‘“‘Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for, behold,
I come, and I will dwell within you,’ says Yahweh.
Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day”’
(Zechariah 2:10-11)
Zechariah prophesied during an interesting time for the city of Jerusalem, called the ‘“‘daughter of Zion’”’ here, after Mount Zion (on which it was built). There had been hints regarding the city’s future significance over a millennium earlier, when the mysterious ‘Melchizedek king of Salem [i.e. JeruSalem]’(Genesis 14:18) blessed Abram, later to become ‘“Abraham”’(Genesis 17:5). Through his grandson Jacob, later renamed ‘“Israel”’(Genesis 32:28), a family/nation would emerge with the stated purpose: ‘“All the families of the earth will be blessed through you”’(Genesis 12:3, cf. 28:4). Centuries later, as God’s plan continued to unfold, the people of Israel emerged from Egypt to inherit their promised ‘“land”’(Genesis 15:7, cf. 28:4), eventually with David as their King ‘in Jerusalem’(2 Samuel 5:5), alongside some amazing further revelations: ‘“‘“I will establish the throne… forever”’”’(2 Samuel 7:13). It’s of note that David was from the tribe of ‘“Judah”’(Genesis 49:10), singled out earlier as of special significance. By the time of Zechariah (several centuries later), God’s plan had focused down onto this tribe, otherwise known as ‘the Jews’(Ezra 5:1), newly returned from exile in Babylon. It’s also of note that God’s presence had long been associated with ‘the inner sanctuary’(1 Kings 8:6) of the temple at Jerusalem, above ‘“the ark of the covenant”’(Exodus 25:22), lost when the city was sacked and ‘Judah… carried away captive’(2 Kings 25:21) to Babylon.
However, at least some Jews had now returned. After a shaky start, they worked on rebuilding the temple, spurred on by ‘Haggai the prophet and Zechariah’(Ezra 6:14), part of whose prophesy we are considering here. The text has several key components, linked to the unfolding story outlined above: rejoicing, Jerusalem/Zion, the presence of God (especially associated with the temple), and this promised involvement of many nations. It finds fulfilment in two phases that have already taken place, and a third that we can therefore await with certainly.
The initial fulfilment was virtually contemporaneous. Obviously some Jews were already back in ‘“‘Jerusalem’”’(Zechariah 2:4ff.), albeit ruled by ‘Persia’(Ezra 4:24ff.), but soon more followed, like Nehemiah a few decades later, from the Persian city of ‘Susa’(Nehemiah 1:1ff.). Moreover, they ‘finished’(Ezra 6:15, cf. Zechariah 1:1) rebuilding the temple even before Nehemiah’s time, with all the implications of that regarding the presence of God with His people, even in the task itself: ‘“I am with you,” says Yahweh…’(Haggai 1:13ff.). So God’s people could ‘“‘Sing and rejoice’”’ at some initial fulfilments of this prophesy, ‘with joy’(Ezra 6:16). However, it all seemed a bit like ‘“‘nothing’”’(Haggai 2:3ff.) compared with what had gone before, let alone the things Haggai, Zechariah and others had prophesied. Moreover, this ‘“nations”’ element remained largely unfulfilled, except for hints like some Persians who ‘became Jews’(Esther 8:17) in Esther’s time, and other similar examples, unless the Jews’ return from foreign exile was the perceived fulfilment.
However, there was more to come, the main fulfilment, as the last Old Testament prophet Malachi heralded: ‘“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple”’(Malachi 3:1, cf. Matthew 11:10). So John the Baptist came, to usher in ‘the Word… God’(John 1:1), made ‘flesh’(John 1:14) in ‘Bethlehem’(Micah 5:2), in the family line ‘of David’(Luke 2:4), ‘“Jesus”’(Matthew 1:21ff.; Luke 1:31ff.), who grew up to teach ‘“in the temple”’(John 18:20), ‘“God with us”’(Matthew 1:23, cf. Isaiah 7:14) – ultimately to be ‘“pierced”’(Zechariah 12:10) ‘for our transgressions’(Isaiah 53:5). These prophesies were all coming to pass, alongside others from Zechariah, like, ‘Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!… your King comes to you!… having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey’(Zechariah 9:9, cf. Matthew 21:1-9) and the ‘thirty pieces of silver… “price”’(Zechariah 11:12-13, cf. Matthew 27:3-10) for His betrayal. Then, after His resurrection, Jesus commissioned the disciples to ‘“make disciples of all nations”’(Matthew 28:19), even ‘“to the uttermost parts of the earth”’(Acts 1:8). This is obviously being fulfilled. Moreover, God’s people have now become the ‘temple’(1 Corinthians 3:16, cf. Ephesians 2:20-22 & 1 Corinthians 6:19), corporately and individually, indwelt by God Himself.
All this fulfilment confirms the Bible’s narrative. It’s a call for the whole world to pay attention, as Zechariah adds: ‘“Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh”’(Zechariah 2:13) – consider the implications.
So let’s flee ‘“‘Babylon’”’(Zechariah 2:7; Revelation 18:2ff.) and await the ‘New Jerusalem’(Revelation 21:2), this prophesy’s ultimate fulfilment, in ‘a new heaven and… earth’(Revelation 21:1), where ‘a great multitude… out of every nation’(Revelation 7:9ff.) will gather, and God will be ‘“with… His people… God Himself… as”… its temple’(Revelation 21:3-22ff.) and we’ll rejoice ‘forever’(Isaiah 9:(6)-7).
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