God’s commitment and His way to fight (Zech 9:11-17)

Interpreting prophecy about the future is challenging because it is hard to know how to read the details. What particulars are meant literally, what is symbolic? In our last reading, for instance, several of Israel’s neighbours were listed as judged (Damascus, Tyre and Sidon, Philistine cities; Zech 9:1-2, 5), fulfilled perhaps in Alexander the Great’s conquest of Syria-Palestine (333 BC), almost two centuries after Zechariah and the temple re-build (515 BC). However, Jews also came under Greek domination, so the promise of protection from oppressive armies and the messianic king’s worldwide rule in peace (Zech 9:8-10) still await fulfilment. By now, however, ethnic Philistines do not exist, so has the promise of including some in the Jewish remnant (Zech 9:7) already happened or is this symbolic more broadly of idolatrous people being cleansed and incorporated into God’s remnant?[1] While we must tread cautiously when envisaging the future based on prophecy, we can glean principles from it that teach us about God’s character and will.

God’s commitment

In our last reading we saw God’s condemnation of those who trusted their own strength and other gods, which was juxtaposed with the coming king who will truly trust in the Lord even when suffering and afflicted. Today’s passage deals with God’s people and carries through the principles noted earlier. Just as the king was afflicted but saved, so God’s suffering people are set free (from Babylonian exile; Zech 9:11). The Lord acts on their behalf because of His covenant (an allusion to the Mosaic covenant where blood was sprinkled on the people; Exod 24:8). In other words, God can be trusted to save because He committed Himself. The waterless pit and restoring double to the people for their suffering (Zech 9:11-12 cf. Isa 61:7) is reminiscent of Joseph’s story whose example again encourages trust. He was thrown into a cistern, exiled into Egypt, but trusted in God and was restored to his family receiving an extra portion (Gen 37:24, 28; 48:22).

God’s way of fighting

What follows is a depiction of God as Divine Warrior fighting for His people but also using them as weapons (Zech 9:13-15). The reference to Greece seems specific to Israel’s later history when Jews struggled against the pagan influences surrounding them at the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek king over Judea,[2] who set up a statue of Zeus on the Temple Mount and forced pagan practices on Jews (eating pork, breaking the Sabbath, worshipping idols). These events erupted into a Jewish uprising (the Maccabean revolt) leading to the cleansing and rededication of the Temple (164 BC) and to eventual semi-independence from the Greeks with Jewish (priestly) rulers over Judea (141-37 BC). While the prophecy may refer to these events, the language has a dramatic, larger-than-life feel about it that also points to an eschatological (end times) future. Although we cannot easily reconstruct what events still lie behind such language, we can take away some important principles.

Principles for us

First, our trust is always based on God’s faithfulness and His commitment to His people (Israel, as well as His Church). We, Christians, were symbolically sprinkled with Christ’s blood that binds the Lord to us and us to Him. No matter how dark and hopeless a situation may look, our hope is in the One who fights for us and will never abandon His own. Secondly, God wants to use us in His purposes. We are not our own agents, though but God’s instruments (it is God who bends and fills the bow; Zech 9:13), so we do not set our agenda but obey His. Finally, despite our involvement, it is the Lord who saves and when He does, we are cared for like a shepherd looks after his flock and are as precious as the stones in a crown (Zech 9:16). God’s ultimate purpose is to restore His own to beauty, flourishing and well-being (Zech 9:17). When we are discouraged, when life does not seem to go our way, may we lift our eyes to God’s ultimate horizon. He is utterly trustworthy, immensely powerful, who nevertheless makes room for our involvement in His plans and cherishes us as His treasure.

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[1] This kind of spiritualising or abstraction of principle is visible even in Scripture. For instance, Old Testament prophets describe the downfall of Babylon (e.g. Isa 13:1-22), which contains actual historic detail about the Medes who will overthrow it (Isa 13:17; Cyrus was born in Media and conquered both Media and Persia before he took over Babylon). However, Babylon’s pride is described in Isaiah’s next prophecy in a way that points beyond that historic empire (Isa 14:12-13) to ultimate evil and rebellion against God. It is this latter passage that gave rise to the thought that Satan is a fallen angel. In Revelation, Babylon becomes a code name for Rome (Rev 17:1-13; the city was founded on seven hills and v.9 identifies the seven heads of the beast with seven mountains thereby giving us the clue), but the description once again points beyond the historic referent to ultimate evil and corruption.

[2] At the time Zechariah prophesies, the exiles were allowed to return home from Babylon under the new Persian empire. Judah remained a Persian province until Alexander the Great conquered Palestine in 333 BC. After his death, his empire was divided among his four generals who fought with each other for dominance. Judea came under the rule of Ptolemy and his dynasty initially but was later taken over by Seleucus’ descendants. Antiochus Epiphanes was a Seleucid king.

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