Zechariah 9:10

The Bible says in Zechariah 9:10, “And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth.” It is important to point out about this verse that it is talking about the Second Coming of Christ. This is especially interesting because the verse just previous to this one was talking about the first coming of Christ. It says in Zechariah 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, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” We are blessed to live in the age in which we live for many reasons. We live in the age of grace in which we have the opportunity to know Jesus personally and be saved from our sins. We have the complete Word of God, not just the Old Testament. We have a more complete understanding of the Word of God that was not possible for those who lived in the days of the Old Testament. We have that understanding because we have Jesus. Knowing who the Messiah is and knowing what He did in His first coming makes all the difference in understanding the Bible.

It says in Second Corinthians 3:12-16, “Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.” How would anyone know that Zechariah 9:9 is talking about the first coming of Christ, but starting in Zechariah 9:10, the Bible begins talking about the Second Coming? Without Jesus and without the New Testament it is impossible to know.

Concerning the Second Coming of Christ, the key word in Zechariah 9:10 is the word “peace.” Jesus will bring peace to the world. Right now there is no peace, and there has never been a lasting peace in the world. Jesus told us that such would be the circumstances of life on earth until He returned and brought in a new age. Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-13, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” It is a sad commentary on the human race to realize how easily and how often wars are started. Unfortunately, sometimes wars are necessary because one of the primary responsibilities is to protect its citizens from the aggressor nation. Think of the horrendous suffering and sorrow that every war causes, including the wars that can be justified. Young men and young women are called upon to sacrifice their lives and limbs and often their mental health. Not only is the enemy killed and injured, but so are many innocent civilians. The cost of war and the repairs to private property can bankrupt a nation. A terrible price is paid for war in blood and treasure. How wonderful it will be to have life on this earth with no possibility of war. Jesus will bring just such a time of peace.

Jesus also brings peace to the heart for those who believe in Him as Savior. This kind of peace is far more important than peace between nations. It says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The human heart is at war with God until submission to Jesus Christ is found. It says in Isaiah 48:22, “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.” Turn from your wickedness, and turn to Jesus, and you will find peace in your heart.

The Bible says in Zechariah 9:11-12, “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.” The key word in this passage is the word “prisoners.” The word is used twice. The word “prisoner” is a terrible word. One of the worst conditions that anyone can have in life is to be a prisoner, whether guilty of a crime or not. That is why people are put in prison: to punish them by taking away their freedom to go where they want to go and to do what they want to do. Additionally, prison conditions can be very squalid and unpleasant. The prison mentioned in Zechariah 9:11 was a pit without water. Not many prisons are worse than that. But in spite of those conditions notice that God calls them “prisoners of hope.” A believer always has hope because we are God’s children. Remember that the meaning of the word “hope” is different in the Bible from how the word “hope” is sometimes used. Sometimes people use the word “hope” to indicate that “maybe” something will happen. They use the word to indicate that there is a possibility that something might happen. But the Biblical use of the word “hope” has a much more certain and steadfast meaning. The word “hope” has to do with looking towards the future with great expectation. It is called “hope” because it has not happened yet, but it will happen. For example, it says in Romans 8:24-25, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” We wait for it because we know it is going to happen. We know that Jesus will come again. We know that our redemption from this world and from this body of sin will be made complete. We do not just hope that it will happen, it will happen because God has given us the sure hope of a Biblical promise.

God told the children of Israel that they were “prisoners of hope.” Sometimes all that we have is hope. Everything that you own can be taken from you. Your freedom can be taken from you. The powers of governmental control are taking away as many freedoms as they can, and they are taking them away as quickly as they can. But no one can take away your hope. Hope is eternal. Hope comes from God, and hope is as certain as Jesus Himself. If you have hope, you can overcome all obstacles and all bad circumstances because obstacles and circumstances are temporary; but God’s hope is eternal. There is reason to always hope to the very end, no matter what people do to you or say to you. No matter what else happens, if you keep your hope as well as your faith, you will be a victor in the battle of life. God said to the children of Israel, “Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope:” God is the source of our hope. We trust in Jesus. It might appear that we are in a prison, but we are actually in a “strong hold.” We are in a fortress. God guides us and protects us wherever we go and whatever we do. We might be in a pit without water or some other prison, but that prison becomes our stronghold because God is with us and He is our stronghold, if we turn to Him.

The Bible says in Zechariah 9:13-15, “When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.” God is talking to prisoners here, and yet God tells them about the great things that He is going to do for them. In other words it is not where you are now that counts, but where you are going and where you end up. Jesus referred to the same principle when He said in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” There is no better situation to be in than to be one of God’s children. In the age in which we live you become a child of God by repenting of your sins and bowing before Jesus and receiving Him as your Lord and Savior. Once you do that, you have all the benefits of being a child of the King. Look what God told these prisoners that He would do for them: He would make them as “the sword of a mighty man.” God spoke of these so-called prisoners, and said that they would be characterized by an “arrow,” “lightning,” a “trumpet,” “whirlwinds,” and as “sling stones.”

In the last phrase of Zechariah 9:15 God says, “they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.” Notice the word “filled.” God is talking about what He is going to do for these believers because He is with them. He says that they will be “filled.” This speaks of the fullness of God. Perhaps you are a believer and have a relationship with Jesus. If so, there is always more that you can know and experience. It says in Ephesians 3:17-19, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

The Bible says in Zechariah 9:16-17, “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.” Some of the benefits of salvation are presented in this passage. It is sad how the darkness clouds the minds of so many, who do not see the importance of turning to the Lord. Since life is temporary and short, we would think that people would more easily see the benefit of being saved by faith in Jesus. But there are other benefits in addition to eternal life. There are the benefits of being part of the “flock of his people,” “the stones of his crown,” and “an ensign upon his land.” To say that we are the flock of His people reminds us that the Lord is our Shepherd. Sheep need a shepherd. We need a shepherd to guide us, to protect us, and to feed us. The Lord does all of these things for us and more. It says in Psalms 23:1-4, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

When we are told that we are the “stones of his crown,” it is talking about precious stones. God values us. We are precious to Him. He loves us. Most of the people of the world have turned a hard heart away from the truth, and do not care that Jesus died for them. Therefore, when someone does believe in Jesus, God greatly honors them and appreciates them.

We are told that we are an “ensign upon his land.” This land is God’s land. This world is God’s world. Work is taking place in the world: God’s work, and God’s work primarily involves God’s light shining out into the darkness of the world. And “ensign” is something that is put on display. It is like a banner that is raised up to be seen and to give a message. God uses His believers to be witnesses for Him and to spread His truth about Christ. What a benefit and privilege to be so used of God.

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