VISION #3 – FLEEING THE WORLD – PART TWO (Zechariah 2:6-9
INTRODUCTION:
When Israel was about to enter the land of promise, the LORD through Moses commanded them not to be defiled by the idolatry and immorality of the peoples living in the land of Canaan. God commanded them to destroy the idols of the inhabitants and to not intermarry with them and thus be led into their religious practices and the worshiping of their idols. From the book of Judges, we know that Israel failed to carry out this command and began serving the gods of the people they were to destroy and drive out. When God finally sent them into exile the people of both the northern kingdom of Israel and those of the southern kingdom of Judah suddenly found themselves immersed in a pagan society. Even in this idolatrous and immoral society that they found themselves surrounded by; the people of Israel were called to keep their devotion only to the LORD and His law. Daniel by refusing to eat meat from the king’s table which had been offered to idols is an example of one who sought to be devoted only to the LORD and to follow and obey His law.
Finally, the years of exile ended when Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persian empire and Cyrus allowed exiles to return to their own lands and rebuild. Even though the people of Israel were permitted to return to home, many chose not to return but to remain in the land of Babylon. Having settled in Babylon, they were content to stay there. To stay; involved significant spiritual danger. The ungodly, idolatrous, and immoral world in which they chose to live presented a constant threat. God had warned His people about this, calling them to set themselves apart from the pagan culture where they lived, to return to Jerusalem where they could worship Him without distraction or defilement.
Following the third night vision of the Man with the measuring line, Zechariah receives two oracles from the LORD where again He warns His people to avoid contamination from the world. In what we looked at last Sunday, the LORD revealed to Zechariah that He remembered the promises He had made to His people and about His city. In this first oracle, God continued to charge His people to respond properly to these wonderful truths. In our passage today, God, first, exhorts His people to leave the world behind and to live wholly for Him. Second, God explained the motivation for doing this; because His promises are far better than what the world can offer; and those promises are certain in the Messiah. Let’s pray before we read today’s passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Zechariah 2:6-9. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word, and follow along as I read.
Zechariah 2:6-9,
“’Ho there! Flee from the land of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I have dispersed you as the four winds of the heavens,’ declares the Lord. ‘Ho, Zion! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.’ For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye. For behold, I will wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.’ ” (Zechariah 2:6–9, NASB95)[1]
GOD EXHORTS HIS PEOPLE (Zechariah 2:6-7)
This oracle starts out with a strange expression, “Ho there!” This phrase can carry a strong sense of condemnation, but even more than that it is a cry of intense urgency that can express deep grief or passionate longing. In the Hebrew, the word is repeated. It says, “Ho! Ho!” to show us the level of God’s desire for Israel to pay attention to what He is about to say. Yahweh uses this phrase to get the attention of the people, so they will listen, and what He has to say is both a command and a warning. The LORD exhorts, “Flee from the land of the north!” (Zechariah 2:6a, NASB95)[2] God is telling His people to leave the land of the north, to get away from its culture and customs. God wants to shake them from their contentment so that they will return to their homeland. This is not the first time that God has spoken to His people about this matter. Even before they had been taken into captivity, Isaiah spoke these words from the LORD in Isaiah 48:20, “Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with the sound of joyful shouting, proclaim this, Send it out to the end of the earth; Say, ‘The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.’ ” (Isaiah 48:20, NASB95)[3] Isaiah had exhorted the Israelites to depart, to flee from Babylon both physically and spiritually because of the LORD’s promised redemption. Now two centuries later, Zechariah repeated the same exhortation to the people of his day, to those who had remained in Babylon even though Cyrus had decreed that they could return to their homeland. The term “flee” used here is a word that means to get away or escape from danger deliberately and as quickly as possible. This is the same term used in Genesis 39:12 when Potiphar’s wife seized Joseph to seduce him, “and he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.” (Genesis 39:12b, NASB95)[4] The LORD was calling on His people to respond the same way regarding Babylon, the land of the north. Babylon is described the “land of the north” because Nebuchadnezzar’s armies invaded Judah by coming down from the north. Babylon, a pagan nation which was characterized by idolatry, greed, violence, and immorality, stood in opposition of the law of God and the purity of His people. Babylon became a type of the nations who rejected and opposed God.
