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A brief bit of encouragement for the journey from God's Word. Today's Scripture reading: Ezra 6:16-22; Zechariah 9-11
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Music: "Awaken the Dawn" by Stanton Lanier https://www.stantonlanier.com CCLI #1760549
Well good Wednesday morning to you, hope your week is going well thus far. Today in our Bible reading we're in the book of Ezra, but just a few chapters.
Ezra chapter 6, I'm sorry, just a few verses in Ezra chapter 6, and then chapters 9 through 11 in the prophecy of Zechariah, that next to the last book in the
Old Testament. And I just want to zero in on a couple of verses in Zechariah 9 that are a prophecy of what we celebrate every year on Palm Sunday, that is the triumphal entry.
And I want you to think about that scene as you read about it in the Gospels of Jesus being put on the the colt of the donkey, the garments cast before him, the palm fronds thrown in his path as he treads over them, the shouts of Hosanna and so forth.
At the time, certainly, those who were engaged in that activity,
I doubt very seriously that any of them had any thought of Zechariah 9.
Maybe some did, I don't know, but it just seems like the way it's unfolding in the Gospel account, it's like they just did this without consciously aware that they could be actually fulfilling prophecy.
But that's exactly what happened. Here's the prophetic pronouncement in Zechariah 9, and it is partially fulfilled in the triumphal entry.
We're not riding in some raised platform, being carried by a bunch of slaves and all kinds of fanfare, trumpets blowing, and all that kind of stuff.
No. How's he coming? He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This, of course, is reminiscent of Solomon's being elevated to the position of king, but it is an unusual picture, an unusual imagery.
It would have been, especially in that first century in the Roman Empire, when the emperor of the
Roman Empire is treated with such honor and dignity and so forth.
Well, he's coming lowly, and this fits very well with what Jesus describes about himself.
He says, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Why? Take my yoke upon you, learn of me.
I am meek and lowly. I am gentle and lowly. And so he is.
He is the lowly king that is just and has salvation with him as he comes.
And with the coming of King Jesus, he is to rule ultimately over everything, from sea to sea, from shore to shore, to the ends of the earth.
This is how it goes on to communicate this at the end of verse 10. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.
And his dominion will be marked by justice and peace.
He shall speak peace to the nations, and as he does so, at the beginning of verse 10, he will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem.
The battle bow shall be cut off. Wars shall be no more.
Peace shall rule and reign with King Jesus as he rules from sea to sea, from shore to shore.
Now, I'll tell you, are you longing for that? I am. I certainly am in this current day in which we live, and there's so much unrest, and there's so much uncertainty that we don't have a great deal of confidence about peace in the days to come, do we?
Not as things stand in this world, no. We're just concerned about the outbreak of World War III.
I saw a news item the other day where some commentator was suggesting that the current administration and what policies have been enacted and so on, and how other countries have responded to it.
We are on the brink of World War III. Who knows? I'm recording this ahead of time.
Maybe by the time you watch it, we're there. I don't know. I don't have a great deal of confidence in the rulers of this world, but I do have great confidence in the
King of Kings, the one who came riding on a donkey's colt, the lowly one.
He indeed shall bring peace. I say, and I trust you do as well, even so come,
Lord Jesus. Father, we thank you today for our King who will indeed rule and reign over all the earth, and that rule shall be marked by peace, the ending of all war, and his rule in justice, and great humility and lowliness, because that is who our
King is. Even so, Lord Jesus, come, we pray. In his name we ask it.