1 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.’ 3 “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’ 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. 5 The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’
Chapter 8 speaks of future blessings in the Millennial Age. It is a mighty shift from the judgment of chapter 7. Justice and peace will prevail on earth. This is conditioned upon Israel’s repentance (chapter 7).
8:1
Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying,
Direct revelation from the LORD came to Zechariah about the following vision.
8:2
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous [very emphatic] for Zion [Jerusalem] with great zeal;
The words above are extremely emphatic: “I am jealous with great jealousy.” He makes further emphasis in the following phrase “with great fervor I am zealous for her.”
The phrase “Thus says the LORD of hosts” repeatedly occurs in verses 2-14, marking divisions in the prophecy. The phrase occurs 17 times in chapter 8: (Zech 8:2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 14, 19, 20, 23). The emphasis is on God’s might and power. The LORD’s mighty zeal for Israel will protect her. The name Jehovah or LORD occurs 22 times. The emphasis is on God’s assurance of the predictions in this chapter.
With great fervor I am zealous for her.’
Jehovah is fiercely protective of Israel. God’s jealousy is not envy but His zeal for downtrodden Israel.
8:3
“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion,
The “return to Zion” or Jerusalem is the Second Coming of Christ when He will set up His Millennial kingdom (Ps 2:6). It is the presence of the LORD that will assure the nation of blessing. They will experience His glory as in the tabernacle and Temple. Ezekiel showed how His glory departed from the nation (Ezek 8:3,4; 10:4, 18; 11:22, 23). Israel is now in a state of Ichabod, but she will be the recipient of great grace. It will be the time when Christ will reign in great glory with His presence on earth (Ezek 43:2-5).
And dwell [settled down] in the midst of Jerusalem.
The Messiah will rule over the entire earth from Jerusalem during His reign on earth. This is the personal reign of Christ on earth, fulfilling the throne of David promise. David conquered the Jebusites on Mount Zion to initially gain control of the city. The Messiah will “dwell” in Jerusalem, as He did in the tabernacle and Temple, in a settled sense. This is the assurance of His permanent presence with Israel.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,
There will be no deception in Jerusalem during the reign of Christ. The city will be characterized by “Truth.” It will be a city where people can count on things with certainty. The perfect tenses of the Hebrew in this section indicate the events indicated are sure to occur. Even the city residents will speak the “truth” to one another (Zech 8:16). The residents of Jerusalem will be in line with God’s Word and character as never before. There will be fidelity to truth.
The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
Jerusalem is situated on Mount Zion (Isa 2:2-3; Ps 48:1). It is “Holy” because God will dwell there.
8:4
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem,
People of all ages will be secure during the Millennial reign of Christ.
Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age.
The idea here refers to older people in a peaceful city.
8:5
The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’
This verse contrasts older people with boys and girls playing in the streets in peace.
PRINCIPLE:
God will secure peace in the world through the Messiah.
APPLICATION:
The only peace for the world will be when Jesus comes to reign.