The people of Judah needed to remember that they were not guests of the Babylonian nation but had been exiled there under the divine judgment of God for their refusal to repent from their evil and idolatrous ways. It was the LORD who sent them there. He says, “…for I have dispersed you as the four winds of the heavens.” (Zechariah 2:6b, NASB95)[5] This word translated “dispersed” is a term that refers to something being scattered or spread out, which describes how God distributed the people of Israel in exile. The phrase “as the four winds of the heavens” is used to describe the instability and violence of the time, the force and power with which they were sent into captivity. The exile was a time of judgment when God thrust His wayward people into the swirling chaos of a godless world. But once the punishment was over, why would the people of Israel want to remain and cling to what they had in the land of exile? The very fact that God’s wrath was decreasing was reason enough to flee from the corruption of foreign nations and return to the Promised Land.
Again, God calls out, “Ho, Zion!” This use of “Ho” is more of a condemnation, it could be translated as “Woe, Zion!” It must be understood that when the LORD referred to His people as Zion it was not because they were all living in Jerusalem. The rest of this verse shows us that many of His people were still living in Babylon. The LORD called His people Zion because that was what they were supposed to be. The first part of Zechariah 2 already explained that Jerusalem will be filled with God’s glory. As the other prophets prophesied, Israel’s capital city will be the center of the world, that is where the throne of the King of kings will reside. God called His people Zion to remind them of their destiny, and to encourage them to return to their homeland. For those who were still reluctant to return, He rebuked them with this term “Ho.” This was to wake them up and to realize that they had become entangled with the pagan culture of their exile. The LORD urged them to escape from Babylon and regather in Jerusalem.
God pressed His point by saying, “Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.” (Zechariah 2:7b, NASB95)[6] The term “living” is the same Hebrew word used in verse four translated “inhabited” describing Israel living in Jerusalem at the end of the age. The LORD was clearly telling those still living in Babylon that they were living in the wrong place. The pagan, immoral culture of Babylon that they were living in was opposed to and hostile toward the pure worship of Zion, where the temple was being rebuilt. God was making a distinction between Babylon and Jerusalem that He wanted the Israelites to recognize. The apostle Paul, writing to New Testament believers in our Scripture reading this morning, gave them and us a similar call to separate ourselves from the world. Listen to his words again in 2nd Corinthians 6:14-16, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:14–16, NASB95)[7]
In warning Israel about living with the daughter of Babylon, the LORD not only personified the Babylonian nation but also emphasized her destruction. This title “daughter of Babylon” is used consistently in contexts that speak about Babylon being judged. For example, Isaiah 47:1 says, “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate.” (Isaiah 47:1, NASB95)[8] and also Jeremiah 50:42, “They seize their bow and javelin; They are cruel and have no mercy. Their voice roars like the sea; And they ride on horses, Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 50:42, NASB95)[9] To stay in Babylon was not only foolish and wrong, but it was also dangerous. Zion and Babylon have two dramatically different destinies—one as the ultimate object of God’s blessing and the other the object of His wrath. The people of Israel needed to escape the place that would become the epicenter of divine judgment and return to Jerusalem that would be the center of God’s glory.
This exhortation to come out of the world and live in God’s promises goes beyond Israel’s past and extends to the end times. In Revelation, John again speaks of Babylon in regard to both a city in the future and to the anti-God system it maintains and spreads. God’s people are warned against having any part of it. In Revelation 18:4, God declares, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4, NASB95)[10] These words parallel the exhortations and warnings found in Zechariah. The implications for believers remain the same from past to future, God’s people should always stand apart from the world and cling to God’s promises and purposes for them.
GOD EXPLAINS HIS PURPOSE (Zechariah 2:8-9)
The LORD explains His purpose for exhorting His people to flee from Babylon and the reason they should respond to His exhortation. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you.’ ” (Zechariah 2:8a, NASB95)[11] This word glory was used in verse 5 and referred to God’s magnificent presence dwelling in the temple and in the midst of Jerusalem, His glory filling Jerusalem and the earth. The promises revealed come together around the glory of God. In saying after this glory, the LORD of hosts committed Himself to fulfilling everything shown to Zechariah in this third night vision.
