“And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord.”

-Zechariah 6: 15a, ESV

The prophet has given us a great and grandiose picture of the coronation of the coming Messiah in this passage.  A crown with many diadems will adorn the royal head of our master, the Lord Jesus.  But Zechariah does not end only looking toward the far future, he closes this passage with a reminder that Yahweh has not forsaken them to failure even in their age.  Yes, this reconstruction of the temple is only a shadow and a pointer to the temple of Christ that will come, but it is a reminder that God is faithful to his covenant people.  More help is on its way.  Ezra will come and Nehemiah will be on his heels.

How often we tend to get discouraged and frustrated with God.  We act as if God has abandoned us to our state and are completely oblivious to what God has in the works.  How often we pitch in the towel before the event has run its course?  And how often have we had to beg forgiveness for out own lack of faith when we see God’s providence delivering us from the very jaws of our enemy. 

We need passages like this to remind us that we do not stand out on the battlefield alone.  We are not only surrounded by a cloud of witnesses but reinforcements are on the way.  We should never fear loosing our last arrow, throwing our last spear, or breaking our last sword in the battle against the enemy for new supplies will arrive as we need them.  Yet we will never be able to stockpile them.  Just as the Israelites received manna in the desert as a daily provision, so we too will receive provisions from God as they are necessary.  What a wonderful God that we have that monitors our daily needs and is in the business of constant provision.

The next time we are tempted to cry out like the martyrs in heaven, “how long,” let us turn to this passage and remember that reinforcements are on their way.  Instead of crying out “how long,” we ought to cry out “where can I serve you next.”