I. THE PROPHECY CONCERNING THE NATIONS
AROUND JUDAH IN RELATION TO ISRAEL
The prophecy in Zechariah 9 concerns the nations around Judah in relation to Israel.
A. Concerning the Destruction Carried Out
on the Nations around Judah
by Alexander the Great
The prophecy in verses 1 through 7 concerns the destruction carried out on the nations around Judah by Alexander the Great, king of the Grecian Empire (336-323 B.C., with the influence of his four successors up to 44 B.C.), prophesied by Daniel in his book as the abdomen and the thighs of the great human image in 2:32c, as the third beast in 7:6, as the male goat in 8:5, and as a mighty king in 11:3.
B. The Lord Protecting Jerusalem
with Its Temple as His House
Zechariah 9:8 says, "I will encamp around My house because of an army, / Because of him who passes by and returns; / And no oppressor will pass over them any more; / For now I see with My eyes." This reveals that during the attack of Alexander the Great, the Lord protected Jerusalem with its temple as His house. Although Alexander, a mighty king, caused damage to so many nations around Judah, he did not cause much damage to Judah and Jerusalem, and he did not damage the temple at all.
C. Christ Being Temporarily Welcomed
as the King into Jerusalem in a Lowly Form
The two verses in chapter nine that are concerned with Christ, verses 9 and 10, are an insertion. This means that verse 11 is actually the continuation of verse 8. Verse 9 says, "Exult greatly, O daughter of Zion; / Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! / Now your King comes to you. / He is righteous and bears salvation; / Lowly and riding upon a donkey, / Even upon a colt, the foal of a donkey." This reveals that Christ would come in a righteous way with salvation for us and that He would ride upon a donkey, even a colt of a donkey. This verse was fulfilled in the four Gospels when Jesus Christ came into Jerusalem the last time. He came as a King, but as a lowly King, a humiliated King, riding not on a majestic horse but on a colt.
(Life-Study of Zechariah, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
