Don’t Settle For Babylon
Zechariah 9:1-17
February 19, 2017
Tonight we move into a new section here in the book of Zechariah,
And it is one that begins to deal even more so
With the future plans which God has for Israel.
God knows exactly what He has in store for them
And now He begins to reveal it
That they might be motivated to take hold of it.
Certainly you are familiar with the setting.
• After 70 years in Babylon, God moved in the heart of Cyrus to issue a decree that Israel could return and rebuild the temple.
• However when they got back they found themselves surrounded by pagans and very much discouraged, so they quit.
• God stirred up His prophets to get the temple project back on track, and that is what they are doing.
• You also have some who have returned from Babylon who are less than impressed with this new rugged and frontier way of life.
• They are discouraged and discouraging to others.
• And you have a multitude of Jews who simply chose to remain in Babylon instead of braving the wilderness; and God has repeatedly called them to come.
And the first question is:
WHO KNEW IT WOULD BE SO DIFFICULT TO GET THE JEWS TO LEAVE BABYLON AND COME BACK TO ISRAEL?
And the answer is: WE DID!
How did we know that?
Because we see it all the time (mostly in our own lives)
We see people who are willing to trade
The promise of future reward for present comfort.
We are those who are continually promised a kingdom and an inheritance
And are told to make sure and store up treasure there instead of here,
But for some reason we have great difficulty doing that.
We tend to sort of read over the words of Jesus:
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
And yet IF WE ARE HONEST you and I both know that
We tend to still be quite preoccupied with what we can store up here.
Savings accounts and retirement funds and college funds
And whatever else actually seem to be very important to us.
But it does us good to be reminded that
Eyes of faith do not look to the current situation, but to the future reward.
We saw all throughout the faith chapter when we studied Hebrews.
Hebrews 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”
Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”
Hebrews 11:35 “Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;”
You get the idea.
Those who had faith were more than willing
To endure present difficulty and hardship if it meant a better future.
Paul said it like this:
Romans 8:18-25 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
And yet we all know that living that way is easier said than done.
So when people wonder why these Jews had such a difficult time leaving their established homes in Babylon in order to return to the wilds of Israel?
I think we actually have a pretty good understanding why.
But didn’t God command them to leave?
Yes, and He commanded us not to love the world either.
But didn’t God tell them that Babylon was going to be destroyed?
Yes, and He tells us repeatedly that this world is passing away.
But didn’t God remind them that He would take care of them if they would just walk out in faith?
Yes, and He does the very same for us.
SO YOU GET IT WHEN I TELL YOU
ABOUT THE STRUGGLE THEY WERE ENDURING.
Well God is addressing that struggle here
And He is doing it in such a gracious way.
He gives them a message solely meant
To inspire their faith, to build their hope, to calm their fears,
And to encourage their obedience.
It is a message meant to inspire people
To step out of a place which will not last and into a place that will.
In short, God is asking them to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem.
And to do that God has 4 truths He is going to reveal here.
#1 A BURDEN WITH A PROMISE
Zechariah 9:1-8
The chapter begins with this statement:
“The burden of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place…”
Many guess Hadrach to be a city in northern Syria,
They certainly understand Damascus to be a city of Syria.
But the main point is that God is clearly against them here.
And the reason is given “for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD.”
That is to say, since Israel is looking to God for help.
You already know that the inhabitants of the land
Have not made Israel’s return and easy one.
Now we find that since they have looked to God for help,
GOD is now responding.
And it’s not just the Syrians whom God will deal with, but also, the region of Tyre, and Sidon, and Philistia.
(2-4) “And Hamath also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. For Tyre built herself a fortress And piled up silver like dust, And gold like the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her And cast her wealth into the sea; And she will be consumed with fire.”
Not only is God promising to deal with Syria,
But also with Tyre and Sidon.
Despite her self-confidence in the fact that she has “a fortress” and is very wealthy, God has promised that she will be brought low.
