March 7: Zechariah 9:9-11
Key Verse: Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Devotion:
It really is amazing to look back at the things which were written down for/by the prophets hundreds of years before Jesus came to live amongst us; each one of them ringing true and surprisingly detailed in cases! This is because these prophets really did listen to God and tried to make sure what they heard was given out to the people as accurately as they could remember. We all do have our limits on what we can remember and this is why some of the stories in the bible seem to be different…
First and foremost Jesus came to be King! This was going to upset all the kings and people in authority because a mere man was going to come forward as the new King without all the celebrations and things society was used to. He was going to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a white stallion as royalty was used to. But what was setting Him apart from the rest of the kings was the fact He was going to be righteous and nothing was going to stop Him!
He was not going to come in with a great army to overthrow the local forces because He is coming in as a Priest who is going to speak the truth and remind people about God. He was going to give hope to those who had no hope at the time; the poor underclass who had no say in what happened in society. They were the ones who would get the greatest gift of all, and the ones for whom Jesus was going to pay the price with His own blood!
This all happened and yet people still do not want to believe this could be true. They do not want to believe God could come down to our level, offer Himself up as a servant for all, and ensure He was our Saviour and our King! They probably wanted a grander instance, one where a great army of angels came in to beat up the rulers, one where a new king would arrive in a huge golden carriage pulled by white horses and riches beyond measure on display. God chose a human form to show us how much is possible through Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you wonder why God chooses the little things in life to make a difference?
Are you watching for the small changes God makes in your life?
DJ