God’s Impeccable Plan for His Impertinent People

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.” – Zechariah 12:10-14 ESV

On that day, the great day of God’s redemption, His covenant people who originally rejected Jesus at His first coming will recognize Him as their Messiah and Savior. In these closing verses of chapter 12, the Messiah Himself speaks words of comfort to those who formerly refused His offer of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. He promises to shower them with “a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10 ESV). 

Instead of meting out wrath and judgment for their treatment of Him, the Messiah will graciously provide them with victory over their enemies and forgiveness for their sins. But their recognition of Jesus as their Messiah will produce in them a spirit of remorse and regret over their past treatment of Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote of this day when the Israelites’ conviction over their corporate culpability will produce a spirit of confession in them.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6 ESV

At the sight of their merciful Messiah, the people of Israel will feel the full weight of their guilt and the unbelievable joy that comes with knowing that He has mercifully refused to give them what they deserve: Judgment and condemnation. Instead, the one they crucified will choose to shower them with grace, an amazing gift they did not deserve. Not long after Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension, the apostle Peter preached a sermon to a gathering of Jews in Jerusalem. At the cost of offending his audience, Peter accused them of their complicity in Jesus’ death while providing proof of His claims to be the Messiah.

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.” – Acts 2:22-24 NLT

“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.” – Acts 2:32-33 NLT

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” – Acts 2:36 NLT

When Jesus returns a second time and conquers the rebellious nations of the world, His own people, the Jews, will finally see Him for who He really is. This sudden recognition of His identity will produce in them an odd blend of sorrow mixed with joy.

Peter’s sermon to the Jews in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost produced a similar reaction. His words “pierced their hearts” and they responded, “Brothers, what should we do?” (Acts 2:37 NLT). Peter’s reply was simple and succinct.

“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” – Acts 2:38-40 NLT

Mourning is featured prominently in the Isaiah passage because it conveys the idea of repentance for past actions. The text contains five uses of the words “mourn” or “mourning,” emphasizing the impact the recognition of their guilt has had on them.

Centuries earlier, when Solomon dedicated the newly constructed Temple, God responded to his prayer with the following promise:

“…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

The Zechariah passage foreshadows the coming day when God’s people will do just that. They will see the Messiah with their own eyes and understand for the first time the gravity of their rejection of Him. But their sorrow will produce prayers of repentance and pleas for mercy, and Jesus, their Messiah, will forgive and restore them. In his vision of the end times, the apostle John was given a glimpse of this future day.

All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
    And everyone will see him—
    even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
    will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen! – Revelation 1:5-7 NLT

This future speech delivered by the recently returned Messiah speaks of Jesus’ past death in very specific terms. He describes Himself as “him whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10 ESV). Written centuries before Jesus’ first coming, this passage contains powerful evidence of the Scripture’s divine authorship. The apostle John chronicled Jesus’ death in graphic detail, providing a reference to the piercing of His side by a spear.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the one they pierced.” – John 19:32;37 NLT

But long before John witnessed the death of Jesus, the psalmist wrote a stunningly accurate depiction of the crucifixion as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
    fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
Like lions they open their jaws against me,
    roaring and tearing into their prey.
My life is poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
    melting within me.
My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
    My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
    You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
    an evil gang closes in on me.
    They have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones.
    My enemies stare at me and gloat.
They divide my garments among themselves
    and throw dice for my clothing. – Psalm 22:12-18 NLT

God’s plan for the redemption of Israel and the renovation of His world has been in place for a long time. Over the centuries, he has revealed aspects of that plan to His prophets, disclosing the nature of Israel’s rebellion and His ultimate solution for restoring them to their covenant relationship with Him. God is faithful. His plan is perfect. His timing is impeccable. And His Son’s future return when He will make all things right is right on schedule.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Good News of Great Joy

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.
13 For I have bent Judah as my bow;
    I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
    against your sons, O Greece,
    and wield you like a warrior's sword. – Zechariah 9:9-13 ESV

Any Christian who reads these verses will likely recall gospel accounts of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. All four gospel accounts describe Jesus entering the city mounted on the foal of a donkey, but only Matthew and John quote Zechariah 9:9, inferring that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy concerning Israel’s future king.

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
    sitting on a donkey's colt!”

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. – John 12:12-16 ESV

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” – Matthew 21:1-5 ESV

In both passages, Jesus is shown to be the one who orchestrates the details of His grand entrance into the city. He gives His disciples detailed instructions for finding and procuring the donkey and its foal because He had the Zechariah 9 passage in mind. Jesus was intentionally fulfilling the declaration His Father made to Zechariah nearly 500 years earlier. But this was not a case of play-acting on Jesus’ part. The gospels make it clear that the donkey and its foal had been pre-ordained for their part in the prophecy’s fulfillment. Luke records that Jesus sent two of His men to a specific village where they would find the two animals. While donkeys were ubiquitous in Judean villages, Jesus added the important distinction, “You will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat” (Luke 19:30 ESV).  

Jesus was not sending them to find any donkey or foal. He knew the village and the location of the two animals that were preordained for use in His dramatic, prophecy-fulfilling entrance into Jerusalem. Jesus even knew that the disciples would be questioned for their apparent purloining of the beasts and told them to respond, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately” (Mark 11:3 ESV).

The disciples must have found Jesus’ instructions to be a bit odd. John points out that they “didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy” (John 12:16 NLT). Even as faithful Jews, they didn’t have the Scriptural knowledge to associate Jesus’ actions with the prophecy in Zechariah. But John adds, “After Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him” (John 12:16 NLT).

For Christians, reading prophetic passages like those found in Zechariah 9 provides a sense of validation and evidence for Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. Yet, for the disciples, the events unfolding around them did not meet their Messianic expectations. They believed Jesus was the Messiah but few of His actions seemed to fit their vision for how this future King of Israel would make His appearance. They were looking for a conquering king who would appear on the scene and radically restore the fortunes of the people of Israel. Their understanding of Old Testament prophecy painted the image of a descendant of David riding into Jerusalem on a white horse and prepared to lead an insurrection against the occupying forces of Rome.

But Jesus had spent most of His ministry years teaching, performing miracles, debating with the Jewish religious leaders, and telling obscure, difficult-to-understand parables concerning His kingdom. Yet the disciples kept wondering when that kingdom would actually come. Even after His death and resurrection, they questioned whether He was getting ready to fulfill His Messianic responsibilities.

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” – Acts 1:6 NLT

Jesus understood their curiosity and their eager hope that His resurrection was the sign they had been looking for, but He simply answered, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” (Acts 1:7 NLT).

With all this in mind, it’s easy to understand how Zechariah might have had reservations about the prophecy God had given him. He would have been familiar with the prophecies of men like Zephaniah who, more than three centuries earlier, had declared the following words of encouragement from the lips of Yahweh.

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
    he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
    you shall never again fear evil.” – Zephaniah 3:14-15 ESV

Zechariah would have been well-versed with the writings of Isaiah.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen! – Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

While living in Babylon, Zechariah would have been exposed to the writings of Daniel, a fellow exile who, a century earlier, had served in the Babylonian court and as a prophet of Yahweh. It was Daniel who was given a vision of Israel’s coming king and recorded it for posterity.

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:13-14 NLT

Zechariah would also have been exposed to the writings of Jeremiah, another fellow prophet whose ministry preceded his by at least a century.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” – Jeremiah 23:5-6 ESV

So, when Yahweh told Zechariah, “Your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9 ESV), he would not have been surprised. But it’s likely he was slow to understand or comprehend the full scope of Yahweh’s words. As Zechariah stood in the still-dilapidated surroundings of Jerusalem, it must have been difficult for him to believe what he was hearing. The walls of the city remained little more than rubble. The houses were uninhabitable and the Temple was unfinished. The enemies of Israel were numerous and their opposition to the rebuilding efforts was relentless. And to top it all off, the Persians remained firmly in control of the entire region.

But almost as if to assuage Zechariah’s doubts, Yahweh provides the following description of what He will accomplish through the coming king.

“I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
    and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
    and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.” – Zechariah 9:10 NLT

Little did Zechariah know that these verses formed two bookends that covered the foretold the first and second comings of the Messiah. Verse 9 predicts Jesus in His first advent, entering Jerusalem at the end of His earthly ministry to serve as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). But verse 10 prophecies Jesus’ second advent when He returns to earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). In His first coming, Jesus was the humble servant who willingly laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:15). He came to die for the sins of men, sacrificing His life in their place and offering His righteousness in exchange for their guilt. In His second advent, Jesus will return as the victorious King and deal a death blow to both sin and death. He will conquer the rebellious nations of the earth and render judgment against the unrighteous. 

Sandwiched in-between these two verses lies the entire Church Age. From the moment of Jesus’ ascension to His eventual return, the Church will be the focus of God’s ministry. It is not that He will take His eyes off of Israel or replace them with the Church, but that the growth and spread of the bride of Christ will be His primary concern. But as verse 10 makes clear, God will one day finish what He began with Israel. He will keep every promise He has made to His covenant people, including their restoration as a nation and the revitalization of their relationship with Him.

There was so much about this prophecy that Zechariah did not understand. But Yahweh was giving His faithful prophet a glimpse of His future plans for the people of Israel. Like the shepherds who received the angelic announcement concerning the birth of Jesus, Zechariah was the recipient of Yahweh’s good news of great joy.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” – Luke 2:8-14 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Present Faith in Future Promises

18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.

20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” – Zechariah 8:18-23 NLT

Chapter 7 began with a question about fasting. Now, Yahweh points to a future day when it will no longer be necessary to fast. Leviticus 16 records Yahweh’s command concerning fasting. ʿ

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.” – Leviticus 16:29 ESV

The Hebrew word translated as “afflict” is ānâ and it carries the idea of humbling oneself, to be afflicted, or bowed down. It was commonly associated with fasting because fasting was intended as a sign of repentance and mourning over sins. The Book of Isaiah records Yahweh’s displeasure with the false fasting of the people of Israel.

“Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble(ānâ) himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?” – Isaiah 58:5 ESV

He accused His people of going through the motions of fasting without the requisite heart change that was required. The people couldn’t understand why their outward displays of self-denial were getting them nowhere with Yahweh.

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
    Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” – Isaiah 58:3 ESV

But Yahweh explained His disinterest and unwillingness to take their fasts seriously.

“Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
    and oppress all your workers.
Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
    and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
    will not make your voice to be heard on high.” – Isaiah 58:3-4 ESV

Fasting was intended to display a repentant heart and a willingness to alter one’s behavior. It was an act of self-denial and public humiliation that demonstrated a recognition of one’s sin and a need for atonement.

But in this chapter, Yahweh describes a future in which fasting will be replaced by “seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts” (Zechariah 8:19 ESV). The fasts associated with the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the exile of God’s people will no longer be necessary. Yahweh is pointing to a day when joy will replace mourning and celebrations commemorating His goodness will eliminate all memories of past sins and divine judgment.

The Temple, once completed, would fully restore the sacrificial system, not eliminate it. The need for atonement would continue to require the blood of bulls, goats, sheep, and rams. The immediate future of the people of Judah would require a fully functioning priesthood, a completed Temple, and the sacrifice of countless animals to serve as sin substitutes for the guilty. The Day of Atonement would still require fasting on the part of the people before they could be cleansed from sin. 

The author of Hebrews explains the necessity of the sacrificial system but also identifies its shortcomings.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:1-4 ESV

So, when Yahweh speaks of “seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts,” He is talking about a future day when full and permanent atonement will be attained for His people. This message from Yahweh includes His promise of the future restoration and spiritual transformation of His chosen people. It coincides with the message He delivered through the prophet Ezekiel.

“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” – Ezekiel 36:22-27 NLT

All of these promises will take place when Christ returns to set up His earthly Kingdom. Daniel was given a vision of the end times, including the period known as the Great Tribulation. During those days, God will bring judgment upon the earth and His people, both Jews and Christians, will suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist. But God will only allow this wicked world ruler to carry out his genocidal pogrom for three and a half years.

“He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.

“But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.” – Daniel 7:25-27 NLT

This future kingdom will include believing Jews and Gentiles who will reign alongside Christ for 1,000 years.

“The manifestation of the kingdom will be attended by such a fulness of salvation that Judah will forget to commemorate the former mournful events and will only have occasion to rejoice in the benefits of grace bestowed by God.” –  Merrill F.  Unger, Zechariah

Yahweh wants Zechariah to know that the rebuilding of the Temple was just the beginning of His plans for the people of Judah. There is far more in store for His chosen people than they realize. They will accomplish their mission and complete the construction of God’s house. They will also rebuild the walls and hang the gates. The city will be repopulated and the nation will once again enjoy the blessings of Yahweh. But their greatest days lie in the distant future when God will redeem them fully and restore them to a right relationship with Himself that will last for eternity. The apostle Paul described this future day as a mystery. 

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
    and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.” – Romans 11:25-27 NLT

As Zechariah listens to these amazing pronouncements from Yahweh, he can't help but consider the less-than-ideal circumstances surrounding him and the far-from-perfect spiritual state of his fellow Judahites. But God is promising Him a future free from godlessness and sin. Not only that, the formerly destroyed city of Jerusalem will become a light shining on a hill attracting people from all over the world. Countless individuals from distant nations will declare their intention to visit the glorious city of Jerusalem.

“Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.” – Zechariah 8:21 ESV

Three other prophets recorded this same scene, further certifying its validity and future certainty.