Incidentally this is one of those prophecies which we easily see the fulfillment in history.
• Tyre and Sidon were well fortified.
• Shalmanezer of Assyria tried for 5 years to topple them.
• Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon tried for 14 years.
They had reason to boast of their defense.
• However, Alexander the Great toppled them in 7 months.
• He commanded his men to throw stones and rubble into the sea thus making a
land bridge which he used to then march out and destroy them.
God dealt with them just as He said.
God also promised to deal with those south of Jerusalem;
Namely the Philistines.
(5-6) “Ashkelon will see it and be afraid. Gaza too will writhe in great pain; Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded. Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon will not be inhabited. And a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.”
Though he is not mentioned here, it was Alexander the Great
Whom God used to fulfill all of these judgments.
The burden here revealed by God is that
Upon seeing that Israel was looking to Him for help,
God intervened and took care of those neighboring nations
Which had made their return so difficult.
Partly God did this through DESTRUCTION,
But God also took care of their neighbors through ASSIMILATION.
(7) “And I will remove their blood from their mouth And their detestable things from between their teeth. Then they also will be a remnant for our God, And be like a clan in Judah, And Ekron like a Jebusite.”
Removing the blood from their mouth and the detestable things from their teeth has to do with their idolatry and pagan practices.
The message from God was that through His judgment poured out upon them He would ultimately rid these pagan nations of their idolatry.
And after they were purified, God revealed that “they also will be a remnant for our God, and be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron like a Jebusite.”
• The Jebusites were the original inhabitants of the region that is now Jerusalem.
• David conquered them and eventually they became forced laborers in Israel.
• They were absorbed.
God is revealing that this is what He is about to do with these nations
Which are causing such difficulty for Israel.
God is going to bring upon them a judgment, which will certainly kill many, but the remnant will then be purified and assimilated into Israel.
That is the burden.
But I told you that God here reveals a burden with a promise.
Here is the promise.
(8) “But I will camp around My house because of an army, Because of him who passes by and returns; And no oppressor will pass over them anymore, For now I have seen with My eyes.”
Though God is about to raise up a burden throughout that entire region,
God is also declaring that this burden will not touch Israel.
And indeed it didn’t.
Alexander the Great passed through Israel twice and left them alone.
But hopefully you understand the message which is being delivered here from God to all those in Israel and to all those who have yet to return.
• There is certainly hardship and difficulty in returning to Israel, but God is about
to deal with it.
• He is about to address those nations which have caused you grief and all the
while will protect you in the midst of the storm.
• Those nations which oppressed you will have a remnant of survivors but even
they will be subjected to Israel and her God.
In short, God is about to move and do great things in Israel.
That was the burden with the promise.
#2 A PROMISE WITH A HOPE
Zechariah 9:9-10
While the prophecy given in the first 8 verses was of an immediate nature,
God also wants Israel to know of His long-term plans.
And certainly those plans involve the arrival of Messiah,
Who will lead Israel to peace.
God commands them to “Rejoice greatly” and to “Shout in triumph”,
Not because things were currently easy,
But because God had promised a better future.
That future was that “your king is coming to you;”
He will be a king who will walk in justice and who will bring salvation.
And He will be “mounted on a donkey” which was an indication of peace.
• His arrival will signify the end of war.
• No longer will chariots be needed
• Or bows
For “He will speak peace to the nations;”
And of course you know who this is.
Matthew 21:1-5 “When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'”
Jesus was making an obvious declaration
When He entered Jerusalem on that donkey.
He was saying that He is the One whom Zechariah spoke of.
He was the king coming to bring peace.
Now obviously this was a prophecy
That wasn’t perfectly understood by Israel when Jesus did arrive.
For we have Jesus saying things like:
Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Or
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
The reality is that Jesus came first and foremost
To bring peace between man and God,
Which He perfectly accomplished through the blood of His cross.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Ephesians 2:13-18 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”
Colossians 1:19-20 “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
The peace which Christ brought was peace between man and God
And peace between God’s people.
