The counsel of peace

Zechariah 6:13

Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

We come back to Zechariah. It is almost irresistible to mine out the truths contained in this great book. Who is the verse speaking of? He has just spoken of Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the crowns that shall be placed upon His head. And what a picture of the Lord Jesus he is! And we find a similar correlation in chapter 3 between Joshua and The BRANCH. This is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself, who will one day build the temple of the Lord, and will sit and rule upon His throne. He shall reign from the temple in Jerusalem during His physical Kingdom that shall one day be set up. And the counsel of peace shall be between them both. There will be peace between Christ and those crowned to rule with Him, and that counsel of peace shall extend to all the world. There will be no corner of the globe where that counsel of peace does not come.

The counsel of peace! And is not Christ, in Isaiah, referred to as the Prince of Peace? And is this not what we love to ponder during this most joyful time of the year? We contemplate who Christ is, and the peace that He brings to this earth. The great multitude of the heavenly host who appeared to the shepherds near Bethlehem said in unison, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Peace! Christ brings peace! He came to do so! Now, we know that as He Himself explained, His coming would bring division and animosity between nations, peoples, and families. But for the individual person who is lost in turmoil and darkness and sin, Christ comes to bring peace to him—perpetual and perennial peace. He came and preached peace to them who were afar off, and to them that were nigh, so says the book of Ephesians. Christ is the ultimate and greatest peacemaker!

Now, my friend, do you have peace in your heart? This may be a pointed personal question, but I want you to be cognizant of the reality that is before us. For you shall not have peace without the One living in you who makes peace. How can we have peace? By knowing the Peacemaker! Do you know the Peacemaker? Perhaps your answer is in the affirmative, but there still is a lack of peace. This just means you need a deeper and more intimate relationship with the One who is peace. Aim not to find peace elsewhere. Know that Christ is the One who brings it. And if you have the peace of God ruling in your heart, you will also be at peace with your fellow man and woman. May God give you peace, and make you an instrument of His counsel of peace.

“Father, how we praise you for your Son, the Lord Jesus, who alone and through His own power has brought the possibility of peace to every person. May we always know that peace is only in Christ. And for those who have it not, we desperately pray that they would turn to the Peacemaker. And for every Christian who is living with disturbances to the peace of God, help them to renew the counsel of peace between them and their Lord. For all peace is in Thee. And we praise you for this. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”