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
    will be the highest of all—
    the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
    and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
    and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
    his word will go out from Jerusalem. - Isaiah 2:2-3 NLT

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
    will be the highest of all—
    the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
    and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
    and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
    his word will go out from Jerusalem. – Micah 4:1-2 NLT

Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.
    You will again be happy
    and dance merrily with your tambourines.
Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria
    and eat from your own gardens there.
The day will come when watchmen will shout
    from the hill country of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalem
    to worship the Lord our God.’” – Jeremiah 31:3-6 NLT

Yahweh reiterates His future intentions for His chosen people to Zechariah, stating, “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’” (Zechariah 8:23 ESV). These promises concerning Judah’s future were meant to encourage Zechariah and motivate the people to carry out their work with enthusiasm and faith. They served a good and gracious God who loved them and had great plans for them.

But Yahweh didn’t want His people to live with their eyes focused on the future. They weren’t to live with their eye set on the preferred future God had in store for them. His promises of future redemption and restoration would take place long after they were gone so, in the meantime, they were to “love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19 ESV). In other words, they were to love what God loved. They were to live in keeping with His will, treating one another with love, dignity, respect, and honor. With all His future promises in mind, they were to dedicate themselves to living in a way that honored Him in the here and now.

“Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate…” – Zechariah 8:16-17 ESV

The apostle Peter gave the same admonition to the believers who received his second epistle.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:3-8 NLT

The people of Judah were to live with the end in mind, but they were never to lose sight of Yahweh’s call to live godly lives. God’s future faithfulness was meant to inspire present obedience in His covenant people. No matter how difficult the days ahead might be, they could rest in the promise of Yahweh’s unwavering love and long-term commitment to their well-being.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Our Faithful God

1 And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts? 7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

9 Thus says the they shall be my people, and I will be their God of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”

14 For thus says the LORD of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.” – Zechariah 8:1-17 NLT

Yahweh continues to provide Zechariah with words of encouragement to deliver to the people of Judah. Their work on the Temple was not yet complete and they must diligently carry out His command to rebuild His house, restore the city of Jerusalem, and rekindle their covenant commitments to Him. Yahweh wasn’t interested in religious ritualism and heartless adherence to a set of rules. He wanted them to live holy lives that reflected their status as His set-apart people. When Moses delivered them out of captivity in Egypt and led them through the wilderness to the promised land, God made the following promise to the people of Israel.

“…if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” – Exodus 19:5-6 ESV

As His treasured possession, the people of Israel were expected to carry themselves in a way that set them apart from all the other nations on earth. But rather than stand out, they had chosen to blend in, mirroring the attitudes and actions of their pagan neighbors. It was their propensity for godless behavior that led to their eventual fall to the Babylonians and their seven decades of exile in a foreign land. But Yahweh had graciously restored them and given them a second chance to make a good first impression.

In the last chapter, Zechariah was given a non-negotiable mandate from the LORD that clearly articulated His expectations regarding their behavior.

“Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” – Zechariah 7:9-10 ESV

And Yahweh reiterates these words in His latest message to Zechariah.

“Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” – Zechariah 8:16-17 ESV

But sandwiched in-between these two passages is a powerful statement regarding what God intends to do for His chosen people. He will not be sitting idly by as His people build the Temple and work on their interpersonal relationships. Yahweh wants them to know that He too will be busy as He carries out His divine plan for their future. He declares His unwavering love for the city that bears His name.

“My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!” – Zechariah 8:2 NLT

He declares His intentions to once again dwell among His people and bless them with His presence. He informs them that the former glory of Jerusalem will be restored and it “shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain” (Zechariah 8:3 ESV). Then He adds some color commentary to describe what this renewal and revitalization of Jerusalem will look like.

“Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.” – Zechariah 8:4-5 NLT

When this message was delivered, few elderly people would have been living in Jerusalem. Their advanced age would have prevented them from making the arduous trip from Babylon to Judah. So, what God describes to Zechariah is a scene from Jerusalem’s future. This is a prophecy of good things to come. But knowing that this message would sound too good to be true to the rag-tag former exiles, Yahweh provides them with an important reminder of His omnipotence.

“All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” – Zechariah 8:6 NLT

They were having difficulty imagining a day when their work on the Temple would be complete, let alone a time when the old and young alike lived in peace and security within the walls of Jerusalem. They were surrounded by devastation and destruction. The stones of the walls still lay in heaps of rubble. The homes inside the city walls remained unrestored and unoccupied. Enemies surrounded them and constantly taunted them. The Persians still ruled over them. But Yahweh wanted them to know that He was not done. His work was not yet complete.

“You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west. I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.” – Zechariah 8:7-8 NLT

Once again, Yahweh is speaking of the future and letting them know that His plans for them include blessings beyond their wildest imaginations that will take place long after the Temple is complete and their time on earth is up. So, they were to do their part and finish the assignment given to them by God.

“Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building.” – Zechariah 8:9 NLT

Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra were just a few of the prophets God used to communicate His command to rebuild the Temple. But there had been constant delays and setbacks. Despite repeated calls to complete their mission, the people of Judah had been unsuccessful. So, Yahweh reiterates His demand that they complete what they started. He also reminds them that He had been faithful to improve their living conditions since they returned to the land.

“Before the work on the Temple began, there were no jobs and no money to hire people or animals. No traveler was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I had turned everyone against each other.” – Zechariah 8:10 NLT

Yahweh urges them to get on with the plan, stating, “Don’t be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple!” (Zechariah 8:13 NLT). But knowing that they require incentive, He provides them with a glimpse of the future that is meant to instill hope and remind them of His faithfulness.

“I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings.” – Zechariah 8:12 NLT

While Israel and Judah had become the symbols of divine wrath and judgment, Yahweh assures them that they will one day be “a symbol and a source of blessing” ( Zechariah 8:13 NLT). Their past actions had resulted in the outpouring of God’s judgment but He promises that His future treatment will be far different.

“…now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid.” – Zechariah 8:15 NLT

The rebuilding of the Temple will just be the beginning. If they will faithfully do their part, God will fulfill all His promises to bless them as a nation. Verse 8 records an important part of God’s covenant promise to the people of Judah.

“I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” – Zechariah 8:8 ESV

God is reiterating a promise that He has made for generations. He wants them to know that His goal for them has never changed, despite all their disobedience and unfaithfulness. He has always viewed them as His treasured possession and chosen people, and that has not changed. Over the centuries, God had repeatedly stated His commitment to be their God.

“I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.” – Jeremiah 32:37-39 NLT

“When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.” – Ezekiel 11:18-20 NLT

“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” – Ezekiel 37:26-28 ESV

“I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.” – Leviticus 26:9-12 NLT

God’s will for His covenant people has never changed. But they had a bad track record when it came to keeping with His law and living in faithfulness to their covenant commitments to Him. Yet, God was assuring Zechariah that He would keep His end of the agreement. He would not turn His back on His chosen people – despite all they had done and all they had yet to do.

Centuries later, God would send His Son to earth as the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, but “his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11 NLT). Instead, they chose to turn down His offer of salvation and turn Him over to the Roman authorities for crucifixion. In his address to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, Peter clearly indicted them for their role in the death of Jesus, their promised Messiah.

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.” – Acts 2:22-24 NLT

Yet, despite their rejection of Jesus, “God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning” (Romans 11:2 NLT). The apostle Paul points out that God remains firmly committed to His covenant people.

Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. – Romans 11:11-12 NLT

The prophet Ezekiel wrote of a future day when God will

“I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” – Ezekiel 36:24-26 NLT

God will do for the people of Israel would they could never do on their own. And, one day, He will restore them and all His faithful followers to a right relationship with Himself in His eternal Kingdom.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:1-4 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Going Through the Motions

1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the LORD, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

8 And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.” – Zechariah 7:1-14 ESV

Two years after the night visions ended, Zechariah received another message from Yahweh. The construction of the Temple had begun again, and progress was being made, but it seemed that the people were still lagging in their spiritual devotion to God. Two years earlier, God had informed Zechariah of His anger against the people of Judah for the centuries of disobedience and unfaithfulness toward Him.

“I, the LORD, was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.’ Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’

“Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead. But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, ‘We have received what we deserved from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. He has done what he said he would do.’” – Zechariah 1:2-6 NLT

Yet, despite God’s repeated outpourings of grace and mercy, the people remained less than enthusiastic about their commitments to Him. Many simply went through the motions, carrying out their devotions to God out of a sense of duty rather than delight. This had been a common problem among the Israelites for generations; something God had pointed out through the prophet Isaiah.

“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

Sadly, not much had changed. While Zechariah was overseeing the work on the Temple, a contingent of Jews from the nearby town of Bethel arrived in Jerusalem seeking spiritual advice from “the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets” (Zechariah 7:3 NLT). These men, led by Sharezer and Regem-melech, were looking for an answer to a question regarding fasting.

“Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” – Zechariah 7:3 NLT

The identities of Sharezer and Regem-melech are unclear, but their names are of Babylonian origin, which suggests that they were Jews who had been born during the Babylonian exile. Their names suggest that their families held a certain affinity for Darius the King and enjoyed a degree of comfort during their exile in Babylon. Sharezer means “protect the king” and Regem-melech means “king’s friend.” But now they were living in Bethel and had come to Jerusalem seeking godly counsel about a certain religious rite they had practiced. It seems that they were seeking permission to end this ritual.

But God had only decreed one day of fasting for the people of Israel, as outlined in the Book of Leviticus.

“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you. On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the LORD’s presence from all your sins. It will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law for you.” – Leviticus 16:29-31 NLT

During their 70 years in exile, the people of Judah had taken it upon themselves to institute four additional fasts that God had not required. Yahweh mentions them in a subsequent message to Zechariah.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.” – Zechariah 8:19 ESV

These fasts were intended to be annual reminders to the people of Judah of the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem. But now that the exiles had returned, Jerusalem was being rebuilt, and the Temple was under construction, these men from Bethel wanted to know if these fasts were still necessary. It was a legitimate question but exposed the hypocrisy of those who posed it.

“What may have appeared to be an innocent question about the propriety of fasting was instead a question fraught with hypocrisy, as YHWH’s response puts beyond any doubt. It therefore appears that the query to Zechariah by the Bethelites may not have been so much a matter of piety as it was of posturing. May it not be that the delegation was trying more to impress the prophet than to gain instruction from him?” – Eugene H. Merrill,  An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Yahweh did not allow Zechariah to be fooled by their carefully crafted question. Instead, He exposed the true spirit behind their request.

“During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting?” – Zechariah 7:5 NLT

Had their sorrow emanated from the loss of their relationship with Yahweh or was it merely a display of self-centered pity over their adverse conditions in Babylon? According to God, the four annual fasts were void of remorse or repentance. They had become little more than religious rituals and posturing displays of self-righteousness.

God had warned the prophet Ezekiel about the duplicitous nature of the people of Judah. The very people to whom Ezekiel was commissioned to deliver God’s message of pending judgment would display a hypocritical and half-hearted response to his calls for repentance and reform.

“Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!’ So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it!” – Ezekiel 33:30-32 NLT

As far as God was concerned, nothing had changed. Even after their release from captivity in Babylon and return to the land of Judah, the people remained just as insincere and deceptive.

“…even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourselves? Isn’t this the same message the Lord proclaimed through the prophets in years past when Jerusalem and the towns of Judah were bustling with people, and the Negev and the foothills of Judah were well populated?’” – Zechariah 7:6-7 NLT

Their nearly 70 years in captivity had done little to reform their hearts. And while God had been gracious to extend mercy and allow them to return to the land of promise, they were still reticent to keep their covenant commitments to Him.

So, God gave Zechariah a message to deliver to Sharezer, Regem-melech, and the rest of the people of Judah. While they had come asking questions about fasting, God delivered a reminder about His oft-repeated expectations of righteous behavior.

“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.” – Zechariah 7:9-10 NLT

This was not new information. God had been sending His prophets with the same message for hundreds of years.

No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8 NLT

“This is what the LORD says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent!” – Jeremiah 22:3 NLT

Those who are honest and fair,
    who refuse to profit by fraud,
    who stay far away from bribes,
who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,
    who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—
these are the ones who will dwell on high.
    The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.
Food will be supplied to them,
    and they will have water in abundance. – Isaiah 33:15-16 NLT

Yet, God points out that His people had refused to hear and heed the words of His prophets.

“Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.” – Zechariah 7:11-12 NLT

As a result, He “scattered them among the distant nations, where they lived as strangers. Their land became so desolate that no one even traveled through it. They turned their pleasant land into a desert” (Zechariah 7:14 NLT).

None of this was late-breaking news to Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their companions. They were well aware of Judah’s sordid past and the 70 years their ancestors spent in exile. But God wanted this message to sink in. What He had done once before, He could do again. His expectations for righteous behavior had not diminished in any way. He still demanded that His people judge fairly, show mercy, and extend kindness to one another. They were to care for the downtrodden and disenfranchised among them. They were to do what was right in the eyes of God.

This wasn't about fasting and feasting or sacrifices and sacred rites. It was about obedience and faithfulness. God demanded heart change, not rule-keeping. He expected behavior that flowed from a belief in His goodness and greatness. He wanted His people to love as they had been loved. Anything less was unacceptable – even their sacrifices, offerings, celebrations, and worship.

“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
    and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood
    of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to worship me,
    who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
    the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath
    and your special days for fasting—
they are all sinful and false.
    I want no more of your pious meetings.
I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.
    They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!
When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
    Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,
    for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
Wash yourselves and be clean!
    Get your sins out of my sight.
    Give up your evil ways.
Learn to do good.
    Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
    Defend the cause of orphans.
    Fight for the rights of widows.” – Isaiah 1:11-17 NLT

Going through the motions would never satisfy the expectations of God. Half-hearted obedience could never please the One who ldemanded whole-hearted commitment to His will.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Little Is Much When God Is In It

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” – Zechariah 4:8-14 ESV

In 538 B.C., Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest had led the first wave of exiles who returned to Judah from Babylon. Their primary responsibility was to rebuild the Temple that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s forces when Jerusalem had fallen. The Persian king, Cyrus, had issued a decree ordering the Temple’s

“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.” – Ezra 1:2-4 NLT

However, after arriving in Judah, they made little progress on the Temple. It took two years just to lay the foundation and then opposition from the Samaritans led to another delay (Ezra 4:1-4). So, 18 years after Cyrus issued his decree, Zerubbabel received a message from Yahweh declaring His dissatisfaction with the unfinished state of the House of God.