Worldwide peace will be the result of His kingly reign
Which has been postponed due to Israel’s rejection of her Messiah.
But even this peace is coming one day.
But for the sake of the sermon in Zechariah,
We can see clearly what God is doing.
He is seeking to give hope to those who have returned
And to those who are contemplating it.
He is remind them that He has great plans for Israel, both near and far.
He is going to deal with their enemies and He is going to send their king.
And so you see that God is working to instill hope into these people.
They need to see that their future lies in Israel.
They need to see that there is hope in the midst of their discouragement.
So we have a burden with a promise and we have a promise with a hope
#3 A HOPE WITH AN EXPECTATION
Zechariah 9:11-12
The reason God goes to such great lengths to establish their hope
Is because hope comes with an expectation from God.
In many ways hope is like faith,
And that is that it is made apparent by action.
• It is hope that allows us to obey even in difficult circumstances.
• It is hope that allows us to move forward even when the path is dark.
• It is hope that allows us to endure even when the end is hidden.
Consider this passage on hope:
Romans 4:18-22 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
This was of course Abraham.
Who allowed his hope to drive him to obey and trust God
Even when the situation looked otherwise hopeless.
Genuine hope produces obedience.
And this is why God has revealed these truths to Israel
• He has revealed the truth to strengthen the hope
• And He has strengthened their hope that He might expect their obedience.
What particularly did God desire?
For them to leave Babylon and return to Israel.
(11-12) “As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.”
In verse 11 God reminds all those in Israel that He had in fact
“set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”
“waterless pit” is a phrase meant to speak of an empty cistern
That is used as a dungeon.
It was a figurative picture of their exile in Babylon.
And God here reveals that He had set Israel free from that.
He reveals that He did it “because of the blood of My covenant with you”
Because no specific covenant is mentioned, it has caused speculation
As to which covenant God spoke of here,
Specifically whether it was the covenant with Abraham or the covenant with Moses.
But I think the answer is obvious.
• It was the covenant with Moses that landed them in Babylon; namely because
Israel broke that covenant and received the penalty of their disobedience.
• The reason God brought them back is not because they suddenly became
flawlessly obedient in Babylon.
• The reason God brought them back is because He had made irrevocable
promises to Abraham.
It was always about God’s grace as revealed in His sovereign election.
He had chosen Abraham
He had made promises to Abraham
And even though Israel had certainly earned a period of punishment because of her rebellion, God was in no way about to cast them aside.
He never forgot Israel.
He always remembered.
And in that remembrance He has set them free from their slavery in exile.
The expectation of course is that they will seize that opportunity.
(12) “Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope;”
If the truths I have revealed have succeeded in giving you hope for a better day, then by all means act in faith and move.
COME BACK TO JERUSALEM.
“This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.”
You can hear there how after establishing their hope, God is now asking them to act upon it.
• I want you to see My great plans for Israel.
• I want you to see that My king is on His way.
• I want you to see that I have set you free.
• And I want you to seize that which I am offering you.
RETURN!
Burden with a Promise, Promise with a Hope, Hope with an Expectation
#4 AN EXPECTATION WITH A FULFILLMENT
Zechariah 9:13-17
That is to say that if Israel would seize their hope and act upon it,
They will not be disappointed.
Look at what God promises.
• These verses speak of Israel’s coming victory over Greece.
• After our study of Daniel you are well aware of the atrocities that occur after the death of Alexander the Great.
• You will remember how his kingdom was split amongst his four generals and how eventually one of those kingdoms did much harm to Israel.
• That was through the man Antiochus Epiphanes.
• History tells us that this hardship led to the Maccabean Revolt which was led by a man named Judas Maccabaeus and under his command Israel won her independence from Greece.
(Incidentally that is what the Festival of Lights or Hanukah celebrates.
