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The Promised Kingdom

One of the ‘minor prophets’ in the Bible that you might even have forgotten is Zechariah, the second-last book of the Old Testament.

Like plenty of the prophets, Zechariah’s 14 chapters can make our brains ache. What’s going on with all these dreams and predictions? Helpful to note that Ezra 5 mentions Zechariah as one of the main leaders who motivated God’s people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem upon their return from Babylonian exile. Zechariah chapters 1–8 include head-scratching ‘night visions’ that basically boil down to the relationship between God’s people and God’s kingdom. Amid the perplexing imagery of what the angel shows Zechariah are threads about the nation of Israel’s past sins, God’s judgement and restoration, and a promised Messiah. The weight and scope of the temple project after exile would have been palpable. The symbol of God’s dwelling place was of enormous significance to those Zechariah was leading.

But the book of Zechariah goes on to reveal a future kingdom of ‘living water’ beyond the walls of the temple. The ‘new earth, new heaven’ language of chapters 13 and 14 arrive after the announcement about God’s chosen king in Zechariah 9:9. Ruling over the purified kingdom will be the one who rides righteous, victorious, yet humbly… on a donkey’s colt. This brief nod to a modest monarch must have intrigued God’s people in Zechariah’s time. What kind of king is this? Imagine what their ancestors thought when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey (Luke 19). What should they have thought?

Written by BEN MCEACHEN