Zechariah 9:15b – The Invincible Church part 2

“The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.”

It wasn’t originally my plan to cover verse 15 in two parts, but due to time and size, it was easier to cut them in half. If you haven’t already, you can read my commentary on Zechariah 9:15 part 1 here. Let’s go!

“and they shall be filled like bowls,“

It’s important to note as we get to the end of this verse that all that has been said so far is a description of the sons of Zion mentioned in verse 13. All of verse 15 is a description of the sons of Zion in action.
In these final two descriptions, I have come to appreciate more than ever the technology we have that allows us to rapidly trace the meaning and use of the original words of the text. Being able to do so greatly aids in the understanding of passages like these that are far-removed from us and at a quick glance, lack immediate context for us.

The primary word that we need to focus on in this section is ‘bowls’. The word for ‘bowls’ is ‘mizraq’ and comes from a root word meaning ‘to sprinkle’. What’s more, the word ‘mizraq’ is used throughout Scripture in relation to holding liquids, specifically two liquids: blood and wine. Blood is implied in Exodus 27:3 in connection with the brazen altar where the bowls would have been used to receive the blood of the sacrificial animals which was then sprinkled according to the Law. Wine is mentioned in Amos 6:6 where it says, ‘That drink wine in bowls . . .”

All this is very important for understanding what is meant by the phrase, ‘They shall be filled like bowls’. Why bowls? Is it just to say that God would pour out blessings on His people? That seems a bit shallow, especially considering how specific the previous parts of the prophecy have been. Some say the bowls were consecrated vessels, therefore, the sons of Zion will be consecrated like the bowls of the Tabernacle were too. There’s nothing wrong with that statement, but it doesn’t make a precise explanation of why the word ‘mizraq’ is used. Why not just say vessels? Why use a term for bowl for liquids? Was it coincidence or purpose?

I think there was a definitive purpose as to why the word ‘mizraq’ was used. I believe it has everything to do with what the bowl carried and its purpose. As I’ve mentioned previously, there’s two liquids associated with the word in Scripture: blood and wine. One could continue in context from the previous phrase where it speaks of them ‘making a noise as through wine’ to then conclude they will be filled like bowls of wine. That would be plausible and logical, but I believe it’s not the most fitting explanation for the following reasons.

1. The imagery of the infilling of the Holy Ghost in the NT church is one of overflowing, not filled. Specifically, the infilling of the Holy Spirit was likened to being drunk, not to wine itself.
2. If one goes with the bowls being filled with wine, it’s a redundancy. That was the effect of what was said immediately before. It doesn’t fit with the lean efficiency that we have seen thus far in Zechariah 9
3. There is another explanation which fits even better and more comprehensively

I submit that while it is not mentioned specifically, the bowls are being filled with blood. I believe this for the following reasons (I will refer to the bowls as basins from henceforth because it gives a more proper image of what they were):

1. The first use of ‘mizraq’ in Scripture is in relation to the brazen altar and the basins used for holding blood. This ties together with Zechariah’s previous reference to the Law in verse 12 where he references the law regarding a thief restoring double if caught.
2. While one could associate wine with the basins, in the NT, wine is associated with blood. So even if we speak of the basins being filled with wine, that wine in the NT would be a symbolic reference to the blood of Christ, further adding to the idea that it’s blood filling the basins.
3. To consider blood as filling the basins still fits in context, for the next part refers to the altar itself, thus still keeping in context. Blood has also been previously mentioned in verse 11.

I hold my fourth and final point to first ask, if the basins are being filled with blood, what does that mean? It’s the answer to this question that convinces me of my current view. We are currently speaking of the Church. The Church was commissioned by Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It’s through this preaching that people find salvation, that is, the remission of sins by the blood of Jesus. How does one come to get their sins remitted by the blood? It’s by believing. How do they believe? By hearing. How do they hear? By a preacher, that is to say, the church – God’s people.

*The sons of Zion (the church) are likened to basins. That means, they are vessels that transport. The blood is what remits sins (Col 1:14). If the vessels transport the blood which is the means of the remission of sin, does that not fit with Christ’s utterance in John 20:23 where he says, “Whose soever sins ye remit, remitted they have been.”?

In simple language, the Church is the means by which the Gospel message is spread throughout the world bringing redemption through the power of the blood of Christ.
This topic is exceedingly large, touching on all areas of the Gospel message, but I hope I have given a sufficiently clear understanding to give some framework for future study.

It’s noteworthy that in Romans 10:14,15, preaching and therefore the preacher is part of the essential chain required for salvation, further supporting the idea that the Church is like the basins which transported the blood of the sacrifice to where it needed to go. I could speak far more on this topic, but I think I have said enough for now. Let’s finish the verse.

“and as the corners of the altar.”

This section is one part that I misunderstood for a long time. I thought that it was a reference to the horns of the altar, and it was only recently as I studied that I looked at the word for corners to find out it was only used twice. Here and in Psalms 144:12 where it states, ‘that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.’

I had wrongly conflated the term ‘horns of the altar’ and ‘corners of the altar’. The word for corners here is definitively not the horns. It’s a reference to the ‘whole’ corner, the meeting of two sides if you please.

This immediately changed my perspective on the meaning of the text. When I initially thought it referred to the horns, I thought it could have something to do with blood being sprinkled on them, the sacrifice being tied to the horns, holding onto the horns in a plea for mercy, or a place of judgement, government, and authority as horns often symbolize in Scripture. Once I realized it meant the whole corner, there was an immediate thought that came to mind: the horns rest on the corners of the altar.

I have already written a lot, and will not go into alternative explanations but rather go straight to what I believe is best supported both by context and fulfillment.

Horns represent government/power/kings throughout Scripture (Rev 17:12, Deu 33:17). If the church is the corners of the altar, and the horns are power, the simple reading of that would be that there is power resting upon the church.

Let’s see how this explanation fits in context. So far we have seen the church is likened to being a sword in the hand of a mighty man (power), being surrounded on all sides by Jehovah of armies who defends them, devouring all, treading on sling stones, and making raucous sounds as though they are drunk. It would be in fully in context to understand the corners of the altar as referring to the fact that there is authority/power resting upon them.

That brings us to fulfillment. There are many places in the NT one could go, but for brevity I will quote but two.

1. In Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus tells His disciples, ‘All power is given unto me, now go!’ That’s not a verbatim quote, but it’s a condensing of what happens. Jesus has all the power, now He gives His followers the authority and power to go in His name into the world.
2. Acts 1:8, Jesus speaking again, tells His disciples that they will receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon them. Incidentally, the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ resting in His elect, or for the sake of emphasis, resting upon His elect.

All that we read in Zechariah 9:14-15, we see fulfilled in Acts in precise detail.

We are nearing the end of Zechariah 9, I hope you have found it a blessing as much as I have.