Day 248: Zechariah 9-11 | Read The Bible In A Year | Bible Study with Commentary by Dr. Manny Arango

Welcome to the Bible Department podcast powered by Arma. We are walking through the entire Bible in a year. You can go to the description or thebaldapartment.com to download a reading plan and join the journey. (upbeat music) - Family, welcome to day 248. Today we are in Zechariah, chapters nine through 11. And this is a hinge point for the entire book of Zechariah. Up until this point, we've had prophetic dreams, prophetic visions, but I'm gonna give you a heads up. We're about to turn the corner into a section of the book of Zechariah that's completely different. The tone changes and the genre of literature is going to completely change. Actually, from Zechariah chapter nine all the way to the end of the book. So till chapter 14, this section of the book we would describe as apocalyptic prophecy. So if you're wondering, hey, where did John, the revelator who writes the book of Revelation, get this genre of apocalyptic literature? Well, Zechariah chapters nine to 14. I know we're only gonna cover chapters nine through 11 today, but Zechariah chapters nine to 14 are kind of the foundational writings that create what is gonna later become full-blown apocalyptic literature. Zechariah is one of the root sources of apocalyptic Jewish apocalyptic writings

along with parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Okay, so we're gonna get two big oracles. We're gonna cover one of those oracles today. We're gonna cover one of those oracles tomorrow. One of those oracles is gonna be in Zechariah chapters nine to 11 and then we're gonna get another massive oracle in chapters 12 through 14. And both of these oracles are rooted in a completely different genre of literature than anything that we've experienced thus far in the book of Zechariah. So major shift, and I think that context is important, okay? Opinions range on when these oracles could have been given. So anywhere from 516 to 490 BC could work. However, these dates are only an estimate. The real context may not be that different than the first eight chapters of Zechariah. Zechariah is prophesying to a group of returned refugees. They are back in Jerusalem. And it seems like the first part of the book is really focused on the people Zechariah's prophesying along with Haggai, and he's getting the people to actually focus on rebuilding. And not just rebuilding the temple and rebuilding the walls, but rebuilding the character, rebuilding their lives. And the people essentially have this big question. When is Yahweh gonna return? And when is the kingdom of Yahweh gonna get established again? And Zechariah's big question back to them is when are you gonna be the kind of people

that are deserving of the return of Yahweh's kingdom? So this is, I don't wanna get ahead of myself, but and if that ain't a timeless truth, we got a lot of people trying to predict the return of Jesus. Got a lot of people trying to predict when Jesus is gonna come back. And the real question is not when is Jesus going to come back? The real question is when are we going to be the kind of bride that can hasten the return of Jesus? So Zechariah is doing the same thing. He's framing this conversation in the exact same way that I think we should be framing this conversation. So the last part of the book sees a major shift. Okay, I wanna make sure I go through all my notes that I have for you. These, you know, big two nets movements, nine through 11 and 12 through 14, consists of two final oracles, okay? A big oracle in nine through 11, another major oracle in 12 to 14. These oracles are apocalyptic in nature. These two oracles are also amongst the most difficult content to interpret in the entire prophetic genre of the scriptures, okay? These last couple of chapters from chapter nine to chapter 14 are some of the most complicated, mysterious oracles that we have in all of the prophets. And I would dare say in all of the Hebrew Bible. So in all the scriptures.

However, here's the interesting thing, okay? Within this uncertainty, these oracles contained some of the clearest prophecies about the Messiah that exists in the entire Old Testament. So from chapters nine to 14. but then we see some of the most pinpoint, accurate, clearest descriptions of Jesus the Messiah that exists in his horrible testament. So we get obscurity and clarity living side by side in these chapters of the Bible, in these chapters of Zechariah. It is the great irony of Zechariah. The hardest book in the Bible to interpret has within it the clearest foreshadowing of Christ within the Bible. Zechariah is one of the root sources of Jewish apocalyptic writings, along with parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. I already said that. These last two oracles are then an early example of apocalyptic prophecy, which adds an extra element of difficulty in interpreting them. All right, I think that's enough context, okay? I think that's enough context clues for today. And so now that we've got a foundation of context laid for Zechariah chapters 9 and 11, and this entire second section of the book of Zechariah, let's jump to some nerdy nuggets. Like every day, I'm always gonna give you context clues,

