Zechariah 2:10 Komentář

In this chapter we have, I. Another vision which the prophet saw, not for his own entertainment, but for his satisfaction and the edification of those to whom he was sent (Zac 2:1, Zac 2:2). II. A sermon upon it, in the rest of the chapter, 1. By way of explication of the vision, showing it to be a prediction of the replenishing of Jerusalem and of its safety and honour (Zac 2:3-5). 2. By way of application. Here is, (1.) A use of exhortation to the Jews that were yet in Babylon, pressing them to hasten their return to their own land, (Zac 2:6-9). (2.) A use of consolation tot hose that were returned, in reference to the many difficulties they had to struggle with (Zac 2:10-12). (3.) A use of caution to all not to prescribe to God, or limit him, but patiently to wait for him (Zac 2:13).

Here is, I. Joy proclaimed to the church of God, to the daughter of Zion, that had separated herself from the daughter of Babylon. The Jews that had returned were in distress and danger, their enemies in the neighbourhood were spiteful against them, their friends that remained in Babylon were cool towards them, shy of them, and declined coming in to their assistance; and yet they are directed to sing, and to rejoice even in tribulation. Note, Those that have recovered their purity, and integrity, and spiritual liberty, though they have not yet recovered their outward prosperity, have reason to sing and rejoice, to give glory to God and take comfort to themselves. I. God will have a people among them. If their brethren in Babylon will not come to them, those of other nations shall, and shall replenish Jerusalem and the cities of Judah: Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day that are now at a distance from him and strangers to him. The Jewish nation, after the captivity, multiplied very much, by the accession of proselytes to it, that were naturalized, and were entitled to all the privileges of native Israelites, and perhaps they were equal in number; and therefore Paul mentions it as an honour to him which many Jews had not, that he was of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, Phi 3:5. And this was an earnest of the bringing in of the Gentiles into the christian church and in that this and other similar promises were to have their full accomplishment. It was therefore strange that that should be so great an offence to the Jews, as we find it was in the apostles' times, which was promised them as a blessing in the prophets' times - that many nations should be joined to the Lord. And, as there had been one law, so should there be one gospel for the stranger and for those born in the land; whatever nation they come from, when they join themselves to the Lord, they shall be my people, as dear to God as ever Israel had been. Note, God will own those for his people who with purpose of heart join themselves to him; and, when many do so, we ought to look upon them, not with a jealous eye, but with a joyful one. Angels rejoice, and therefore so should the daughter of Zion, when many nations are joined to the Lord. II. They shall have his presence among them: Sing and rejoice, for I come. Those to whom God comes have reason to rejoice, for he will be to them their chief joy. God will come, not to make them a visit only, but to reside with them and preside over them: I will dwell in the midst of thee (Zac 2:10), and it is repeated (Zac 2:11), because it was to have a double accomplishment, 1. In the dedication of the temple, in their regularly observing all God's institutions there and God's owning them therein. Those have God dwelling in the midst of them that have his ordinances administered in their purity, and a divine power going along with them; with these tokens of God's presence the Jewish church was blessed, after this, as much as ever. 2. In the incarnation of Christ. He that here promises to dwell among them is that Lord whom the Lord of hosts has sent (Zac 2:11), and therefore must be the Lord Jesus, who came and dwelt in the midst of the Jewish nation, the eternal Word, that was made flesh, and dwelt among us. This was the great honour reserved for that nation in its last days; the promise of it effectually secured their continuance till it was accomplished. They could not be destroyed while that blessing was in them; and the prospect of it, according to the promise, was the great support and comfort of those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. It is promised that when Christ comes and dwells among them they shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent him; all that were Israelites indeed were made to know it; sufficient proofs were given of it by the miracles Christ wrought, so that they might have known it, and yet there were those that perished in ignorance and unbelief, that would not know it, for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. III. They shall have all their ancient dignities and privileges restored to them again, Zac 2:12. 1. Canaan shall be a holy land again, not polluted by sin as it had been formerly, not profaned by the enemies as it had been of late; it shall be an enclosure again, and not laid in common. 2. Judah shall be in this holy land, shall inhabit it, and enjoy the comfort of it, and no longer be lost and scattered in Babylon. 3. Judah shall be God's portion, which he will delight in, which shall be dear to him, by which he will be served, and in which he will be glorified. The Lord's portion is his people. 4. God will inherit Judah again as his portion, will claim his interest, and recover the possession out of the hands of those that had invaded his right. He will protect his people and govern them as a man does his inheritance, and will be at home among them. 5. He will choose Jerusalem again, as he had chosen it formerly, to put his name there; he will renew and confirm the choice, and continue it a chosen place, till it must resign its honours to the Jerusalem that is from above. Though the election seemed to be set aside for a while, yet it shall obtain. II. Here is silence proclaimed to all the world besides, Zac 2:13. The daughter of Zion must sing, but all flesh must be silent. Observe here, 1. A very awful description of God's appearances for the relief of his people. He is raised up out of his holy habitation; as a man out of sleep (Psa 44:23; Psa 78:65), or as a man entering with resolution upon a business that he will go through with. Heaven is his holy habitation above; thence we must expect him to appear, Isa 64:1. His temple is so in this lower world; thence from between the cherubim he will shine forth, Psa 80:1. He is about to do something unusual, unexpected, and very surprising, and to plead his people's cause, which had long seemed neglected. 2. A seasonable caution and direction at such a time: Be silent, O all flesh! before the Lord - before Christ and his grace (let not flesh object against the methods he takes) - before God and his providence; the enemies of the church shall be silenced; all iniquity shall stop her mouth. The friends of the church also must be silent. Leave it to God to take his own way, and neither prescribe to him what he should do nor quarrel with him whatever he does. Be still, and know that he is God. Stand still, and see his salvation. See Hab 2:20; Zep 1:7. Silently acquiesce in his holy will, and patiently wait the issue, as those who are assured that when God is raised up out of his holy habitation he will not retreat, nor sit down again, till he has accomplished his whole work.

