Zechariah 9:10 “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

If you know a little about Israelite history, you know that at the time of King David’s grandson Rehoboam, the nation was split in two. The northern kingdom, which took the name Israel, was sometimes referred to as “Ephraim” because that was the dominant tribe where the capitol city of Samaria was located. The southern kingdom was named Judah, and it was ruled from the city of Jerusalem. Sometimes the two nations had a peaceful coexistence, but they never liked each other much and often went to war.

The prophet Zechariah sees Jesus as the King who will put an end to the fighting between God’s own people. The weapons will be taken away from Ephraim in the north and Jerusalem in the south. They will live and act as one people once again.

Historically, the northern kingdom had pretty much disappeared from the face of the earth about 200 years before Zechariah. There was a little remnant of their people, but they never existed as a separate, identifiable state any more. What the prophet is giving us is rather a picture of the divisions among God’s people, internally–with each other, and the promise that Jesus will put an end to them.

Externally Christianity may still look very divided, with more flavors than Baskin Robbins. But spiritually, invisibly, we confess our faith in one holy Christian and Apostolic Church. Inwardly, faith in Jesus unites those who trust in him. We may not be able to see this yet, because faith is a hidden thing, a matter of the heart. We Christians may be forgiven, but we still struggle with sin and stubbornness and false beliefs that get in the way of our unity. Still, our King has given us his powerful word which attacks those divisive problems now, and the day is coming when “the battle bow will be broken.” All his true people will be gathered as one around his throne.

The benefits of living under this King are not limited to people living in one country or descended from one race. Part of the good news is that his reign is universal. “He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Some people criticize Christians for spreading their faith and trying to change people who already have a religion. That’s because people on the outside of the Christian faith don’t understand what our King has to offer. If we were trying to provide clean drinking water or a cure for malaria in some other part of the world, no one would complain about lack of respect for other cultures and faiths.

Jesus brings something far better and far more important, and he is the only source for what he has to give. No one else, no other belief system, can provide free forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and life that never ends. That’s why this King is spreading his kingdom “from sea to sea,” and “to the ends of the earth.” Wherever the gospel is preached, and people are coming to faith, people of every color and nationality are getting the same King we have, and the same blessings he brings.

There is no greater peace people can share. There is no greater unity we can know.