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Post by kandace on Mar 24, 2024 12:52:00 GMT -5
Messianic Prophecy of the Triumphal Entry — The Savior Riding On A Donkey
Genesis 3:15—>Genesis 22:18—> Genesis 49:8-12—>Numbers 24:17— 2 Samuel 7:12- 13—>Isaiah 7:14—>Micah 5:2 —>Hosea 11:1—> Zechariah 9:9 Seed of woman—> Seed Abraham via Isaac—>Tribe of Judah—>Born with Star as Sign—>House of David—>Virgin Birth & Incarnation—>Bethlehem Birth —>Return from Egypt—>Triumphal Entry
Background: Zechariah 9:1-9; Judges 5:10; Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19
Focus Verse: Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Context Verses: Zechariah 9:1-13
Zechariah the Prophet: Background Zechariah, whose name means “one whom Jehovah remembers.” It was a common Hebrew name, and there were three other men in the Bible with the name, one of whom was the father of John the Baptist. Luke 1:5. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. Zechariah 1:1. Zechariah lived during the time of the Post-Exilic Restoration, after the 70 year exile of the Judea people in Babylon, when the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great decreed (circa 538 B.C.) that they could return to their homeland. Ezra 1:2-4.
Iddo was one of the Levitical priests who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon with Zerubbabel, the Persian-appointed governor of Judea and Joshua, the High Priest. Nehemiah 12:4. Ancient Hebrews used father and grandfather interchangeably, so Zechariah is also called the son of Iddo. Ezra 5:1 Zechariah was both a priest and prophet. Ezekiel and John the Baptist were also priest- prophets. Ezekiel 1:3, Luke 1:5, 57. Zechariah: Ministry & Book (520- 518 B.C.) Zechariah prophesied circa 520 to 518 B.C., during the reign of Darius the Great, son of Hystaspes, Emperor of Persia (521 to 486 B.C.). Zechariah 1:1
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Post by kandace on Mar 24, 2024 12:53:43 GMT -5
The Major Prophets and most of the Minor Prophets, such as Hosea and Micah, whom we discussed previously, issued divine warnings about the coming judgment of destruction and the
exile to come as well as the coming of the promised Messiah. Zechariah was a post-Exilic prophet. The judgment had fallen upon Judah, and his prophetic task was to exhort the descendants as they worked during divinely ordained the period of Restoration. Zechariah’s two to three year ministry overlapped with that of the prophet Haggai, another post-Exilic prophet. Ezra 5:1-2. Zechariah 1:1, 7:1.
Zechariah and Haggai both exhorted the people to return the Lord their God, and not repeat their forefathers’ errors of idolatry and unfaithfulness. Zechariah 1:2-6. Haggai 1:2-11 The book of Zechariah is the longest of the Minor Prophets, contains the largest number of Messianic prophecies, and is alluded to or directly quoted in the New Testament about 41 times. It also contains prophesies about judgments to come on the surrounding Gentile nations.
Role of the Donkey in Bible
Our society looks down on donkeys, associating them with stubbornness, foolishness, and uncouthness. This is a perception passed down to us by the Greeks and Romans.In contrast, the ancient Hebrews had a very high option of donkeys. Donkeys were strong and tough, able to thrive in rough, arid semi desert environments.
The first mention of the donkey in scripture is Genesis 16:12, which describes the descendants of Ishmael as“wild donkeys,” in other words, a tough, headstrong, free people. The habitat of the wild, untamed donkey historically overlapped with the homelands of Ishamel’s descendants, the Arab peoples (but today it is restricted to the Horn of Africa).
The donkeys’ strength and durability made them ideal beasts of burden in the ancient Middle East. They were used by farmers for ploughing and by farmers, laborers, and merchants to transport goods as well as people. Genesis 49:14-15. Donkeys were symbols of wealth, so it is not surprising that one of the Canaanite rulers from whom Jacob purchased land was named “Hamor,” which means donkey or ass. Genesis 33:19
The powerful chiefs and rulers rode donkeys, and the wealthier the more exotic the donkey, as was the case of the speckled or “white” donkeys mentioned by Deborah. Judges 5:10. To own dozens of donkey as was the case with the Judges Jair the Gileadite (Judges 10:3-4) who had 30 donkeys, and Abdon the Pirathonite, who had 70 donkeys (Judges 12:13-14) revealed considerable affluence.
The donkey’s role as beasts of burden was in contrast to the role of the horse, which in that time was primarily used for war. The Mosaic law prohibited the king from “multiplying horses,” that is, owning large numbers of horses, as Israel was not to be a warlike nation. Deuteronomy 17:16
The Mosaic law placed no such prohibition on the ownership of donkeys, which were used for peaceful purposes, because donkeys were associated with peaceful labor.
