Your King is Coming

Next, God calls attention to the Messiah’s deliverance. Verse 9 continues by saying that King Jesus is “victorious.” Walter Kaiser notes that the word here is the Hebrew term for “to save” in the passive form, literally meaning that the Messiah is “endowed with salvation” (Micah, 386). By saying that the Messiah is entrusted with salvation, the meaning can either be that the Messiah has experienced victory or that He brings deliverance to others.

The Messiah is further described as “humble,” an idea that is emphasized by His entrance into the city “riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” In the ancient Near East a king coming in peace would ride a donkey rather than a warhorse. In contrast to the pride and destruction of Alexander the Great, Israel’s King comes in humility and gentleness, bringing salvation and peace. Zechariah 9:9 is one of the most significant messianic passages in Scripture. The gospel writers quote this verse, applying it to Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion and resurrection (Matt 21:5; John 12:15).

While Verse 9 concerns the first advent of the Messiah, the verses that follow concern His second coming. When Jesus Christ comes again, He will abolish warfare during His reign on earth, removing weapons of war (v. 10). Zechariah’s prophecy of peace also mentions both Jerusalem and Ephraim, both in verses 10 and 13, signifying a restoration and reunion of the southern and northern kingdoms of Israel during Messiah’s reign. But even beyond the borders of Israel, Christ will “proclaim peace to the nations” through His work of deliverance .

In verses 11-13 God promises that the Messiah, King Jesus, will save and deliver the people of Jerusalem from those that would harm them. Verse 11 contains one of the most powerful word pictures of His deliverance. The blood covenant not only pointed back to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, both confirmed with sacrifices (Gen 15:8-21; Exod 24:8), but also pointed forward to the new covenant mediated by the blood of Jesus (Heb 12:24). Because of the price paid by His blood, Jesus releases prisoners from the “waterless cistern,” an empty pit used as a dungeon.

Years ago I heard something called the “Parable of the Pit.” The parable talks about a man who suddenly falls into a deep pit. It’s too deep for him to jump out of. The walls of the pit are impossible to climb, and so he’s stuck there. The question is, How will he get out of the pit?

People begin to pass by.

A self-righteous person passes by, looks down at the man, and says, “Only bad people fall in pits. You must be a really bad person to fall into a pit like that.” And the man’s still in his pit.

A philosopher passes by and says, “You’re not really in that pit; you just think you are.” The man’s still in the pit.

A politician passes by and says, “I’ve got a new program that I’m proposing in Congress, and it’s going to eliminate pitfalls just like yours.” And the man’s still in the pit.

A county inspector passes by and says, “Do you have a permit for that pit?” And the man’s still in the pit.

A pessimist passes by and says, “You’re never going to get out of that pit. And it looks like it’s going to start raining.” And the man’s still in the pit.

An optimist passes by and says, “So you fell in a pit. Make the most out of it. Maybe you could decorate it.” And the man’s still in the pit.

An engineer passes by and says, “The pit you are in is 20 feet deep, 15 feet wide, and 25 feet long.” And the man’s still in the pit.

A preacher passes by and says, “I want you to notice three things about that pit. It’s a deep pit. It’s a dark pit. It’s a dirty pit.” And the man’s still in the pit.

A psychologist passes by and says, “Maybe your mother pushed you into that pit. And how does being in that pit make you feel?” And the man’s still in the pit.

A self-pitying person passes by and says, “You think you’re in a pit? You ought to see my pit!” And the man’s still in the pit.

But then Jesus sees the man in the pit, and He takes him by the hand and lifts him out. He extends God’s deliverance.

Jesus gives the gifts of peace and salvation. When we need rescuing, salvation, and deliverance, we look up from the pit of our sin and we wonder: “Does someone love me? Does someone see me? Is someone strong enough to get me out of here?” The gospel of Jesus Christ answers each of those questions with a loud and audacious, Yes! Jesus loves you. Jesus sees you. Jesus is strong enough. We don’t have the ability, on our own, to rescue ourselves or anybody else from a spiritual pit. But through His blood shed on the cross, Jesus has already done everything that needs to be done to lift us out of that pit. Simply sharing the gospel of Jesus with those around us extends His deliverance to others.

The final section of this chapter describes the Messiah’s triumph on behalf of His people, as well as His shepherdly care for them. In these verses Zechariah uses four images to describe the glory of God revealed in the Messiah. The first image is that of a thunderstorm (vv. 14-15). The Lord appears above His people, fighting on their behalf from heaven. Lightning is portrayed as the Lord’s arrows. The blasting thunder is His trumpet. He marches in a furious storm to defend Israel. The Hebrew word for “defend” in verse 15 is related to the word for a shield. As a result of the victory the Lord will win for them, the armies of God’s people will “consume and conquer” their enemies and become drunk on their blood—a gruesome image, but one that nonetheless graphically describes total victory for the people of Israel. The second image is of a flock of sheep (v. 16). God will “save them” or deliver them. The underlying idea is bringing them to a place of safety, with wide pasturelands to protect the flock. The third image is of a crown (v. 16). His people will be like jewels in the crown, shining on His land. The final image is agricultural, with the young men nourished by grain and the young women by new wine (v. 17). This is a picture of the physical health and wellbeing of the Lord’s people that the Messiah will bring.

In each image an aspect of God’s glory is revealed in the coming Christ. He is glorified in His conquering power, in His care for His flock, in the delight and treasure He finds in His people, and in the strength and beauty He bestows to those who follow Him. To make a difference for Christ, God calls His people to reflect His glory. He tells us, “You were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:20).

Antonio Stradivari set up his workshop in a small Italian town, in Cremona, in the 1600s. You’ve probably heard of the Stradivarius violin, and you know they’re very expensive, very rare instruments. But if you’re like me, you don’t know why they’re so expensive, why they’re so rare. Here’s why: During the time that Stradivari began making his violins, the best violins made in the world were made by the Amati family. The Amati violins were made for performances in small places, performances in drawing rooms and in courts. But music was changing. It was moving from the small room to the concert hall. The violin had to be loud enough and clear enough to be heard clearly to the back reaches of the room.

Stradivari adjusted to those changes, and that’s why he became so great. He chose bigger and better pieces of maple. He experimented with stronger varnishes. He arched the belly of the violin differently to give it a distinctive and loud and brilliant sound, unlike any before their time.

When Stradivari died in 1737, they found a particular violin in his studio. This violin had never been played. And they gave the violin the name the Messiah. It has an incredible tiger-striped pattern on its back, and it’s said to be the perfect violin. In form and finish and everything about it, it’s flawless. It’s on display in a museum in Oxford, England, and it’s the only instrument in that museum to have its own showcase.

But the Messiah Violin has never, ever, in nearly 300 years, been played. Wait a minute. The perfect violin? Never played? Is that a perfect violin? Not according to Ivry Gitlis. He plays his Stradivarius every day.

Your life, your salvation, is a gift from the Messiah, Jesus Christ. And He wants you to take the life He has given you and play it for His glory. He wants you to say, “Lord, I’m not going to put my life on the shelf. I’m not going to hide myself away. I’m going to put myself in the middle of whatever You have for me, so that You can use me for Your glory.”