Zechariah 2:1-5: a reflection

1I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2Then I asked, “Where are you going?” He said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” 3Behold, the angel who talked with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him, 4and said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. 5For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be to her a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory in the middle of her.

Zechariah sees a man setting out to measure Jerusalem with a measuring line, as if to mark the boundaries for walls. But he is told to run and say that Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock within it. And then comes the promise of what will keep the city safe: For I, says the LORD, will be to her a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory within her. The city will need no wall of stone, because God himself will be its protection and its glory.

Notice the two things God promises to be for his people: a wall of fire around them, and the glory within them. As their protection, he will surround them like a wall of fire, better than any wall they could build. And as their honor and their treasure, he will be the glory in their midst, his presence at their center. The city's safety and its splendor will not come from its own defenses or achievements, but from God himself, around it and within it.

That is a rich promise for God's people still. Our true protection is not the walls we build, the securities we construct around our lives, but God himself, a wall of fire around us. And our true glory is not our own achievements or possessions, but God's presence in our midst. When you are tempted to trust in the walls you build for your own safety, or to seek your glory in your own accomplishments, remember this promise. Let God be your protection, better than any wall, and your glory, better than any achievement. Rest in his presence around you and within you, for the God who is a wall of fire and the glory in the midst is a better security and a better splendor than anything we could build for ourselves.

Lord, you promised your people that Jerusalem would need no wall of stone, because you yourself would be a wall of fire around her, and the glory within her. Thank you for so rich a promise. My true protection is not the walls I build, the securities I construct around my life, but you yourself, a wall of fire around me. And my true glory is not my own achievements or possessions, but your presence in my midst. When I am tempted to trust in the walls I build for my own safety, or to seek my glory in my own accomplishments, remind me of this promise. Be my protection, better than any wall, and my glory, better than any achievement. Help me rest in your presence around me and within me, for you, who are a wall of fire and the glory in the midst, are a better security and a better splendor than anything I could build for myself. Be my defense and my glory, Lord.