Daughters of Zion, Part One

Zechariah 9:9-10 (NKJV)
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. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

Two weeks ago we read this passage as we celebrated the Triumphal Entry, the entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem as King. Today I would like to return to this passage for a moment as we begin to consider the lessons which young women have to teach us as the body of Christ. For they do have numerous things to teach us and so we should be learning from them.

The first thing they teach us is about our own identity. Notice that Zechariah’s announcement this morning is of the arrival of the great King, the King who would bring salvation and righteousness to His people; the King who would be humble and upright, not susceptible to the injustice and corruption which were permeating Israel at the time; the King who would bring peace to Israel, delivering her from bloodshed and destruction; the King who would bring peace to all the earth. This King is, of course, our Lord Jesus the Christ.

So here’s the question: was this good news just for the young women in Israel or for all Israel? All Israel! So when Zechariah calls upon the “daughter of Zion” to rejoice, whom is he urging to respond in this way? All Israel. Notice, therefore, that all the inhabitants of Jerusalem collectively are called the daughter of Zion, the daughter of Jerusalem. Men, women, young men, young women, children – all are identified as the daughter of Zion. Indeed, this is a common figure of speech throughout the prophets. Why? Why are the inhabitants of Jerusalem collectively referred to as the daughter of Zion? Because, as any father should be able to tell you, daughters are our special objects of affection, protection, and provision. As glorious and important as sons are – they’ve got to grow up, become men, carry on the family name – daughters are much more special, much closer to our heart.

God calls the inhabitants of Jerusalem collectively “his daughter” to indicate how much He loves them, and how strong is His intention to provide for them and to protect them at the hands of the coming King. Notice how this is the heart of Zechariah’s call to rejoice. Rejoice, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, for your King is coming to you, coming to protect you, coming to provide for you, coming to secure your favor and see you cared for.

So daughters – learn from Zechariah today how much you are beloved: how much you are beloved by your earthly father; but second, how much more you are beloved by Your heavenly Father. Even if your earthly father fails to love you as he ought, God never will. And He identifies you as a daughter of Zion, His daughter, to assure you of His care, His provision, His protection. And all you inhabitants of Jerusalem, you daughter of Zion, call to mind the Lord’s great love for you and His determination to provide for us and protect us. Rejoice, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, for Your King has come to You and shall come yet again.

Reminded that we have failed to trust God’s love, provision, and protection of us and have instead sought out the affection of other lovers, other providers, let us kneel and confess our sin to God.