Rejoice & Shout
Zech 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Israel hadn’t much to rejoice in their past, the Egyptian bondage, the wilderness wandering, the Babylonian bondage, nations that had oppressed them from time to time. Remembering these nations in what they had done in the past, God would deal with them in retribution … now Zechariah turns to them a rejoicing that would be in their future.
After dreary and weary days as we went through the pandemic, as God’s children we definitely have some rejoicing to do with some sincere shouting! Is your God worth shouting about! If the covid never touched your family, or if it did, and they survived, you have real reason to rejoice and shout!
There was excitement that turns to exuberance! Rejoicing turns to a shout. The word means ‘ear drum splitting’ one writer gives them as words used in an excited sports arena! The Lord did not give us lungs to shout for some team at the stadiums of this world! He gave lungs to you and I to sing His praises and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. A man I know apologized for hardly been able to speak he said “ I did to much shouting at that hockey game last night! “ What a pity!
‘Thy King’ cometh unto thee. David, Solomon, Hezekiah and Josiah were great kings, but never referred to as ‘thy King’. This is the only time the phrase is used in the authorized version. The above mentioned kings were born to be a King … but Lord was born King Matt 2:2
How sad, that there was so little rejoicing and shouting at His coming. It would seem that the rejoicing and shouting, didn’t happen till this prophecy was fulfilled and He was well on His way to Calvary! Angels a few shepherds and dear old Simeon!
For us the Bride it is not the King cometh unto thee … but the Bridegroom cometh for thee, and will receive us unto Himself. John 14:2
There was excitement, exuberance now there is exactness. The first thing Zechariah tells us about this King is that He is just! Then and now, without detail, in our world, there is so much that is ‘unjust’. We were the unjust! 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: KJV
Now there is execution. and having salvation (Darby bringing salvation is He) To provide salvation He had be slain. Acts 2:23 (b) ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Finally His example Zech 9:9(d) lowly, and riding upon an ass (male donkey), and upon a colt (young donkey) the foal of an ass. (female donkey) Think of the lowly Saviour, not disregarding that young donkey or taking it from it’s mother as if to say ‘bring him along too!’ He is too kind to divide nature!
The donkey known as the burden bearer for men, carries the ultimate universal bearer of men’s sins!!
Isaiah says He has borne our griefs Isa 53:4 Bearing His cross John 19:17 Bears the government upon His shoulder Isa 9:6 Ex 19:4 He bare the nation on eagles wings. As the Great Shepherd He bears us on His shoulders. As the Great High priest He bears us on His heart (the breastplate)
Not too distant He will bear rule and will bear the Glory. Zech 6:13(c ) He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; Rev 19:11 not the donkey now, but the rider of the White Horse
Don’t you feel like rejoicing and shouting with excitement and exuberance ‘Even so come Lord Jesus’ Rev 22:20 Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. KJV
We love to sing Charles Wesley’s grand old hymn. Those who know me, know me not as an emotional man, but as I type the words of this hymn, I check the falling tear!
Lo! He comes with clouds descending, once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand, thousand saints attending swell the triumph of His train.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
Ev’ry eye shall now behold Him, robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him, pierced, and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.