Page:Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah (Baron, David).djvu/392



376 VISIONS AND PROPHECIES OF ZECHARIAH

Israel s Messiah will yet be crowned, and sit and rule upon His throne, and be a Priest upon His throne ; and how, not only Israel, but " they that are far off," shall find a place in the glorious Temple which He shall build.

And thus it is also with the second part. First, we have a series of verbal prophecies, which are full of promise of future restoration and blessedness ; and then, in order to prevent a carnal misuse of the promises of salvation on the part of the godless majority in the nation, and also as a hint that the full realisation of the promises was, from the prophet s point of view, in the yet distant future we are suddenly in the I ith chapter brought to the precipice of a tremendous gulf of national apostasy and consequent judgment.

But even from this deep abyss we shall emerge again in the last three chapters, where Israel s national repentance and mourning over Him whom they have sold for thirty pieces of silver, and " pierced," are depicted for us in inspired language, which reads almost like history instead of prophecy. And the end and blessed issue of Israel s national conversion and reunion with their Messiah will be, that " Jehovah will be King over all the earth : in that day shall Jehovah be One, and His Name One." 1

The first brief section into which our chapter is divided, consisting of vers. 1-3, may be regarded as the prelude of what follows. In dramatic style the prophet announces the desolating judgment which will sweep over the whole land :

" Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

" Howl, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are spoiled : howl, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.

" A voice of the howling of the shepherds ! for their glory is spoiled : a voice of the roaring of young lions ! for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

There is a blending of the literal with the figurative in these verses. The primary reference is very probably to

1 Chap. xiv. 9.