"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king comes to you. He is righteous and redeemer, humble, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt son of she-asses." (Zechariah 9:9)
At this point of his message, the Prophet refers to the anointed king that our Sages consider the Jewish Messiah. They teach that he embodies king David's virtues (about which we will refer in future commentaries) and, in regards to the verse above, humbleness is one of the primordial traits of the Messianic Consciousness. This trait is mentioned in the context of righteousness and redemption, and emphasized by being delivered also through the lowliness symbolized by donkeys, which also represent strength to carry heavy burdens.
The traditional meaning of the word righteousness in Hebrew is related to doing what is right, fair and proper. It is about qualities related to positive intentions for positive results. We are righteous out of good principles, thoughts, emotions and feelings that motivate us to fulfill their positive purpose. This is why the term is usually translated as "charity", though the point is to act out of Love as the fundamental motivation behind doing what is right. This premise leads us to the result we all anticipate. We are relieved, fulfilled, cared for, healed and protected as the effect of what is next to righteousness in the verse: Redemption.
This is how we conceive and assimilate Love's ways and attributes as the foundation of our individual and collective Redemption. Hence the Messianic Consciousness is based on living by these ways and attributes that make us be and do what is right. By their source we understand they all belong to humbleness. This essential trait is opposed to haughtiness as the absence of the positive qualities mentioned earlier. Thus we understand fantasies and illusions as the results of ego's materialistic desires that make us act not according to Love's ways and attributes. In the Redemption we all yearn for there is no room for anything different or opposite to positive traits, which characterize the Messianic Consciousness.
"And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the Earth." (9:10)
The Messianic Consciousness manifests itself as the integrating, all-encompassing and harmonizing principle that remove and transform negative traits and tendencies. In particular those that generate division, conflict, confrontation and strife, which culminate in war and destruction. These are the chariots, horses and battle bows, that also represent ego's weapons to make prevail its negative fantasies and illusions. These weapons siege, afflict and desolate Jerusalem as the highest level in our consciousness where we are permanently connected to the Creator. Ephraim here represents all the Tribes of Israel, as the inheritor of the Birthright embodied in his father Joseph.
Once the negatives traits and tendencies are removed through the redeeming qualities of the Messianic Consciousness, it will lead all aspects and facets of life through Love's ways and attributes. The Prophets refers to the anointed one who acts in humbleness as the peace maker among the nations, which means that the power of peacefulness is capable of unifying all aspects and dimensions of consciousness for each and everyone in this world. Peace and harmony are the effects of Love's ways and attributes as the positive traits needed to wipe out evil from the face of the Earth. In this sense, the anointed king heralded in Jewish Prophecy represents the Messianic Consciousness that will prevail once we embrace Love as the material manifestation of God's Love, and as our Essence and true identity.
"For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have described delusional dreams. They comfort in vain because they went their way as a flock. They were troubled because there was no shepherd." (10:2)
Time and again our Prophets warn us about ego's fantasies and illusions as the idols that make us live in the lies of vanity and futility. We want to find comfort and fulfillment in them, for which we devote our energies. As we awaken from them, we realize that the prevailing goodness of Love's ways was not present in our life. We embrace our Essence and true identity as the first step in our way back to the One who gave us who we really are. As we return to Him, His Love strengthens our conviction to live by His ways and attributes.
"And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back, for I have compassion upon them, and they shall be as though I had not cast them off; for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them." (10:6)
Once the Messianic Consciousness is enthroned as the redeeming principle announced by our Prophets, the positive trends and potentials begin to bear their fruits. We have said many times in this blog that the Tribes of Israel represent the positive trends and potentials destined to reveal God's Presence by creating a place for Him to dwell among us, as He commands in the Torah and through His Prophets. They remind us that He knows our yearning for Him, and in His compassion awaits our return to Him.
"And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it and rejoice, their heart shall be glad in the Lord. I will hiss for them, and gather them, for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased." (10:7-8)
Let's bear always in our hearts that the Final Redemption manifests when our return to the Creator is complete, when our Love and His Love meet and dwell together forever.
"And the Lord has become King over all the land, in that day there is one God, and His Name one." (14:9)
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