Here, in Zechariah ix, Christ's Kingdom is set forth in all
true allegiance to Him. For He hath salvation; He hath it in His power; He hath it to bestow on all His subjects. He is the God of salvation. Treasures of salvation are in Him. (e) He is a meek, humble, tender Father to all His subjects as His children. He is lowly, He is poor and afflicted, having emptied Himself. But the evangelist translates it so as to speak of the temper of His Spirit. He is meek, not taking state upon Him, or resenting inquiries, but humbling Himself from first to last, condescending to the mean, compassionate to the miserable. As proof of this, when He made His public entry into His own city, and it was the only passage of His life that had anything in it magnificent in the eye of the world, He chose to ride, not upon a stately horse, or in a chariot, as great men used to ride, but upon an ass, a beast of service indeed, but a poor silly and contemptible one, low and slow, and in those days only ridden by the meaner sort of people. Nor was it an ass fitted for use, but an ass's colt, a little foolish unmanageable thing, that would be more likely to disgrace his rider than be any credit to Him. Nor was it His own, nor helped off, as sometimes a sorry horse is, by good furniture, for He had no saddle, no housings, no trappings, equipage, but His disciples' clothes thrown upon the colt. For He made Himself of no reputation when He visited us in great humility.
7. CuHRIsT's KINGDOM
Here, in Zechariah ix, Christ's Kingdom is set forth in all its glory.
(a) It shall not be set up and advanced by external force, by an arm of flesh, or weapons of warfare that are carnal. No! He "will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem". For He shall have no occasion for them while He Himself rides upon an ass. He will in kindness to His people cut off their horses and chariots, that they may not cut themselves off from God, by putting their confidence in them which they should put in the power of God only. He Himself will undertake their protection. He Himself will be a wall of fire about Jerusalem, and give His angels charge concerning it.
(6) It shall be propagated and established by the preaching of the Gospel, the speaking of peace to the heathen. For Christ came and preached peace to them that were afar off, and to