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 2 This chapter contains a prophecy of the church under the Gospel dispensation; of the largeness and numbers of it; and of its protection and glory, through the presence of God in it. In this vision a man is seen with a measuring line in his hand, to measure Jerusalem with, Zac 2:1 upon which an angel bids the angel that talked with the prophet to declare to him the largeness, populousness, and safety of Jerusalem, Zac 2:3 then follows an exhortation to the people of God to come out of Babylon, Zac 2:6 and then a promise of the calling of the Gentiles, and of God's gracious inhabitation in his church, which would be matter of joy to Zion; and of his inheriting Judah, and choosing Jerusalem Zac 2:8 and the chapter is concluded with an address to all mankind, to be silent before the Lord, since he was raised up out of his habitation, Zac 2:13.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion,.... Or, "congregation of Zion", as the Targum paraphrases it; the Jewish church, great numbers of that people being converted, and in a church state; or the whole Christian church at this time, consisting of Jews and Gentiles, who are called upon to rejoice and sing at the destruction of antichrist; see Rev 18:20 and because of the presence of God in the midst of them, as follows: for, lo, I come; not in the flesh: this is not to be understood of the incarnation of Christ; or of his coming in human nature to dwell in the land of Judea; but of his spiritual coming in the latter day, to set up his kingdom in the world, in a more visible and glorious manner: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord; the presence of Christ in his churches, and with his people, in attendance on his word and ordinances, will be very manifest and constant in the latter day.

(Verse 10 onwards) Praise and rejoice, Daughter Zion, for behold, I am coming and will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. Many nations will be joined to the Lord on that day and will became my people. I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and he will choose Jerusalem again. Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Zion, for behold, I am coming and will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. Many nations will flee to the Lord on that day and will become his people. They will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land, and he will choose Jerusalem again. And these things must still be understood from the perspective of the Lord: that he encourages his people to rejoice and be glad about their restoration from captivity to their former dwelling place, that the Lord himself will come and dwell among them, and that many nations will believe in him, as it is said: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession (Psalm 2:8); and he will dwell among them, speaking to his disciples: Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). And may the Lord possess Judah as his own portion, confessing and believing in his name, and may he not possess elsewhere, except in the holy land, which is interpreted as the Church, and may he choose Jerusalem again, which he had forsaken in temptation and persecutions. Some Jews believe that this happened under Zerubbabel and Joshua, Ezra and Nehemiah, who completed this in part, especially because Jerusalem is chosen and possessed by Judah: namely, the two tribes that returned from the Babylonian captivity and were called Judah, not Israel, because the latter are still living among the Medes. But others differ in their interpretation of the future, because they believe that there will be nations who will believe in the one sent by the Lord, and that Jerusalem must be chosen. However, since all nations have already believed in the Lord Savior, it cannot be chosen because it is completely destroyed. But rightly after the captivity, the daughter of Zion is called to rejoice, as it is said in the psalm: 'When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be glad' (Psalm 53:7).

