(267) Oct 24/2016 – A Four-Fold View from Zechariah

Monday Meditation
October 24, 2016
From the desk of A.J. Higgins

A Four-Fold View from Zechariah

Out of him came forth the corner; out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together (exactor of tribute)”
Zechariah 10:4

Zechariah and Isaiah are the two Old Testament prophets who speak and write the most of the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s presentation is primarily as the Servant, as he celebrates Him in the four Servant Songs of that book.

Zechariah presents the Lord Jesus as the Branch in the first portion of his prophecy, and then as the Shepherd in the latter half. But in chapter 10, there is a four-fold presentation of Christ in one verse. He is seen as the:

The Corner – The Basis or Foundation of all. He is the Cornerstone: chief, elect, precious, sure, and tried. All divine purpose rests on Him and what He has accomplished. Here it is the future blessing of the nation. No longer dependent on its failed shepherds. God will give the perfect Shepherd to care for the nation in the future. “Out of Him” refers to the tribe of Judah. God promises to visit His flock but specifically, the House of Judah. The result will be that the weak small remnant will become like a goodly horse in the battle.

The Nail – The Bearer of Glory and Focus of all. This is not the tent peg but the strong peg inside the tent on which they hung all that was of value. God has found One upon Whom He can place all glory. Here is the only One Who is able to receive divine glory and not glory in it for Himself. In Isaiah 22:23, Shebna had proven an unfit treasurer. God was replacing him with Eliakim. In verse 23 He mentions that he will fasten him as a nail in a sure place. What follows indicates that the prophecy goes far beyond Eliakim – to the One upon Whose shoulder God will place the key of the House of David and all the glory of His Father’s house.

The Battle Bow – The Bondage Breaker or Fighter: Out of Judah will come forth the One spoken of as the Battle Bow. He will send forth His arrows with unerring accuracy against the enemy and bring victory to His people. Judah, long trodden down by Gentiles nations, will know deliverance; but not by its missile defense, the Mossad, or its armaments. Their Battle Bow will be the Messiah Who will come forth to defeat every foe and bring them into Millennial conditions of peace.

The Ruler – The Blessor or Fountainhead: the “Noges” or gatherer of all rule and authority. This is the most difficult of the terms to translate. “Exacter” comes closest and is the thought of a victorious King exacting tribute from those he has subdued. It is used in this way in Isaiah 60:17. As a result of His person and victories, He is worthy of all the tribute from all the nations.

As the corner, we as well can rest on Him. As the Nail He is worthy of our giving Him glory and tribute now. What He will one day be to a redeemed nation and a renewed earth, He is to us already in the spiritual realm.

Consider

1. The tent peg was used to hang everything of value in a tent, lifting from the ground. Does that have any relevance to why the Spirit of God uses this imagery in Zechariah?

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