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Hey, Bible nerds. This is Dr. Manny Arango and I'm your host for the Bible department podcast. Powered by Arma. This podcast follows a Bible reading plan we created to help you read the entire Bible in a year. You can head to the show notes or thebibledepartment.com to download our reading plan and join the journey. Let's be honest, a lot of us are still treating digital ministry like it's a backup plan from 2020. But discipleship isn't just happening on Sundays anymore. People need gospel centered connection every day of the week. And if you're stuck juggling five different platforms, one for giving, another for sermons, something else for events, it's no wonder engagement feels off. That's not ministry. That's a mess. Subsplash changes that one platform. Everything you need, media, giving, events, messaging, your app, your website built specifically for churches. No hacks, no workarounds, just clarity and simplicity. Because every day you wait, families scroll past your sermons, new guests click away from clunky sites, and real people miss real moments with Jesus. Don't waste another summer stuck in digital survival mode. Use it to get ahead, simplify, upgrade, get back to what matters. Head to subsplash.combible-dept and schedule a free no pressure demo. And let this be the summer your church gets focused and fully equipped family. Welcome to day 248. Today we are in Zechariah chapters 9 through 11. And this is a hinge point for the entire book of Zechariah. Up until this point, we've had prophetic dreams, prophetic visions, But I'm gonna give you a heads up. We're about to turn the corner into a section of the Book of Zechariah that's completely different. The tone changes and the genre of literature is going to completely change actually From Zechariah chapter 9 all the way to the end of the book. So till chapter 14, this section of the book we would describe as apocalyptic prophecy. So if you're wondering, hey, where did John the Revelator who writes the Book of Revelation get this genre of apocalyptic literature? Well, Zechariah chapters nine to 14. I know we're only going to cover chapters nine through 11 today, but Zechariah chapters nine, 14 are kind of the foundational writings that create what is going to later become full blown apocalyptic literature. Zechariah is one of the root sources of apocalyptic Jewish apocalyptic writings, along with parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Okay, so we're going to get two big oracles. We're going to cover one of those oracles. Today, we're going to cover one of those oracles. Tomorrow, one of those oracles is going to be in Zechariah chapters 9 to 11. And then we're going to get another massive Oracle in chapters 12 through 14. And both of these oracles are rooted in a completely different genre of literature than anything that we've experienced thus far in the book of Zechariah. So major shift, and I think that context is important. Opinions range on when these oracles could have been given. So anywhere from 516 to 490 BC could work. However, these dates are only an estimate. The real context may not be that different than the first eight chapters of Zechariah. Zechariah is prophesying to a group of returned refugees. They are back in Jerusalem. And it seems like the first part of the book is really focused on the people. Zechariah is prophesying along with Haggai, and he's getting the people to actually focus on rebuilding. And not as rebuilding the temple and rebuilding the walls, but rebuilding their character, rebuilding their lives. And the people essentially have this big question, when is Yahweh going to return? And when is the kingdom of Yahweh going to get established again? And Zechariah's big question, question back to them is, when are you going to be the kind of people that are deserving of the return of Yahweh's kingdom? So this is trans. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but man, if that ain't a timeless truth. We got a lot of people trying to predict the return of Jesus. Got a lot of people trying to predict when Jesus is going to come back. And the real question is not when is Jesus going to come back. The real question is when are we going to be the kind of bride that can hasten the return of Jesus? So Zechariah is doing the same thing. He's framing this conversation in the exact same way that I think we should be framing this conversation. So the last part of the book sees a major shift. Okay, I want to make sure I go through all my notes that I have for you. These, you know, big two next movements, 9 through 11 and 12 through 14, consist of two final oracles. A big oracle in 9 through 11, another major oracle in 12 to 14. These oracles are apocalyptic in nature. These two oracles are also amongst the most difficult content to interpret in the entire prophetic genre of the scriptures. Okay, these last couple of chapters from Chapter 9 to Chapter 14 are some of the most complicated, mysterious oracles that we have in all of the prophets, and I would dare say in all of the Hebrew Bible. So in all the Scriptures. However, here's the interesting thing, okay? Within this uncertainty, these oracles contain some of the clearest prophecies about the Messiah that exist in the entire Old Testament. So from chapters nine to 14, we see some of the hardest content to understand, but then we see some of the most pinpoint accurate, clearest descriptions of Jesus, the Messiah that exists in the entire Old Testament. So we get obscurity and clarity living side by side in these chapters