“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”– Haggai 1:7-11 NLT 

During that same time, Yahweh provided Zechariah with a more positive message to deliver to Zerubbabel.

“Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.” – Zechariah 4:9 NLT

Yahweh wanted Zerubbabel to know that his efforts would produce positive results. The “mountainous” task of rebuilding the Temple would be accomplished with the LORD’s help. Zerubbabel, who had laid the cornerstone of the Temple, would also lay the capstone. At that momentous occasion, the people would recognize the sovereign hand of God and shout, “Grace, grace to it!” (Zechariah 4:7 ESV). The grace of God would make the Temple’s construction possible and from this House of God, more grace would flow for generations to come.

Yahweh reminded Zerubbabel not to “despise these small beginnings” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). Yes, the work would be difficult and the Samaritan resistance would continue, but if the people of God remained faithful and completed their task, they would one day rejoice.

“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” – Zechariah 4:10 NLT

The Hebrew word translated as “plumbline” could also refer to a “large stone.” The people will have the privilege and joy of seeing Zerubbabel lay the final capstone for the completed project. Four years later, the people got to experience what God predicted.

The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile. During the dedication ceremony for the Temple of God, 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 male lambs were sacrificed. And 12 male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various divisions to serve at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses. – Ezra 6:16-18 NLT

As Zechariah listened to God’s encouraging message of future success, the angel provided a rather out-of-place explanation for the earlier vision. He states, “These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10 ESV). This refers to the seven lamps surrounding the bowl on the top of the golden lampstand. Zechariah had wanted to know what the vision meant, and now the angel explains that the lamps symbolize God’s insight into all things. Seven is the number of perfection and God knows and sees all perfectly and clearly. He can see the past and the future simultaneously. Nothing is hidden from His sight, so He can assure Zechariah that the Temple will be completed.

But now, Zechariah’s curiosity has peaked. He wants to know more, so he peppers the angel with questions.

“What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?”– Zechariah 4:11-12 NLT

The angel expresses surprise at Zechariah’s line of questioning, asking, “Do you not know what these are?” (Zechariah 4:13 ESV). The angel considers the meaning to be so obvious that he is shocked at Zechariah’s confusion. But he refuses to make it easy for the perplexed prophet.

“These are the two anointed ones who stand by the LORD of the whole earth.” – Zechariah 4:14 ESV

It’s almost as if the angel is waiting for the lightbulb to illuminate over Zechariah’s head. In effect, the angel doesn't answer Zechariah’s question directly. He describes the two trees as “the two anointed ones,” but this answer doesn't provide Zechariah with much clarity. It simply begs another question: Who are the two anointed ones? But the angel believes Zechariah should be able to discern the answer to his own question. He and Joshua are the two olive trees that stand on either side of the golden lampstand. Zechariah is the God-appointed governor of Judah, while Joshua serves as the God-anointed high priest. Together they represent the offices of priest and king. In a sense, these two men are branches in their respective trees, pouring out the oil of the Spirit of God into the bowl on top of the lampstand of God. These two men had been divinely ordained to serve the people of God by carrying out His will.

Zerubbabel and Joshua serve as representatives of the kingly and priestly roles that will one day be combined in the reign of Christ. In chapter 3, God told Joshua that he and his fellow priests were signs of a greater priest to come.

“Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.” – Zechariah 3:8 ESV

The author of Hebrews revealed Jesus to be the fulfillment of this promise.

…we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. – Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT

According to the message the angel Gabriel delivered to Mary, Jesus would also become a king in the line of David.

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”– Luke 1:32-33 ESV

Zerubbabel and Joshua represented the King-Priest who was to come. In their respective roles, they foreshadowed the coming of Messiah. The Book of Hebrews points to Jesus’ role as the priest-king when it compares Him to the Old Testament character, Melchizedek, who was “king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High” (Hebrews 7:1 NLT). The author describes Jesus as “a different priest, who is like Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:15 NLT). With His appearance, “Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed” (Hebrews 7:16 NLT).

Jesus combined the offices of priest and king so that He might provide atonement for the sins of humanity and rule over them in righteousness and, “because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf” (Hebrews 7:24-25 NLT).

He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. – Hebrews 7:26 NLT

In this place of honor, Jesus is also recognized as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the perfect High Priest and all-powerful King.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

Through their obedience to God, Zechariah and Joshua foreshadowed the Branch to come, who would pour out the oil of God’s grace and mercy on undeserving sinners. Zechariah did not grasp the full significance of what he had seen and heard. The angel’s explanation must have seemed cryptic and obscure to the curious and confused prophet. But this message points to the future when God will fulfill all His promises through Jesus Christ, the Prophet, Priest, and King.

Zechariah was not to despise “the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10 ESV). He and Joshua were to fulfill their respective roles with faithfulness and diligence, and not according to their own strength. If they were obedient and carried out their divine commissions, God would do His part and carry out His will for the people of Israel and the nations of the world. One day, He would send His Son to complete His grand plan of redemption and set up His Kingdom on earth – all in keeping with God’s promises.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” – Revelation 11:15 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Light in the Darkness

1 And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” – Zechariah 4:1-7 ESV

The vision in chapter 3 centered around Joshua the high priest. In this chapter, the fifth vision features Zerubabbel, the governor of Judah. These two men served as the leaders of the remnant community that had returned to the land. They were also responsible for overseeing the construction of the Temple that King Cyrus had authorized and funded (Ezra 1:1-4). 

The former vision accentuated the need for cleansing. As Judah’s top religious leader, Joshua stood as a symbol for the entire nation. The description of his filthy clothes in chapter 3 was meant to symbolize the spiritual state of the people. They had been chosen by God and were expected to live distinctively different lives that set them apart from all the other nations on earth.

“…you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” – Exodus 19:5-6 ESV

But they had failed to keep the covenant they made with God. Generations of Israelites had violated their covenant commitment and proven their unwillingness to remain faithful to God. As a result, He punished them by sending the Babylonians to conquer their land, destroy their capital city, demolish the Temple, and take them into captivity. After 70 years of exile in Babylon, God had allowed a remnant to return. Joshua and Zerubabbel had led the small band of Judahites that returned to the land of promise with intentions to rebuild the Temple. But when Zechariah had these visions, the Temple was only halfway complete.

God’s cleansing of Joshua was a sign that He was willing to forgive the people for their many transgressions against Him. But having been cleansed, they would still need to obey His Law and carry out His command to rebuild the Temple. That is where Zerubbabel came in. As the governor of Judah, he represented the civil authority and was expected to provide the people with godly leadership.

At the end of the previous vision, Zechariah fell into an unconscious state and had to be “awakened” by the angel. The first thing he saw was a golden lampstand with a bowl on top surrounded by seven lamps. On either side of the lampstand stood two olive trees. Since olive oil was the primary source of fuel for lamps, it makes sense that this elaborate golden lampstand was bookended by these trees. 

In Zechariah’s world, there was no electricity, so light was difficult to come by. Lamps were the primary source of light and required oil and constant upkeep. In antiquity, darkness symbolized evil while light represented righteousness and goodness. Light dispelled the darkness, providing illumination and freedom from fear. The prophet Isaiah describes a future day when the darkness of the world will be illuminated by a great light.

The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.
You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder. – Isaiah 9:2-3 NLT

That same chapter goes on to describe the source of that penetrating and joy-producing light.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen! - Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

This prophetic passage speaks of the coming of the Messiah. In his gospel, the apostle John picked up on this when he identified Jesus as the light that shines in the darkness.

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it. – John 1:1-5 NLT

According to John, Jesus was “the true light, who gives light to everyone” (John 1:9 NLT). He was the fulfillment of all the prophetic promises recorded by men like Isaiah. One of the repeated themes surrounding this coming Messiah was that of darkness and light. In Isaiah 42, the prophet writes about God’s chosen servant in whom His heart delights (Isaiah 42:1). Later in that same chapter, God declares that this servant will display His righteousness, be a symbol of His covenant, and a light to guide the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Then God provides a job description for His chosen servant.

Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,
    to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.” – Isaiah 42:5-8 ESV

Ultimately, Jesus fulfilled this prophetic promises. He became the light to the world. So, ultimately, the light featured in Zechariah’s vision points to Him. But Jesus was a Jew, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Judah, and the rightful heir to David’s throne.

The nation of Israel had been expected to be a light to the world, but they loved the darkness rather than the light. They even rejected “the light of the world” by demanding His crucifixion. But at the time of Zechariah’s vision, God was calling them to repent and return to Him. They needed to complete their job assignment to reclaim possession of the promised land and rebuild the Temple of God. For Jesus to come into the world, the Jewish state needed to exist. For Him to become the light that shines in the darkness, the nation of Israel had to be restored, the city of Jerusalem repopulated, and the Temple rebuilt. Jesus was born a Jew in the small Jewish community of Bethlehem. His entire earthly ministry was dependent upon His Hebrew roots and His access to Jerusalem, the Temple, and the chosen people of God.

By the time He appeared on the scene, the nation of Israel was back on the map but, once again, under the domination of a foreign power. The Temple had been expanded by their pseudo-king, Herod. The sacrificial system was in operation and the people were observing all the feasts, festivals, and required offerings. But when Jesus appeared, He entered into a time of great spiritual darkness and moral depravity. Yet, He described Himself as the light of the world. 

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” – John 8:12 NLT

This vision in Zechariah 4 is difficult to understand and it left the prophet scratching his head in confusion. He asked, “What are these, my lord?” (Zechariah 4:4 ESV). To which the angel responded with surprise, “Do you not know what these are?” (Zechariah 4:5 ESV). Even as a prophet of God, Zechariah had no way of knowing what any of this meant. He was operating at a deficit and had no idea what the lampstand, bowl, lamps, and olive trees symbolized. But the meaning would be made clear in time. For now, the angel simply said, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6 ESV).

Zechariah was given a message to share with Zerubbabel. The task of completing the Temple was formidable and stood before the people of Judah like an insurmountable mountain. They had completed half the work but ran out of steam. The building remained in an unfinished state but God wanted them to know that its completion was not up to them. It would be done by His power. He alone could provide the resources and strength needed to finish the project. God was with them and wanted them to know that He would assist them in their work.

To Zerubbabel and the people, the temple rebuilding project was impossible. It loomed over them like a mountain but God promised to transform that mountain into a plain. As the prophet Jeremiah so aptly put it, “O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” (Jeremiah 32:17 NLT).

The Temple would be rebuilt. The walls of the city would be restored. Jerusalem would be repopulated. The centuries would pass and Mary would become betrothed to Joseph. She would bear a son who would become Immanuel, God with us. The light would shine in the darkness and the hope of the world would make Himself known.

“If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark” – John 12:44-46 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Have Returned

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the LORD said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ 13 And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” – Zechariah 1:7-17 ESV

Zechariah, which means “Yahweh remembers,” was common among the Jews but perfectly suits the author of this book that bears his name. As a post-exilic prophet, Zechariah receives a message from Yawheh intended to encourage the generation of Jews who have returned to Judah from their exile in Babylon. Despite all the 70 years of captivity their fathers and mothers endured, this remnant of Israelites has not been forgotten by God. The LORD of Hosts had graciously restored them to the land and was calling them to repent and renew their covenant commitment to Him.

Part of the message Zechariah will deliver is God’s call to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. But while this task will be completed in Zechariah’s lifetime, much of what he has to say to the citizens of Judah involves the distant future. This book is primarily eschatological in nature, dealing with events that neither Zechariah nor his readers will ever see. One such event is described in Chapter 12.

Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city.

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. – Zechariah 12:1-5 NLT

The Book of Zechariah contains numerous references to the end-time fate of the nation of Israel and the role of a divine redeemer who rescues and restores them to prominence and favor with God. As the returned exiles labored to rebuild the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians, Zechariah and his fellow prophet, Haggai, were commissioned by God to encourage the demoralized people of Judah to complete the Temple. But their primary message was that of future blessing.

“For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” – Haggai 2:5-9 NLT

God had plans for the people of Judah that extended beyond their immediate context and far into the future.

“Particularly prominent in the book is the Messianic element. With the exception of Isaiah, there is no other prophet whose book contains such a wealth and variety of this element, not only in proportion to the total amount of material offered, but also as a sum total of passages.” – H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah

For Zechariah, these messages came on a single night in the form of eight apocalyptic visions. These rather bizarre and disturbing dreams gave Zechariah a glimpse into the distant future and were meant to assure the struggling people of Judah that God had not forgotten them. He had plans for the future of Jerusalem that were far beyond anything they could have imagined. Their job was to rebuild the Temple. God would do the rest.

Three months after his commission, Zechariah received the first of his eight visions from God. In the darkness of night, an angel visited Zechariah. As Zechariah and his divine guest talked, he saw a vision of a man seated upon a horse among a grove of evergreen trees. This rider was accompanied by others who sat upon horses of varying colors. Curious to know the meaning of this vision, Zechariah asked his angelic messenger for an explanation, but the answer came from one of the riders. He claimed they had been sent by God to “patrol the earth” (Zechariah 1:10). The other riders spoke up and declared that they had faithfully completed their assignment.