The Lord heard the prayer of the prophets. The Father did not despise our race, which was perishing; he sent from heaven his own Son the Lord as our physician. One of the prophets says, “The Lord whom you seek, comes; and he shall come suddenly.” Where will he come? “The Lord shall come to his temple,” where you took up stones against him. Another of the prophets, on hearing this, says to him, “In speaking of God’s salvation, do you speak softly? In announcing the good tidings of God’s coming for salvation, do you speak in secret?” “Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; say to the cities of Judah”—what shall I say?—“Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God.” Again the Lord himself has said, “ ‘Behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you,’ says the Lord. ‘And many nations shall be joined to the Lord.’ ” The Israelites rejected salvation through me; “I come to gather nations of every language,” for, “he came unto his own, and his own received him not.” You come, and what do you bestow upon the nations? “I come to gather nations of every language … I will set a sign among them.” For from my conflict on the cross I will give to each of my soldiers a royal sign to bear upon his forehead. Still another prophet said, “He inclined the heavens and came down, with dark clouds under his feet.” For his coming down from heaven was unknown to humanity.

The vision with which this chapter opens, portended great increase and prosperity to Jerusalem. Accordingly Josephus tells us, (Wars 5:4: 2), that "the city, overflowing with inhabitants, extended beyond its walls," as predicted in the fourth verse, and acquired much glory during the time of the Maccabees; although these promises, and particularly the sublime image in the fifth verse, has certainly a still more pointed reference to the glory and prosperity of the Christian Church in the latter days, Zac 2:1-5. See Revelation 21, 22. In consequence of these promises, the Jews, still inhabiting Babylon and the regions round about, are called upon to hasten home, that they might not be involved in the fate of their enemies, who were destined to fall a prey to the nations which they had formerly subdued; God's great love and zeal for his people moving him to glorify them by humbling all their adversaries, Zac 2:6-9. The most gracious promises of God's presence with his Church, and her consequent increase and prosperity, set forth in the remaining verses, Zac 2:10-13, were to a certain extent fulfilled in the great number of proselytes made to Judaism after the return from the captivity; but shall be more fully accomplished after the restoration of the Jews to the favor of God under the Gospel. "For if the casting away of the natural Israel be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?"

I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord - This must chiefly refer to the Christian church, in which God ever dwells by the power of his Spirit, as he had done by the symbol of his presence in the first Jewish temple.

THIRD VISION. The man with the measuring-line. (Zac 2:1-13) man with a measuring-line--the same image to represent the same future fact as in Eze 40:3; 41, 42. The "man" is Messiah (see on Zac 1:8), who, by measuring Jerusalem, is denoted as the Author of its coming restoration. Thus the Jews are encouraged in Zechariah's time to proceed with the building. Still more so shall they be hereby encouraged in the future restoration.

I will dwell in . . . midst of thee--primarily at Messiah's first advent (Psa 40:7; Joh 1:14; Col 2:9; Ti1 3:16); more fully at His second advent (Isa 40:10). So Zac 9:9, where see on Zac 9:9 (Isa 12:6; Eze 37:27; Zep 3:14). Meanwhile God dwells spiritually in His people (Co2 6:16).

The daughter Zion is to rejoice at this sending of the angel of the Lord. Zac 2:10. "Exult and rejoice, O daughter Zion: for, behold, I come, and dwell in the midst of thee, is the saying of Jehovah. Zac 2:11. And many nations will attach themselves to Jehovah in that day, and become a people to me: and I dwell in the midst of thee; and thou wilt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me to thee." The daughter Zion, or the church of the Lord, delivered out of Babel, is to rejoice with joy, because her glorification is commencing now. The Lord comes to her in His angel, in whom are His name (Exo 23:21), and His face (Exo 33:14), i.e., the angel of His face (Isa 63:9), who reveals His nature, to dwell in the midst of her. This dwelling of Jehovah, or of His angel, in the midst of Zion, is essentially different from the dwelling of Jehovah in the Most Holy Place of His temple. It commences with the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, and is completed by His return in glory (Joh 1:14 and Rev 21:3). Then will many, or powerful, nations, attach themselves to Jehovah, and become His people (cf. Zac 8:20-21; Isa 14:1). This kingdom of God, which has hitherto been restricted to Israel, will be spread out and glorified by the reception of the heathen nations which are seeking God (Mic 4:2). The repetition of the expression, "I dwell in the midst of thee," merely serves as a stronger asseveration of this brilliant promise; and the same remark applies to the repetition of וידעתּ וגו (and thou shalt now): see at Zac 2:13. Jerusalem will thereby receive the expansion shown to the prophet in Zac 2:4; and through the dwelling of God in the midst of her, the promise in Zac 2:5 will also be fulfilled. The next verse refers to this.