Daily Devotional For Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional reading for today comes from Zechariah 9:9-17 Have you ever gone to the top of a huge skyscraper? If you have, you know that many of them have observation decks on the top floor that allow you to have a panoramic view of the city. I have pictures standing in the observation decks in the original World Trade Centers before terrorists brought them down. I walked right up to the glass. I was so close that my nose almost touched it.
For some people, even with glass, they get the “heebie jeebies” getting that close. They feel as if they would fall to their deaths. When we come to Zechariah 9:9-17 , it is like standing in the observation deck of Scripture. Zechariah lived between 520-470 BC. His prophecies in our passage today would not come for another 500 years with the birth of Jesus. Zechariah links God’s judgment on Israel and Judah with a future Messiah and salvation. In fact, Zechariah is the Old Testament book most frequently quoted in the passion narratives of the four Gospels, beginning with the famous prophecy: “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).
This is a passage that is read during the Easter Season. This verse is quoted by Matthew in Matthew 21:5 and by John in John 12:15. It predicts when Jesus the Messiah would ride a donkey into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, immediately prior to Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and Resurrection. This is who we read this passage today, but how did the recipients in Rephidim in Zechariah’s day read it and interpret it?
Prior to this passage is God’s prophecy about someone we call Alexander the Great in 333 BC. In Zechariah’s time, Judah did not have a king. The last king of Judah was Zedekiah (597-586 BC). In Zechariah's time, there was no king over Judah, just a governor named Zerubbabel. As we read the book of Zechariah, it seems that for chapters 1-8, Gov. Zerubbabel was an active governor, but by the time we get to chapter 9 he is gone. So, beginning in chapter 9, the Jews are told to look to the future for God to send a ruler who fits and fulfills all the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Old Testament scholar David Baron writes this:
“This prophecy was intended to introduce, in contrast to earthly warfare and kingly triumph, another Kingdom, of which the just King would be the Prince of Peace, who was meek and lowly in His Advent, who would speak peace to the heathen, and whose sway would yet extend to earth’s utmost bounds.… If ever was a true picture of the Messiah-King and His Kingdom, it is this: and if ever Israel was to have a Messiah, or the world a Saviour, He must be such as is described in this prophecy—not merely in the letter, but in the spirit of it” (Source; David Baron, The Visions and Prophecies of Zecharia, pp. 303-304).
Jesus Christ is the only one who could and would fulfill all these messianic prophecies with justice and righteousness. It seems that Zechariah was familiar with Isaiah’s messianic prophecy in Isaiah 42:1. Jesus was born under the Law, lived under the Law and fulfilled all of the Law (Matt. 5:17). When we read Romans 3:10-12, Jesus is the only and sole exception to this passage. Jesus came to give righteousness to all who come and look to Him in faith. This is why Zechariah writes what he does in Zechariah 9:9.
Why does Zechariah mention a donkey in Zechariah 9:9? In earlier days, a donkey was a royal mount. We see that David (2 Sam. 16:1-2) and Solomon (1 Kgs. 1:33, 38) rode a donkey. Donkeys were considered to be an animal that represented humility. Old Testament scholar Thomas McComiskey writes this:
“The donkey stands out … as a deliberate rejection of this symbol of arrogant trust in human might, expressing subservience to the sovereignty of God. Jerusalem’s king is of humble mien, yet victorious, and so it has always been that the church does not effectively spread the gospel by sword or by arrogance, but by mirroring the humble spirit of its king and savior” (Source: Thomas E. McComiskey, The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary, 3 Vols., Vol. 3, p. 1166).
God’s messianic king would come with humility, obedience and servitude. We see this in Jesus in 2 Corinthians 8:9 and Matthew 20:28. So compare. Earthly kings strive for wealth, power, position, prominence and prestige. They have a pride that says, “I am better than you. You are beneath me.” Jesus came in humility to serve others and gave up all His divine benefits and lived as a human among us. New Testament scholar Arthur Pink writes this:
“Notice it in the men selected by Him to be His ambassadors: He chose not the wise, the learned, the great, the noble, but poor fishermen for the most part. Witness it in the company He kept: He sought not the rich and renowned, but was “the Friend of publicans and sinners.” See it in the miracles He performed: again and again He enjoined the healed to go and tell no man what had been done for them. Behold it in the unobtrusiveness of His service: unlike the hypocrites who sounded a trumpet before them, He sought not the limelight, shunned advertising, and disdained popularity.… When He, in fulfillment of prophecy, presented Himself to Israel as their King, He entered Jerusalem “lowly, and riding upon an ass” (Source: Arthur W. Pink, Comfort for Christians, p. 75).
Reflection Assignment: When you consider the life of Jesus, how does your life compare in terms of humility, obedience, and servitude? Do you ever think you are better than someone, especially some “sinner?” How does it make you feel that 500 years prior to the birth of Jesus, God shared this with the prophet Zechariah? What does this mean to you today and why?
Scripture To Meditate On: Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, it is obvious why You chose the disciples You chose. You use people who are not powerful; who hold no prestige or prominence. Lord, help me to be humble, obedient and to have an attitude of servitude to all. Please forgive me when I get prideful and think I am better than someone else because You say in Romans 3:10-12 I am not. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly