Zechariah 2:6-7
Come Out!
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
It had been twenty years since the first group of Jews had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, yet many people chose to stay in Babylon. They had made new lives for themselves there and they were comfortable. Jerusalem was a devastated city with few buildings that would be comfortable as a family home.
Babylon was a powerful empire with great commercial assets. It was a place where a person could earn a good living and care for his family. Jerusalem had almost no commerce at all. It seemed to offer nothing but problems.
Babylon and Jerusalem represent the two kingdoms of the Bible. Babylon is the worldly kingdom, the kingdom of man, with all of its comforts and temptations. Jerusalem represents the church, the kingdom of God, offering salvation, eternal life and great promises for the future of those who live in it. Jerusalem will be exalted in victory, while Babylon will end in destruction.
"Ho, ho..." was a phrase used to get someone's attention, like saying, "Hey, hey!" Sometimes, maybe too often, God's people become apathetic toward their religion and/or the church. They get sidetracked by worldly temptations, which carry grave and unseen dangers.
"Flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD" The land of the north is Babylon. God's people needed to hear the promises of the previous verses and come out of Babylon. They needed to return to the home, which God was going to provide in Jerusalem, and to come help do the work of the LORD.
God's assurance to them was that He was the one who had spread them abroad like the four winds of heaven, intimating that He could also reunite them with their countrymen in Jerusalem.
But, the people would have to do their part. "Deliver yourself!" They would have to rescue themselves from what was about to happen to Babylon by returning home.
Throughout the Bible, men are asked to choose between the two kingdoms. Paul called the Corinthians to make their choice between idolaters and the kingdom of God. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:17)
Again in Revelation the church is called out of Babylon with these words: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)
There are only two choices that we have to make in this life... God or the world. The first choice takes faith in God's willingness and ability to keep His promises. The second requires nothing of us except to continue the life we are living, the easy choice that leads to destruction. Jesus made the choice clearer, but most are still taking the easy way.
Before the Throne:
Have you made your choice? Ask the LORD to show you how you are still too attached to the world. Confess your sins and ask Him to show you how to come out of Babylon. Praise Him for His salvation. Praise Him for His promises, His faithfulness and His power.
For Further Study:
(v.6) ** ho. Ruth 4:1; Isa 55:1; ** and flee. Gen 19:17; Isa 48:20; Isa 52:11, 12; Jer 1:14; 3:18; 31:8; 50:8; 51:6, 45, 50; 2Cor 6:16, 17; Rev 18:4; ** spread. Deut 28:64; Jer 15:4; 31:10; Ezek 5:12; 11:16; 12:14, 15; 17:21; Amos 9:9
(v.7) ** Deliver. Gen 19:17; Num 16:26, 34; Isa 48:20; 52:11; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45; Acts 2:40; Re 18:4; ** that. Isa 52:2; Mic 4:10;
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
It had been twenty years since the first group of Jews had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, yet many people chose to stay in Babylon. They had made new lives for themselves there and they were comfortable. Jerusalem was a devastated city with few buildings that would be comfortable as a family home.
Babylon was a powerful empire with great commercial assets. It was a place where a person could earn a good living and care for his family. Jerusalem had almost no commerce at all. It seemed to offer nothing but problems.
Babylon and Jerusalem represent the two kingdoms of the Bible. Babylon is the worldly kingdom, the kingdom of man, with all of its comforts and temptations. Jerusalem represents the church, the kingdom of God, offering salvation, eternal life and great promises for the future of those who live in it. Jerusalem will be exalted in victory, while Babylon will end in destruction.
"Ho, ho..." was a phrase used to get someone's attention, like saying, "Hey, hey!" Sometimes, maybe too often, God's people become apathetic toward their religion and/or the church. They get sidetracked by worldly temptations, which carry grave and unseen dangers.
"Flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD" The land of the north is Babylon. God's people needed to hear the promises of the previous verses and come out of Babylon. They needed to return to the home, which God was going to provide in Jerusalem, and to come help do the work of the LORD.
God's assurance to them was that He was the one who had spread them abroad like the four winds of heaven, intimating that He could also reunite them with their countrymen in Jerusalem.
But, the people would have to do their part. "Deliver yourself!" They would have to rescue themselves from what was about to happen to Babylon by returning home.
Throughout the Bible, men are asked to choose between the two kingdoms. Paul called the Corinthians to make their choice between idolaters and the kingdom of God. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:17)
Again in Revelation the church is called out of Babylon with these words: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)
There are only two choices that we have to make in this life... God or the world. The first choice takes faith in God's willingness and ability to keep His promises. The second requires nothing of us except to continue the life we are living, the easy choice that leads to destruction. Jesus made the choice clearer, but most are still taking the easy way.
Before the Throne:
Have you made your choice? Ask the LORD to show you how you are still too attached to the world. Confess your sins and ask Him to show you how to come out of Babylon. Praise Him for His salvation. Praise Him for His promises, His faithfulness and His power.
For Further Study:
(v.6) ** ho. Ruth 4:1; Isa 55:1; ** and flee. Gen 19:17; Isa 48:20; Isa 52:11, 12; Jer 1:14; 3:18; 31:8; 50:8; 51:6, 45, 50; 2Cor 6:16, 17; Rev 18:4; ** spread. Deut 28:64; Jer 15:4; 31:10; Ezek 5:12; 11:16; 12:14, 15; 17:21; Amos 9:9
(v.7) ** Deliver. Gen 19:17; Num 16:26, 34; Isa 48:20; 52:11; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45; Acts 2:40; Re 18:4; ** that. Isa 52:2; Mic 4:10;
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