Zechariah 2:8-13

Zechariah 2:8

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

 

Here God himself is speaking to the captives that he has sent the Lord Jesus Christ to the nations which had kept them captive.  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  (Revelation 19:15)  The Lord Jesus Christ is shown in Revelation 19:15 that he smites the nations and rules them with a rod of iron.  This would not only apply to the last days but would apply here in Zechariah also because the nation of Babylon would be eventually destroyed by being conquered by the Medes and Persians which would be strategic in sending the people of Judah back home.  God then states that those who would touch Judah would be as though someone would be stabbing God in the pupil of his eye.  Basically, he is saying that it is a warning to any other heathen nation to stay away from Judah or else there would be major consequences.

 

Zechariah 2:9

For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.

 

God promises to shake his hand on them which would be a gesture like shaking a fist at someone.  Here God promises that those who were once the conquerors would now be servants instead of masters.  Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians and no longer would they be a force to be reckoned with instead they would be obedient servants to their captors.  When they see these things happen to the Babylonians, then they will know that it was decreed by the LORD of hosts and carried out by God the Son.

 

Zechariah 2:10

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

 

Here is the promise of God that he is going to dwell among them once again.  Once the temple is rebuilt then that will become the center of worship and God will once again inhabit the Holy of Holies.  Then in the spiritual sense, the Lord Jesus Christ will dwell in the midst of his people by means of salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.  (Matthew 18:20)  These things are to bring joy to the physical nation of Israel and then to the true body of believers on the day of their salvation in Christ. 

 

Zechariah 2:11

And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

 

Here is a verse dripping with salvation language.  That day will be the day of the LORD when the Lord Jesus Christ dies for his people and then on Pentecost the evangelization of the world will begin.  Then the gospel will go forth to all the nations of the world and there will not be one nation upon earth without a gospel witness, even if it is a small group.  Once again God repeats the promise from the previous verse that he will dwell within the midst of his people by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit and when salvation comes to a person they will know that it was God who sent his only begotten Son to procure their salvation.

 

Zechariah 2:12

And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

 

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.  (Psalm 2:8)  The inheritance that the LORD will receive will be the inheritance of the Saints.  Here are mentioned the true believers within Judah and it was the Lord Jesus Christ who came from the tribe of Judah and therefore those who are in Christ are called Jews, whether they be Gentiles or physical Jews.  The holy land refers to the land that the true believer goes into when they become saved.  And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.  (Ezekiel 37:14)  No matter where the true believer lives on earth, they have dual citizenship.  They are citizens of the country they grew up in and they are citizens of Heaven.  Heaven is the holy land where the believers will dwell forever.  God has chosen Jerusalem again meaning that he will once again continue to dwell with his people there until the coming of Messiah when after that he will dwell in the New Jerusalem when he chooses all the believers that he has named before the foundation of the world and this will be choosing Jerusalem again but of a different type.

 

Zechariah 2:13

Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

 

To be silent before the Lord would mean someone is waiting upon the Lord.  In this case, say nothing about what is about to happen until it happens.  They are to be filled with awe as to the things which would soon happen.  But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.  (Habakkuk 2:20)  Habakkuk also told the people to be silent because the LORD was in his holy temple.  Soon he would act as one who has just awakened from sleep and would soon take vengeance upon the enemies of Israel who captured them and “forwarded their affliction.”  The same vengeance will be meted out on Judgment Day against those who were enemies of the eternal church of God and persecuted them.

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