Intro
Our previous study concluded in Zechariah 9:8 with God supernaturally protecting Jerusalem
from a brutal attack by Alexander the Great. Now in verse 9 Zechariah declares the coming of
Messiah and the manner in which he will come. His manner contrasts dramatically with that of
Alexander. Like all worldly kings, Alexander acted in brutal self-interest, enlarging his domain
by unmerciful force. But your king, Israel’s king and our king, is of a different nature altogether.
The prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 reads, “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.”i
Zechariah does not identify exactly when this will happen. But the promise is this: “your King is
coming to you.”
I. PROMISE OF YOUR KING’S COMING
That assurance is cause for rejoicing. The text does not say “a” king or even “the” king, for the
application is very personal. The King that Israel has longed for ever since God promised him to
David—he is coming! Zechariah and his companions immediately identified Messiah as that
promised King. God’s promise to David is recorded in Psalm 132:11. “The Lord has sworn in
truth to David; He will not turn from it: ‘I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.’”
And the rule of this Messianic Son will be forever. In 2 Samuel 7:16 God told David, “And your
house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be
established forever.” It will happen through this promised Messiah.
This promise was verified by the prophets even when the nation had failed God. Isaiah 11:1-2
declares, “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of
his roots. 2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Verse 5
says, “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.” And
you will recall the confirmation of this by Zechariah in in chapter 6 verse 12, “Behold, the Man
whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple
of the Lord; 13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit
and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be
between them both.’”ii This coming King will lead as both King of Kings and High Priest for his
people.
At the time Zechariah 6:12 was given, Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, was functioning as
governor of the region. He was not recognized as a king, but at least he was there representing
the Davidic dynasty. However, by the time we get to Zechariah 9, Zerubbabel has passed from
the scene.iii There is no record of the Davidic linage ruling then or afterwards.iv As we saw in verse 8, leadership was provided by the high priest.
It was in that context that this beautiful promise was declared: “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.” While the promise came to Israel through Zechariah, it is very personal for you and me as well. For this king is my king and your king. His presence and favor are central to all our hopes, just as it was for Zechariah and his companions. “Your King is coming to you.” Isn’t that a beautiful thought?
The Hebrew word (lakah) translated “to you” is a dative of advantage. It’s not just that he is coming, but his coming is for your benefit and wellbeing.v Therefore, “Rejoice greatly.”
This call to rejoice is given in poetic form. “O daughter of Zion!” and “O daughter of Jerusalem!” are parallel terms addressing God’s people.vi The call to “Rejoice” and the call to “Shout” are parallel imperatives. Both terms refer to loud exuberance. Did you know it’s okay to get emotional about God? It’s okay to get loud when it comes from a sincere response to the Lord. Pentecostals are sometimes criticized for their emotional expressions of joy and praise to the Lord. But here we’re told to do exactly that. The Hebrew word (gili), translated rejoice, indicates an action of spinning round and round.vii The Hebrew word (hari’i) is translated shout because it’s root figuratively meant “to split the ears [with sound].”viii You might sum up these imperatives with the call to twist and shout with joy. The promise being presented here should arouse excitement.
II. MANNER OF YOUR KING’S COMING
Three characteristics are used to describe the unique nature and manner of this King.
First, he is “just” or righteous.ix This comes first because it is foundational to everything else. He rules justly because he is by nature just. He was supernaturally born of the virgin Mary and without a sin nature. Hebrews 4:15 says he “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Born under the law, he perfectly kept the law. As the pascal lamb without blemish, he offered up the perfect sacrifice for our salvation.
The first cause for our joy is that he is righteous and, being righteous, he is able to make us righteous. Taking our sin at the cross and paying its penalty, he now imputes his righteous to all who come to him for eternal life.x Jeremiah prophesied, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5-6). Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). But The Lord Our Righteousness perfectly qualifies us as servants of the Most High. In Philippians 3:9 Paul declared his desire to “be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
Christ comes to the sinner, not requiring righteousness from that person, for not of us are able to produce that.xi He comes offering righteousness to those who will receive it and live in it.xii
There is no salvation apart from this righteousness of Christ. The doors of heaven will never open to the self-righteous.xiii They only open to those who have received this King as “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
When you ponder God’s promises to the nation of Israel, never forget, the Jews must enter the kingdom through this King: “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” At his Second Coming, Christ will restore the nation and lead them into the Millennium. But they must first be converted. They must receive Christ. The nation does that at the Second Coming.xiv If they did not do that, they would never enjoy the glory of the Millennium. They don’t enter simply because of ethnicity.xv They enter through the gate, and that gate is Jesus Christ, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”xvi
The second characteristic of the coming King in Zechariah 9:9 is that he comes “having salvation.”
