Day 1074: Holiness matters - Zechariah 14 vs 20 - 21

20 And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. 21 And there shall no longer be a Canaanite (or trader) in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day. Zechariah 14:20-21 English Standard Version

Leading up to today's verses, Zechariah spoke of ‘a day’ when people of all nations would “go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, to keep the Feast of Booths.” As I've often said before, it can be difficult to decide when to take the things he said as literal, or symbolic. For example, Matthew Henry, a well loved Bible teacher of old, wrote the following:

“As it's impossible for all nations literally to come to Jerusalem once a year, to keep a feast, it's evident a figurative meaning must be applied.” He suggests Zechariah's words were a prophesy of the age when the gospel would be preached to all nations, and says: “Gospel worship is represented by the keeping of the feast of tabernacles. Every day of a Christian's life is a day of the feast of tabernacles.” And, with regard to the 'bells of the horses', and the 'bowls and pots being holy like the sacred vessels used in the temple’, he says: “There shall be holiness even in common things. Every action and enjoyment of the believer should be according to the will of God, and directed to His glory. Our whole lives should be like one constant sacrifice, or act of devotion.”

Now whether or not we agree with Matthew Henry, the Bible does sometimes use pictures to represent spiritual truths. For example, when Jesus attended the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem, we read: “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’'” (John 7:37-38) And vs 39 of that chapter explains: “He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” So words can be symbolic of a greater reality.

Some believers see the 'Feast of Booths' Zechariah speaks of as a period of time when physical Jerusalem will be the centre of Christ's reign on this earth. Others, like Matthew Henry, saw it as referring to the gospel age. And some would say it looks ahead to the time when Jesus will reign over the new heavens and earth for all eternity. People of every tribe, tongue, and nation will “tabernacle” (dwell) with Christ in the New Jerusalem.

The apostle John saw a vision of such a time. He wrote: “The angel showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Rev 22:1-2) He added: “The city doesn't need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it.” Rev 21:22-26

What a wonderful future is in store for all who've truly loved God. But let us take heed to who Zechariah said won't be there. The word 'Canaanite' (vs 21) likely refers to those who set themselves against the Lord. So John wrote: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers, the sexually immoral, murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.” Revelation 22:14-16. Holiness matters!