Zechariah 14:16-21

VI.     Jerusalem will again be the center of worship for the world, 14:16-21.

In Jesus’ day Jerusalem sat on two mountains.  Mount Zion was the seat of government.  Mount Moriah was the place of worship, the location of both temples (Solomon’s and the Second Temple), the place where Abraham and Isaac illustrated God’s plan of salvation for Israel and the Nations (Gen. 22).  Zechariah 14:1-15 has shown us the restoration of Zion; now in 14:16-21 we see the restoration of Moriah, the Mountain of the LORD (Gen. 22:14; Zech. 8:3).

Note that this is the worship of the LORD by the entire world.  Often people have the idea that worship was ever somehow relegated only to Israel.  Even in Old Testament times God’s intent was that Israel would be His witness to the nations.  The nations would see the true God and seek Him as they saw how He blessed His people.  Israel’s disobedience and idolatry deprived them of God’s blessing; and Israel’s pride led them to despise the nations.  Of course, God’s plan worked to perfection when Israel’s rejection of Christ became salvation for the Nations (Rom. 11).  God’s faithfulness will also be evident in that He will restore and save Israel that they might be the witness to the world He intended.

Why is the feast of tabernacles emphasized?  Tabernacles was one of the three major feasts of Israel (Ex. 23:14-19, called the Feast of Ingathering).  Unleavened Bread (Passover) emphasized deliverance from Egypt (Christ delivering from sin).  Feast of Harvest (Firstfruits) called upon God for His blessing (Christ’s resurrection and the hope of Kingdom blessings).  Tabernacles, at the end of harvest, was a time of thanksgiving and remembrance of all God’s blessings (the realization of Kingdom blessings in Christ).  It involved the enjoyment of those blessings (at the risk of being disrespectful, it was a week-long national barbecue in honor of God’s goodness; cf. Num. 29:12-40).  AND it was a feast for the stranger, the nations!

Thus it has an important place in the Kingdom of Messiah when His blessings are being experienced.  Every year there will be a grand thanksgiving for all that He has provided for the world.  It makes sense as well that those nations that will not come will experience a plague of drought, a denial of His blessings.

One other question has to do with the final sentence of Zechariah concerning no Canaanites being in the temple.  This sounds like a limitation in the offer of the gospel to the world.  But we believe the understanding of this is in the context.  The point of v20-21 is that holiness will characterize the LORD’s house and the worship of the LORD.  The Canaanites, a term that describes the people of the land when Israel crossed over under Joshua, were idolatrous and had become so debased that God had determined to remove them from the land.  Israel was to have no inter-mingling with them, not in business, marriage and certainly in worship.  Thus they stand for the unholy in the Kingdom age; they will not be permitted to join in the joyful worship of the temple.

Do you remember Zechariah’s name?  It means God Remembers.  What a message of His remembrance there is in this book.  How encouraging it must have been to God’s people in the post-exilic time when they were reduced in size and significance.  Let us not ignore God’s faithfulness. God remembers.