The speaker of verse 8 is identified as LORD or Yahweh of hosts. But to whom does it specifically refer? In the statement “After glory He has sent Me,” the reference to Me must be to Yahweh, for Yahweh was the One speaking at this point. In the same way, the pronoun He must also refer to Yahweh, a point made clear in verse 9 that says “the LORD [or Yahweh] of hosts has sent Me.” (Zechariah 2:9b, NASB95)[12] In light of this, the LORD’s statement in verse 8, “After glory He has sent Me” expresses for us an important truth—and that truth is that Yahweh has sent Yahweh. But how can Yahweh send Yahweh? This question cannot be answered apart from the doctrine of the Trinity. Clearly, God the Father is sending His Son.
This is not the first time in the Old Testament that such an interaction within the Godhead is revealed. Genesis 19:14 states, “Then the Lord [Yahweh] rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord [Yahweh] out of heaven,” (Genesis 19:24, NASB95)[13] Also in Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord [Yahweh] God is upon me, Because the Lord [Yahweh] has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;” (Isaiah 61:1, NASB95)[14] Isaiah 61:1 not only describes each person of the Trinity, but also uses the same language as Zechariah, that Yahweh “has sent me.” Since Isaiah 61:1 was spoken by the Messiah, as the Lord Jesus confirmed during His earthly ministry in Luke 4:18, the One speaking in this passage in Zechariah 2:8-9 must also be the Messiah. Because of this, this statement could say, “After glory God the Father has sent Me, the Messiah.”
In working to restore His people, the Messiah states, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.” (Zechariah 2:8b, NASB95)[15] For most of history and even today foreign nations antagonize and abuse Israel, but none have been able to frustrate the Lord’s purposes for His people. In response, God promised to send His Son, the Messiah, to strike back at Israel’s enemies. He promised to take drastic action because the one who touches Israel to harm her, touches the apple of God’s eye. The apple of the eye is the pupil, and essential component of a critical organ, one which we instinctively protect. So, God says when the nations abused Israel and afflicted her, it is like they had poked God in the eye, provoking His vengeance. The Lord’s great love for His people compelled Him to unleash His fierce wrath against Israel’s enemies.
God goes onto say that one day the Messiah will take dramatic steps to deal with the nations that plundered Israel and this will prepare the way for His promises to be fulfilled. He says, ““For behold, I will wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.” (Zechariah 2:9, NASB95)[16] The hand is a symbol of one’s power, to wave the hand back and forth is to enact fierce power. God did this to hurl His plagues against Egypt. Isaiah 19:16 says, “In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them.” (Isaiah 19:16, NASB95)[17] speaking of the future judgment of Egypt. At the end of the age, the Messiah will wave His hand against the nations to unleash such power that these nations will be spoil for their slaves. The upheaval will be massive as these nations which took spoil will become spoil. The very nations which made Israel their slaves, will now be enslaved by those they had formerly enslaved. With a wave of Messiah’s hand, He will permanently deliver Israel from their history of bondage and oppression, one that spans from Egypt to the advent of the millennial kingdom. Because the Lord has promised to accomplish this on behalf of His people, its fulfillment is guaranteed.
There is on outcome from this that the Lord explains, “Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.” (Zechariah 2:9c, NASB95)[18] The idea of sending is very important throughout Scripture. As already mentioned, it is distinct language about the messianic Servant of Yahweh, the second Person of the Trinity. Sending shows that the Messiah is commissioned by God, comes from heaven, and is Yahweh Himself. So, in declaring that Israel will know that Yahweh has sent Him, the Messiah announced that one day Israel will see it and positively recognize that He is God’s Son sent from heaven.
CONCLUSION:
The reality of that grand revelation of the blessing of Israel and the judgment of the nations should have made Israel even more eager to flee from the wickedness of Babylon. The Israelites needed to remember that God had made wonderful promises to His people, promises personally guaranteed by His Son, the Messiah. By fixing their hope in the Lord, focusing on the future glory that God guaranteed, His people would be motivated to flee the ungodliness of this world and cling to Him in love and obedience.
What about you and me? We too have wonderful promises that God has made to us through our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. These promises of a future with Him sharing in the inheritance of our Savior, should cause us also to be motivated to flee the ungodliness of this world and cling to our Lord in love and obedience. We need to separate ourselves from the things of this world “…for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever. Or what agreement has the temple of God with dols? For we are the temple of the living God!” (2nd Corinthians 6:14b-16a, NASB95)[19]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.