There were two pressing questions that concerned the returned Jews. First: When is God going to deal justly with the evil nations under which they had suffered so much? And secondly: When is God going to re-establish the Davidic dynasty over an independent kingdom of Judah? To the first question the answer is given: the nations will fall as all proud nations fall. Kingdoms built on pride ultimately self-destruct. God will establish his Kingdom and a new temple (the church) that will never be destroyed. The answer to the second question is also given here: God will send a king, but not the sort of king that they expected. In the ancient world, kings loved to parade themselves on great warhorses. But this king will not come in military might on a warhorse. He will come, gentle and lowly, riding on a donkey. Moreover, the Kingdom which he will come to establish will have no need for weaponry. They will not wield weapons of war but weapons of peace: love, mercy and kindness. Despite this clear prophecy it was this very attribute that the Jews could not accept about their Messiah when he came. They wanted a Messiah to come in military might to drive the Romans out of Judea. But Jesus came to establish a rule of peace with weapons of peace. And he was going to invite the nations into his Kingdom, not cast them out. As followers of this Messiah, we are called to be humble instruments of peace. There will be opportunities for you today to sow peace where there is discord and unrest.
Ask God to show you clear opportunities today to be an instrument of peace.
Read Zechariah 9