“We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.” – Zechariah 1:11 NLT

This message must have sounded strange to Zechariah. He was living among the returned exiles in the devastated remains of Jerusalem. The walls around the city were little more than rubble. All the homes remained uninhabitable. Despite their return to the land, the people of Judah remained the unwilling servants of the Persian empire. And they were surrounded by hostile nations that constantly thwarted their efforts to rebuild and repopulate Jerusalem. From Zechariah’s perspective, the world was anything but peaceful.

Even the angel seemed to contradict the optimistic report of the riders.

“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?” – Zechariah 1:12 NLT

His prayer echoed the sentiments of the people. They continued to labor at rebuilding the Temple, but the work was slow, tedious, wearying, and seemingly unfruitful. The deck was stacked against them and their joy at returning to the land of promise had been anything but promising. The future looked bleak. They had no king, no army, a city with no walls or residential housing, and the ever-present threat of future invasion by Persia or some other world superpower.

But Zechariah heard Yahweh speak “kind and comforting words to the angel” (Zechariah 1:13 NLT). God reassured His angelic messenger and told him to deliver an assignment to Zechariah.

“Shout this message for all to hear: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions.

“‘Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.” – Zechariah 1:14-16 NLT

The mounted horsemen appear to represent the host of heaven. They are angelic warriors who patrol the earth and ensure that God’s will is carried out. They appeared to Zechariah to let him know that all was well because God was in control. Despite the Babylonians and Persians, the LORD of Hosts remained in power and was ready to extend mercy to His people by assisting them in rebuilding their city and the Temple.

The Jews would complete the Temple five years later (Nehemiah 7:4), but it would be another 71 years before the city walls were restored (Nehemiah 11:1). Yet, God kept His word. It would be a slow and plodding process but, eventually, the city of Jerusalem would be restored.

Zechariah was to deliver this message of hope to the disheartened people of Judah. He had heard the words of the riders, declaring a time of peace. He had received God’s promise that the work on the Temple and the rebuilding of Jerusalem would not be in vain. The LORD of Hosts was on their side. Yahweh was no longer angry and was ready to bless them once again. God had not forgotten them. He had also not forgotten the role the Assyrians and Babylonians had played in the demise of His chosen people. He assured Zechariah that these nations would pay dearly for their wanton destruction of Israel and Judah. While they had served as His instruments of judgment on the disobedient people of God, the Babylonians and Assyrians did not have to be coerced to carry out their duties. They did their jobs willingly and with great pleasure. Now it was time for divine payback.

But as the visions will reveal, God had far more in store for His chosen people than a Temple that was a shadow of its former glory and a wall hastily built in 52 days. He was looking to make Jerusalem the greatest city on earth and restore the people of God to power and prominence under a King who would reign in righteousness and bring peace to the world. 

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

You Are the LORD

1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6 “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. – Nehemiah 9:1-15 ESV

Despite all the festivities, the people remained somber and sorrowful because of their awakened awareness of their sinful state. Ezra’s reading of the Mosaic Law left them without any doubt as to their guilt. They had clearly broken God’s commands and were deserving of His judgment. Those who tried to explain the meaning of the laws to the people tried to manage their sense of shame by stating, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God” (Nehemiah 8:9 NLT). Nehemiah added, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT).

But just days after celebrating the Feast of Booths when the people gathered together for a second solemn assembly they were in a mournful state.

…the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. – Nehemiah 9:1 NLT

Some had taken steps to remedy their problem by separating themselves from their foreign relationships. They now understood that, as God’s chosen people, He had called them to live set-apart lives that would maintain their distinctiveness. But over time, they had compromised their convictions and determined to coexist with the nations around them. Their interactions with non-Jews had left them spiritually contaminated and morally compromised. After hearing God’s law read the people became aware of their complicity in the nation’s many concessions of convenience.

When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. – Deuteronomy 7:2-4 NLT

Having purged the foreigners from their midst, the Israelites stood for six hours, listening to the reading of the law and confessing their sins before Yahweh. This six-hour-long ceremony was a worship service in which the people reunited with their God. It was a painful and gut-wrenching experience that exposed the extent of their wickedness but also reminded them of the grace and mercy of God. He took His Law seriously but He was also a covenant-keeping God. The reason they were able to stand inside the recently rebuilt walls of Jerusalem and hear the Mosaic Law being read within earshot of the newly restored Temple was because God had kept His word.  He had fulfilled His promise to end their 70 years of captivity and return them to the Land of Promise.

“You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT

The walls were intended to provide the people with protection. The Law would be a reminder of God’s moral and ethical code of conduct and their violation of it. The Temple would be a constant source of forgiveness and atonement for the sins they ultimately committed. All of this was God’s doing and the Levites encouraged the people to “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” (Nehemiah 9:5 NLT).

Over the last few days, the people had experienced a revival, a renewal of their relationship with Yahweh that had produced a strange mixture of emotions. They experienced joy, sorrow, delight, despair, peace, fear, and an overwhelming sense of God’s power and presence. This was a watershed moment in the lives of the people of Judah. They were back in the land and their work on the walls was complete. But with the reading of the Law, they realized their toughest challenge was ahead of them. Now they had to live as God’s chosen people. By now, they understood that the walls and the Temple could not protect them from God’s wrath. If they disobeyed His commands and refused to submit to His authority as the one true God, they would face the same consequences as their ancestors. But these newly invigorated citizens of Judah embraced the challenge enthusiastically, shouting, “Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise” (Nehemiah 9:5 ESV). They were ready to obey and offered a corporate prayer of confession and commitment to the LORD.

They opened their prayer with an admission of Yahweh’s unparalleled status as the incomparable and unrivaled God of the universe.

“You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” – Nehemiah 9:6 ESV

He has no equals. There are no alternative gods or competing deities worthy of sharing the limelight with Yahweh. He alone is the one true God who revealed Himself to their ancient patriarch.

“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.” – Nehemiah 9:7 NLT

From among all the people on earth, the Creator-God chose this undeserving pagan idol worshiper and called him to become His servant. He promised to produce a great nation from this elderly man and his barren wife. Not only that, God assured Abram that his many descendants would have a land in which to live. And the people of Judah, standing within the recently rebuilt walls of Jerusalem, knew that God had kept His word.

“…you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.” – Nehemiah 9:8 NLT

But they recalled the days when Jacob and his small family had been forced to seek shelter in the land of Egypt because of a famine in the land of Canaan. What was intended to be a short-term sojourn in the land of the Pharaohs stretched into four centuries and culminated with the people of Israel living as slaves to their Egyptian overlords. But Yahweh stepped in again.

“You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea. You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten.” – Nehemiah 9:9-10 NLT

The stories of God’s past deliverance rang in their ears. The plagues, the Passover, and the crossing of the Red Sea came to mind as they worshiped the greatness of Yahweh. The entire Exodus story took on a whole new meaning as they stood within the walls of Jerusalem and considered their own deliverance from bondage in Babylon. They too had experienced God’s gracious and miraculous hand, just like the Israelites in the wilderness. In a way, their solemn assembly was not unlike the appearance of God on Mount Sinai. It was there that God first gave Moses the Law. He appeared on the mountaintop accompanied by smoke, fire, thunder, and lightning. His presence shook the ground and struck fear into the people of Israel.

Now, centuries later, the people of Judah stood in awe and fear as that same Law was read and they recognized the power and presence of God in their midst.

“You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good. You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.” – Nehemiah 9:13-14 NLT

God’s laws had not changed and neither had He. Yahweh remained steadfast and true, faithful and forgiving. But He also remained firmly committed to His call for absolute allegiance and unwavering obedience to His commands. The people of Judah knew from personal experience that God punishes the disobedient. Their 70-year tenure in Babylon was ample proof that failure to obey comes with serious consequences.

Their ancestors had chosen to break God’s commands repeatedly and without remorse, and they did this despite God’s ongoing care and compassion for them. He had proven His faithfulness time and time again. He had showered them with love that took practical form and met real-world needs.

“You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.” – Nehemiah 9:15 NLT

This entire first section of their corporate prayer is a resounding declaration of God’s goodness and grace. They could look back and see Yahweh’s track record of faithfulness and lovingkindness. He was the deliverer, redeemer, provider, protector, Law-giver, and guide who never left them or turned His back on them. Yet, as the rest of their prayer will reveal, the people of Israel proved to be less than grateful and far from reciprocal in their love and faithfulness.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Constructive Faith

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.

6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king's garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired. – Nehemiah 3:1-32 ESV

Nehemiah had a plan for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem but he would need manual labor to carry it out. This would be back-breaking work that required both strength and precision. Each work crew was assigned a gate to repair and, once the gate was completed, they were to construct the wall that led to the next gate. Their efforts needed to coordinate with the next team of builders so that the walls could be joined together seamlessly. This massive undertaking required brute force, keen engineering skills. craftsmanship, and a great deal of patience. But the people took on the project wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. Individuals from every walk of life joined in the effort, working side by side to see that the walls of their beloved city were rebuilt.

The work of rebuilding the walls began at the Sheep Gate at the northeastern corner near the Temple Mount. This section of the wall was repaired by the priests under the direction of Eliashib the high priest. He was the grandson of Jeshua, the former high priest, who had played a major role in rebuilding the altar of God so that the sacrificial system could be reinstituted.

Jeshua son of Jehozadak joined his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his family in rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel. They wanted to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as instructed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord each morning and evening. – Ezra 3:2-3 NLT

The Sheep Gate played an important part in the sacrificial system as well. Located near the Temple Mount, this gate provided easy access for the shepherds who tended the flocks used for the Temple sacrifices. The reconstruction of this gate became a high priority and was taken on by the priests themselves. Even the high priest rolled up his sleeves and joined in the work. Once they completed their gate, they consecrated it, setting it apart as holy to the LORD. This symbolic act was meant to remind the people that their work was to be done “as to the LORD” (Proverbs 16:3). The gates and walls were intended to provide protection, but they would also be a constant reminder of God’s presence, power, and provision.

It is interesting to note that the men of Jericho worked beside the priests. This brief reference would have struck a chord with the Jewish audience who read Nehemiah’s recounting of this momentous occasion. The mention of Jericho would have conjured up the stories they had been told as children. When the Israelites first crossed over the Jordan in their attempt to conquer the land of Canaan, they encountered the fortified city of Jericho. God gave Joshua the following instructions for taking this seemingly impenetrable city.

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” – Joshua 6:1-5 NLT

Just the day before, Joshua had encountered an unknown and well-armed soldier. When Joshua asked whether he was a friend or foe, the man said, “I am the commander of the Lord’s army” (Joshuah 5:14 NLT). This pronouncement caused Joshua to fall to the ground in fear and reverence. It was from this divine messenger that Joshua received his orders to take the city of Jericho. By following the LORD’s command, the Israelites enjoyed a surprisingly easy victory over their enemies.

When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys. – Joshua 6:20-21 NLT

The city of Jericho was eventually rebuilt and occupied by the Israelites. The walls that had fallen were restored, and the men who called this city their home came to assist in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Those who had the joy of living in the place where God gave the Israelites their first victory were more than happy to play a role in rebuilding the walls of their capital city.

Nehemiah goes on to chronicle the various groups that participated in the rebuilding process. While these names are unknown to modern readers, their inclusion gives the impression that people from every walk of life took part in this God-ordained project. The work was not done by peasants alone. Everyone from the high priest to the local government officials played their part. It was a community-wide effort. But there is one side note that reveals at least one group who chose to bow out of the proceedings.

…the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. – Nehemiah 3:5 ESV

These elitist upper-class snobs deemed themselves too high and mighty to get their hands dirty. But Nehemiah paints a much more harsh reality. He describes them as unwilling to serve their Lord. They were too good to serve Yahweh.

Yet, their less affluent neighbors labored diligently and willingly to rebuild not just one section of wall, but two.

…the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel. – Nehemiah 3:27 ESV

No indictment is leveled against these unnamed nobles, but the Proverbs have much to say about men like them.

A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor. – Proverbs 29:23 BSB

When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. – Proverbs 11:2 BSB

Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 18:12 BSB

Despite the pompous attitude of the nobles of Tekoah, the work continued. Others pitched in and, over time, the gates were rebuilt and the walls were restored. This communal project was a testament to Nehemiah’s organizational skills and his powers of persuasion. He had successfully convinced the people of Judah to pool their efforts and accomplish a seemingly impossible task under less-than-ideal circumstances. They labored side by side for months on end, enduring harsh weather conditions and putting up with constant harassment from their enemies. Nehemiah’s description of their efforts makes it sound like everything went off without a hitch. He describes no injuries, setbacks, mishaps, or arguments. This was a do-it-yourself project of epic proportions that would have featured endless opportunities for frustration and confrontation. Mismeasured blocks would have needed to be repaired or replaced. Pulled muscles and broken limbs would have sidelined many, slowing down the work and increasing the workload of others. 

And as the following chapter will reveal, the entire project was met with increasing hostility from the local inhabitants. Sanballat and Tobiah were relentless in their attacks, mocking the people of Judah for Don Quixote-like quest to do the impossible.

“What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” – Nehemiah 4:2 NLT

“That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” – Nehemiah 4:3 NLT

But the work went on and the walls went up. Perseverance and patience were necessary. Faith was a non-negotiable requirement. Determination and cooperation were indispensable. And the people would need to constantly remember that they had Yahweh on their side. The words of Nehemiah needed to ring in their ears as they hammered, hauled, chiseled, and chipped their way to completion.

“The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall.” – Nehemiah 2:20 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God of the Impossible

9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” – Nehemiah 2:9-20 ESV

The time came for Nehemiah to leave behind his comfortable life in Persia and begin the 800-mile journey to Jerusalem. Nehemiah was accompanied by a contingent of royal guards who provided protection for the traveling party, which appears to have been small in number. Once they crossed the Euphrates River and entered “the province Beyond the River” (Nehemiah 2:7), Nehemiah presented the governors of the region with the letters of safe passage Artaxerxes provided.