nerdy nuggets, and then we'll end with a timeless truth. So our nerdy nugget for today, I'll kind of walk through chapter nine with us, with you a little bit. By the way, if you haven't done today's reading, you definitely need to go do the reading, okay? So listen to the audio, watch the video, and do the reading, and then come back and listen to the audio or watch the video after you've done the reading. All right, our first nerdy nugget, okay? Is from chapter nine, okay, verses one to eight, we are gonna get a what's called Yahweh's invasion. Yahweh sets out to conquer the cities on his way south to Jerusalem, okay? Hadrak, Damascus, Hamoth, Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdog. That's kind of like the path that Yahweh's taking as he's coming down to Jerusalem. And these are Arameen, Phoenician, and Philistine cities. These are actually the old enemies or rivals of Israel. This is ironically the exact same path that the Assyrians and the Babylonians had taken on their way to Jerusalem, okay? So we see a pattern here. This isn't just coincidence, but it is irony, okay? So Zechariah is seeing that Yahweh is taking the exact same path that the Babylonians and the Assyrians took.

And they of course did so took conquer Jerusalem. That's what Assyria and Babylon were doing. They were taking this path and conquering some smaller cities on their way so that they could conquer Jerusalem. They're picking up steam so they could conquer Jerusalem. Whereas Yahweh is not taking this path in order to conquer Jerusalem. Yahweh is taking this path in order to save Jerusalem in order to rescue Jerusalem. So yes, this is not coincidence. This is irony. Zechariah is seeing a vision and there should be a clear comparison. Whereas these other nations took this exact same path from city to city to city to city to city on their way to Jerusalem to conquer it. Yahweh is gonna take the same path from city to city to city to city to city to city to come south not to conquer Jerusalem but to rescue it. This is probably the most surprising part of this that it seems that the Philistines are converted. Okay, so here's another nerdy nugget. That right here in this, it seems that the Philistines are converted and become a part of the covenant. Chapter nine verse seven speaks of Yahweh taking away their uncoach of food and then making them a remnant. Okay, a clan alongside Judah. This of course is a very surprising prophecy

which adds the difficulty in interpreting it, okay? Which has led many to put this far into the future. Like this still isn't fulfilled today. Okay, this is far into the future. Why? Because this has never happened with the Philistines, okay? As of today, the Philistines have not yet been part of the remnant of Judah or coming alongside Judah or having their uncoach of food taken away from them. So this isn't necessarily a prophecy that gets fulfilled in the lifetime or the ministry of Jesus but this is a prophecy that is going to get fulfilled in the coming age, in the age to come. Maybe in the second coming of Christ, in the return of Christ. Now in chapter nine verse nine, we get a king riding on a donkey. And this symbol or this image is full of symbolism, okay? A king riding on a donkey, okay? There's two main places where we're going to get source material for a king riding on a donkey. is the third time in the Old Testament that we're gonna see a king riding on a donkey. So let's talk about the first two, okay? The first one is gonna be rooted in Genesis chapter 49 verses 10 through 11. Remember, while Jacob is on his deathbed, he gives a prophecy to all 12 of his sons, but he gives a prophetic word specifically to Judah, that Judah is gonna be the Kingly tribe,

the tribe where kings are gonna descend, whose descendants will rule Israel until, here's the magic words, he who he comes to whom it belongs, okay? So let's just read all of Genesis chapter 49 verse 10 through 11. Says this, kind of well-known passages, the scepter will not depart from Judah. So the scepter, meaning a ruler's rod, okay, a scepter. The scepter will not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from beneath between his feet, okay? So that means that Judah's gonna be the tribe where kings and rulers are gonna come from. Until he to whom it belongs shall come. Obviously, that's talking about Jesus, okay? Until he to who it belongs shall come. Once the Messiah comes, that's the he to whom the kingdom of Israel belongs, and really the nation of the whole earth. And then the next line. And the obedience of the nations shall be his, okay? So this, not just talking about Judah. This is clearly not just about Judah, but it's about Judah's descendant, his ultimate descendant, which is Jesus, the line of the tribe of Judah. Says this in the next verse verse 11. He will tether his donkey to a vine. Okay, so now we're seeing a link between a king and a donkey, okay?

