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Pastor's Blog July 18, 2019

"Bells and Bowls"

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Have you ever thought that the ultimate purpose of God's holiness is to make you recognize your true value and worth?  Zechariah 14:20 presents us with a beautiful picture of holiness for the redeemed when it says, "In that day 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD' shall be engraved on the bells of the horses.  The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar" (NKJV). 

In Zechariah 14, the prophet is giving a picture of the new heavens and new earth to the Jewish people who have returned from Babylon to Judah.  Much of the chapter is concerned with discussing "the day of the Lord" and detailing God's judgment on the nations who persecuted Israel.  But then the chapter ends with a promise of holiness: on the day when God shall reign as King over all the nations (and not just Israel), everything will be marked with holiness. 

The bells which the horses wear will be engraved with the words "holiness to the Lord"; likewise, all the pots that reside in God's temple will be engraved with "holiness to the Lord."  The reason the horses' bells are labelled with God's holiness is because the nations will use horses and other animals to travel to the new Jerusalem to worship God.  The nations will no longer be separated into people who worship God and people who don't; now everyone will worship God, and all their belongings will be identified as participating in God's holiness - including each person! 

And the reason all the pots in the temple of the Lord will be labelled with God's holiness is because everything will be used for the highest kind of worship of God.  Bowls were used for services performed on the altar of burnt offering, while pots were used for other sanctuary-related tasks (cf. 1 Kings 6-7); now, however, God is saying through Zechariah that every item in God's temple will be used for the highest kind of worship! 

Zechariah 14:20 is probably not describing the continuation of the sacrificial system in the new creation; instead, it's most likely using imagery the original audience would have understood.  But Zechariah 14:20 does make clear the position that everything will be characterized by God's holiness and worth.  As we worship God today, let us remember that God's holiness establishes our worth and fits us for eternal life with him.