Once Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, two local officials, Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite, disclosed their displeasure.

…they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel. - Nehemiah 2:10 NLT

When these two men became aware of Nehemiah’s intentions to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they couldn’t hide their anger. As Nehemiah’s building plans progressed, they would be joined by a third governor, Geshem the Arab, who assisted them in mocking the Jews.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked. – Nehemiah 2:19 NLT

These disgruntled governors were hoping to demoralize the Jews by accusing them of insurrection. They were hoping to turn the local Jewish population against Nehemiah by questioning the wisdom of his actions. If they could raise doubt concerning the viability of Nehemiah’s plans, he would lose his labor force. This intense pressure to intimidate and discourage the Jews was relentless. Chapter Four reveals that Sanballat and his fellow governors continued to ridicule Nehemiah and his grandiose plans.

Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” – Nehemiah 4:1-2 NLT

Tobiah joined in the sarcasm-laced rhetoric, stating, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” (Nehemiah 4:3 NLT). When their words failed to dissuade the Jews, they would begin to consider violence as their only other option.

…when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. – Nehemiah 4:7-8 NLT

But just three days after his arrival, Nehemiah and a few companions made a late-night inspection tour of the city’s walls. He had not yet disclosed his plans to anyone, including the local Jewish leaders, so this excursion was a fact-finding mission designed to determine the scope of the project. As he carefully navigated the rubble-strewn passage around the long-fallen walls, he could have become discouraged at the extent of the damage. At one point, the debris field was so dense that his donkey was unable to pass through. But despite the abysmal condition of the walls, Nehemiah did not lose heart. Upon completing his inspection, he gathered “the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration” (Nehemiah 2:16 NLT) and presented them with an unexpected and unprecedented challenge.

“You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” – Nehemiah 2:17 NLT

For these men, Nehemiah’s words must have sounded like madness. What Nehemiah was suggesting was impossible. Had the darkness prevented him from seeing the full extent of the situation? Did he really believe he could do what no one else had done for nearly 150 years? The walls of Jerusalem had lain in ruins since 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar’s forces leveled them as part of their long-standing siege and eventual takeover of the city.

…on January 15, during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign. – 2 Kings 25:1-2 NLT

On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. – 2 Kings 25:8-10 NLT

It had been 142 years since the walls fell and during that time, no attempt had been made to rebuild them. It was a project of such epic proportions that no one ever dared to take it on – until Nehemiah showed up on the scene.

This newcomer brought with him a renewed sense of hope and expectation. He told the people about his plans but made sure to disclose God’s role in it all. He wanted them to know that he was on a mission sanctioned by Yahweh Himself. The sovereign LORD had even moved the heart of King Artaxerxes to put the full weight of his royal authority behind the project. Nehemiah’s words had an immediate impact on his audience, causing them to declare, “Let us rise up and build” (Nehemiah 2:18 ESV). They were pumped and ready to begin. Nehemiah’s pep talk had left them so enthused that they conveniently overlooked the sheer size of the project and the relentless determination of their enemies.

But as verse 19 reveals, the enthusiastic Jews were soon reminded that their efforts would not come without opposition. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem launched an immediate public relationship campaign designed to discourage and dissuade the Jews from accomplishing their God-ordained task. Yet, Nehemiah countered their attacks with a reminder of God’s presence and power.

“The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.” – Nehemiah 2:20 NLT

Nehemiah saw Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem as what they were – enemies of God who had no right to question God's people and no claim on the land that He had given to the Israelites as their inheritance. These men weren’t just opposing the efforts of Nehemiah and his fellow Jews, they were directly violating the will of God Almighty.

Sanballat was probably a Moabite from Horonaim, a city of Moab. Tobiah was an Ammonite. Geshem was an Arab who governed over the region south of Judah. It is interesting to note that these three men represent three distinct people groups that had a love-hate relationship with Israel. The Moabites were descendants of Moab, the son born to Lot as a result of his incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter (Genesis 19:37). The Ammonites were descendants of Ben-ammi, the son born to Lot through his incestuous relationship with his younger daughter (Genesis 19:38). The “Arabs” mentioned in this passage is likely a reference to the Edomites who controlled an area east of the Arabah, from the Zered to the Gulf of Aqaba. They were the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. So each of these nations was made up of people who were blood relatives of the Jews but they were not heirs of the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

As Nehemiah makes clear, they had “no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 2:20 ESV). These nations had long ago compromised their spiritual standards and comingled with the pagan nations that lived in and around Canaan. They were idolatrous and polytheistic. During Israel’s 70-year exile in Babylon, each of these groups had taken advantage of the situation by claiming Israelite land as their own, and for the last 142 years, they had done everything in their power to oppose the Israelite’s repatriation of the land.

But Nehemiah had come to set things straight. The walls would be rebuilt and the security of Jerusalem would be restored. Despite the odds, Nehemiah knew they had Yahweh on their side.

“The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build…” – Nememiah 2:20 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Back to the Future

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. 25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. 26 I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

31 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. 33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God. – Ezra 8:24-36 ESV

Having successfully recruited the additional Levitical priests and temple servants he required, Ezra led the returning exiles in a time of fasting and prayer (vs 21-23). This brief worship service was intended to seek God’s protection and provision for their journey and remind all involved of the holiness of their mission. They were on a divinely ordained assignment from Yahweh to return the sacred vessels to the Temple in Jerusalem. Among the returning exiles was a sizeable contingent of Levitical priests to assist Ezra in teaching God’s Law to the people of Judah. The journey ahead would be long and fraught with danger. It didn’t help that they would carry vast amounts of silver and gold and the priceless sacred vessels stored in the Babylonian treasury for 80 years.

In a display of wise leadership, Ezra delegated responsibility for the treasure to 12 hand-picked priests. It has been estimated that the total weight of the silver and gold was as much as 28 tons. The value of this precious cargo was inestimable but not just because of its financial worth. The gold and silver represented the offerings of Artaxerxes and the people of Judah who remained behind in Babylon. These donations were gifts to Yahweh and were to be considered holy. As Ezra distributed the treasure among the priestly leaders, he conveyed to them the seriousness of their assignment and the sacredness of their cargo.

“You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the Lord. This silver and gold is a voluntary offering to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. Guard these treasures well until you present them to the leading priests, the Levites, and the leaders of Israel, who will weigh them at the storerooms of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem.” – Ezra 8:28-29 NLT

Ezra wanted these men to know they were “holy” (qōḏeš). As Levitical priests, they had been consecrated to God and served at His pleasure. They belonged to Him. Even though they had spent their lives living in exile in Babylon, nothing had changed their set-apart status as God’s servants. Now they were returning to Jerusalem and would be reinstated to their role as the caretakers of the Temple and the mediators between Yahweh and the people. Ezra wanted them to embrace their priestly responsibilities and take seriously the consecrated nature of their heritage. As Levites, they were descendants of Aaron the first high priest, and were expected to carry on the legacy of spiritual leadership that God had graciously bestowed on their tribe.

Centuries earlier, God had chosen the Levites as His own, setting them apart as His servants, the caretakers of His house, and the teachers of His Law.

“Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. For all the firstborn males among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.” – Num ber 8:16-19 NLT

After a lengthy trip, Ezra and his entourage arrived safely in Jerusalem. Their request for God’s protection had been answered and Ezra gratefully acknowledged Yahweh’s providential role behind it all.

…the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way. – Ezra 8:31 NLT

No travelers were lost, no gold or silver was stolen, and no Temple treasures were misplaced or missing. 

Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the total weight was officially recorded. – Ezra 8:34 NLT

After four days of rest, the people gathered at the Temple for a sacred assembly at which they offered sacrifices to Yahweh. This must have been an emotional occasion for these recently returned exiled. Most, if not all of them, were too young to remember the former glory of Jerusalem and the Temple that Solomon had built. These people had been born and raised in Babylon, the descendants of those who had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar decades earlier. This was a new generation of Judahites who received a crash course in the worship of Yahweh and the intricacies of the sacrificial system. It must have been a sensory overload as they witnessed the sacrifices of 12 bulls, 96 rams, 77 male lambs, and 12 male goats. They would have never experienced anything like this during their days in Babylon.

As the people watched, their unblemished bulls, rams, lambs, and goats were ceremoniously sacrificed by the Levitical priests and offered as atonement for their sins. There was deep and meaningful symbolism behind every action. The blood of the animals was spilled and sprinkled on the altar.

“If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the Lord. Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him. Then slaughter the young bull in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the animal’s blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tabernacle. Then skin the animal and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on the altar. They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” – Leviticus 1:3-9 NLT

This was a participatory event. No spectators or uninvolved observers were permitted. This religious ritual was intended to remind God’s people of their sinfulness and their need for atonement. The author of Hebrews points out the significance of the sacrificial system when he writes, “…according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT).

Centuries earlier, God had told the people of Israel, “…the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (Leviticus 17:11 NLT). As the recently returned remnant looked on, copious amounts of blood flowed as hundreds of innocent animals were slaughtered by the priests. This gruesome spectacle must have been difficult to watch and even harder to reconcile. They had no precedent for understanding what they were observing. None of them had ever offered a sacrifice at the Temple before. This was a new experience for each of them and it's likely that Ezra, as an expert in the Mosaic Law, had to explain all that was taking place. Even the Levitical priests found themselves in the difficult spot of having to perform sacred duties with which they were totally unfamiliar. This entire event was literally a baptism by fire as the participants rekindled their devotion to Yahweh and received unmerited atonement for their sins.

They were back in the land and because of their sacrifices, they were back in right standing with Yahweh. Their sacrifices had been accepted and their sins atoned for. Now the real work would begin as Ezra attempted to teach the people the code of conduct God had ordained for them. He and his priestly assistants face the formidable task of instructing the people about God’s expectations of them.

Despite their 70-year exile in Babylon, God’s view of the Israelites had not changed. He still held them to a higher standard. When He delivered them out of their captivity in Egypt, God had declared His non-negotiable requirements as His chosen people.

“For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

“The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.” – Deuteronomy 7:6-11 NLT

God’s Law had not been altered or amended. His expectations of them had not changed. Their ancestors had disobeyed and been punished. Now it was their turn to hear God’s Laws and decide whether they were willing to keep them. God had proven Himself faithful. But would they?

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

The Good Hand of Our Great God

1 These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2 Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush. 3 Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men. 4 Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men. 5 Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men. 6 Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men. 7 Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men. 8 Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him 80 men. 9 Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men. 10 Of the sons of Bani, Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men. 11 Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him 28 men. 12 Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men. 13 Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men. 14 Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers andTeh the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; 19 also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; 20 besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. – Ezra 8:1-23 ESV

The opening verses of chapter 8 provide a more detailed account of the summary in chapter 7, verses 7-9. In this chapter, Ezra recounts his preparations to lead a second wave of exiles back to the promised land. It had been nearly 80 years since King Cyrus had issued his decree authorizing the return of Judah's captured citizens and underwriting their rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple. Zerubbabel, the grandson of King Jehoiachin and a descendant of King David, led a relatively small contingent of Judahites who could prove they were the rightful claimants to the land of their forefathers. Upon their return, this initial group of repatriated citizens found the atmosphere in Jerusalem to be anything but welcoming. They were met with opposition and faced with the formidable task of rebuilding a city that had been decimated by the Babylonians 70 years earlier. The long-abandoned city had become a home to squatters who occupied any still-standing structures. The walls lay in ruins and the once-magnificent Temple had been reduced to rubble. But over the next eight decades, despite relentless opposition and oppressive conditions, the people labored to rebuild, restore, and reclaim the City of David as their own.

A series of kings had ruled the vast Persian Empire with Artaxerxes being the latest. He had authorized Ezra’s request to return to Judah with a contingent of exiles comprised of “priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants” (Ezra 7:7 NLT). These men would assist Ezra in his quest to reeducate the people of Judah in the ways of Yahweh. Nearly 150 years had passed since the nation of Judah had fallen to the Babylonians and during that time, the people had long ago abandoned their worship of Yahweh. Their Temple had been destroyed, leaving them with no sacrificial system or a means of receiving forgiveness or atonement. During their days of exile, the Mosaic Law had become an afterthought. With no Temple in which to perform their priestly duties, the Levites faded into obscurity. Yet, God had given these men explicit orders to teach the people of Israel His laws.

“You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” – Leviticus 10:10-11 NLT

Moses outlined the two main job descriptions of the Levites.

“They teach your regulations to Jacob;
    they give your instructions to Israel.
They present incense before you
    and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.” – Deuteronomy 33:10 NLT

Teaching and sacrifice. Those were the two primary responsibilities of the Levites and, though the Temple had been destroyed, their commission to teach the Law to the people had never been revoked.

Chapter Seven revealed that the main focus behind Ezra’s return was to reacquaint God’s people with His Law.

Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. – Ezra 7:10 NLT

To accomplish this task, Ezra would need the assistance of qualified men, so he set out to recruit worthy candidates from among the remaining exiles. Verses 1-14 of Chapter Eight contain a partial list of those he found. It appears that this list includes the names of the descendants of the priestly and royal families along with those whose relatives had made the trip 80 years earlier.

After assembling all those who had volunteered to make the arduous trip back to Judah, Ezra reviewed his trip manifest and made a disconcerting discovery.

“I went over the lists of the people and the priests who had arrived. I found that not one Levite had volunteered to come along.” – Ezra 8:15 NLT

This news left Ezra with no choice but to delay his departure so he could launch a recruitment effort to find and enlist additional Levites. It is clear from Chapter Six that there was a contingent of Levites already in Jerusalem. 

