Reading for March 17th

 Read Zechariah 9.1-8. In 9.1-17; The divine warrior defends Judah.  This chapter begins the second part of Zechariah, which, because of its differences in style and content, appears to have been composed later that chs. 1-8 and to have been added to the prophecies of Zechariah. The title An Oracle (9.1; 12.1) divides these supplementary speeches into two collections., chs. 9-11 and 12-14. In verses 1-8: God marches from north to south, defeating Judah's traditional enemies and taking up residence in Jerusalem. In verses 1-2a: Hadrach, Damascus, and Hamath are important Aramean cities north of Israel and Judah. In 2b-4: Tyre and Sidon are important Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast northwest of Judah. Tyre's legendary wisdom and wealth are described in Ezek 28. In verses 5-7: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod are important Philistine cities on the Meditterrean coast west of Judah. The Jebusites (v. 7) were defeated by David when he conquered Jerusalem (2 Sam 5.6-10). In verse 8: Following victory, the divine warrior is enthroned in his Temple (Ps 29.9-11). Comments or Questions..