L'entrata in Gerusalemme
"The Entry Into Jerusalem"
(c.1305)
Giotto di Bondone
(1266-1337)
Italian Proto Renaissance painter
Image courtesy/WikiArt.org
This is the burden of the word of the LORD
against the land of *Hadrach
and Damascus its resting place-
for the eyes of men
and of all the tribes of Israel
are upon the LORD
and also against *Hamath
which borders it,
as well as *Tyre and Sidon
though they are very shrewd.
Tyre has built herself a fortress;
she has heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the dirt of the streets.
Behold, the Lord will impoverish her
and cast her wealth into the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.
Ashkelon will see and fear;
*Gaza will writhe in agony,
and will Ekron,
for her hope will wither.
There will cease to be a king in Gaza,
and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.
A mixed race will occupy Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
I will removed the blood from their mouths
and the abominations from between their teeth.
Then they too will become a remnant for our God;
they will become like a clan in Judah
and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
But I will camp around My house because of an army,
because of those who march to and fro,
and never again will an oppressor overrun My people,
for now I keep watch with My own eyes.
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your King comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the horse from Jerusalem,
and the bow of war will be broken.
Then He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion will extend from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.
As for you,
because of the blood of My covenant,
I will release your prisoners
from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold,
O prisoners of hope;
even today I declare
that I will restore to you double.
For I will bend Judah as My bow
and fit it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, O Zion,
against the *sons of Greece.
I will make you like the sword
of a mighty man.
Then the LORD will appear over them,
and His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord GOD will sound the ram's horn
and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.
The LORD of Hosts will shield them.
They will destroy and conquer with slingstones;
they will drink and roar as with wine.
And they will be filled like sprinkling bowls,
drenched like the corners of the altar.
On that day the LORD their God will save them
as the flock of His people;
for like jewels in a crown
they will sparkle over His land.
How lovely they will be,
and how beautiful!
Grain will make the young men flourish,
and new wine, the young women.
(Zechariah 9:1-17)
Image courtesy/Freepik
It's interesting to note...
*Hadrach, an ancient city in Syria, is mentioned only once in the Bible
and was said to be in a fertile area which served as a strategic military
gateway between Mesopotamia and the Levant.
*Hamath-The capture of this historic Syrian city (also known as Hama) was
a major milestone in late November 2024 when forces under the command
of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, primary leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir-
al-Sham, overran the city as part of a rapid, widespread offensive which
led to the collapse of the long-standing Assad regime in Damascus.
Based on Salafi-Jihadist ideology, the group opposes the nation
and people of Israel. In 2018, al-Jolani, now the current leader
in Syria declared, "Jerusalem awaits us."
*"Tyre and Sidon": Cities located on the southern coast of Lebanon
which in recent years have become major strongholds of the
terrorist group, Hezbollah. This past month these two cities were
heavily impacted by Israeli airstrikes.
*"Gaza"- long time stronghold of the terrorist group Hamas.
* "Slingstones" "David's Sling" is the name often used to describe the second tier
of Israel's missile defense system. The name, of course, is a reference to the
biblical account of future king David felling the Philistine giant, Goliath,
with his sling-shot. "David's Sling" forms one level of Israel's multi-tiered
missile defense system, which also includes Arrow 2, Arrow 3,
Iron Dome and Iron Beam.
* "Sons of Greece" represents a power standing in defiant opposition to the purposes
of God and is often symbolic of humanism, Hellenism, and worldly power.
I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit"
(Zechariah 9:11)
The prophet breaks forth into a joyful representation of the coming of the Messiah,
of whom the ancient Jews explained this prophecy. He took the character of their king,
when He entered Jerusalem amidst the hosannas of the multitude.
But His Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
It shall not be advanced by outward force or carnal weapons. His gospel shall be
preached to the world, and be received among the heathen. A sinful state is a state
of bondage; it is a pit or dungeon, in which there is no water, no comfort;
and we are all by nature prisoners in this pit.
Through the precious blood of Christ, many prisoners of Satan have been set at liberty
from the horrible pit in which they must otherwise have perished, without hope or comfort.
While we admire Him, let us seek that Christ's holiness and truth
may be shown in our own spirits and conduct.
-Matthew Henry's Commentary
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