Note: Our society’s association of horses with agriculture occurred rather late in history (late 19th century) In early, pre-Civil War America, the chief beast of burden was an oxen.
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Post by kandace on Mar 24, 2024 12:58:02 GMT -5
Scripture AnalysisZechariah 9:1
The burden of the word of the LORD— Against the land of Hadrach, And Damascus its resting place (For the eyes of men And all the tribes of Israel Are on the LORD); Damascus was the capital of Aram, also called Syria, and Hadrach was a region close to Damascus.
Zechariah 9:2a Also against Hamath, which borders on it, Hamath was the chief city of the Hittites, located on the banks of the Orontes River roughly 130 miles north of Damascus.
Zechariah 9:2b-4And against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. For Tyre built herself a tower, Heaped up silver like the dust, And gold like the mire of the streets. Behold, the LORD will cast her out; He will destroy her power in the sea, And she will be devoured by fire. Tyre and Sidon were two major Phoenician trading cities in what is today Lebanon, to the north of Israel. Tyre was a walled island was deemed impregnable, withstanding a 13 year siege by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 586-573 B.C.
Zechariah 9:5-8 Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall be very sorrowful; And Ekron, for He dried up her expectation. The king shall perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. “A mixed race shall settle in Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. I will take away the blood from his mouth, And the abominations from between his teeth. But he who remains, even he shall be for our God, And shall be like a leader in Judah, And Ekron like a Jebusite. I will camp around My house Because of the army, Because of him who passes by and him who returns. No more shall an oppressor pass through them, For now I have seen with My eyes.”
Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod were Philistine cities, located on the coast next to Judah. The Philstines at this point in history were not able to oppress the Israelites as in the days of the Judges through the time of King Saul, but they were still an occasional thorn in the Israelites’ side, so to speak. The verses preceding the focus verse consist of prophecies of judgment against the Gentile peoples who were neighbors of Israel. All of these nations fell to the conquering armies of the Macedonian king/warlord, Alexander the Great. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_Alexander_the_Great(Insert) — lefteria.blogspot.com/2018/10/blog-post_7765.html(Insert) — www.heraldofhope.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/46-ALEXANDERS-CONQUESTS.jpg Zechariah wrote those verses in the late 6th century B.C. The prophecies were fulfilled in the latter half of the 4th century B.C. circa 336 B.C., who Alexander declared war on the Persian Achaemenid Empire, and marched through Asia Minor (nor Turkey) in the the north down into Syria, through Lebanon, and into Israel/Samaria and Judea. As Zechariah prophesied, Tyre, which held out against the Babylonians, suffered the worst destruction. However, Alexander spared the city of Jerusalem, and permitted the Jewish people to practice their customers unmolested. That is why the names Alexander and Phillip (Alexander’s father) became Jewish names. www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/how-alexander-became-a-jewish-nameGod judged the nations as well as Israel. The nations would not escape divine wrath simply because the Hebrew people failed and lost their freedom.
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Post by kandace on Mar 24, 2024 13:00:25 GMT -5
Jesus Christ is Repudiation of Conqueror Archetype of Alexander the Great (nsert) — sacredartmeditations.com/life/detail/30Now, we finally come to our focus verse. Zechariah 9:9“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.It is very fitting that after prophesying about the exploits of the greatest conqueror of Classical Antiquity, Zechariah moves to a prophecy about the Hebrew’s people’s Messiah. This Messiah would not be a proud, arrogant conqueror such as Alexander the Great, who demanded submission through the sword. The Savior would come in humility, in lowliness, and would be meek. Just as the donkey was a lowly beast of burden, the Savior would come as a servant, to minister to others rather than be ministered to by others like a potentate, and to die for others rather than send others to their deaths for his glory. Matthew 20:25-28. Mark 10:42-45. Luke 22:5-27. Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Matthew 21:1-11As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” The Triumphal Entry is also recorded in Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; and John 12:12-19.Donkey versus Horse// Servants versus Master//Humility versus Arrogance The Greek connection to this chapter is made explicit towards to the end. Zechariah 9:13 “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you. For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O Zion, Against your sons, O Greece,After the death of Alexander the Great, his successors the Seleucid Dynasty, abandoned Alexander’s policy of religious tolerance for the Jewish people and banned the study of their scriptures and the practice of their sacred rites. This triggered a rebellion in 167 B.C. that culminated in the Jewish people regaining (temporarily) their freedom. This is the origin of Hanukah, which is mentioned in the Gospel of John. John 10:22-23.
blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2022/12/the-truth-behind-the-hanukkah-dreidel-metafolklore-play-and-spin/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HanukkahIn an ironic twist, the New Testament was written in the Greek language.
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