of the Bible, in these chapters of Zechariah. It is the great irony of Zechariah, the hardest book in the Bible to interpret, has within it the clearest foreshadowing of Christ within the Bible. Zechariah is one of the root sources of Jewish apocalyptic writings, along with parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. I already said that these last two oracles are then an early example of apocalyptic prophecy, which adds an extra element of difficulty in interpreting them. All right, I think that's enough context. Okay. I think that's enough context clues for today. And so now that we've got a foundation of context laid for Zechariah, chapters 9 and 11, and this entire second section of the book of Zechariah, let's jump to some nerdy nuggets. Like, every day, I'm always going to give you context clues, nerdy nuggets, and then we'll end with a timeless truth. So our nerdy nugget for today. I'll kind of walk through chapter nine with us, with you a little bit. By the way, if you haven't done today's reading, you're. You're. You definitely need to go do the reading. Okay, so listen to the audio, watch the video and do the reading, and then come back and listen to the audio or watch the video after you've done the reading. All right, Our first nerdy nugget, okay, is from chapter nine, verses one to eight. We are going to get a. What's called Yahweh's invasion. Yahweh sets out to conquer the cities on his way south to Jerusalem. Okay. Hadrak, Damascus, Hamath, Ty, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod. That's kind of like the path that Yahweh is taking as he's coming down to Jerusalem. And these are Aramean, Phoenician, and Philistine cities. These are actually the Old enemies or rivals of Israel. This is ironically the exact same path that the Assyrians and the Babylonians had taken on their way to Jerusalem. Okay, so we see a pattern here. This isn't just coincidence, but it is irony. Okay, so Zechariah is seeing that Yahweh is taking the exact same path that the Babylonians and the Assyrians took. And they, of course, did so to conquer Jerusalem. That's what Assyria and Babylon were doing. They were taking this path and conquering some smaller cities on their way so that they could conquer Jerusalem. They're picking up steam so they could conquer Jerusalem. Whereas Yahweh is not taking this path in order to conquer Jerusalem. Yahweh is taking this path in order to save Jerusalem, in order to rescue Jerusalem. So, yes, this is not coincidence, this is irony. Zechariah is seeing a vision, and there should be a clear comparison. Whereas these other nations took this exact same path from city to city to city to city to city on their way to Jerusalem to conquer it. Yahweh is going to take the same path from city to city to city to city to city, to come south, not to conquer Jerusalem, but to rescue it. This is probably the most surprising part of this, that it seems that the Philistines are converted. Okay, so here's another nerdy nugget that right here in this, it seems that the Philistines are converted and become a part of the covenant. Chapter 9, verse 7 speaks of Yahweh taking away their unkosher food and then making them a remnant, okay? A clan alongside Judah. This, of course, is a very surprising prophecy, which adds to the difficulty in interpreting it, which has led many to put this far into the future. Like this still isn't fulfilled today. This is far into the future. Why? Because this has never happened with the Philistines, okay? As of today, the Philistines have not yet been part of the remnant of Judah or coming alongside Judah or having their unkosher food taken away from them. So this isn't necessarily a prophecy that gets fulfilled in the lifetime or the ministry of Jesus, but this is a prophecy that is going to get fulfilled in the coming age, in the age to come. Maybe in the second return. In the second coming of Christ. In the return of Christ. Now, in chapter nine, verse nine, we get a king riding on a donkey. And this symbol or this image is full of symbolism, okay? A king riding on a donkey, okay? There's two main places where we're going to get source material for a king riding on A donkey. So I would say that this moment here in Zechariah is the third time in the Old Testament that we're going to see a king riding on a donkey. So let's talk about the first two. Okay? The first one is going to be rooted in Genesis 49, 10, 11. Remember, while Jacob is on his deathbed, he gives a prophecy to all 12 of his sons, but he gives a prophetic word specifically to Judah that Judah is going to be the kingly tribe, the tribe where kings are going to descend, whose descendants will rule Israel. Until here's the magic words, he who, he comes to whom it belongs. Okay, so let's just read all of Genesis. Chapter 49, verse 10 through 11 says this kind of well known passages. The scepter will not depart from Judah. So the scepter meaning a ruler's rod. Okay, A scepter. