Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
The call belongs to the symbolic messages of the first six chapters of Zechariah, given when the returned Jews feared that permission to rebuild Jerusalem might be withdrawn. It follows the vision of Jerusalem being measured and belongs to a message about God's exact measure. It calls Zion, dwelling with the daughter of Babylon, to deliver herself, to escape and flee Babylon and to return to Jerusalem and her homeland. It is a call to Zion to leave its dwelling among Babylon's daughters.
It addressed the exiles in the Medo-Persian realm with another favorable opportunity and decree to return, given before the troublous times under Xerxes. This was even though God had already opened the way through Cyrus's decree and many Jews had remained behind. It urgently warns God's people to leave without delay while escape is still possible rather than remain among Babylon's heathen influences. The warning to flee while escape was still possible was for the Jews living in Babylon.
By the time of Ezra's call to return, remaining in Babylon had become perilous as religious liberty faced restriction, and the people were needed to serve and teach in the rebuilt temple. The call also tested whether they would give up comfort and possessions to advance God's purposes. God graciously offered and continued to make a way for the exiles to join the returning remnant, but many ignored the warning and refused His invitation and later appeals. Those who ignored the warning missed the escape God provided and later faced the threat of destruction in a deadly crisis under Xerxes in the Medo-Persian realm. Heeding the appeal could have changed the Jews' circumstances during the time of Mordecai and Esther.
The message was meant to sustain and encourage the builders by revealing God's compassion and love, and it expresses His mercy and desire to bring His wayward people back to Him. It is part of the Lord's response to His afflicted people and His coming to their relief. It calls the church and its people, who have suffered because they transgressed God's law, to turn in repentance toward obedience as the Lord prepares to favor them.
The call belongs to the symbolic messages of the first six chapters of Zechariah, given when the returned Jews feared that permission to rebuild Jerusalem might be withdrawn. It follows the vision of Jerusalem being measured and belongs to a message about God's exact measure. It calls Zion, dwelling with the daughter of Babylon, to deliver herself, to escape and flee Babylon and to return to Jerusalem and her homeland. It is a call to Zion to leave its dwelling among Babylon's daughters.
It addressed the exiles in the Medo-Persian realm with another favorable opportunity and decree to return, given before the troublous times under Xerxes. This was even though God had already opened the way through Cyrus's decree and many Jews had remained behind. It urgently warns God's people to leave without delay while escape is still possible rather than remain among Babylon's heathen influences. The warning to flee while escape was still possible was for the Jews living in Babylon.
By the time of Ezra's call to return, remaining in Babylon had become perilous as religious liberty faced restriction, and the people were needed to serve and teach in the rebuilt temple. The call also tested whether they would give up comfort and possessions to advance God's purposes. God graciously offered and continued to make a way for the exiles to join the returning remnant, but many ignored the warning and refused His invitation and later appeals. Those who ignored the warning missed the escape God provided and later faced the threat of destruction in a deadly crisis under Xerxes in the Medo-Persian realm. Heeding the appeal could have changed the Jews' circumstances during the time of Mordecai and Esther.
The message was meant to sustain and encourage the builders by revealing God's compassion and love, and it expresses His mercy and desire to bring His wayward people back to Him. It is part of the Lord's response to His afflicted people and His coming to their relief. It calls the church and its people, who have suffered because they transgressed God's law, to turn in repentance toward obedience as the Lord prepares to favor them.