Zechariah 2:1-13

The plans of God are not always what we would expect, but He does reveal them to us in the Scriptures.  God continues to give Zechariah a glimpse into the future and the plans that He has for the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.  The seventy years of captivity are over.  The first exiles have returned and are in the process of rebuilding the city.  Progress has been slow and the people have been distracted.  God calls them to get to work and rebuild His temple and has promised to bless them in this endeavor.  However there still remains a question as to the long-term plans of God for this nation.  Zechariah has a vision of a man who is going to measure the city in preparation for an expansion of the city that God is planning.  There seems to be and immediate as well as a future fulfillment of this vision.

GOD WILL PROTECT THE NATION: God is measuring the city as a symbol of His plans for the nation.  He is planning to bless this city with supernatural protection and He will be present in the city as if He were the wall surrounding it.  This finds a present fulfillment in the day of Zechariah as God truly provided a protection around the city.  However, there seems to be a future element to this vision in that the dwelling place of God in the city and His glory in the midst of the city seems to be referring to the coming of Messiah and His future reign.  The expectation of Scripture is for the Lord Jesus Christ to be present in Jerusalem as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  His glory will shine forth and the city will be eternally protected.

GOD WILL PUNISH THE NATIONS: The surrounding nations have had a season of prosperity and they have inflicted God’s judgment on the nation of Israel.  These days are coming to a close.  God is pronounces a woe on Babylon and the surrounding nations as He plans to punish them for their idolatry and their lack of fear of the Lord.  He warns the children of Israel that have become comfortable in exile that it is time for them to leave and return to their nation because the wrath of God is about to be poured out on these nations.  The coming of Christ’s kingdom is preceded by a time of great judgment of the nations.  We saw this was true prior to Christ’s first coming and it will also be true with Christ’s second coming.


GOD WILL PURIFY THE NATIONS: The purpose of God in restoring the nation of Israel is the exact same purpose as when He established the nation of Israel in the first place: to draw all nations to Himself.  God blesses a people in order bless all people through them.  This is true of the church and it is true of the nation of Israel.  One day God will bless and transform this nation in such a way that all the nations of the world will be drawn to the Lord through them.  This is obviously the work of Christ accomplishing His supernatural will within the people of the world.  God does have a plan for transforming the nation of Israel and purifying all nations of the world through the blood of Christ.

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