May the mumbling commence!

You have probably heard it said that one can make the Bible say just about anything.  Read past the familiar passage of Zechariah 9:9, and you will find there is potentially something for everyone – regardless of where they fall on the issue of war.  Read Zechariah 9:9-17 –

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!

            Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

             righteous and having salvation,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim

            and the war-horses from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow will be broken.

He will proclaim peace to the nations.

             His rule will extend from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth. 

As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. 

Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope;

even now I announce

that I will restore twice as much to you. 

I will bend Judah as I bend my bow

            and fill it with Ephraim.

I will rouse your sons, O Zion,

            against your sons, O Greece,

            and make you like a warrior's sword.  

Then the Lord will appear over them;

            his arrow will flash like lightning.

The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;

            he will march in the storms of the south, 

and the Lord Almighty will shield them.

They will destroy

            and overcome with slingstones.

They will drink and roar as with wine;

they will be full like a bowl

used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. 

The Lord their God will save them

            on that day as the flock of his people.

They will sparkle in his land

            like jewels in a crown. 

How attractive and beautiful they will be!

Grain will make the young men thrive,

and new wine the young women.

The purple and yellow that start this passage is the familiar verse nine.  It makes many people think of Palm or Passion Sunday that leads into the Holy Week of Easter – the triumphal entry of Jesus.  But look what follows.

Being from a peace tradition church, I am drawn to the green and dark pink verses that directly follow verse nine.  The chariots and warhorses are gone.  The battle bow is broken.  Peace is proclaimed.  That’s what the green words say.  Then the dark pink words speak of justice – freeing prisoners and giving hopeless people hope.

I would like to stop reading there.  Because the words in red that follow are a little less peace-like in my estimation.  God will bend Judah as a bow and fill it with arrows from Ephraim.  Is God using His chosen people as weapons of war?  These words in red go on to say that the sons of Zion will be made like a warrior’s sword.  One could easily use these verses to justify jihad or argue for the just war theory.

But words in purple follow.  These purple words declare the advance of the Lord and the impending victory of the Lord.  Is this victory one that the Lord does and the chosen people need only to witness?  Or is the victory one that God achieves through the righteous wrath and vengeance of the chosen people?  Because these purple words are flanked by red words, it appears that the Lord will fight through his people.

But read the next line of purple words.  The Lord will save His flock, His people.  Sheep can hardly defend themselves!  Yes, we should allow God to use us.  Yes, we should respect the wrath and righteous anger of the Lord.  But in the end, we are like sheep in the flock of our Lord, made beautiful by the work of the Lord. 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out