Welcome back! We’re in the second post of our two-part series on Zechariah’s third vision: the Man With the Measuring Line. In this post, Zechariah prophesied that God would deal with Jerusalem’s enemies. There were nations that took advantage of Jerusalem’s weakened state after its war with Babylon and did much to further the damage to the city. The problem was that the Lord commissioned Babylon to invade Jerusalem, but it was not His will that Jerusalem’s neighbors pile on her and further the damage done to the city. The Lord promises that He will deal with these enemies. Let’s start! 

Zechariah, Prophet to the Returned Exiles

Second in a Two-Part Series
by Karen Thompson

Zechariah’s Third Vision: Man With the Measuring Line
God Deals With Israel’s Enemies

Zec. 2:6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12 And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Verse six begins with a call to the Jewish people to flee from the land of the north: “Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north.” He tells them to flee specifically the “land of the north.” What is the land of the north? Verse seven tells us the land of the north is Babylon: “Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.” This seems to be a geographical contradiction, because if you look on a map, Babylon was east of Israel. However, this is not the only place in the Bible where it refers to Babylon being from the north. For instance, Ezekiel 26:7 says, “For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north….” This verse speaks about King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon “from the north.” Here we have two verses that speak of Babylon coming from the north. The explanation for this seeming contradiction is that though Babylon was east of Israel, an attack against Israel by Babylon would have to be from the north, because that was the only way accessible for an army to get to Jerusalem.

Anyway, the Lord is telling His people to flee from Babylon, the land of the north. Though many of the Jews returned to Jerusalem, the greatest majority of them stayed in Babylon. They had lived in Babylon for 70 years; they settled down and were living very good lives. They didn’t have a great motivation to return to Jerusalem. But the Lord was calling them out of Babylon, because civil conflict was about to erupt in Babylon as a result of the Persian invasion. When the Persians captured the city, they liked it so much that they made it the administrative capital of their empire. The Babylonians rebelled against Persia’s occupation of their city, resulting in the city being thrown into turmoil. At one point, the rebellion was so great that when Xerxes succeeded Cyrus to the throne, he had to lay siege to the city after another revolt.¹⁵ This civil unrest made Babylon a dangerous place for God’s people to live. The Lord was calling His people home, and for their own safety, it was best for them to return.

Judgment to the Nations That Harmed Israel

Verses eight and nine speak about judgment coming to the nations that harmed Israel: “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.”

Notice the unusual phrasing: “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me….” God says “after the glory hath he sent me…” Who is the identity of the “he” that God sends to the nations? Some might think Zechariah is prophesying that God sent him to the nations. But that couldn’t be right, because the assignment that “he” receives is not something a prophet would be called to do. In the following verses, we read that the assignment was to shake his hand upon the nations and to make them a spoil. Making the nations a “spoil” would involve making war with them. Then it says “he” will dwell in their midst, and they will be “my” people. As a result, many nations will come to the Lord, and they will know that the Lord of Hosts sent him. These verses are speaking about events that happen in the end times; therefore, Zechariah could not possibly be the “he” that God sent on this mission to shake his hand at the nations. The “he” in this verse is not the prophet Zechariah.

What this verse is actually saying is that God sent Himself: “thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me….” Without the revelation of the Trinity Godhead, those living during Old Testament times would be confused by this phrasing. God is sending the second person of the Trinity to deal with the nations. The “He” that God sends is Jesus Christ, King Messiah.

So let’s look at these verses in that light: “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.” Zechariah is prophesying about judgment coming to the nations that made a spoil of Israel: “the nations which spoiled you” (“you” meaning the Jewish people and Jerusalem). The phrase, “which spoiled you” means plundering and robbing of valuables.

