217. Even the Colt Was chosen

Zechariah 9:9-13

Key Verse: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Zechariah 9:9

Yesterday, we heard from Isaiah, who lived approximately seven hundred years before Christ. Today, we hear from Zechariah who probably lived between four hundred and five hundred years before this upcoming event took place.

Zechariah himself was a priest, who was born in Babylon, during Israel's exile, but returned to the Land of Israel, when allowed to do so by his captors, at a fairly young age. The main thrust of his writings was to encourage the people of Israel to rebuild a temple for worship now that God had allowed them to return home. God appointed the priest Zechariah to be a prophet to his people by showing him visions of what was to come in Israel's future.

This prophecy of Zechariah's, of a king, riding into Jerusalem, wouldn't have meant much to his contemporaries. They were living in relative peace, at the time. King Darius, of Medo-Persia was the king of all the known world, and Darius had been relatively kind to the Jews. They had freedom to go home and begin to establish themselves again as a people with a unique religious system and a unique, creator God.

This prophecy looked ahead to when the people would be more oppressed and in need of redemption. Five hundred years before it happened, Zechariah saw Messiah, The Anointed One, coming to Jerusalem, riding on a colt who had not yet been broken. He would not ride in on a war horse, ready to raise an army for war. He would come in gentleness and meekness, on the lowly foal of a donkey, to redeem His people. He would end war and bring in a reign of peace for all nations. He would honor His covenant made with blood, which we know now refers to His own. He will set the prisoner free, which He had stated would be one of the purposes of His ministry when He first appeared in His own home town for worship in the local Synagogue. 

"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9) "Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna, the King has come!"

Hymn: "Rideon, Ride On, O Savior-King"