A Wall of Fire — TDW Kids

A City Without Walls

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Paul says God’s people are “being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). Long before Paul, God gave the prophet Zechariah a picture of a city where He would live among His people.

A broken city. Zechariah lived after God’s people came home from Babylon. Jerusalem had been destroyed, and its walls were still broken down. The people were few, and they felt weak.

A man with a measuring line. “Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand” (Zechariah 2:1). He was going “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length” (2:2).

Why measure? The man most likely wanted to plan how big the new walls should be. But God had a bigger plan than anyone could measure.

Too big for walls. An angel said, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it” (2:4). God would fill the city with so many people and animals that no wall could hold them all.

A wall of fire. Then the Lord said He “will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst” (2:5). Stone walls can crack and fall. God Himself would be the wall around His people.

The glory inside. God would not only guard the city from the outside. He would be its glory on the inside. What makes God’s people special is God living among them.

God keeps His people. This promise shows that God watches over His people. That does not mean nothing hard will ever happen to them. It means they are never outside His care.

God is not weak. God’s people in Zechariah’s day were few and weak, but God was not weak. He does not need tall walls to keep His people in His care.

Grown-ups who protect you. God also gives parents and trusted grown-ups to help keep you safe. If something or someone makes you feel unsafe, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up right away.

The danger inside. The biggest danger to any person is not outside the walls. It is sin inside the heart. Every one of us has sinned, and no wall of stone can keep sin out.

Jesus, our safety. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and then God raised Him from the dead. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and belongs to God.

What this means for you. When you feel weak or small, remember that God is the wall around His people and the glory among them. Pray, and trust Him to watch over you.

Paul calls God’s people “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). Zechariah 2 gives an earlier picture of God living among His people and protecting them.

The setting. Zechariah prophesied after the return from Babylon, when the temple was being rebuilt and the walls of Jerusalem were still in ruins. The people were few and the city looked defenseless.

Few and discouraged. Zechariah spoke to a small community that felt weak. God’s answer to their weakness was not bigger walls but His own presence.

The measuring line (2:1-2). “Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.” He set out “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” Measuring was most likely the first step toward planning new walls.

Too large to measure. The man came to measure, but God’s plans outgrew his line. God’s blessing would be larger than human planning could hold.

Perazot (2:4). “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.” “Towns without walls” is perazot (say: peh-rah-ZOHT), open country villages with no walls around them. God’s city would grow too large to be fenced in.

A wall of fire (2:5). The Lord said He “will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.” Fire around the city speaks of protection no enemy could cross. Glory within speaks of God’s own presence.

Around and among. God promises to be both the boundary and the center of His people: around them as their defender and among them as their glory.

Real trust. The promise does not mean believers never suffer. It means God never abandons His people, and nothing reaches them outside His care.

Using the help God gives. Trusting God’s protection goes together with using the help He provides. If anyone makes you feel unsafe, tell a parent or a trusted adult.

The deeper danger. The worst threat is not an army but sin. Every person has sinned, and walls of stone cannot guard a heart.

Christ our protection. Christ bore our sins on the cross and rose again the third day. Those who trust Him are forgiven and brought near to God.

Application. When you feel exposed or small, read Zechariah 2:5 and pray it back to God: You are the wall around Your people and the glory among them.

Sing and Be Silent

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God promised Zechariah more than safety for Jerusalem. He promised to come and live with His people.

Sing and rejoice. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord (Zechariah 2:10). The daughter of Zion means the people of Jerusalem.

Why sing? The best news God’s people could hear was not that they would be rich or strong. It was that God would live with them.

Joy before the change. God told His people to sing before the city was rebuilt. Knowing that God is with you is reason enough to sing.

Many nations. “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people” (2:11). God’s plan was never only for one nation. He wanted people from every land to belong to Him.

My people. People who were once outsiders would hear God call them “My people.” God would claim them as His own.

No outsiders. In God’s family, people from every land are welcome. Nobody has to stay far off when they trust Jesus.

I will dwell. God said it twice: “I will dwell in your midst” (2:10, 11). To dwell means to live somewhere and stay.

God came near. When Jesus was born, God came and lived among people as one of us. One day Jesus will come again, and God will live with His people forever, just as He promised.

God lives in His people. After Jesus rose from the dead and went back to heaven, God sent His Holy Spirit to live in everyone who trusts Jesus.

Be silent. “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” (2:13). Flesh here means every person. When God comes near, the right answer is quiet, honoring awe.

Our need. Every one of us has sinned, and sin keeps us from a holy God. We could never make ourselves fit for Him to live with.

The way God made. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven, and God’s Spirit makes His home in them.

What this means for you. If you trust Jesus, God is not far away. He lives with His people. Sing to Him with joy, and take quiet time to listen and pray.

God promised Zechariah more than protection. He promised His own presence (2:10-13).

I am coming (2:10). “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. God Himself promised to come and make His home among His people.

Joy first. The command to sing comes before anything changes on the outside. The promise of God’s presence is reason enough for joy.

The nations joined (2:11). “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst.” “My people” was Israel’s name in God’s covenant, and here people from many nations are joined to the Lord under that same name.

A promise moving forward. God told Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his family. Zechariah shows that promise moving toward its goal.

God with us. God says “I will dwell in your midst” in 2:10 and again in 2:11. The heart of His promise is His own presence among His people.

Outsiders welcomed. Nations once far off are joined to the Lord and called His people. No one is too far away for God to bring near.

Begun in Christ. In Jesus, God came to live among people, and by His Spirit He makes His home with everyone who trusts Him. The promise will be complete when Christ returns and God dwells with His people forever.

The Spirit within. After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. Now God lives in His people, Jew and Gentile together.

Has (2:13). “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” “Be silent” is has (say: HAHS), a one-word call that means hush! Joy and awe belong together. The holy God who comes near is still holy.

The barrier of sin. Every person has sinned. A holy God could not live among sinners unless their sin was dealt with.

The cross and the empty tomb. Christ died for our sins and rose the third day. Through faith in Him, sinners are forgiven and become a home for God by His Spirit.

Application. Practice both responses this week: a song of joy because God is with His people, and a time of quiet before Him in prayer.

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