The challenge of God’s unexpected plans (Zechariah 2)

A year or two after I came to faith, the pastor of my church asked me if I had ever thought of becoming a pastor myself. My reply was a resounding ‘no’. The idea was so far out of my range of vision that I did not even have to think twice about it. Nevertheless, he was essentially right in his discernment of a future calling towards Christian ministry, even if from his horizon (in a Hungarian context) that could only mean pastoring a church. By the time I went to Bible college/seminary in the UK, I felt a stirring towards teaching the Bible, but this time from my own limited perspective, I could only imagine this happening in a mission or church context. It was during my undergraduate studies that the idea of lecturing at university level occurred to me. The Lord’s plans – whether they involve Christian ministry or not – are so often surprising and broader and wider than we may have expected.

Boundaries blown open

Likewise, in Zechariah’s vision, the man with the measuring line is ready to mark out the boundaries of Jerusalem (Zech 2:2). From his perspective, this is right, since ancient cities needed walls for protection and surrounding village folk would often seek shelter from marauding bands and foreign armies behind such fortifications. Indeed, God will move Nehemiah a good half century later to re-build Jerusalem’s walls. However, the Lord has larger plans, though the young man is not condemned for not perceiving it immediately. One day Jerusalem will be teeming with life so that walls won’t be able to contain them. Walls may feel like protection, but God’s presence will be sufficient security instead (Zech 2:4-5). Moreover, the boundaries of God’s people will be extended to the nations who join the Lord (Zech 2:11). For Christians, this vision recalls something of the early followers of Jesus, Jews, proselytes and Gentiles, who burst the boundaries of a city (and land), which could no longer contain them. Moreover, God’s presence became a reality for them through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in ways that were unforeseeable from the vantage point of this prophecy.

Not staying captives

The flipside of this broader vision is the need to leave a former way of life of captivity, in Babylon (Zech 2:6). Although many would have felt comfortable and settled there after all these years, God’s judgement was coming on Babylon (Zech 2:8-9). By implication, Jews might have become caught up in that judgment if they associated themselves too closely with the culture they lived in. God promised to dwell with His people in Judah and Jerusalem (Zech 2:10, 12), so they are encouraged to return and experience the relationship with God once again. While such a relationship for Christians is not defined by geographical place, this prophecy is a warning not to get too entangled and comfortably settled in the ways of our world where our priorities and aims are no longer defined by God’s purposes but by what matters in our culture.

Trust as we face the unknown

Zechariah’s vision affirms that God’s ways are higher and grander that we can imagine. It is true of God’s plans for our personal lives, for our churches, and for the Lord’s ultimate designs for this world. We should, therefore, be cautious not to limit God to our horizon, but keep an open mind and heart in all these areas. Zechariah’s language has an end-time feel, which may not be exhausted in the New Testament fulfilment we can discern in it.  The Lord, I suspect, has a few more surprises about the future up His sleeve that we will only be able to recognise as fulfilments in retrospect. It was so for the Old Testament people of God, who could not have envisaged Jesus from the statements and hints of the prophecies about Messiah – witness the constant amazement at Jesus because He defied expectations. It is human nature to like certainty and the feeling of being in the know, but our walk is by faith, not by sight. We are given enough to take the next step moving forward but we are called to live trusting the wisdom of the Lord for ourselves and the world.

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