{"id":30005,"date":"2024-02-11T22:00:07","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T05:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/zechariah-9_1-8-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-02-05T17:50:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T00:50:46","slug":"zechariah-9_9-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/zechariah-9_9-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did Jesus Ride A Donkey?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zechariah 9:9-17 <\/strong>\u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Zechariah 9:9-17.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Zechariah<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>9<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n9<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse\u00a09:\u00a0 Here the LORD has a message for Jerusalem.\u00a0 Through Zechariah the LORD tells Jerusalem to rejoice and shout.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 It\u2019s because their king comes to them.\u00a0 Who is this king? The king being referred to here is the Messiah, the saviour king that the Jews had been waiting for.\u00a0 Verse 9 describes this king as “righteous”, “having salvation”, “gentle and riding on a donkey”.\u00a0 Jesus would fulfill this prophecy 500 years later.\u00a0 Righteous, gentle, and armed with salvation, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in approximately 33 A.D. (Matthew 21:1-5).<\/p>\n

Why a donkey?\u00a0 Scholars say that back in the ancient Near East, when a king was getting ready for war, he would enter a city on a war horse (as did Alexander the Great).\u00a0 But if the king came in peace, he would enter on a donkey.<\/p>\n

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfill\u00a0Zechariah’s prophecy from five centuries before and to announce that he was bringing peace to the people, a peace that the world cannot give.\u00a0 As Jesus Himself says in John 14:27, \u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zechariah<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:10\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. 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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 10: \u00a0Many scholars believe verse 10 is a reference to Jesus’ second coming, when his kingdom will extend from sea and sea and he will usher a time of peace in the world, making weapons obsolete.\u00a0 Especially in a time when countries, families and people are torn apart by war, it is reassuring to know that one day, through the rule of Jesus Christ, peace will reign.<\/p>\n

Zechariah<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:11\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 11: \u00a0Like David in Psalm 63, we all find ourselves in a “dry and weary land where there is no water” — a “waterless pit” as\u00a0Zechariah\u00a0says.\u00a0 But Jesus’ blood — “the blood of my covenant” — sets us free.\u00a0 Isn’t it amazing that 500 years before Jesus died on the cross, the Lord had already spoken to\u00a0Zechariah\u00a0about the freedom we would gain through Jesus’ shed blood.<\/p>\n

Zechariah<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:12\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 12: \u00a0Zechariah\u00a0tells God’s people to return to their fortress, which is God Himself.\u00a0 He calls them “prisoners of hope”, possibly because\u00a0Zechariah\u00a0was also addressing Jews who were still exiled or imprisoned in Babylon. \u00a0 Through\u00a0Zechariah\u00a0God promises that He will restore to His people twice as much as they had lost — a double portion.<\/p>\n

We too are “prisoners of hope”, people who have been captured by the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 In Christ we have received a double portion of God’s grace: not only are we forgiven of our sins, but we are called children of God, priests in His kingdom, co-heirs with Christ.<\/p>\n

Zechariah 9:13-15 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south,
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and the\u00a0LORD\u00a0Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-15: \u00a0Here Zechariah paints the picture of God taking Judah and bending her like a bow, and then taking Israel (“Ephraim”) and using her like an arrow to load that bow.\u00a0 In other words, it\u2019s the picture of God fashioning His people into a powerful weapon for His glory.<\/p>\n

Some scholars believe that when\u00a0Zechariah\u00a0wrote verses 13 to 17, he was pointing forward to a conflict that would happen from 169 to 135 B.C. (200 years after\u00a0Zechariah\u00a0penned these verses) between the Maccabees, a Jewish group, and various leaders of Greece (like Antiochus IV, Antiochus V, Antiochus VI and Antiochus VII).\u00a0 In that conflict, the Maccabees would prevail over these Greek leaders.\u00a0 However, these verses also point to the day when God would prevail once and for all over Satan, mobilizing His people to fight the enemy, turning them into “a warrior’s sword” against the opposition.<\/p>\n

So if you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, you are a weapon in God’s hands to fight the enemy, Satan.\u00a0 God wants to make you “like a warrior’s sword” in His hand, an instrument for breaking down Satan’s strongholds.<\/p>\n

Also,\u00a0how could we go from the image of the Messiah riding on a donkey and symbolizing peace (v9-10) to the LORD using His people as a weapon of war (v13)?\u00a0 One lesson we can learn from this is that God\u2019s peace is something you need to fight for, and indeed something that God fights for on our behalf.<\/p>\n

Zechariah<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:16-17 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.\u00a0<\/em>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 16-17: \u00a0As mentioned above, some scholars believe these verses may be pointing forward to a time of blessing and celebration when Jews known as the Maccabees prevailed over Greece (169 to 135 B.C.).\u00a0 Even more, verses 16-17 are a beautiful picture of what God would do for people through Jesus Christ: calling us His flock (v16), rescuing us from danger (v16), giving us a royal identity like “jewels in a crown”(v16), making us attractive and beautiful (v17), causing us to thrive (v17), and blessing us with all that we need (v17).<\/p>\n

Lord Jesus, thank You that when I was in a waterless pit, You came and rescued me.\u00a0 You shed Your blood to save me.\u00a0 Like a king riding on a donkey and proclaiming peace, You entered my life and brought peace to every place where there was fear and fighting before.\u00a0 And now You’re fashioning me into a weapon, someone You will use to combat the enemy and demolish strongholds.\u00a0 It’s great to be a part of Your kingdom.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Zechariah 9:9-17.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Zechariah\u00a09:9\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0
\n9\u00a0Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On verse\u00a09:\u00a0 Here the LORD has a message for Jerusalem.\u00a0 Through Zechariah the LORD tells Jerusalem to rejoice and shout.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 It\u2019s because their king comes to them.\u00a0 Who is this king? The king being referred to here is the Messiah, the saviour king that the Jews had been waiting for.\u00a0 Verse 9 describes this king as “righteous”, “having salvation”, “gentle and riding on a donkey”.\u00a0 Jesus would fulfill this prophecy 500 years later.\u00a0 Righteous, gentle, and armed with salvation, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in approximately 33 A.D. (Matthew 21:1-5).<\/p>\n

Why a donkey?\u00a0 Scholars say that back in the ancient Near East, when a king was getting ready for war, he would enter a city on a war horse (as did Alexander the Great).\u00a0 But if the king came in peace, he would enter on a donkey. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30005"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30008,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30005\/revisions\/30008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}