The passive tense of this verb has caused considerable debate among scholars. The idea is that he prevails through dependence on the Father. This reinforces the portrayal of humility in our text. He does not do it in his own strength. During his time on earth he even said, “the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do. . .” (John 5:19). He lives daily in prayer. In preparation for the cross, he prayer in the Garden with extreme intensity and dependance on the Father.xvii Because he depends on the Father, he is saved (Heb. 5:7); he is empowered; he is resurrected (Acts 2:24). And because he was successful in all that, he is able to save all those who come to him (Heb. 7:25). So, he comes “having salvation,”xviii
The third characteristic is that he is “lowly” or humble. The Hebrew word (‘aniy) means “poor, afflicted, humble, wretched.”xix It conveys condition as well as attitude. Jesus was economically poor. He said to one person who wanted to follow him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Luke 9:58). Isaiah 53:3-4 says, “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.” Zechariah had Isaiah’s prophecies, and this word ‘aniy summarizes Isaiah’s portrayal of this “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
In the first century, several people presented themselves as the promised Messiah. How will Israel know which one is genuine? He will fit the description Isaiah gives. He will fit the description Zechariah gives in our text. Only one man fit the description: Jesus of Nazareth.xx
The humility of the true Messiah is illustrated by the fact that he comes “riding on a donkey.” That is in radical contrast to Alexander’s entry. In fact, it is in contrast to the way all the kings of the world present themselves.
In Jesus’s day, the donkey was considered to be a menial burden bearer, beneath the dignity of a king. Kings rode on chariots or stately horses. Earlier in Israel’s history kings and dignitaries did ride on donkeys.xxi But with the introduction of horses in Solomon’s day, that practice was discontinued.xxii So even in Zechariah’s day, a king riding on a donkey would be strange. It reinforced the idea of humility.
Zechariah 9:9 predicts this Messiah/King would be “riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” The phrase “A colt, the foal of a donkey” more specifically describes the one donkey.xxiii In Luke’s account of Christ fulfilling this prophecy, he emphasizes the fact that this colt had never been ridden (Luke 19:28).xxiv
This lowly estate of the Messiah proved to be a stumbling block for the Jewish nation. Born in the little town of Bethlehem, growing up as a carpenter’s son, a friend of publicans and sinners. This is not what people expected to see in their coming King. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon?” people asked. “And are not his sisters here with us?” Mark 6:3 adds, “And they were offended at him.” He is riding in on a donkey, rather than a stately stallion. His lowly status, his meek manner, did not fit the mold of what they expected of their coming King.
They had these prophecies by Zechariah and Isaiah who predicted Messiah’s humble status. But they also had prophecies portraying him as a mighty conqueror.xxv It was confusing even to their scholars. For example, one scholar, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked; “It is written in one place, ‘Behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heave,’ but in another place it is written, ‘lowly, and riding upon an ass.’ How is this to be understood? The answer is, If they be righteous (or deserving) He shall come with the clouds of heaven; if they be not righteous, then He shall come lowly, and riding upon an ass.”xxvi The Rabbis recognized Zechariah 9:9 as a prophecy of Messiah.xxvii But they had great difficulty putting the pieces together. Some even thought there would be two messiahs: one lowly and one glorious.xxviii When Jesus came at his First Advent, it simply did not happen the way they expected it to happen. And as Mark recorded, “they were offended at him.”
God does not always do things the way we think he should or the way we expect him to do it. When that happens, we can easily get offended at God. Guard your heart against that.xxix Sometimes we have to say with Job, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). In some circumstances, that can be very hard to do. But if you can keep trusting God the way Job did, the end of the matter may be better than the beginning.xxx
III. FULFILLMENT OF THE PROMISE
All four gospels record the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy.xxxi John and Matthew quote this Zechariah 9:9 text in their narratives. Follow as we read Matthew 21:1-11:
“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them.’ 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!’ 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’ 11 So the multitudes said, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.’”
Of course, this triumphant entry occurred on Palm Sunday immediately before Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion—one week before his resurrection. People were gathered in Jerusalem in anticipation of the Passover. This event officially offered Israel her King. In the excitement of the moment, the response was so positive. They seem to be receiving Jesus as their King. Yet we know within a few days, the same crowd will be shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Luke 23:20).
So, in spite of the exuberance on that Palm Sunday, the great opportunity of the First Advent was rejected. Christ was crucified. John wrote in his gospel, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12). That opportunity remains open today. Have you received Jesus as your King? If not, you can do so today. You can surrender your life to him, put your trust in the sacrifice he made for you on the cross, and receive forgiveness for your sins. You can become a child of God by putting your faith in Christ. Will you do that today?