…the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses. – Ezra 6:16-18 ESV

But Ezra knew that he would need additional Levites if he was to accomplish his goal of teaching the Law to the people of Judah. Knowing that his recruitment efforts would be met with resistance, Ezra chose nine qualified leaders to relay his invitation. Two additional men joined the expedition who were known for their discernment and wisdom. With the help of Yahweh (Ezra 8:18), Ezra’s recruitment team proved successful and returned with 38 Levites and 220 temple servants.

With his list completed, Ezra prepared to begin the long trek to Judah. But before starting, he called on Yahweh for divine provision and protection.

“I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.” – Ezra 8:21 NLT

Ezra knew they would need God’s assistance because it would be a long and potentially dangerous trip. His call for a fast was partially motivated by his knowledge that there would be no royal military escort to accompany them on their way. It seems that King Artaxerxes had offered the services of his troops but Ezra was too embarrassed to make the request. He had boldly told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him” (Ezra 8:22 NLT). This left him with no option but to trust God; a potentially frightening but providential place to be. Ezra confidently states, “we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer” (Ezra 8:23 NLT).

It’s difficult to tell whether this statement reflects Ezra’s faith and confidence at the moment they prayed or if was written in hindsight after Ezra and his fellow travelers arrived in Judah safely. But, either way, Ezra believed in the power and provision of Yahweh. He trusted that his call to return to Judah was of God. He had faith to believe that their trip would be providentially overseen by God. He was confident that their mission to teach the Law of God to the people of God would be successfully carried out by the power of God.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Sovereign Over All

13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 14 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. – Ezra 6:13-22 ESV

When reading a story like this, it is easy to see the machinations of men as they plot and scheme their way to a chosen outcome. Local governors and high officials pose questions, cast dispersions, and sow seeds of doubt. Disgruntled citizens write letters of protest containing a list of their grievances and demanding immediate redress. Kings examine royal records, deliberate with learned men, and issue binding and irrevocable decrees. But behind all men's intrigues and self-interested strategies lies God's sovereignty. He controls the narrative and orchestrates events so that His will is accomplished.  

It was God who moved Cyrus to issue the original decree giving the people of Judah permission to return to Judah and rebuild their capital city and its once-glorious Temple.

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom… – Ezra 1:1 NLT

This pagan king of the Persian Empire made the fateful decision to end the 70-year exile of the people of Judah and allow them to return home. But he also acknowledged that Yahweh, the God of the Jews, had commissioned him with the task of rebuilding the Temple.

“The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!” – Ezra 1:2-3 NLT

His decision and ultimate decree were the result of God’s leading. He would not have done what he did had God not intervened and moved his idolatrous heart to fulfill a divine decree issued 70 years earlier. God had orchestrated Judah’s fall to Babylon but had also promised their eventual return.

“This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

“Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says the Lord.” – Jeremiah 25:11-12 NLT

“You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT

God had raised up Cyrus and the Persian Empire to defeat the Babylonians. This fulfilled God’s promise of judgment against the Babylonians for their role in Judah’s demise. But it also set the stage for the next phase of God’s plan: the return of His people to the land of their inheritance. He had promised they would return and was providentially ensuring that it happened on time and in keeping with His will.

Yet, the remnant who returned to Jerusalem found a city in disarray and a Temple that was nothing but a pile of rubble. The city’s walls had been destroyed and many of the surrounding towns and villages had been claimed by displaced immigrants sent to Judah by the king of Assyria. In the intervening decades, these foreigners had intermarried with the Jews who had been left behind, creating a new mixed-race people group that came to be known as Samaritans. Having settled in the land that once belonged to Judah, the Samaritans were not thrilled with the arrival of the returning Jews. They opposed the plans to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. They plotted against the Jews and tried to curtail all construction efforts through verbal attacks and acts of subterfuge. At times, their strategies proved to be effective. As despair set in, the people of Judah set aside their trowels and shovels. They lost sight of God’s plan and gave up hope of seeing their work completed.

But God was not done. He used three different Persian kings to ensure His plan was carried out. Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes each played a significant role in fulfilling God’s will for His chosen people. These pagan and idolatrous kings were instruments in the hands of Yahweh, motivated by His Spirit and obedient to His divine will – each in their own way and at just the right time. And as God moved in the lives of these Persian potentates, He also spoke to and through His prophets; men like Haggai and Zechariah who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned His messages to the people of Judah. It was Haggai who wrote a letter to Zerubbabel and Jehozadak the high priest, commanding that the people restart construction on the Temple.

When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!” – Haggai 1:12-13 NLT

Regardless of their circumstances or the efforts of their enemies, God was with them and He always had been. The promises God had made to Zechariah would be fulfilled.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” – Zechariah 8:4-6 NLT

God had plans for them but He also had the power to bring those plans about. What seemed impossible to them was no problem for Yahweh. He could and would accomplish all that He had promised to do. But the people needed to remain firm in their faith and determined to carry out God’s will, even in the face of opposition. That is exactly the message God delivered to His dispirited people through Zechariah.

“Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building. Before the work on the Temple began, there were no jobs and no money to hire people or animals. No traveler was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I had turned everyone against each other.

“But now I will not treat the remnant of my people as I treated them before, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings. Among the other nations, Judah and Israel became symbols of a cursed nation. But no longer! Now I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple!” – Zechariah 8:9-13 NLT

Ezra reveals that the people heeded the words of God’s prophets and accomplished the task at hand.

…the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. – Ezra 6:14 NLT

The Temple was completed on March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius’s reign. This momentous occasion was accompanied by feasting and sacrifices. The work was done and the worship began. The Levites renewed their role as God’s priests, offering sacrifices on behalf of the people and atoning for the sins of the nation through the shedding of the innocent blood of an unblemished lamb. Forgiveness was made available and a right standing with God was made possible – for the first time in a very long time. This is an important point because, during their 70 years in exile, the Israelites had no Temple in which to offer sacrifices. No atonement was available because there was no Holy of Holies or Mercy Seat. In fact, even after the newly constructed Temple was finished, the Holy of Holies remained empty because the Ark of the Covenant had been pillaged by the Babylonians, never to be returned. It was once a year on the Day of Atonement that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the atoning blood on the Mercy Seat located on the top of the Ark of the Covenant. The Temple was restored, but things would never be quite the same.

Just over a month later, the people celebrated the Passover together. This ancient annual festival was a celebration and commemoration of God’s miraculous deliverance of His chosen people when the death angel passed over the nation of Egypt. All firstborn males living in the homes where the blood of the Passover lamb was sprinkled on the doorpost and lintel were spared (Exodus 12). This night of divine deliverance was to be celebrated every year without fail for perpetuity. There is no indication that the Jews were able to keep the Passover during their seven decades in captivity. So, this day was especially significant for the remnant who returned. It was a reminder of God’s deliverance of Israel from their captivity in Egypt and a celebration of His more recent deliverance from captivity in Babylon.

The final celebration was the seven-day-long Feast of Unleavened Bread which followed Passover. Leaven, which symbolized sin and impurity, was to be avoided during this week-long celebration. The people of Israel were to set aside all leaven, thus setting themselves apart as holy to God. This symbolic act was meant to illustrate their unique status as God’s chosen people. They had been set apart by God and provided with a distinctive relationship with Him based on a covenant and marked by a one-of-a-kind standard of conduct.

“Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.” – Exodus 19:5-6 NLT

They were back in the land. The Temple had been rebuilt. Atonement had been made. Forgiveness had been given. Now it was time for them to live up to their original calling as God’s chosen people. This was a joyous occasion marked by relief and a sense of hope for the future. But while the people could rejoice over the work they had accomplished, there was more to be done. Something was missing. During their 70 years of captivity, the people had lost their knowledge of God. They could reinstitute the sacrificial system and keep the annual feasts and festivals, but none of it would matter if they failed to know and understand the One behind it all: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Persecution and Promise

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. – Ezra 4:1-7 ESV

The returning remnant of Judah got off to a great start by reinstituting the sacrificial system and celebrating the feasts that Yahweh had ordained. But it would not be long before they had trouble with the local residents. During the 70 years the exiles spent in Babylon, the land of Judah and Jerusalem had been overrun with squatters. These unwelcome invaders took advantage of the situation by moving into the abandoned towns and villages. Even the vacated homes of Jerusalem became rent-free housing for whoever wanted to occupy them. So, when the exiles began to return in ever-increasing numbers, the local occupants viewed them as unwanted invaders. Their presence was not wanted or welcomed.

In 722 B.C., the Assyrians captured Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. The fall of Samaria marked the end of a 20-year campaign against the Israelites that had been sanctioned by Yahweh Himself. The fall of the northern kingdom was His punishment for their ongoing unfaithfulness and refusal to repent. He had sent countless prophets to plead with the people to change their ways and return to the worship of Him alone. But the calls to repent and the warnings of coming judgment fell on deaf ears and during the 20-year-long Assyrian conquest, tens of thousands of Israelites were captured and deported to serve as slaves to their new masters. As the Book of 2 Kings reveals, the former occupants of Israel were replaced with people from a variety of different nations.

Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day. And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. – 2 Kings 17:23-24 ESV

The text goes on to reveal that “at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them” (2 Kings 17:25 ESV). God was going to protect the integrity of the land He had given to the Israelites as their inheritance. He would not allow it to become a spiritual wasteland occupied only by pagans who worshiped false gods. So, He used natural means to torment the land’s new occupants with supernatural judgment. The news of this “natural” disaster reached the ears of the king of Assyria.

“The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” – 2 Kings 17:26 ESV

In response, the king sent an Israelite priest to “teach them the law of the god of the land” (2 Kings 17:27 ESV). The common belief among the ancient polytheistic nations was that gods were localized deities who ruled over specific geographic domains. So, Yahweh was seen as the local God of Israel and was to be treated with dignity and honor. The Book of 2 Kings reveals that the king’s plan was only partially successful.

But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived.

They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. – 2 Kings 17:29, 32-33 ESV

These equal-opportunity idolaters were the ones who had moved into the villages and homes of the people of Judah during their absence. They would have intermarried with the Judahites left behind after the Babylonian invasion. The author of Ezra describes them as “enemies” (Ezra 4:1 ESV), and while they initially display a desire to cooperate with the returning exiles, it doesn’t take long for their true colors to show.

The first interaction between the Judahites and their “enemies” appears cordial. After watching the Judahites offer sacrifices to Yawheh, “the people of the land” approached and presented themselves as fellow God-followers. 

“Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.” – Ezra 4:2 NLT

They failed to acknowledge that they were actually pagan idolaters who only worshiped Yahweh as one more god among many. They had no allegiance to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Most of these people were non-Hebrews who had merely adopted the Israelite God out of duress. If He could protect them from the ravaging lions, then they were more than willing to add him to their long list of deities.

But Zerubbabel and Jeshua wisely turned down the offer of these pagan posers. They could tell that “the people of the land” were not the people of God, so they rejected any overtures of cooperation and cohabitation. The remnant that returned was made up of card-carrying members of the tribe of Judah and they were not about to jeopardize their chances of rebuilding and reoccupying the land of promise by joining forces with the opportunistic people of the land. The leaders of the remnant were unapologetic and uncompromising in their response.

“You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” – Ezra 4:3 NLT

This was not the answer the local residents wanted to hear and it didn’t take long for their disappointment to turn to outright disdain.

Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne. – Ezra 4:4-5 NLT

They viewed the returning Judahites as a threat to their way of life and were willing to do anything to thwart their relocation efforts.

What makes this scenario so interesting is that God had sovereignly ordained the return of His people. He had orchestrated all the events leading up to their arrival in the land, including Cyrus’ decree and the funding of their relocation plans. When they arrived in the land, they immediately revealed their faithfulness by reinstituting the sacrificial system and the annual festivals. They offered sacrifices to Yahweh and laid the foundation of the Temple. So why would God allow them to undergo the constant harassment they endured at the hands of their enemies?

From the moment they returned, they suffered a daily barrage of verbal attacks. They were libeled, slandered, and falsely accused by their enemies. As will become evident, the verbal campaign would only intensify, as the local residents became increasingly more frustrated by the Judahites and their relentless rebuilding campaign. And, with each passing day, new caravans arrived bearing additional exiles who added to the numbers and increased the chances that the Judahites would be successful.

This animosity for the people of Judah would last for decades and increase in intensity. Verse 5 mentions that subversive efforts of the people of the land “went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne” (Ezra 4:5 NLT), a period of nearly four decades. Verses 6 and 7 reveal that the opposition campaign extended through the reigns of two additional Persian kings: Xerxes (Ahasuerus) and Artaxerxes.

Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, the enemies of Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, sent a letter to Artaxerxes in the Aramaic language… – Ezra 4:6-7 NLT

This was a long-term and relentless effort to demoralize and defeat the people of Judah. Their enemies used words, bribes, threats, and official letters to undermine God’s plans for His people. Yet, under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the people remained committed to the cause. They continued to build even in the face of ongoing opposition. The work was difficult and, at times, discouraging. At times, the people would lose heart and become distracted by the constant harassment. The presence of resistance sometimes overwhelmed God’s promise of success. There must have been days when the weary Judahites wondered if it was all worth the pain and persecution. Would they ever complete the Temple? Would the persecution ever stop? Was Yahweh not powerful enough to deal with this ragtag collection of idol-worshiping pagans?

The people of God could not envision what He had in store for them. But the apostle John shares an insight that would have been an encouragement to them in their plight.

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. – 1 John 4:4-6 NLT

The Judahites would continue to face opposition and endure moments of desperation but they could eventually learn that God was in control. The persecution they faced will only make their eventual success that much sweeter and more significant.

“Without this foretaste of history to reveal the full seriousness of the opposition, we would not properly appreciate the achievements recorded in the next two chapters (5 and 6) nor the dangers hidden in the mixed marriages which Ezra would set himself to stamp out (chaps. 7-10).” – Derek Kidner, Ezra and Nehemiah. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Moved By the Almighty

5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. 6 And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. 7 Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. 8 Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 10 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; 11 all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem. – Ezra 1:5-11 ESV

More than a century before the events of Ezra 1 took place, the prophet Isaiah recorded God’s divine prediction that they would.