He will tether his donkey to a vine, his cult, another word for donkey, his cult to the choices branch. He will wash his garments in wine, okay? Remember, wine is a symbol for the blood of the new covenant, okay? He will wash his garments in wine, which means they'll be drenched in blood, okay? His robes in the blood of grapes. The blood of grapes is another word for wine, but the word blood makes us continue to understand the idea that this ruler will die, that when you think about it, if you don't know about Jesus, you would think, okay, his garments are washed in blood or the blood of grapes. There's somebody else's blood 'cause he's a conquering king. However, there's a twist because Jesus does not come into Jerusalem on the triumphal entry or Palm Sunday riding on a war horse. No, he comes on a donkey, which means that there's a victory that's already happened. Kings only ride on donkeys when they ride in peace and they're riding in peace after a war has already happened. Remember, in the book of Revelation, Jesus is gonna be riding on a war horse. He's gonna appear with a chariot, but here in the first coming of Jesus, he comes on a donkey, which is the fulfillment of Genesis chapter 49.

So, Zechariah isn't just pulling this image out of nowhere. This image is rooted in a Messianic claim about Jesus that was given by Jacob to his son Judah in Genesis chapter 49. There's another one, okay? There's a David Solomon connection. This is back when Adonaija tried to claim David's throne as the old king lay dying. You probably remember this in first Kings chapter one versus 38 to 48, you can find the story. David declared Solomon to be the true king. So, Zedok the priest and Nathan the prophet put Solomon on David's own mule, on David's own donkey, on David's own donkey and brought him to Gibson to be anointed king. He then returned, okay? Solomon then returned to Jerusalem riding on David's mule slash donkey. Again, this is in first Kings chapter one verse 38 to 48. Solomon's name means man of peace, okay? He was the king of peace riding into Jerusalem on David's donkey, okay? So, this image is then fulfilled centuries later when another king of peace or man of peace, a descendant of Judah of the house of David, okay? One to whom the nations would turn at obedience, who would bring righteousness and salvation to all rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. As the crowds shouted, "Hosanna to the son of David." You can read all about this, okay?

All four gospel accounts tell us about Jesus' triumphal entry. This is found in Matthew chapter 21, verses one through four. Mark chapter 11, verse four, Luke chapter 19, verse 28. So, Zechariah prophesies he connects what happened with David and Solomon in first Kings. He connects what happens with Jacob and his son Judah in Genesis chapter 49. And we get to see that this dad son, parallel, in both first Kings and in Genesis chapter 49, get prophesied about through Zechariah. In the fulfillment of that prophecy is Jesus coming in to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The symbol that we should understand is humility, that Jesus is a humble king. Even though this king seems to be connected to this great invasion, K. Zechariah says that there's an invasion that Yahweh is on a path where he's conquering cities. When he gets to Jerusalem, he's not conquering, but he's saving, okay? He would not enter the city of Jerusalem as a warrior. He would not ride a war chariot or a war horse. Instead, he would ride a donkey, a beast of burden, not of war. This was a king who brings peace. This is a humble servant, not a conquering warrior. And so I think it's sometimes hard to hold these multiple elements of the person of Jesus in tension with each other. And so Jesus, yes, is a conquering warrior,

but he's not only a conquering warrior, that he is a humble king of peace. - Family, the weight is over. My brand new book, "Crushing Chaos," is out now and available everywhere books are sold. Literally, today, I walked into a Barnes and Noble and I signed a bunch of copies at a physical location. So you can grab this book at a physical Barnes and Noble, or you can go to a books a million, or Amazon, or anywhere books are sold and grab a copy. If you enjoy reading the Bible from an ancient perspective, if you understand that the beauty of scripture is actually knowing it in context, then you'll love this book. And if there's any chaos in your personal life, I think that reading the Bible from an ancient perspective can actually help to crush the chaos in your life. I think this book is gonna be a New York Times bestseller. I really do. I think we wrote a good one. I think you should get a copy today. All right, back to the episode. Our timeless truth, okay? What is our timeless truth for the day? The image of a king on a donkey rather than a war horse is a striking one. And I actually think that that should give us a timeless truth for today. 'Cause this isn't just relevant in Zachariah's time or in Jesus' time, but it's relevant today.

