Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
The Lord promises to come Himself and live in the midst of Zion, and His coming presence is the reason His people are called to sing and rejoice. It is a word of compassion, love, mercy and pity to afflicted people facing a dark and uncertain future, bringing relief, comfort and strength, first assuring Jerusalem at its rebuilding that it would be filled with life and guarded as by a wall of fire with God as its inner glory. Jerusalem stands for His church, which He has not forsaken but holds most dear, watching over it every moment with jealous care and paying a ransom to redeem it so that nothing can separate it from Him. He allows His people to be tried in the fiery furnace to burn away dross and sin, yet watches them in the trial so they are purified and not consumed, while Satan opposes the work and accuses sinners as hopeless, and God answers by giving an all-powerful Redeemer come in humanity to live righteousness and clothe the repentant in a changed character. The promise reaches beyond Zion to many nations who will be joined to the Lord and become His people, and it calls His people to wake from sleep and go forth rejoicing in His abiding presence and Spirit, carrying the message of mercy with tears until the desert becomes fruitful and many are added to the church.
Promise of His Presence
The call to sing and rejoice rests on the Lord's own promise to come and dwell in the midst of Zion. His coming and abiding presence among His people is itself the reason for joy. He returns to Jerusalem with mercy, comforts Zion, and chooses Jerusalem, assuring His people of His presence and care. That dwelling extends outward, for many nations will be joined to the Lord and become His people, and His presence among them will show that He sent the one speaking to Zion. Judah will be inherited as His portion in the holy land, Jerusalem will be chosen again, and all flesh is to be silent before Him because He is raised up out of His holy habitation.
The promise expresses compassion, love, mercy and pity toward His afflicted people. He comes to dwell in the midst of the afflicted to bring them relief, comfort and strength. That relief comes in answer to intercession and out of pity, even while opposition stands against His working in their behalf. It assures God's people of His presence and care when the future seems dark and uncertain. His coming is part of the work He does for His afflicted people through the coming Messiah.
In its original setting at the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the promise assured the afflicted people that God would comfort and strengthen them. The city would be filled with people and cattle. The Lord would protect it like a wall of fire around it and be the glory within it. The promise spoke both to Israel in Zechariah's day and to those longing for God's everlasting kingdom. It will be fulfilled when the obedient are saved in the kingdom of glory and God's purpose for mankind is complete.
Church, Nations, and Mission
Jerusalem stands for the church, and the call to sing and rejoice rests on the Lord's coming to dwell in the midst of Zion to bring relief to His afflicted people through the coming Messiah. He has not forsaken His people, for nothing is so dear to Him as His church, which He guards with jealous care, keeps His eye upon every moment, and has paid a ransom to save and redeem so that nothing can separate it from Him where He cannot protect and prosper it for His name's glory. He permits His people to be sorely tried in the fiery furnace to separate and burn away dross and remove sin, yet He watches over them in the trial so that as they are purified they are not consumed. This merciful work is resisted by Satan, who stands before the angel of God to oppose every church and ministers of the gospel in their official work of ministering the Word, while his servants would rob God's people of their rights and point to their mistakes to make them believe they are separated from God and hopeless. In this setting God gives an all-powerful Redeemer who came in humanity to live righteousness and clothe repentant sinners with a change of raiment.
The promise continues in the next verse, where many nations shall be joined to the Lord and become His people, Judah shall be inherited as His portion in the holy land, Jerusalem shall be chosen again, and all flesh is to be silent before Him because He is raised up out of His holy habitation, showing that He sent the one speaking to Zion. The verse calls God's people as sleeping virgins to wake from spiritual sleep, arise, trim their lamps, and take up their appointed work rejoicing in the Lord's coming and abiding presence.
In the last days His dwelling means His presence going before His people and His Spirit abiding with true missionaries to furnish power for service, as they lift the standard and proclaim present truth, use His means to establish memorials in new places, and do aggressive warfare in America and Australia including building the greatly needed sanitarium in Australia. It is a call to carry the message of mercy to the whole world in the short closing time, giving the warning with the joy of the Lord. Those who obey and go forth carrying precious seed in tears shall see healing, salvation and growth, the spiritual desert made fruitful, fields opening and extending, and many nations joined to the Lord and added to the church.
