very eyes that no one else could have done without divine intervention and instead of listening to what he had to say, they’d eat their meal and follow him for the next one.
I remember as a kid we helped a family in our community who had been living in a hoarding situation. Their kids were removed from their home because of the issues and they turned to the church to help. The first thing that struck us was the amount of work to be done. Floor to ceiling garbage in 4 of the 5 rooms. The kids were living in sleeping back in a room that was crawling with roaches. A fire happened in the upstairs and they had painted over the fire damage and stapled a tarp over the holes in the roof. But the cold weather and snow had made it unlivable, a point that the family harshly disagreed with. After weeks and thousands of dollars volunteers had fixed the roof, cleaned the home, got beds for the kids and repainted the whole house. Despite all the work and the effort to reach out to the family in love, showing them the love of Christ, inside of 5 months the house was back in the same shape and the kids were gone again.
It is really hard to help people change when they don’t think anything is wrong in the first place. Most of the people, described throughout the gospels as “the crowds” wanted the miracles and the food, but they didn’t want to repent of their sin and follow Jesus.
There are those that see him as the awaited messiah. Some saw the signs, heard the teaching, and understood, they were looking at the King of Glory. They saw a king entering Jerusalem, but not as a conquering warlord or a political leader. He was riding a donkey’s colt, a symbol of peace, not of war. He would usher in God’s kingdom for the people. A kingdom, not of borders, countries, or nations but one that for sinners. Those who would acknowledge their need and find it fulfilled in Him.
Landing
I can’t help but wonder today, who do you see sitting upon the donkey’s colt? Do you see a good teacher? A powerful cultural revolutionary? A good man? A thought leader? A failed rebel? An anarchist of his day? Or do you see the coming king, first told by Zechariah who would come upon a beast of burden, a beast of peace, carrying the burdens of the world upon his shoulders and setting the captive free?
