Bible Commentaries
Zechariah 2

Verses 1-13

The second vision had pictured the overthrow of the enemies of the people of the Lord. But this defeat being administered, the growth of the Lord's Church was assured.

v. 1. I lifted up mine eyes again, once more being in a state of ecstasy, and looked, and, behold, a man with a measuring-line in his hand, evidently an angel sent for a special purpose.

v. 2. Then said I, addressing the angel himself, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, the city of Jehovah, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof, to get the dimensions of the city even then in existence.

v. 3. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, he was removed from the scene. And another angel went out to meet him, a third angel thus meeting him who acted as interpreter,

v. 4. and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, namely, to the prophet, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein. It is clearly not the earthly city to which the angel refers, but a wonderful spiritual city without local dimensions, the Jerusalem of the New Testament, the one holy Christian Church.

v. 5. For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, so that the city of God would be secure under the sheltering wings of His power, and will be the glory in the midst of her, so that His blessings would rest upon her and His name be praised within her. So much being established, the prophet is given a summary of what he should proclaim to this Church of the Lord.

v. 6. Ho, ho, come forth! so the Lord addresses His people through the Angel of the Covenant, and flee from the land of the North, out of Babylon, as typical of all powers of evil banded together against His Church, saith the Lord; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord, namely, in the New Testament Church which extends to the most remote ends of the world.

v. 7. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon, or, "Ho, Zion, save thyself!" the separation between the children of God and the children of the world being absolute, even if not local. Cf 2 Corinthians 6:17.

v. 8. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, After the glory hath He sent Me unto the nations which spoiled you, the Angel of the Lord being sent to the heathen to get back the glory which they, by their hostile treatment of His people, had taken from Him; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye, so dear are the believers, the members of the Church, in the eyes of the Lord. Every adversary who dares to touch the kingdom of God and its members thereby becomes guilty of a blasphemous act, which grieves the Lord most deeply. This insult Jehovah will not accept without the most emphatic resentment; He will punish the people, He will visit their sins upon them.

v. 9. For, behold, I will shake Mine hand upon them, swinging it back and forth over them in order to deliver a heavy blow, and they shall be a spoil to their servants, so that the latter become the lords of their former masters; and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent Me, that through Him the great Sovereign of the earth was carrying out His punishment upon the enemies of His Church. For this reason the people of the Lord are exhorted to sing praises to Him.

v. 10. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, the Church of Jehovah, especially in the New Testament; for, lo, I come, the Messiah Himself addressing those who were longing for His coming, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. This was so wonderfully fulfilled when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Cf John 1:14; Galatians 4:4.

v. 11. And many nations, representatives of the various races and countries of the world, shall be joined to the Lord in that day, to be added to His people, and shall be My people, Ephesians 2:19; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, in the city of God of the New Testament, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent Me unto thee, the great God of heaven sending His only-begotten Son for the salvation of His people.

v. 12. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the Holy Land, so that He would possess His Church, and shall choose Jerusalem again, as the place of His dwelling and of His blessing.

v. 13. Be silent, o all flesh, in a spirit of awe and reverence, before the Lord; for He is raised up out of His holy habitation, He is preparing to rise from His throne in heaven to visit the enemies with His righteous punishment and to lead His children to glory. Cf Psalms 76:8-9; Zephaniah 1:7.