Zec 2:4-5 | KingComments | STEP | Zechariah asked a question in the previous verse and received an answer. He knows what the Man is going to do. Then suddenly the Angel of the LORD appears. The word “behold” indicates that it is a sudden event. On that initiative another angel approaches Him. That angel receives a commission from the Angel of the LORD, that is the Lord Jesus. He must run to Zechariah and tell him something. Zechariah is called “that young man” here. The LORD knows the age of His servant. It may be that Zechariah feels the burden of the ministry of prophecy heavy (cf. ). In any case, he receives a quick encouragement from the LORD, Who commands an angel to do so. The encouragement is that there will come a time when Jerusalem will be a city without walls. Living without walls speaks of peace and security, without fear of enemies. The LORD Himself will protect the city ( ). All this will be fulfilled at the return of the Lord Jesus ( ; ). Jerusalem has not yet known what is described here. Only a handful returned from Babylon to Judea in the days of Zechariah. The glory of the LORD has not yet returned and does not yet dwell in the city. It is also not yet possible to be without a protective wall. This scene also has something to say to us. God will fully realize His plan for the church in the future. It is important for us to trust only in the Lord and not to seek salvation from organizations or the world. What it will be like in the future is an encouragement to build the church now in a way that we build with the right materials ( ).

‏ Zechariah 2:4-5

A Message for Zechariah

Zechariah asked a question in the previous verse and received an answer. He knows what the Man is going to do. Then suddenly the Angel of the LORD appears. The word “behold” indicates that it is a sudden event. On that initiative another angel approaches Him. That angel receives a commission from the Angel of the LORD, that is the Lord Jesus. He must run to Zechariah and tell him something.

Zechariah is called “that young man” here. The LORD knows the age of His servant. It may be that Zechariah feels the burden of the ministry of prophecy heavy (cf. 1Tim 4:12). In any case, he receives a quick encouragement from the LORD, Who commands an angel to do so. The encouragement is that there will come a time when Jerusalem will be a city without walls. Living without walls speaks of peace and security, without fear of enemies. The LORD Himself will protect the city (Eze 38:10-11). All this will be fulfilled at the return of the Lord Jesus (Eze 43:1-12; Hos 1:10).

Jerusalem has not yet known what is described here. Only a handful returned from Babylon to Judea in the days of Zechariah. The glory of the LORD has not yet returned and does not yet dwell in the city. It is also not yet possible to be without a protective wall.

This scene also has something to say to us. God will fully realize His plan for the church in the future. It is important for us to trust only in the Lord and not to seek salvation from organizations or the world. What it will be like in the future is an encouragement to build the church now in a way that we build with the right materials (1Cor 3:10-13).

What the LORD Is to Jerusalem

There is Divine protection and Divine presence in the city of God. The emphasis is on “I”. The safety of the city lies in the protection by God Himself. He is that wall around the city that consumes all the enemies that want to harm the city. He is also the wall around the city in view of what is happening in the city. Also in the city the fire of His judgment does its work when sin happens in the city. He dwells in the midst of the city, so His glory rests on it. Therefore no sin can be tolerated. He and sin do not tolerate each other.

Just like Jerusalem then, the church today also needs a wall to separate it from the world. If this does not happen, a mixture will take place with unbelievers. In heaven that wall is no longer necessary. But God desires now to have a place where He can dwell in the midst of His people. His glory is the center there. The wall is necessary to keep the church free from sin.

The fiery wall recalls the pilar of fire that separated the Israelites from the Egyptians (Exo 14:24; cf. Isa 4:5; Zec 9:8; 2Kgs 6:17; Isa 26:1). This fiery wall is an inward protection and outwardly an extermination of the enemy.