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii See part 15 of this series, entitled “Crowning of Messiah.” Prophecies concerning this coming Messiah/King go all the way back to the Garden of Eden when God promised redemption for fallen mankind. In Genesis 3:15 God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” That early prophecy of the coming Messiah predicted victory through the cross. All the nations of the earth would be blessed through him (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16). Even Balaam predicted his coming when he declared, “A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num. 24:17).
iii “For some mysterious reason, Zerubbabel is not mentioned in connection with the Temple dedication. Neither is he mentioned after this time. Perhaps he died or retired from public life upon completion of the Temple. “
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “, ZERUBBABEL,” Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
iv “When Zechariah presented this revelation [Zech. 9:9], there was no king on Israel’s throne, nor will there be one from the royal line of David until Messiah comes.” David M. Levy, Zechariah, 85. Just prior to this time, “there appears to have been one last gasp of Davidic leadership. This was the joint leadership of Elnathan, governor, and Shelomith, his ›ämâ, presumably Zerubbabel’s daughter (1 Chron 3:19; E. M. Myers 1985).” Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 124.
v Cf. Baron, Zechariah, 306.
vi Of course, this very specifically addresses the inhabitants of Jerusalem. But they become representative of Israel, and by extension all of God’s people.
vii Strong’s Concordance, OT: 1523.
viii Strong’s Concordance, OT: 7321.
ix In addition to a statement about his character, Meyers understands this to indicate the legitimacy of his rule as the rightful heir. See Meyers and Myers, Zechariah 9-14, 126-127.
x Rom. 4:11: “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed [credited] to them also.”
xi Cf. Rom. 3:23; Gal. 2:16; Isa. 64:6.
xii Cf. Gal. 5:25.
xiii Cf. Luke 18:9-14.
xiv Cf. Zech. 12:10; 13:1.
xv Cf. Matt. 3:9; Rom. 9:6.
xvi Cf. Matt. 7:13-14; John 14:6.
xvii The Father’s promise to the Son in Psalm 2:8 is, “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your iheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” The Father bestows this on the Son. This principle of prayerful dependance should be followed by all true disciples of Christ.
xviii Baron accepts Hengstenberg’s suggestion that nosha’ is “describing one ‘who is endowed with salvation,’ or ‘furnished with the assistance of God’ requisite for the fulfilment of His mission.” Baron, 308. Unger believes the term is a nifal participle with a normal reflexive (not passive) meaning. It thus means ‘showing Himself a Savior.’” Unger, Zechariah, 162. Cf. Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 126-127.
xix Strong’s Concordance, OT: 6041.
xx The manner of Christ’s Triumphant Entry on the Palm Sunday before his crucifixion was a public revelation of his nature. His whole life on earth demonstrated the same attitude of humility (Matt. 20:27-28; John 13:4-17; Phil. 2:5-11).
xxi Cf. Judges 5:9-10; 10:3-4; 12:13-14; 17:23; 19:26. Jeremiah 17:25 talks about kings riding on chariots and on horses.
xxii “From the time of Solomon downwards, when the breeding of horses was introduced, not another instance occurs of a royal person riding upon an ass, although asses and mules are still constantly used in the East for riding and as beasts of burden.” (from Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, “Zechariah 9:9,” Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.).
xxiii See Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 131; Leupold, 175; J. G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, TOTC, vol. 28 (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1972), 179. Since Matthew 21:2 records two animals when narrating the fulfillment of this prophecy, Unger erroneously thinks Christ rides on the mother with the colt following. But Matthew is simply adding an additional detail, not mentioned in Zech. 9:9 nor in the other gospel accounts. The mother donkey was there, but Christ rode the colt. Unger, Zechariah, 164. John 12:15 says, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt.”
xxiv Spurgeon says, “I conceive that our Lord rode on the foal, for it was essential that he should mount a beast which had never been used before.” Charles Spurgeon, “The Lowly King” in Sermons by Charles H. Spurgeon, vol. III, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), 128.
xxv For example, Zech. 14:2-4.
xxvi Talmud Bab., fol. 98 as quoted by Baron, 304.
xxvii Baron, 304.
xxviii Garrett Smith, “Two Messiahs in Judaism: Ben David and Ben Joseph,” Jews for Jesus. Accessed at https://jewsforjesus.org/learn/two-messiahs-in-judaism-ben-david-and-ben-joseph/.
xxix Cf. Prov. 4:23.
xxx Cf. Job 42:12; James 5:11; Prov. 3:5-6; Isa. 55:9; Rom. 8:28.
xxxi Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19. Only Matthew mentions the mother of the colt (Matt.
