Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.” And behold, the angel who had been speaking with me was going out, and another angel was going out to meet him. And he said to him, “Run, speak to that young man there, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as open country because of the multitude of people and cattle within it. But I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire to her on all sides, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” Zechariah 2:1-5
The first few verses of the second chapter of Zechariah reveal the third vision that the prophet sees. The first thing the texts tell us is that there is a man measuring Jerusalem. Now, we might ask if the vision is about the prophet’s own time or a future prophesy. It seems clear that the vision is a prophetic view of future Jerusalem, or put another way, the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ! Many times in visions, a man may represent an angel. And that could be the case here since two different angels are mentioned; however it is more likely that this man in the vision is Nehemiah. We should note however, the restoration that is coming is not just a physical restoration of the walls of the city, but points to the spiritual Messianic kingdom coming in the future. Now, when we consider the man as Nehemiah we should be reminded of what he did just a few years from the time of Zechariah when he inspected the walls of Jerusalem.
“So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days. And I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem, and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Spring and on to the Dung Gate, and I was inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which had been consumed by fire. Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. So I was going up at night by the ravine and inspecting the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. Nehemiah 2:11-15
Zechariah saw his visions and prophesied around 519 B.C. (chapters 1-8) after the exile. But Ezra and Nehemiah return to Jerusalem a few years later and Nehemiah builds the walls of the city around 445 B.C. Yet, just as Zechariah finished talking with the man what happens? There is a dramatic shift in the text (Behold), with one angel leaving and another arriving. What does this arriving angel say – tell the young man (Nehemiah) that Jerusalem will be a city without walls. And we can see the irony, Nehemiah “measures the city” to rebuild the walls, yet Yahweh is saying the city will not even have any walls! And of course the measuring of the city is to point out the expansion that is coming. But the vision does not stop there, for we know a city without walls in OT times would not be a good thing, leaving the city open to invasion. What does Yahweh say? He proclaims that he will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem!
Now, what does all this mean? Well, Nehemiah would rebuild the physical walls of Jerusalem, however Yahweh is pointing out there is a greater, more expansive “city” coming that will not have walls, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ! The literal fulfillment of this vision could be in the time of Jesus when during the Jewish feasts Jerusalem would overflow with people from different parts of the known world. But, it is clear to us in New Testament times there is a much more powerful fulfillment. The city Jerusalem represents God’s people and his future kingdom, which is for all nations (a city without walls). The idea is that of an open city, yet at the same time has the protection of God. We are reminded of the Exodus when the fire and glory of God protected his people. (Exodus 13:21-22, 14:19-20)
And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people. Exodus 13:21-22
As with the first two visions, we find an encouragement for God’s people, the vision is about the future safety, peace, expansion and prosperity of his people finding its ultimate fulfillment in the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ!
So what can these verses tell us about God Almighty –
1) God’s purposes and vision is always much bigger and grander than anything we can image. He is always about the work of blessing, protecting and expanding his people and kingdom.
2) What we find in the physical is but a mere breath of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ! The kingdom of Jesus is much greater than any physical manifestation and it keeps expanding, growing and blessing until he returns.
3) Yahweh is like a holy fire over and in his people – in the midst of his people he is their defender, protector and provider bringing ultimate peace and prosperity for the purpose of blessing all peoples, nations and kingdoms.
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