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from beneath between his feet. Okay, so that means that Judah's going to be the tribe to where kings and rulers are going to come from until he to whom it belongs shall come. Obviously that's talking about Jesus. Okay? Until he to who it belongs shall come. Once the Messiah comes, that's the he to whom the kingdom of Israel belongs. And really the nation of the whole earth. And then next line, and the obedience of the nations shall be his. Okay, so this not just talking about Judah, this is clearly not just about Judah, but it's about Judah's descendant, his ultimate descendant, which is Jesus. The lion of the tribe of Judah says this in the next verse, verse 11. He will tether his donkey to a vine. Okay, so now we're seeing a link between a king and a donkey. Okay, he will tether his donkey to a vine. His colt, another word for donkey. His colt to the choicest branch. He will wash his garments in wine. Okay, remember, wine is a symbol for the blood of the new covenant. Okay? He will wash his garments in wine, which means they'll be drenched in blood, his robes in the blood of grapes. The blood of grapes is another word for wine. But the word blood makes us continue to understand the idea that this ruler will die. That when you think about it, if you don't know about Jesus, you would think, okay, his garments are washed in blood. In blood or the blood of grace, they're somebody else's blood because he's a conquering king. However, there's a twist because Jesus does not come into Jerusalem on the triumphal entry or Palm Sunday riding on A war horse. No, he comes on a donkey, which means that there's a victory. That's already happened. Kings only ride on donkeys when they ride in peace. And they're riding in peace after a war has already happened. Remember in the book of Revelation, Jesus is going to be riding on a war horse. He's going to appear with a chariot. But here, in the first coming of Jesus, he comes on a donkey, which is the fulfillment of Genesis chapter 49. So Zechariah isn't just pulling this image out of nowhere. This image is rooted in. In a messianic claim about Jesus that was given by Jacob to his son Judah in Genesis chapter 49. There's another one. Okay, There's a David Solomon connection. This is back when Adonijah tried to claim David's throne as the old king lay dying. You probably remember this. In First Kings, chapter 1, verses 38 to 48, you can find the story. David declared Solomon to be the true king. So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet put Solomon on David's own mule, on David's own donkey, on David's own donkey, and brought him to Gibson to be anointed king. He then returned, okay? Solomon then returned to Jerusalem riding on David's mule donkey. Again, this is in First Kings, chapter 1, verse 38 to 48. Solomon's name means man of peace. Okay? He was the king of peace riding into Jerusalem on David's donkey. Okay? So this image is then fulfilled centuries later when another king of peace, or man of peace, a descendant of Judah, of the house of David, one to whom the nations would turn in obedience, who would bring righteousness and salvation to all, rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as the crowd shouted hosanna to the son of David. You can read all about this. Okay? All four gospel accounts tell us about Jesus's triumphal entry. This is found in Matthew 21:1 4, Mark 11:4, Luke 19:28, and John 12, verse 12. So Zechariah prophesies, he connects what happened with David and Solomon in First Kings. He connects what happens with Jacob and his son Judah in Genesis chapter 49. And we get to see that this dad son parallel in both First Kings and in Genesis chapter 49 get prophesied about through Zechariah. And the fulfillment of that prophecy is Jesus coming in to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The symbol that we should understand is humility that Jesus is a humble king, even though this king seems to be connected to this great invasion. Zechariah says that there's an evasion that Yahweh is on a path where he's conquering cities. When he gets to Jerusalem, he's not conquering, but he's saving. Okay. He would not enter the city of Jerusalem as a warrior. He would not ride a war chariot or a war horse. Instead, he would ride a donkey, a beast of burden, not of war. This was a king who brings peace. This is a humble servant, not a conquering warrior. And so I think it's sometimes hard to hold these multiple elements of the person of Jesus in tension with each other. And so Jesus, yes, is a conquering warrior, but he's not only a conquering warrior, that he is a humble king of peace. Family, the wait is over. My brand new book, Crushing Chaos is out now and available everywhere. Books are sold. Literally. Today I walked into a Barnes and Noble and I signed a bunch of copies at a physical location. So you can grab this book at a physical Barnes and Noble or you can go to a Books a Million or Amazon or anywhere books are sold and grab a copy. If you enjoy reading the Bible from an ancient perspective, if you understand that the beauty of Scripture is actually knowing it in context, then you'll love this book. And if there's any chaos in your personal life, I think that reading the Bible from an ancient perspective can actually help to crush the chaos in your life. I think this book is going to be a New York Times bestseller. I really do. I think we wrote a good one. I think you should get a copy today. All right, back to the episode. Hey, are you looking for a really cool gift or just solid tools to support your faith in daily Life? Check out Mr. Pen. They've got no bleed Bible pens and highlighters that actually work on thin Bible pages. 