Zechariah 9:16, commentary and pictures

The Lord will save and defend His people in their time of trial as a shepherd rescues his sheep, cherishing them as precious jewels and His treasured possession and raising them up to be displayed as a banner of His care, victory and honor.
That day is the final deliverance at Christ's coming, when the trumpet sounds and the dead are raised, Michael stands up and everyone written in the book is delivered, the saints possess the kingdom and shine as the firmament and stars, while the wicked are reaped for judgment to damnation and the second death.
Though spoken after the Jewish nation failed to bear fruit in obedience, goodness, mercy and compassion and left the Gentile world in darkness, the promised salvation and exaltation embraces the whole world in the great plan of redemption.
Christ gathers a people rescued from sin, humanity ruined by sin yet so precious to Him that He gives all heaven's riches to redeem them and set them in His own diadem, measuring them not by money, houses, furnishings, furniture or acres of land as the world measures, but by obedience to His commandments.
All who receive Him and turn from the earthly to the heavenly are presented by Him to the Father as His own, bought by His humiliation and healed by His suffering, and in their purity and perfection they are the reward and fruit of His suffering, humiliation and love in whom He sees the travail of His soul and is satisfied, an eternal testimony displaying the riches of His grace.

Promise and Meaning

The promise was given after the Jewish nation failed to bear fruit in obedience, goodness, mercy and compassion, leaving the Gentile world in darkness, and it was given to correct that neglect. The salvation and exaltation it promises embraces the whole world in the contract of the great plan of redemption.

The Lord saving them as the flock of His people means He saves and defends His people in their time of trial. He rescues the obedient as a shepherd rescues sheep. They are precious to Him in that rescue, prized and treasured as His own.

Being as the stones of a crown means the redeemed are precious jewels set in a crown. They are His treasured possession and inheritance, His own precious gems prized and held high. The verse portrays Him gathering a people rescued from sin and setting them in His own diadem. In their purity and perfection they add to His glory as the reward of His suffering, humiliation and love. He will exalt them as crown jewels in the final deliverance.

Being lifted up as an ensign upon His land means they are raised up and displayed as a banner in His land. They are lifted as precious crown stones, as jewels in a crown lifted up as a sign on His land. So raised, they are a visible sign of His care and victory. Their exaltation to honor displays possession by Him and remains an eternal testimony to His goodness, beauty and mercy, displaying the riches of His grace through Christ. In that exaltation they are held high like crown jewels displayed as a banner over His land.

In that day is fulfilled in the final deliverance at Christ's coming. Then the trumpet sounds and the dead are raised, Michael stands up, and every one written in the book is delivered. Then the saints are given judgment and possess the kingdom, and the righteous shine as the firmament and stars. Then the wicked are reaped and judged unto damnation and the second death. This advent hope and judgment truth makes the Seventh-day Adventist name appropriate.

Redemption Through Christ

Christ does not measure people as the world measures, for the world reckons worth by money and houses and furnishings and furniture and acres of land, but He reckons it by obedience to His commandments. In that day He rescues the obedient as a shepherd rescues sheep, and treasures them as His own precious gems, prized and held high like crown jewels displayed as a banner over His land.

The verse portrays Christ gathering a people rescued from sin and setting them in His own diadem. Humanity is ruined by sin, yet through redeeming love it is so precious to Him that He gives all heaven's riches to redeem it. Those lifted as precious stones in the Lord's crown and raised as a sign of His honor and possession are the redeemed made precious to Him.

All who receive Christ and turn from the earthly to the heavenly are presented by Christ to the Father as His own, bought by the price of His humiliation and healed by His suffering, to stand as precious crown jewels lifted up and displayed as a banner. In their purity and perfection they are the reward and fruit of all His suffering and humiliation and love. They are His precious and peculiar treasure and treasured inheritance and possession, adding to His glory and supplementing it, and when He sees them saved He sees the travail of His soul and is satisfied. Christ Himself is the great center from whom all glory radiates.

Their exaltation to honor will remain an eternal testimony to God's goodness and beauty and mercy, displaying the riches of His grace through Christ. Those who have worked for their salvation will rejoice at His coming to see them saved as the fruit of their labor.