Christ's intercession for Jerusalem.
Zech. i. 12, 13. Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, 0 Lord of Hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jeru- salem and on the cities ofJudah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words, and comfortable words.
TO the ancient prophets revelations were often made by visions. It was in a vision by night that this communication respecting God's designs towards Jeru- salem was made to the Prophet Zechariah. There were presented to his view " a Man riding upon a red horse, standing amongst myrtle-trees in a bot- tom : and behind him a number of others, on red horses, and speckled, and white a." The ''myrtle- trees in the bottom" represented the Lord's people in a low and debased state. " The Man on the red horse standing among them" was the Lord Jesus Christ (as we shall see more fully in the sequel) ; and " those on other horses behind him " were angels attendant on him, to execute his will. The prophet, anxious to know who these attendants were, asked the question, and gained from the Man (who is also called " the Angel") the desired information ; namely, that they were beings, " whom Jehovah had sent to walk to and fro through the earth," and to bring him intelligence respecting the state of its inhabitants. These attendant angels being then interrogated re- specting the result of their inquiries, informed the Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, that " all the earth was sitting still and at restV Upon this, "the Man," " the Angel," the Lord Jesus Christ, poured forth before his heavenly Father his intercession in behalf of Jerusalem under her present desolate condition, entreating that mercy might at last be vouchsafed unto her : and by his Father he is " answered with good words, and comfortable words."
a ver. 8. b ver. 9—11.
1239.1 Christ's intercession for Jerusalem. 439
The two points then for our consideration are, I. The Angel's intercession —
" The Angel" is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ—
[" The Man," and " the Angel," are evidently the same person, even the Angel of the Covenant, who on many occa- sions, whilst he assumed the appearance of a " man," demon- strated himself to be of a superior order of Beings, even an artgel, yea, and superior also to all the angelic host, even God himself, who had condescended to take on him the human and angelic appearance, in order to manifest himself to his people in a way suited to the weakness of their corporeal and mental faculties. It was in this way that he appeared to Jacob, wrestling with him as a man, and an angel, yet blessing him as Godc. The Prophet Zechariah also speaks of him in another place as " the Man, that was Jehovah's fellow," or equal d.
As the great Advocate of his people, he intercedes for them on all occasions, yea, " ever liveth on purpose to make inter- cession for them :" and in the passage before us he prophetically and mystically proclaimed his future office, which in our nature he should execute at the right hand of God.]
His intercession was for the restoration of God's
favour to his chosen people —
[Though the Jews had returned from Babylon, yet had they not in any degree recovered from the desolations which had been spread through their whole country. The rebuilding of their temple, though begun, had been for some time sus- pended ; and no prospect remained of their recovering their former prosperity, unless God by his special providence should interpose for them, and, by a richer effusion of his grace, stir them up to the exertions that were necessary for the occasion. The time was now particularly favourable : the attendant angels, whom he had sent forth to explore the state of the world, had brought word, " The whole earth was still, and at rest ;" and consequently there was no just reason to fear those powerful interruptions which they had hitherto experienced : and, if other nations were prospering, how painful was it to see Jeru- salem excluded from participating the blessings which were diffused all around her ! Already had she endured the indig- nation of God during the space of threescore and ten years : it might be hoped therefore, that now, at last, the season was arrived when she should once more experience the blessedness of his favour.