Zechariah 9:9-10:12 (Saturday & Sunday, August 16 & 17, 2025)

*This is the weekend's quiet time meditations. I have combined both passages into one meditation. Unfortunately, I won't have the audio portion for this one. I hope you understand.

The Coming King of Zion

9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and he shall speak peace to the nations;

his rule shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River[c] to the ends of the earth.

11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

today I declare that I will restore to you double.

13 For I have bent Judah as my bow;

I have made Ephraim its arrow.

I will stir up your sons, O Zion,

against your sons, O Greece,

and wield you like a warrior's sword.

The Lord Will Save His People

14 Then the Lord will appear over them,

and his arrow will go forth like lightning;

the Lord God will sound the trumpet

and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.

15 The Lord of hosts will protect them,

and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,

and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,

and be full like a bowl,

drenched like the corners of the altar.

16 On that day the Lord their God will save them,

as the flock of his people;

for like the jewels of a crown

they shall shine on his land.

17 For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!

Grain shall make the young men flourish,

and new wine the young women.

The Restoration for Judah and Israel

10:1 Ask rain from the Lord

in the season of the spring rain,

from the Lord who makes the storm clouds,

and he will give them showers of rain,

to everyone the vegetation in the field.

2 For the household gods utter nonsense,

and the diviners see lies;

they tell false dreams

and give empty consolation.

Therefore the people wander like sheep;

they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

3 “My anger is hot against the shepherds,

and I will punish the leaders;[a]

for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,

and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.

4 From him shall come the cornerstone,

from him the tent peg,

from him the battle bow,

from him every ruler—all of them together.

5 They shall be like mighty men in battle,

trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;

they shall fight because the Lord is with them,

and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah,

and I will save the house of Joseph.

I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,

and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,

for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.

7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,

and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.

Their children shall see it and be glad;

their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in,

for I have redeemed them,

and they shall be as many as they were before.

9 Though I scattered them among the nations,

yet in far countries they shall remember me,

and with their children they shall live and return.

10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,

and gather them from Assyria,

and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,

till there is no room for them.

11 He shall pass through the sea of troubles

and strike down the waves of the sea,

and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.

The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,

and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.

12 I will make them strong in the Lord,

and they shall walk in his name,”

declares the Lord.

Summary

Zechariah 9:9–17 bursts forth with one of the most clear Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. The people of Zion are told to rejoice, for their King is coming! He is humble, righteous, bringing salvation, and riding on a donkey (9:9). Unlike earthly kings who come with armies and warhorses, this King will banish chariots, warhorses, and battle bows, proclaiming peace to the nations. His rule will extend “from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” (9:10).

This salvation is grounded in covenant blood:

"As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit." (9:11)

God calls His people “prisoners of hope” (9:12), promising restoration. He will fight for them (9:14–15) and save them as “the flock of His people,” shining like jewels in His land (9:16–17).

Chapter 10 shifts from the coming King to the true Shepherd. God calls His people to ask Him for rain, not rely on idols or false diviners (10:1–2). He promises to punish false shepherds who led His people astray (10:3), and to strengthen and restore His flock like a proud warhorse in battle (10:3–5). God will gather His scattered people, redeem them, and bring them home in strength (10:6–12).

Who is God?

God is the humble King who comes not in pride and war but in meekness and salvation:

“Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey” (9:9).

He is also the Divine Warrior whose reign stretches to the ends of the earth (9:10), who fights for His people with thunder, whirlwind, and arrows of lightning (9:14–15). He is both the gentle Redeemer and the mighty Defender.

Moreover, He is the True Shepherd (10:3). Unlike false shepherds and worthless idols that deceive, God cares for His flock, strengthens them, and leads them to victory. He is the covenant God who redeems His people not because of their worth, but because of His covenant love (9:11; 10:6).

What is Our Guilt?

Our guilt mirrors that of Israel. We rely on false securities: like Tyre trusting its wealth, or Israel looking to idols and false diviners for hope (10:2).

We often prefer worldly kingship: craving strength, power, and control instead of trusting the humble, donkey-riding King.

We resist His shepherding: following leaders who tell us what we want to hear rather than submitting to the true Shepherd’s voice.

In our pride, we may even think we can manage life with our own “warhorses” and “battle bows”—human strategies and self-reliance—while neglecting prayer, worship, and trust in God’s provision.

How Does Grace Shine?

Grace shines in the coming of the humble King, fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He came not to conquer the earthly empires with swords, but to conquer sin and death with His cross.

Grace also shines in the blood of the covenant (9:11). In Christ, this points to His own blood of the new covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 22:20). By His blood, captives are set free, and we are made “prisoners of hope” (9:12).

Grace shines as God turns His people into His victorious army (10:5), yet not by their strength but His Spirit (cf. 4:6). He redeems, gathers, and strengthens His scattered people:

“I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name, declares the Lord” (10:12).

In Christ, the meek King and the mighty Shepherd are one. He is both the Lamb who was slain and the Lion who triumphs.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We rejoice in the coming of our King who is humble, and righteous. Thank you for the salvation you bring through Him.

Forgive us for trusting in false securities, worldly power, and human "shepherds."

Thank You for the blood of the covenant, shed by Christ, that frees us from the pit and makes us prisoners of hope. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to walk in Your name, to live under the care of our true Shepherd, and to proclaim the reign of the King whose peace reaches to the ends of the earth.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.