The Lord promises to come Himself and live in the midst of Zion, and His coming presence is the reason His people are called to sing and rejoice. It is a word of compassion, love, mercy and pity to afflicted people facing a dark and uncertain future, bringing relief, comfort and strength, first assuring Jerusalem at its rebuilding that it would be filled with life and guarded as by a wall of fire with God as its inner glory. Jerusalem stands for His church, which He has not forsaken but holds most dear, watching over it every moment with jealous care and paying a ransom to redeem it so that nothing can separate it from Him. He allows His people to be tried in the fiery furnace to burn away dross and sin, yet watches them in the trial so they are purified and not consumed, while Satan opposes the work and accuses sinners as hopeless, and God answers by giving an all-powerful Redeemer come in humanity to live righteousness and clothe the repentant in a changed character. The promise reaches beyond Zion to many nations who will be joined to the Lord and become His people, and it calls His people to wake from sleep and go forth rejoicing in His abiding presence and Spirit, carrying the message of mercy with tears until the desert becomes fruitful and many are added to the church.
Promise of His Presence
The call to sing and rejoice rests on the Lord's own promise to come and dwell in the midst of Zion. His coming and abiding presence among His people is itself the reason for joy. He returns to Jerusalem with mercy, comforts Zion, and chooses Jerusalem, assuring His people of His presence and care. That dwelling extends outward, for many nations will be joined to the Lord and become His people, and His presence among them will show that He sent the one speaking to Zion. Judah will be inherited as His portion in the holy land, Jerusalem will be chosen again, and all flesh is to be silent before Him because He is raised up out of His holy habitation.
The promise expresses compassion, love, mercy and pity toward His afflicted people. He comes to dwell in the midst of the afflicted to bring them relief, comfort and strength. That relief comes in answer to intercession and out of pity, even while opposition stands against His working in their behalf. It assures God's people of His presence and care when the future seems dark and uncertain. His coming is part of the work He does for His afflicted people through the coming Messiah.
In its original setting at the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the promise assured the afflicted people that God would comfort and strengthen them. The city would be filled with people and cattle. The Lord would protect it like a wall of fire around it and be the glory within it. The promise spoke both to Israel in Zechariah's day and to those longing for God's everlasting kingdom. It will be fulfilled when the obedient are saved in the kingdom of glory and God's purpose for mankind is complete.
Church, Nations, and Mission
Jerusalem stands for the church, and the call to sing and rejoice rests on the Lord's coming to dwell in the midst of Zion to bring relief to His afflicted people through the coming Messiah. He has not forsaken His people, for nothing is so dear to Him as His church, which He guards with jealous care, keeps His eye upon every moment, and has paid a ransom to save and redeem so that nothing can separate it from Him where He cannot protect and prosper it for His name's glory. He permits His people to be sorely tried in the fiery furnace to separate and burn away dross and remove sin, yet He watches over them in the trial so that as they are purified they are not consumed. This merciful work is resisted by Satan, who stands before the angel of God to oppose every church and ministers of the gospel in their official work of ministering the Word, while his servants would rob God's people of their rights and point to their mistakes to make them believe they are separated from God and hopeless. In this setting God gives an all-powerful Redeemer who came in humanity to live righteousness and clothe repentant sinners with a change of raiment.
The promise continues in the next verse, where many nations shall be joined to the Lord and become His people, Judah shall be inherited as His portion in the holy land, Jerusalem shall be chosen again, and all flesh is to be silent before Him because He is raised up out of His holy habitation, showing that He sent the one speaking to Zion. The verse calls God's people as sleeping virgins to wake from spiritual sleep, arise, trim their lamps, and take up their appointed work rejoicing in the Lord's coming and abiding presence.
In the last days His dwelling means His presence going before His people and His Spirit abiding with true missionaries to furnish power for service, as they lift the standard and proclaim present truth, use His means to establish memorials in new places, and do aggressive warfare in America and Australia including building the greatly needed sanitarium in Australia. It is a call to carry the message of mercy to the whole world in the short closing time, giving the warning with the joy of the Lord. Those who obey and go forth carrying precious seed in tears shall see healing, salvation and growth, the spiritual desert made fruitful, fields opening and extending, and many nations joined to the Lord and added to the church.