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And I actually think that that should give us a Thomas truth for today. Cause this isn't just relevant in Zechariah's time or in Jesus time, but it's relevant today. It points towards the upside down kingdom that Jesus established. He was victorious. He had every right to ride as he does in Revelation. A horse, a war horse. Yet he demonstrates humility and peace. He as the ultimate authority in the church. His body demonstrates what authority actually looks like. Authority is not the chariot, the war horse or the sword. Authority is the donkey. That the way up is down. That the way that Jesus conquers is by giving his life as a sacrifice for many. That the reason that God would vindicate him and raise him from the dead and make him ruler over all the nations and is because he's willing to take his place not on a war horse, but on a donkey. Authority within the church is not overbearing. Every Christian leader needs to hear this. Authority in the church is not self seeking. It's not dominating. We don't conquer people in order to rule them. That's not how Christian leaders act. We rather are humble. We put others before ourselves. Our authority is always demonstrated by our willingness to serve. Actually had a moment recently where there's just a leader on our team that was acting in ways that are pretty offensive, offensive to me, offensive to others, just kind of bombastic, just kind of aggressive. And I had a couple of options. I could get on Zoom with this person or FaceTime, or meet up with them and just kind of do what the old Manny would have done a couple years ago. I probably would have been described as a pretty angry leader. And I could have fussed at them and, you know, just kind of put them in their place. But instead I got on FaceTime and I led with vulnerability. I began to communicate to this person how their words have affected me and other people. I essentially like was willing to, I don't know, come across as weak. I was willing to be vulnerable. And guess what? An hour into that conversation, the person I was talking to started to break down in tears. And my vulnerability created vulnerability within this person. And what we began to really realize is that they were being aggressive as a way to protect themselves because they didn't trust our environment. And me leading with vulnerability actually caused them to have trust in me as a leader and let their guard down and actually be honest. And so I could have led with an iron fist. You're not allowed to do that. We're going to kick you off the team. Here's some consequences and threats. I could have led like an angry, domineering leader who's working for a Fortune 500 company. Or I could realize I'm not a CEO. I'm a pastor. I'm a shepherd. And so you know what? I'm going to lead with vulnerability. And I think that in the 21st century, that is a version of riding in on a donkey, when you could ride in on a warhorse that's riding it on a donkey like a humble servant, instead of riding it on a chariot like a conquering leader. And I think there's a lot of us, especially leaders in the church space, who've probably been hurt by leaders who are riding it on a war horse, who are not the kind of leaders who ride it on a donkey. So when we think about Zechariah and we think about Jesus, I want us to think about the kind of servant who rides in on a donkey. I need you to know this. You don't need to fight for anything. Actually, Jesus has won a victory for you. And since that victory has already been won, man, you get to ride in in peace. You're not fighting anything but the enemy. You're not fighting anybody on your team. You're not fighting to be heard. You're not fighting. And the moment I realized, man, I'm just. I'm not. I. I was always on this, like, heightened sensitivity. I always was ready to argue, ready to Hulk smash anybody in anything. Why? Because I just felt like I had to earn a place or I had to earn my voice. And then you begin to realize, Jesus, victory on the cross is final. And actually, I'm at peace. I just. I have peace. And I would say that, man, the closer I get to 40, I'm just leading from a place of, like, peace. I'm not here to fight with anybody or argue with anybody or debate with anybody. I actually said that to this leader who was being really contentious. I said, hey, I'm not here to debate or argue. And if this conversation gets argumentative, I'm going to remind you of all the vulnerable things that I shared at the beginning of the conversation. Because this is not a wrestling match. I'm not here to force you into submission. I'm here to genuinely tell you that what you've said is offensive, and it's hurt my feelings. This is what it's made me think about you. And honesty and vulnerability in this season of my life has gotten me a whole lot further than any of the tight fisted, iron fisted, domineering style leadership that I exhibited probably five years ago or seven years ago or 10 years ago. And that is our timeless truth for the day. That's not as true for Zechariah. That's not as true for Jesus. That's true for you. It's true for me. Whether you've been on the receiving end of a harsh leader or whether you've been the harsh leader, I think that there's an opportunity here to either heal if you've been on the receiving end, or repent if you've been on the giving end and to actually lead like Jesus. I'll see you right here Tomorrow for day 249. We're gonna go through Zechariah 12:14. We're gonna finish up the Book of Zechariah tomorrow. I'm so proud of you, especially if you're on a streak. I am cheering for you, I'm rooting for you, and I'm praying that this is the best year of your life because you've decided to read the Bible this year and engage with it in a meaningful way. I'll see you tomorrow right here for day 249. Peace. Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department Podcast. You can find us online and learn more about the show at the Bible Department and on Instagram Hebible Department. If you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.