Zechariah? to II
When King David of Israel was old and wanted his son Solomon crowned king in his, place, he told his servants to bring his mule and set Solomon on it. That was done and Solomon rode up the hill at Jerusalem to the place of the king’s throne, while trumpets were blown and the people followed, shouting in honor of the new king (1 Kings 1:33-4033The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: 34And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. 35Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. 37As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. 38So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. 40And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. (1 Kings 1:33‑40)).
To ride a mule was not as proud a way as to ride a horse as kings of most lands did. Perhaps one reason David and his son rode the mule was that they knew they were not to show pride, but to be humble as servants of the Lord. And a mule is sure footed for rough paths, and is patient.
In the time of the prophet Zechariah, there was no king in Jerusalem; an eastern king ruled over it. God had before told of a King to come, greater than all others, and He told Zechariah to write of the happy time when their King should ride into Jerusalem as King Solomon did:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:99Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah 9:9).
By this promise the people knew to expect the great King, so great He would rule from “sea to sea,.. even to the end of the earth.” Zechariah 9:1010And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:10). Yet there was one word of the promise the people seemed not to consider, that was, their King would come, “lowly”, or humble, not with-display of riches and honor.
It was a long time after that promise, that such a lowly person came to that land. He was poor and took no honor to Himself, but did wondrous good for the people, and always spoke in honor to God, O day He told the men with Him to go to a place where an ass and its colt were tied, and untie them and bring them to Him. The men laid a garment on the colt (which we would call a donkey), and that humble Man rode up the hill of Jerusalem; as a crowd of people walked near, shouting,
“Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord” and “Hosanna to the son of David.” And the people praised God for all the mighty works they had seen.
This meek, lowly person was the Son of God, Who had come to earth as a man, and was called Jesus of Nazareth. He told the people He was their King, but the leaders were angry and would not honor so lowly a King. Yet the words to Zechariah were that day fulfilled to them. Jesus showed them He was ready to be their King if they would have believed Him.
That lowly One to be King gave His life, and by dying offered salvation to them who believe Him, in Israel and in every nation. Yet the promise of this King ruling from ‘‘sea to sea” will certainly be—fulfilled as all God’s words to the prophets.
ML 10/11/1942