A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line

  

Zechariah 2:1-13

 

A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line

And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand!   Then I said, “Where are you going?”  And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”   And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.   And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord.   Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.   For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye:   “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.   Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.   And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.   And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”   Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

 

One of the most important tools in my shop, not my table saw or chop saw, it's a much smaller tool, one that is used on each project, it is a measuring tape.  It is a must for a builder, and most people in that business have one on their belt while working.  So, when Zechariah saw the man with a measuring line in his hand he asks where are you going, and the answer that came back was to Jerusalem to determine its width and length.  That’s a must before beginning the project, how else would you know the materials needed to do the job, are determine the magnitude of the project.

 

Did you notice in the vision about the surveyor and angel is speaking with Zechariah and the angel goes out and another angel goes out to him.  The second angel tells the one that was speaking to Zachariah to run out and tell the young man, I’m assuming refers to the surveyor that Jerusalem will have no walls, because of the numerous numbers of people that will inhabit the city and also the livestock in it.

 

What was the message to Zechariah, it is of utmost importance for the message to go out that God is up to something new or was it new, no in that God is a promise keeper, and is keeping a promise made to Abraham?  But it is urgent to let the people know who are scattered to many nations, to leave and come home, for God is going to judge those nations for how they have treated His people.  

 

But this is part of the message is of great importance, to live in a city without walls at that time made you easy prey and that was not what anyone would desire.  But if God was going to be your wall, if he promises to be a ring of fire around your city, that was a game-changer. 

 

God is going to make the nations that capture Israel and Judah become plunder for those they took from the nations they conquer.  That will be a sign to all but especially the women, in that their Creator understands how they are made and the need to know they will be protected and secure.

 

God is making them a promise, Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.   And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.   And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”  

 

And the message ends in this way; be still and know that I am God.  That is always a message for all people, and especially for the people of God, His Church.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice