A MEASURING LINE AND A WALL OF FIRE (2:1-13)
Neal Pollard
The third vision is shared, then explained, in chapter two. This vision is meant to inspire confidence in the future. We discern that from what the angel says to Zechariah regarding what “will be” regarding Jerusalem (4,5), what He “will” do (5,9,10,12), and what many nations “will” do (11). Their confidence should rest in the reliability of divine revelation. Notice that this will be because the Lord declares it (5,6,10). “Thus says the Lord of hosts” (8). The central idea of this vision mirrors that of the first two, telling Judah that God would protect them and restore them to their land. It will be a glorious and prosperous time.
The Vision (1-2). It is short and sweet. A man has a measuring line in his hand, measuring Jerusalem. Ironically, this was a vision shared by another prophet with a starkly different message (Amos 7). John will co-opt this imagery in the book of Revelation (11:1ff). The focus is not on the identity of “the man,” but rather the task he is undertaking.
The Meaning (3-5). It is explicitly given. The Lord will give provision, prosperity, and protection to His chosen people. Charles Fry, in his 19th Century hymn, “The Lily Of The Valley,” appears to draw his lyrics for the third verse from Zechariah 2:5: “A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear, from His manna He my hungry soul shall fill….”
The Exhortation (6-9). God calls to Judah to flee and escape the land of captivity. He calls the Jews from Babylon to return to their homeland. The tables will turn on the plunderers of His people, and they will prosper while the enemies will plummet. God calls Judah the apple of His eye, a reassurance of a description first given by God through Moses (Deut. 32:10). So, this appears to be an appeal to those Jews who have yet to make the journey back to their home.
The Announcement (10-13). There appears to be a shift in audience from the Jews still living in exile to the remnant who have already returned. They are to sing and rejoice since the Lord is in their midst. What appears to be a Messianic reference looks ahead to when many nations will become part of God’s chosen (11) and He will reign. While God draws on the imagery of Judah and Jerusalem, it is because of the One about whom He is about to speak who will arise from there and draw all nations to Himself (3:1ff).
The people had been down and oppressed. They should anticipate and hope in a brighter future. The Lord was about to do wonders among them, and He would be a wall of fire about them. They would be the apple of His eye. Isn’t it remarkable to consider that we bask in the glory of the fulfillment of such promises?
The Preacher Pollard Blog 