"He shall have dominion also from sea to sea" -
words from Zechariah
9:10 are carved
into Canada's Peace Tower, in Ottawa, Ontario
Image: werner22brigitte /
pixabay.com
TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zechariah 9:1-17
TO CHEW ON: "... He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth." Zechariah 9:10
Who is the "He" and "His" Zechariah talks about here? The answer is just above today's verse in Zechariah 9:9:
"Behold your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey."
Immediately we see the scene of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. And we realize it's Jesus, Messiah, who Zechariah is talking about. He is the One with the dominion.
[Dominion - moshal means sovereignty, jurisdiction, rulership. Moshel (noun) comes from mashal (verb) that means to rule, govern, reign, have dominion, exercise authority. "This verb conveys the thought of a strong and sovereign ruling over one's subjects" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1258.]
The extent of Christ's past, present, and future dominion are spoken of in other places in the Old and New Testaments.
- The prediction of Messiah's dominion is not original with Zechariah. The exact same words are found in Solomon's prayer of Psalm 72:8.
- His rule comes from Zion and the psalmist invokes victory over enemies through it - Psalm 110:2.
- Isaiah's prophecy again corroborates that this ruler is Jesus:
"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6 (see also John 3:35).
- Isaiah also speaks of this governance going on forever - Isaiah 9:7 (see also Daniel 4:3).
- This Messiah rule is powerful, done with a "strong hand" - Isaiah 40:10.
- His dominion is international, everlasting, and indestructible - Daniel 7:14.
- It is a rule that brings and enforces peace (our focus verse - Zechariah 9:10).
- While He was on earth, Christ showed that He had power over nature - Matthew 8:27.
- He had power over sickness and disease (and commissioned His disciples with power to heal) - Matthew 10:1.
- He also had power over unclean spirits - Mark 1:27.
- He has dominion over the church - Ephesians 1:22.
- He is now seated at the right hand of God where heaven's citizens, its authorities and powers, are subject to Him - 1 Peter 3:22.
Let's keep this picture of Christ's ultimate dominion in mind as we hear and watch our seemingly out-of-control world on the daily news, and experience firsthand the devastation of the fall (Genesis 3:14-19).
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, these predictions of Your ultimate dominion over everything give me hope and security in a world that sometimes feels doomed and dangerous. Help me to live with an alive expectation of Your dominion. Amen.
*********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