It is the re-dedication of the temple)
It is this feast that is mentioned in John 10:22
John 10:22 “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem;”
Anyway, the point is that God promised that He would “stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece;” and God most certainly did.
God granted the strength to overcome and defeat
The much more powerful Seleucid army.
The result would be Israel gaining independence
And living within her own land.
(16-17) “And the LORD their God will save them in that day As the flock of His people; For they are as the stones of a crown, Sparkling in His land. For what comeliness and beauty will be theirs! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.”
So what we have here is God promising that those who act on their hope and return to Israel will not be disappointed.
He will grant them their hearts desire.
And all of these desires would be fulfilled
In their coming King and Messiah, Jesus.
Now again, the problem was that when Jesus came offering the kingdom, Israel didn’t want it.
Jesus required repentance from sin and removal of self-righteousness to inherit this kingdom and so Israel rejected.
But for the sake of the message being preached here
I hope you understand the point.
God is reaching out to those who have thus far
Refused to leave Babylon and come home to Israel.
They are currently choosing present comfort over the opportunity of God.
God is seeking to reverse that by showing them how great their hope is,
And that they have no future where they are.
Now again, it is easy for us to set back and read this sermon, and look at Israel and say, “Well you idiots! Pack up and leave! Why in the world would you stay invested in Babylon when you know that everything God has planned for you revolves around you dwelling in Jerusalem? Can’t you see where your future is?”
We can see that easily in their lives.
We seem to have much more difficulty seeing it in ours.
But you should know that in many ways the apostles preached this same message.
TURN TO: Philippians 3
• Now you are familiar with this chapter because it begins with Paul warning the Philippians not to listen to those who put confidence in the flesh.
• Putting confidence in the flesh will only end up in condemnation.
• And then of course Paul gives his own personal testimony about this.
• He talks about how he was very religious, but then how he turned to Christ.
What you find is that Paul willingly left everything that was of value to him
Paul left everything that was seemingly beneficial to him.
Paul left everything that made his outlook comfortable.
He forsook it all and threw all his chips in on Christ.
(READ 7-11)
• You don’t read there about a man full of regrets, nor do you read about a man who was coerced.
• You read about a man who was offered a hope in Jesus Christ and he willingly jumped on it.
Now we also find that Paul realizes that
THIS HOPE HAS NOT YET BEEN FULLY REALIZED.
That is to say he has yet to fully own the righteousness that he seeks.
(READ 12-16)
• Paul has certainly been declared righteous in God’s sight, but it is also clear that Paul is still longing for that righteousness to make a perfect appearance in his life.
• He is already positionally righteous, he longs to be practically righteous and he will willingly suffer the loss of all things in order to achieve this hope.
They real hammer blow of the chapter comes in the final 5 verses.
(READ 17-21)
Do you hear Paul’s anguish?
• He longs for all of God’s children to share his hope and his desire.
• He longs for all of God’s children to follow his example and to set their mind and desires solely on the hope that is found in Christ.
“For many…” Paul says don’t.
• Instead they are focused only on the present day comforts of this life.
• Their “god is their appetite”
• They “set their mind on earthly things”
And this should not be “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now let me ask you, how is Paul’s message to us there
Any different from Zechariah’s message to the refugees?
It isn’t.
• Get your mind off of the comforts of this world…
• Understand the promises God has made to you…
• And let that home motivate you to obey…
Get out of Babylon and your race to acquire more of it
And set your mind instead to focus on the things of God.
You see it don’t you?
Friends, this is our call.
• How hard must it have been to walk out of all the comforts and securities of Babylon?
• How difficult must it have been to return to that ravaged land of Israel?
But this is what God asked for,
Because this is where their hope was found.
Let me encourage you again not to love the world
And not to strive to obtain more of it and to store what you get.
That would be like the Israelites continuing to buy land in Babylon.
That would be like the Israelites burying their riches in their Babylonian back yard.
They would have been much better suited to invest in Israel,
And the same is true for us.
Jesus said it better than anyone.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