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,
who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,
who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’;
who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” – Isaiah 44:24-28 ESV

God pre-ordained the eventual fall and exile of Judah, handpicking the not-yet-existent Cyrus as His chosen servant to carry out the judgment He had planned for His rebellious and unrepentant people.

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed… – Isaiah 45:1 ESV

God sovereignly orchestrated Cyrus’ rise to power so he might carry out the plan for the Israelites’ return to the land of Judah.

“For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
    I name you, though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.” – Isaiah 45:4-6 ESV

God had used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army to bring about Judah’s fall and Jerusalem’s destruction. Years later, God arranged for the Medo-Persian forces to defeat the Babylonians, setting the stage for Cyrus’ rise to power and prominence.

“Cyrus inherited the throne of Anshan, a small state near the Persian Gulf, in 559 B.C. Due to his great leadership ability he was able to unite the Persian people. He then attacked the neighboring Medes and took their capital city, Ecbatana, without a battle. The Median soldiers abandoned their king to side with Cyrus. He then welded these two great peoples into the Medo-Persian Empire. He next conquered Lydia and Anatolia (in the western part of modern Turkey) in 547-546 B.C. The Babylonian Empire was then in a weakened condition. Cyrus invaded its capital, Babylon, by diverting the waters of the Euphrates River that ran through the city and marching under the city wall on the riverbed. This took place in 539 B.C. This victory enabled Cyrus to establish Medo-Persia as the major political power in the ancient Near East.” – Thomas L. Constable, Study Notes on Ezra

Ezra’s rather brief and matter-of-fact description of Cyrus’ decree fails to convey the magnitude of God’s well-planned and carefully orchestrated oversight of Judah’s fall and eventual restoration. This was not a case of karma, kismet, good luck, good fortune, or blind fate. God had ordained and ordered every single facet of Judah’s exile and eventual repatriation. Nearly 150 years before Nebuchadnezzar’s forces descended on Jerusalem, Jeremiah recorded God’s prophetic forewarning.

“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations.

“This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste. I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall make slaves even of them, and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.” – Jeremiah 25:8-9, 11-14 ESV

God eventually repaid the Babylonians for their role in Judah’s fall, orchestrating the rise of the Medo-Persian empire under Cyrus and their defeat of the Babylonians in 539 B.C.

Verses 2-4 might leave the impression that Cyrus was a worshiper of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But Isaiah’s prophecy clarifies that Cyrus had no personal knowledge of or relationship with Israel’s God.

“I call you by your name,
    I name you, though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    I equip you, though you do not know me…” – Isaiah 45:4-5 ESV

Cyrus was a polytheist and an equal-opportunity idolater. His primary god was Marduk but he believed in and embraced other deities, including those of the nations he had conquered. His reference to “the LORD, the God of heaven” (Yahweh) should not be interpreted as a statement of faith or allegiance. If anything, it is intended to convey God’s sovereign control over Cyrus’ life and kingdom. It may even indicate that Cyrus was aware of Jeremiah’s prophecy and viewed himself as the chosen servant of this foreign deity. Notice that Cyrus describes Yahweh as “the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:3 ESV). This conveys the common understanding that gods were territorial and relegated to particular regions or domains. According to Cyrus, Yahweh’s influence was confined to a geographic location, so he sanctioned the return of the Israelites to Judah so they could rebuild Yahweh’s Temple – “the house of God that is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:4 ESV).

This powerful world ruler had no obligation to accommodate the Israelites or to underwrite their efforts to reclaim their lost homeland. But Cyrus was being motivated by forces beyond his control. Like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus was unwittingly being used as an instrument in the hand of God to accomplish His divine will concerning the people of Israel. Cyrus’ decree provided the impetus and legal authorization for the Jews to return to Judah, but it was Yahweh who moved their hearts to take the next step.

God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. – Ezra 1:5 NLT

After seven decades in the land of Babylon, the Israelites would have become comfortable and complacent. They had acclimated to their surroundings and had few memories of what life had been like in Judah. Yet, God moved their hearts to go and motivated their friends and neighbors to underwrite their journey.

…all their neighbors assisted by giving them articles of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many valuable gifts in addition to all the voluntary offerings. – Ezra 1:6 NLT

God ensured they would have adequate resources to make the long journey home and the funds to begin the painstaking and expensive process of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. He even prompted Cyrus to return “the articles that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods” (Ezra 1:7 NLT). During their destruction of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar’s forces pillaged the Temple and confiscated all the holy vessels used in the sacrificial system and the worship of Yahweh.

The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the Lord’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon. They also took all the ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, ladles, and all the other bronze articles used for making sacrifices at the Temple. The captain of the guard also took the incense burners and basins, and all the other articles made of pure gold or silver. – 2 Kings 25:13-15 NLT

These sacred items had been preserved for seven decades in the royal treasury. They had not been lost, repurposed, or melted down. The Book of Daniel records a time when King Belshazzar used some of these sacred treasures to entertain guests at a royal feast.

King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. – Daniel 5:1-4 NLT

Yet, God preserved these holy vessels and orchestrated their safe return to Jerusalem. No detail was overlooked. God had set apart those vessels for His use and had protected them for 70 years so that they might once again be used for His glory.

God was moving behind the scenes, orchestrating every facet of the plan so that His will would be accomplished concerning His chosen people. Their days of exile were coming to an end and it was time to return to the land of promise. But the only way that could happen was if God stepped in and used His sovereign power to move hearts and motivate pagan kings to do His will.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

He Shall Come to His End

36 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. – Daniel 11:36-45 ESV

Verse 31 records a prophecy concerning Antiochus Epiphanies, a Greek king who ruled over the Seleucid Empire from 175-164 B.C. His official title was Antiochus IV, but he preferred to go by his self-proclaimed title “Epiphanes,” which means “illustrious one” or “god manifest.” Because of his brutal treatment of the Jewish people, they nicknamed him “Epimanes” which translates as “mad one.” Having successfully conquered most of Egypt, he turned his sights on the kingdom of Judah and its capital city of Jerusalem. In an attempt to demoralize the Jews and denigrate their God, he ordered the desecration of their holiest site, the Temple of Yahweh. 

Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. – Daniel 11:31 ESV

Some scholars believe Antiochus was attempting to quell a long-standing conflict between Hellenistic and Traditionalist Jews. The former adopted the pagan practices and culture of the Greeks, while the latter adhered to the Mosaic Law and the worship of Yahweh. In a blatant display of bias, Antiochus set up an altar to the Greek god Zeus and sacrificed a pig on the altar. When the traditionalists expressed outrage, Antiochus had some of them slaughtered and others sold as slaves. He then issued a series of decrees that outlawed the practice of circumcision, ordered sacrifices to pagan gods, and demanded that Jews add swine to their daily diet.

His actions resulted in the Macabbean revolt, an uprising led by Judas Maccabeus that scored a series of surprising and decisive victories over the more powerful Seleucid forces. Eventually, Antiochus and the Seleucids vacated Judah and the Temple was restored in 165 B.C.

But verse 36 contains an abrupt change that may not be recognizable to the casual reader. Even Jews living when this book was first written would not have recognized the nature of the transition in the narrative. Everything Daniel penned was to take place in the not-so-distant future. They would have had no way of understanding the meaning behind Gabriel's message or the timing and the nations involved.

But by the time Jesus arrived on the scene, most of the prophecies would have been fulfilled. The battles between the Egyptians and the Seleucids would have been part of the historical record. The Persian Empire would have fallen to Alexander the Great and his Greek forces. The geopolitical landscape of the region would have undergone tremendous change and by the time Jesus began His earthly ministry, the Romans were the dominant world power.

Yet, Jesus spoke of Antiochus Epiphanes’ abomination of desolation as if it lie in the future, not the past.

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” – Matthew 24:15-21 ESV

Jesus was not reflecting on the devastating events in Israel’s distant past; He was pointing toward an as-yet-to-be-fulfilled aspect of the prophecy contained in the Book of Daniel. Jesus was describing the final seven years of the 490 years outlined in the prophecy. Verse 36 mentions a king who “shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36 ESV). This is not a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes; it is a prophecy concerning a future king who will replicate the exploits of the former Seleucid king. This world leader will be Antiochus Epiphanes on steroids.

In the prophecy, Gabriel reveals that this future king will bring about a persecution of the people of Israel that will be unsurpassed in its ferocity and scope.

“…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.” – Daniel 12:1 ESV

This is exactly what Jesus picked up on when He stated, “there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21 ESV). Jesus was exposing the true meaning of the prophecy. There was a hidden and yet unfulfilled aspect of the vision that needed to be revealed and understood.

Jesus delivered this message during His Olivette Discourse, just days before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His arrest, trials, and crucifixion. He was letting His followers know there was far more to God’s plan than they realized. The 12 disciples had long believed that Jesus was the Messiah and expected Him to establish His earthly kingdom at any moment. They were convinced that He had come to overthrow their oppressive Roman overlords, reestablish the Davidic dynasty, and restore the Israelite nation to prominence and power. But Jesus wanted them to know that God had other plans.

As He spoke to His disciples, Jesus warned them, “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-8 ESV).  This news would have shocked them and left their heads reeling. It was not what they expected.

But Jesus wasn’t done. As His befuddled followers listened, He painted an even bleaker picture of the future.

“…they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” – Daniel 24:0-12 ESV

This news must have stung them to the core. Jesus was not only suggesting that His disciples would face persecution and even death, but some of them would eventually betray Him. They had no way of knowing that Jesus’ words were speaking of the immediate future as well as a time in the far-distant future.

With Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the timeline associated with Daniel’s 490-year prophecy was put on hold. It is as if the pause button was pushed and the prophetic narrative was brought to a close, only to be restarted at some future date. When Jesus ascended back up into heaven, the time of the Gentiles began. The Jewish people had rejected their Messiah and the message of the gospel was to be taken to the Gentiles. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wrote about this era of emphasis on the Gentile nations. But he also revealed that this period would come to an end.

…a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. – Romans 11:25 ESV

And Jesus spoke of this very same thing but in a different light.

“For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” – Luke 21:24 ESV

This is what Daniel 11:36-12:4 is all about. The pause button has been pushed. The period of the Gentiles is running its course. But the day will come when the pause button will be pushed again and the prophetic timeline will begin once again.

The closing verses of Daniel 11 describe the period known as the Great Tribulation. This will be the last seven years of the 490-year prophetic timeline. A king, reminiscent of Antiochus Epiphanes will come to power. The Book of Revelation reveals this king to be the Antichrist. He will be powerful, resourceful, and unrelenting in his persecution of God’s people. The last seven years of God’s prophetic timeline will focus on the people of Israel because the Church will have been raptured and removed from the Earth. This will bring an end to the “times of the Gentiles.” 

God will then focus all His attention on His chosen people, the Jews. But it will be a difficult time filled with pain, suffering, persecution, and death. The enemy will make one last attempt to destroy God’s people just as Antiochus and so many others have tried to do over the centuries. The Antichrist will do his best to destroy God’s people but “he shall come to his end, with none to help him” (Daniel 11:45 ESV). And Jesus provides the reason for his demise.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” – Matthew 24:29-31 ESV

Jesus will make His second appearance, bringing an end to the 490-year prophetic vision. He will come and He will conquer. He will return and, this time, He will rule and reign over His earthly Kingdom - just as God planned it to be.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

For Your Own Sake, O Lord

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” – Daniel 9:1-19 ESV

This chapter opens with a second mention of Darius the Mede ruling over the kingdom of the Chaldeans. His name first appeared in chapter six in reference to an earlier event in Daniel’s life. He is the one who made a decree that for 30 days all the citizens of his kingdom must pray to him alone. His fateful decision had been at the prompting of his counselors who were jealous of Daniel and hoping to get rid of him. They were the ones who suggested that the penalty for disobeying the king’s order would be death by being fed to the lion.

There has been much debate as to the identity of Darius because no extra-biblical records contain any mention of a Babylonian or Medo-Persian king by that name. As was stated in our discussion of the events in chapter six, the simplest solution to this problem may lie in the meaning of the name “Darius.” It is of Aramaic origin and translates as “lord.” It was likely a title rather than a proper name. It seems that the author purposefully chose to leave out the name of the king involved in the story. He also provides scant details to help determine the date of the events recorded in this chapter. It is as if Darius was intended to represent all the “lords” who ruled over the kingdom of Babylon and its successor, the Medo-Persian empire.

But regardless of who Darius was, the events recorded in this chapter most likely happened toward the end of Daniel’s life when he was in his early 80s. Even in his latter years, Daniel remains faithful to Yahweh. Somehow he had received a copy of the letters that Jeremiah the prophet had written to the exiles living in Babylon. Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem but was commissioned by God to deliver a message to all those who had been taken captive by the Babylonians at the fall of Jerusalem. The letter was intended for “the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar” (Jeremiah 29:1 NLT), and here is what it said:

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:4-7 NLT

Daniel had managed to get his hands on some of the correspondence between Jeremiah and the Hebrew people living in Babylon. It also seems apparent that he had access to some of Jeremiah’s other writings. This faithful and aging servant of Yahweh remained uncompromised in his convictions despite his long tenure in the Babylonian administration. One of the reasons for his undiminished faith was that he stayed in touch with his God. He was obviously a man of prayer. But he was also a man of the Word. This chapter reveals that Daniel was reading from the writings of Jeremiah the prophet.

Under God’s direction, Jeremiah had faithfully sent letters reminding the Israelites to make the most of their time in Babylon but to never forget that there would be an end to their exile. God had told Jeremiah that their period of suffering would last 70 years and then they would be restored to the land.