Let’s look at the phrase “after the glory hath he sent me [Messiah] unto the nations….” Messiah is sent to obtain glory for God the Father. When Messiah deals with the nations that have afflicted Israel, God will be glorified and lifted up among the nations, so much so that many nations will turn to Him (v. 11). The nations will cast away their false idols and false gods and will turn to the one and only true God. In that way, God will be glorified. After glory He is sent, and glory is what He will obtain. These events take place at Jesus’ Second Coming, when He returns to fulfill His calling as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Expression: The Apple of His Eye

Then the Lord made a statement that indicates His passion toward Israel: “he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” The apple of the eye is the very center of the eye that appears black, the pupil. This expression is used to denote something that is precious. Essentially, the Lord is saying, “Anyone that has harmed Israel, has harmed Me.” This statement about Israel being the apple of His eye is telling the Jewish people that His feelings toward them have not changed. Israel and the Jewish people are still very precious to Him. His eternal covenant with them is not broken.

Expression: Shake Mine Hand

Now let’s look at verse nine: “For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants….” Because Israel is still precious to Him, He is going to “shake His hand” upon the nations that afflicted Israel. This is an expression of anger, like someone shaking his fist in his enemy’s face in anger. The result of the Lord shaking His hand upon them is “they shall be a spoil to their servants.” The nations that afflicted Israel will become a spoil to their servants. There will be a role reversal: the nations that made other nations their servants (meaning, vassal nations who paid tribute) will become a servant to those they enslaved. This is a measure-for-measure judgment.

God Will Once Again Dwell in Zion

The prophetic word in verses 10 and 11 continues to describe end time events being fulfilled: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.”

Verse 10 says, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion.” The phrase “daughter of Zion” does not refer to a specific woman. There are several instances when this phrase is used in the Bible, and it is used to symbolize the Jewish people as a whole. It goes on to say the reason why the daughter of Zion should sing and rejoice: “…for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord….” This is yet another promise that the Lord will, once again, dwell in their midst. In Zechariah 2:5, the Lord said, He would “be the glory in the midst of her” meaning Jerusalem. Let’s not forget Zechariah 1:16 when the Lord said, “I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it.” Also, Revelation 21:3 says He will once again dwell with His people: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

Now let’s look at verse 11: “And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.” Many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day and they will be His people. Again, this is speaking of the day when the events of Revelation are fulfilled. Revelations 15:4 says, “…for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” This prophetic word is speaking of the Second Coming of the Lord when He defeats Antichrist and then becomes King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In that day, not only will all of Israel be saved and come to the Lord, but the Gentile nations will be joined to Him as well.

Also, Zechariah, again, prophesied in chapter 14 that the nations will worship the Lord: “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zec. 14:16). What is interesting about this verse is that it says the Gentile nations that came against Jerusalem will “keep the feast of tabernacles.” The feast of tabernacles is also referred to as the feasts of booths. It is a joyful celebration and time of giving thanks to God. It’s a time when the Jewish people give thanks to God for deliverance from Egypt and their time of wandering in the wilderness for forty years. So it’s interesting that the Gentile nations will keep the feast of tabernacles.

Israel Is the Lord’s Inheritance

Next, let’s look at verses 12 and 13: “And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.”

The Lord will “inherit” Judah, His “portion” in the holy land. This is not the first time we read these particular words in the Bible connected to the way God feels about Israel. He sees the nation of Israel as His inheritance, His portion. Out of all the nations, He chose one to be holy and set apart for His purpose. We see this sentiment in Deuteronomy chapter 32: “When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye” (Deut. 32:8–10).

“Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” The name Jacob is another way of saying the children of Israel. Remember, the Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Gen. 32:28). Again, we see the expression “the apple of his eye” used to denote the Lord’s devotion to Israel. Then in Isaiah 19:25, we see Israel being referred to as His inheritance: “…and Israel mine inheritance.” When the Lord says He “shall choose Jerusalem again,” it simply means He will inhabit her again. His glory will return to dwell in their midst. He judged Jerusalem, but now He is ready to forgive and to make Jerusalem His dwelling place again.

The Lord Is Raised Up

The last verse of this chapter, verse 13, we see the Lord in a state of excitement: “Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.” The phrase “raised up” is the Hebrew word uwr, and it means “to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite, to stir up.”¹⁶ He is in an agitated state due to the nations that plundered Israel. He is displeased with the nations for they “helped forward the affliction.”

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