by Rev. Natalie Hill [DCXA at AU]
MONDAY STAFF DEVOTIONALS
Zechariah was written to Judah after they’d just returned from their exile. They’d been prisoners in a foreign land for 70 years and were now looking for the promised Messiah and the rebuilding of their temple that had been destroyed. Because of their pride, self-reliance, idol worship, and all around walking away from their Creator, God had punished them and allowed them to be captured by Babylon. But He also said He’d remain faithful to the promise He made with them, that the temple would be rebuilt, and that the Savior of the world would come through Judah’s line. Now that they’d returned to their homeland, they anxiously awaited this promised Messianic Kingdom
Chapters nine and ten give a glimpse of this Kingdom. Some of the images were probably a bit cryptic to them: “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (9:9); “He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (9:10); “From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler” (10:4). They were looking for a great temple made from the richest resources and a ruler who’d govern the people from an earthly throne, but Zechariah was talking about their king riding in on a donkey and being Himself the cornerstone of the temple.
I imagine hearing these words, the people didn’t know what to think, expect, or even pray for. Would their Messiah come as a warrior king like they expected? Would He establish the earthly peace and prosperity of Jerusalem? Spoiler: He didn’t. He came just as Zechariah said, riding into Jerusalem on a little donkey, only to be crucified a few days later. There was no establishment of an earthly kingdom, and certainly no peace for the city of Jerusalem or the world for that matter.
In my own pride, I can create an image of the God I want in my own head. I expect Him to show up a certain way or do something how I think it should be done (and then get upset when He doesn’t). I wonder how many times I miss Him because I’m looking for the wrong thing. Generations later, the ancestors of the very people who read Zechariah’s words ended up being the ones to kill their promised Messiah and miss out on the fulfillment of the covenant God made with them.
Maybe Zechariah’s point wasn’t about what it’d exactly look like (although the donkey thing is pretty darn specific), but the greater point that Jesus would bring hope for the world. That they were prisoners to the Babylonians, and even more prisoners to their sin, but through Jesus they were now prisoners of hope (9:12). That the Messiah wouldn’t necessarily shield us from earthly arrows but from the even more dangerous spiritual arrows of the enemy (9:15). That more than earthly peace, we get to experience a peace that passes all understanding (9:10).
How often do I limit my understanding of the goodness of God and His promises because I’ve become satisfied with seeing through earthly eyes? Thank you, Lord, that you know what’s best, in spite of me and my human mind.