When Daniel pens the words of this chapter, the people of Israel have been in captivity for about 67 years. He has spent most of his adult life in Babylon and upon reading the words of Jeremiah, he discovers that the fulfillment of God’s promise is drawing near. But rather than sit back, Daniel prays. What prompted this reaction was what he found written in Jeremiah's prophesy:

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land." – Jeremiah 29:10-14 NLT

It seems likely that he also read Jeremiah's reaction when God commanded him to buy a field just before the Babylonians invaded Judah.

"O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field – paying good money for it before these witnesses – even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians." – Jeremiah 32:25 NLT

God’s command made no sense to Jeremiah. It was a bad time to be investing in land but Jeremiah did as the Lord commanded because he understood God's unfailing love and believed that God would fulfill His promise to restore Israel to the land one day. Jeremiah's investment was based on the integrity of God.

Daniel read the words of Jeremiah and his response was one of prayer and fasting. His prayer was full of repentance on behalf of the people, and he included himself in their guilt. He appealed to God's mercy. He praised God for His unfailing love and unwavering commitment to keep His promises. He acknowledged that their restoration would have nothing to do with their own merit; it would be for God's sake and the honor of His name. Despite their years of rebellion and sin, God would forgive and restore them.

This entire chapter is reminiscent of the words God spoke at the dedication of the Temple that Solomon built for God’s glory. Yahweh told them that if they failed to be faithful, He would bring punishment. But if they repented, He would restore them.

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." – 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

Now, centuries later, Daniel is reminded of God’s promise of restoration and challenged by the need for humility, repentance, and prayer. So, he takes it upon himself to step up and do what God commanded. Even after all the decades of living in Babylon, Daniel longed to go home to Judah. Yet, he knew that God expected a change of heart among His people. Repentance must precede restoration.

Daniel was not bitter with God. He did not shake his fist in the face of God and demand an explanation or compensation for damages done. Instead, he openly confessed the sins of his people and justified God’s actions.

“You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth.” – Daniel 9:12-13 NLT

Despite their exile, the people of Israel remained defiant and unrepentant. But not Daniel. He was ready to see God work and so he was ready to confess and call out for God’s mercy. He reminds God of His previous rescue of the people from their captivity in Egypt. He believes that God can do it again but knows that God is looking for repentant hearts among His people. This leads Daniel to cry out, “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy” (Daniel 9:18 NLT).

He knew they didn’t deserve God’s favor so he called on God to preserve the integrity of His own name. Daniel realized he was asking a lot but believed Yahweh to be a covenant-keeping God who always kept His word.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

A Vision of Things to Come

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 “As I looked,

thrones were placed,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
    its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
    and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
    and the books were opened.

11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.” – Daniel 7:1-14 ESV

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
    and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
    and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
    for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment,
    and his dominion shall be taken away,
    to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion
    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” – Daniel 7:1-18 ESV

This chapter takes a decidedly different turn as Daniel, the interpreter of dreams, becomes the one who has had the dream. This event occurs in 553 B.C., the first year of Belshazzar’s reign, placing Daniel in his mid-sixties. It had been 50 years since David interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the large statue destroyed by a massive stone. The mention of Belshazzar establishes the timing of Daniel’s vision as being just 14 years before the fall of the Babylonian Empire to the Medo-Persians in 539 B.C. 

This chapter and the following five record a series of visions Yahweh gave to Daniel. Writing in the third person, Daniel matter-of-factly relates the nature of his dream.

Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he lay in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is what he saw. – Daniel 7:1 NLT

He expresses no fear or apprehension concerning the content of his vision but simply relays the facts of what he saw. With the details of the vision fresh in his mind, Daniel transferred them to paper so he wouldn’t forget them. From this point forward, Daniel’s narrative shifts to the first person, almost as if he is reading what he wrote. 

“I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.” – Daniel 7:2-3 ESV

His demeanor seems detached, almost as if he is reading about someone else’s experience. He provides no clues as to his emotional response at seeing these bizarre visions. There is no indication that the images of the “four great beasts” disturbed or upset him. He simply relays the details of their strange appearance in an almost clinical manner. But as the vision unfolds and its content becomes increasingly more disturbing, Daniel’s calm demeanor will give way to concern and consternation.

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.” – Daniel 7:15 ESV

When the dream began, Daniel must have assumed that he would be able to discern its meaning. After all, he had successfully interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and Belshazzar’s vision. But this time, the meaning would be provided by someone other than Daniel. In the middle of his dream, Daniel was given a glimpse in the heavenly realm where he saw, “someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13 NLT).

This shift in the scene is critical and refocuses the emphasis of the dream. This one “like a son of man” was led into the presence of the Ancient One, a clear reference to Yahweh. This unidentified individual is said to be given “authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14 NLT).

This part of the vision is intended to provide a resolution and interpretation to all that Daniel saw as his dream began.  Confused by the appearance of the strange-looking beasts, Daniel sought an explanation from “one of those standing beside the throne” (Daniel 7:16 NLT). He is informed that they represent four kingdoms. The first beast “was like a lion with eagles’ wings…” (vs 4). The second “looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth” (vs 5). The third beast “looked like a leopard. It had four bird’s wings on its back, and it had four heads” (vs 6). The fourth and final beast was “terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet…and it had ten horns” (vs 7).

Each beast seems to be greater and more ferocious than its predecessor. They are fierce, deadly, and wield great authority. But the final beast is different than all the rest, having on its head ten horns. But as Daniel discovered, these beasts were merely symbols for human kings and their kingdoms. These unidentified nations would appear one after the other, each defeating its predecessor and establishing its dominance as the world’s most powerful kingdom.

But as Daniel viewed the rise and fall of these unnamed kingdoms, he was also given a vision of God on His “fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire” (Daniel 7:9 NLT), surrounded by a numberless host of angels and attendants. The scene is of a courtroom with God presiding as judge over all the earth. Books are opened and the court is declared to be in session. But as Daniel watches, he can’t help but wonder what the final beast represents and why three of its ten horns were suddenly replaced by a much smaller horn. Confused by all the imagery, he asks for an explanation and is given one.

“This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path. Its ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.” – Daniel 7:23-25 NLT   

Daniel is unaware that his vision spans a vast period of time. He is being given a glimpse into future events that will take place long after he is gone and involves the nations of this world and the chosen people of God. These events will unfold over time and will culminate with God presiding as judge and final arbiter of the fates of kings and kingdoms. The final king who comes to power will meet his end at the hands of God Almighty.

“…the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.” – Daniel 7:26-27 NLT

Nowhere in the vision is Daniel given the identities of the kings or kingdoms involved. He is not provided with a timeline or a detailed summary of future world events. It is all painfully vague and non-specific. It was not important for Daniel to have a play-by-play outline of things to come. All he needed to know was that Yahweh was in full control of all that would happen. The names of the players were unimportant. The identities of the nations were irrelevant. Kingdoms would come and go. Kings would rise and fall. But God’s kingdom would stand forever.

Daniel would live through the reigns of several kings but God was letting him know that the future was secure. While Daniel would die in Babylon, the people of God would eventually return to the land of Judah. God was not done. His will was not yet fulfilled. This vision was intended to assure Daniel of God’s sovereignty. It did not provide Daniel with dates, times, and details, but it did provide him with the assurance that Yahweh’s “kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:27 ESV).

But the lack of specificity seems to have left Daniel less than comforted.

“As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” – Daniel 7:28 ESV

He wanted details but was given a sweeping overview of future events that left much to the imagination. He must have wondered if Belshazzar was one of the four beasts and, if so, which one. He must have questioned the timing of these future events and speculated if he would live long enough to see and experience them. But God left out those details. It was enough for Daniel to know that God was sovereign and orchestrating world events from His vantage point in heaven. He was still on His throne and fully in control. Daniel had nothing to fear.

The beasts arise out of “the great sea,” which is likely a reference to the Mediterranean Sea. As verse 17 makes clear, the four beasts represent four kings

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

LORD of All

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,
    enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
    and his dominion shall be to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues;
    he works signs and wonders
    in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. – Daniel 6:1-28 ESV

This chapter contains one of the Bible's most familiar and beloved stories. For centuries, it has been a staple of Sunday School classes, and Daniel's daring exploits have been used to inspire young children to stand up for their faith against all odds. Among Christians, the phrase “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” conjures up visions of living an uncompromised and faith-filled life even in the face of life-threatening opposition.

But there is far more to the story than the simple tale of a faith-filled man willing to face death rather than compromise his religious convictions. The story’s placement in the narrative is important and is probably not in chronological order. It comes immediately after the stories of Belshazzar’s death and Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling by the hand of God. It is intended to continue the theme of God’s sovereignty over the kings and nations of the world. Daniel is the common thread that ties all these stories together. This Hebrew exile has the unique privilege and responsibility of acting as God’s mouthpiece to some of the most powerful men who ruled over one of the most dominant nations on Earth. Daniel is featured prominently in each of these stories but he was never intended to be the lead actor in the dramas they unfold.

As chapter six begins, the reader is presented with the name of yet another ruler. Since chapter four ended with Belshazzar’s death, it would be easy to assume that the story picks up with his replacement. The opening verses state, “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one” (Daniel 6:1-2 ESV). To the modern reader, this opening line seems rather black and white; a new king named Darius took over for the recently deceased Belshazzar. But there is a problem. No extra-biblical sources have been found that corroborate the existence of a king named Darius who ruled over the kingdom of Babylon or the Medo-Persian empire.

There has been much debate about who this individual was, with some suggesting that Darius was just another name for Cyrus, who ruled the Medo-Persian Empire. Others have speculated that it was Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, who served as his father’s co-regent over the kingdom of Babylon and later inherited the throne. A third option is that Darius was an individual named Gubaru, an official in Cyrus’ administration, whom the king appointed as ruler over Babylon immediately after its capture by the Medo-Persian forces.

The simplest solution to this problem may lie in the meaning of the name “Darius.” Of Aramaic origin, Darius translates as “lord” and was likely a title rather than a proper name. It seems that the author purposefully chose to leave out the name of the king involved in the story. He also provides scant details to help determine the date of the events recorded in this chapter. It is as if Darius was intended to represent all the “lords” who ruled over the kingdom of Babylon and its successor, the Medo-Persian empire.

Darius is not the point of the story any more than Daniel is. But the title “lord” takes on important significance as the story unfolds. Whoever this man was, he had power and authority. He ruled over a nation that had proven its dominance by conquering a great part of the geographical landscape of that day. This Darius commanded fear and respect from his citizens and wielded his power with the aid of his royal officials. As his empire grew, he divided it into 120 provinces and put them under the care of his hand-picked officials. Daniel was included in this list of “satraps” or governors.

But before long, Daniel “proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers” (Daniel 6:3 NLT). Daniel’s superior leadership skills led the king to consider plans “to place him over the entire empire” (Daniel 6:3 NLT). News of Daniel’s pending promotion soon reached his 119 peers and they were far from pleased. They immediately set out to scuttle the king’s plan and end Daniel’s hopes of “lording” over them.

Their plan was simple but deadly, designed to appeal to the king’s pride and vanity. They recommended that Darius issue a decree requiring every citizen in the nation to cease all worship of any other deity except him for 30 days.

“Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you…” – Daniel 6:6-7 NLT

They recommended an official edict that would place Darius as “lord” over all other gods, including the God of Daniel. This was a calculated and callous plan designed to do one thing: Prevent Daniel’s promotion by ending his life. But they failed to realize that their ingenuous plan to elevate their “lord” was going to end up offending the LORD Most High. They were out to eliminate Daniel at all costs and their efforts would prove costly. It should not be overlooked that their recommended punishment for violation of the edict involved death by the “king” of beasts.

“…whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.” – Daniel 6:7 ESV

Darius the “lord” liked what he heard and willingly signed the document they had pre-prepared. Unknowingly, Darius had sealed Daniel’s fate and set in motion a chain of events that would prove who was “Lord” of all.

As the 119 satraps expected, Daniel chose to violate the king’s edict. He would not cease praying to his God and was caught in the act by his enemies. They took the matter to the king and the news of Daniel’s actions left the “lord” in a conundrum. What was he to do? He thought highly of Daniel but he also had a reputation to maintain. After all, he was “lord” over all the kingdom of Babylon and he expected his citizens to treat him with the respect and honor he deserved.

But Darius was torn and spent the rest of the day trying to come up with a way to save Daniel’s life. But the “lord” was powerless to overturn his own edict because he was bound by “the law of the Medes and the Persians” (Daniel 6:15 NLT), which meant that he lacked the power to change the law he had decreed. There was nothing Darius could do. The matter was out of his hands and Daniel’s fate was sealed. Or was it?

As the story goes, Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den and miraculously survived. His life was spared but not by Darius the “lord.” Another LORD intervened and proved Himself greater than Darius and the law of the Medes and the Persians. This LORD didn’t answer to man-made edicts. As a result, Daniel exited the Daniel’s den unscathed and announced, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty” (Daniel 6:21-22 NLT).

This miraculous event led the joyous king to issue another proclamation.

“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God,
    and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
    and his rule will never end.
He rescues and saves his people;
    he performs miraculous signs and wonders
    in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
    from the power of the lions.” – Daniel 6:26-27 NLT

The “lord” had learned an invaluable lesson. He could issue decrees. He could demand that every knee bow and every tongue confess him as “lord” but he was nothing compared to the LORD of Daniel.

Once again, God proved Himself superior to the kings of the world. Whoever Darius was, he was nothing compared to Yahweh. And while Daniel displayed great faith and fearlessness in the face of opposition, the real hero of the story is the LORD Most High, the living God whose kingdom will never be destroyed.

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