The prophet Zechariah lived a little more than five hundred years before Jesus walked the earth. However, there are stunningly detailed pictures of what would happen to the Messiah in this “minor” prophecy. In great detail Zechariah talks about the 30 silver coins and that they would go towards the potter. The world would be saved in just one day. With great detail, Palm Sunday is foretold.
For this blog I would like to focus on the wall of protection that God offers us. Look at chapter two of the prophecy. Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’
There are many different pictures of the New Testament church. Isaiah pictures the church as a mountain. Revelation offers the picture of a tree. The city of Jerusalem is a common picture of the New Testament church as well. Here in Zechariah the city of Jerusalem is so big it can’t have any walls. There are so many people and cattle in it that isn’t a physical wall that can be built! It’s interesting that last week when we looked at the prophet Jonah, one of the reasons God offered for not destroying Nineveh was because there were so many cattle in the city. This great city still needs protection. God offers that protection through a wall of fire that he will provide. The reminder is that God will not let anything into our lives unless he allows it for our good. There is no luck or chance. Things in life don’t “just happen”. God does not orchestrate a divine rescue plan and line up world history so that everything is just right for Jesus to come into the world, only to leave you floating in the breeze. God’s glory is in the church. His love and forgiveness change Christians everyday to look more like him.
Want to hear more? …including the value of a white shirt to God? Watch this week’s lesson from our series Minor Prophets Major Messages: Zechariah.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.