It points towards the upside down kingdom that Jesus established. He was victorious. He had every right to ride as he does in Revelation, a horse, a war horse. Yet he demonstrates humility and peace. He, as the ultimate authority in the church, his body, demonstrates what authority actually looks like. Authority is not the chariot, the war horse or the sword. Authority is the donkey that the way up is down, that the way that Jesus conquers is by giving his life as a sacrifice for many. That the reason that God will vindicate him and raise him from the dead and make him ruler over all the nations is because he's willing to take his place not on a war horse, but on a donkey. Authority within the church is not overbearing. Every Christian leader needs to hear this. Authority in the church is not self-seeking. It's not dominating. We don't conquer people in order to rule them. That's not how Christian leaders act. We rather are humble. We put others before ourselves. Our authority is always demonstrated by our willingness to serve, actually had a moment recently, where there's just a leader on our team that was acting in ways that are pretty offensive. Offensive to me, offensive to others, just kind of bombastic, just kind of aggressive.

And I had a couple of options. I could get on Zoom with this person or FaceTime or meet up with them and just kind of do what the old manny would have done. Couple years ago, I probably would have been described as a pretty angry leader and I could have fussed at them and just kind of put them in their place. But instead, I got off FaceTime and I led with vulnerability. I began to communicate to this person how their words have affected me and other people. Essentially, I was willing to, I don't know, come across this week, I was willing to be vulnerable. And guess what? In our end of that conversation, the person I was talking to started to break down in tears. And my vulnerability created vulnerability is that they were being aggressive as a way to protect themselves because they didn't trust our environment. And me leading with vulnerability actually caused them to have trust in me as a leader and let their guard down and actually be honest. And so I could have led with an iron fist. You're not allowed to do that. We're gonna kick you off the team. Here's some consequences and some threats. I could have led like an angry, domineering leader who's working for a Fortune 500 company or I could realize I'm not a CEO.

I'm a pastor, I'm a shepherd. And so you know what? I'm gonna lead with vulnerability. And I think that in the 21st century that is a version of riding in on a donkey. When you could ride in on a war horse that's riding it on a donkey like a humble servant is that a riding in on a chariot like a conquering leader. And I think there's a lot of us, especially leaders in the church space who have probably been hurt by leaders who are riding in on a war horse who are not the kind of leaders who ride in on a donkey. And so when we think about Zechariah and we think about Jesus, I want us to think about the kind of servant who rides in on a donkey. I need you to know this. You don't need to fight for anything actually. Jesus has won a victory for you. And since that victory has already been won, man, you get to riding in peace. You're not fighting anything but the enemy. You're not fighting anybody on your team. You're not fighting to be heard. You're not fighting. And the moment I realized, man, I'm just, I was always on this like heightened sensitivity. I always was ready to argue, ready to Hulk smash anybody in anything.

Why? Because I just felt like I had to earn a place where I had to earn my voice. And then you begin to realize, Jesus is victory on the cross as final. And actually, I'm at peace. I just, I have peace. And I would say that, man, the closer I get to 40, I'm just leading from a place of like peace. Am I here to fight with anybody or argue with anybody or debate with anybody? I actually said that to this leader who was being really contentious. I said, hey, I'm not here to debate or argue. And if this conversation gets argumentative, I'm gonna remind you of all the vulnerable things that I shared at the beginning of the conversation. 'Cause this is not a wrestling match. I'm not here to force you in a submission. Here to genuinely tell you that what you've said is offensive and it's hurting my feelings. And this is what it's made me think about you. And honesty and vulnerability in this season of my life has gotten me a whole lot further than any of the tight-fisted, iron-fisted, domineering-style leadership that I exhibited probably five years ago or seven years ago or 10 years ago. And that is our timeless truth for the day.

That's not as true for Zechariah, that's not as true for Jesus. That's true for you, it's true for me. Whether you've been on the receiving end of a harsh leader or whether you've been the harsh leader, I think there's an opportunity here to either heal if you've been on the receiving end or repent if you've been on the giving end and to actually lead like Jesus. I'll see you right here tomorrow for day 249. We're gonna go through Zechariah chapter 12 to 14. We're gonna finish up the book of Zechariah tomorrow. I'm so proud of you, especially if you're on a streak. I am cheering for you, I'm rooting for you and I'm praying that this is the best year of your life because you've decided to read the Bible this year and engage with it in a meaningful way. I'll see you tomorrow right here for day 249. Peace. Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department podcast. If this episode was helpful, how about you leave a comment, share with a friend and subscribe so that you never miss an episode. To learn more about the show, head to thebobbledepartment.com. We'll see you right back here tomorrow. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]