We concluded yesterday with Zechariah's vision of the four craftsmen, or carpenters. This was a sign to him that the temple and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Today's vision builds on that theme.
"Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, 'Where are you going?' He answered me, 'To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.'" (Zechariah 2:1-2) Any sensible architect will measure the space available before drawing up blueprints. Any talented carpenter will make precise measurements before beginning to cut lumber.
An angel has been at Zechariah's side up to this point, and now he begins to take his leave of the prophet. "While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: 'Run, tell that young man, 'Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the Lord, 'and I will be its glory within.'" (Zechariah 2:3-5)
Bible scholar David Guzik says of verses 1 through 5, "God promises to bring so many people to Jerusalem that the crowds will overflow the wall of the city---but that won't matter because God will be their protection, not walls. He will be a wall of fire all around her. This prophecy had a short-term fulfillment in God's protection of the rebuilding, and blessing of the city under Ezra and Nehemiah, but clearly its ultimate fulfillment is rebuilding under the rule of the Messiah. Today Jerusalem is indeed a city without walls, because in modern warfare they are useless in defending the city. Ultimately Jerusalem will be a city without walls because the Prince of Peace will reign from Jerusalem and He will be her protection."
The Lord now calls to His people to return from captivity. When Zechariah returned from Babylon (now long under the rule of Persia), he returned with over 42,000 captives. But many still remain in that foreign land. They were born there, just as Zechariah was. We know he was, for the angel refers to him as a "young man". The captivity lasted seventy years and is about twenty years in the past at this point; therefore, pretty much everyone still living in the territory of Babylon was born there. A great deal of them feel comfortable there. They are integrated into the culture and enjoy a fair amount of freedom under the Persian ruler. Life is easy and prosperous, so they ask themselves, "Why go back and fight against enemies and fight against the thorns and decay that have grown up around Jerusalem and the temple? The rebuilding is going to be a backbreaking job. Why put ourselves through that?" They have not felt the pull of their homeland as Zechariah, along with well over 40,000 other Jews, felt. So the Lord calls them, "'Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,' declares the Lord, 'for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,' declares the Lord." (Zechariah 2:6)
We know that not everyone took heed to the Lord's command because we find an enormous community of Jews still living under Persian rule in the territory of Babylon during the time of Esther. They came within a hair's breadth of being completely annihilated by the plot of the wicked and anti-Semitic Haman. Had they returned to Jerusalem during the days of Zechariah, they would not have fallen under this threat. But who are we to point fingers at them? We can't, for which of us has never ignored the Lord's call to come out of some situation or some sin? Many times in my life the Lord called to me, 'Come out!' and I said, "No! I'm comfortable here. Life is easy here.' The Lord urged me, "Flee! Flee from the land of captivity!" and I said, "I'm not a captive! I'm free to do as I please." There is no captivity like sin and disobedience. The people who remained in Babylon believed they had all the freedom they needed during the reigns of the Persian kings, but they did not realize they were still bound in invisible shackles. True freedom only comes when we are walking in sync with our Savior. It is when the Son sets us free that we are free indeed. (John 8:36)
The call to come out of Babylon is urgent. Though no immediate threat to their lives is looming, there is an immediate threat to their spiritual health. They must flee that land as quickly as Joseph fled the clutches of Potiphar's immoral wife. "Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!' For this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you---for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye---I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.'" (Zechariah 2:7-9) The Lord announces His intention to throw down every nation that ever has oppressed Israel or ever will oppress her. In Zechariah's time Babylon had already fallen to the Medo-Persian Empire, which in turn would fall to Greece under Alexander the Great. Several commentators point out that the Lord is speaking not only of the fall of literal Babylon, but also of the eventual fall of spiritual Babylon. Babylon is a word equated with sin and rebellion in the Scriptures, since Babel was the site of man's first rebellion against God. In time the Lord will put down all rebellion against His sovereign rule. On that day and forevermore He will be a wall of fire of protection around His people Israel and around all who call upon His name.
We know that the Lord is speaking of the future Messianic kingdom, for Chapter 2 concludes with this passage which appears to be spoken by the Messiah Himself, "'Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the Lord. 'Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent Me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.'" (Zechariah 3:10-13) This is the day in which the Lord's words of Revelation 21:3 come true, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."
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