Zechariah 14:21

"Yea every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy unto Jehovah of hosts; and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil therein: and in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah of hosts."

We believe that the purpose here is to show that even those vessels (pots) once excluded from the lists of the sacred, shall in the new age be as holy as the "bowls before the altar" (Zechariah 14:20). Such a conclusion as that of Mitchell, supposing that the pots were much more numerous than the bowls, and from this concluding that the verse teaches a vast "increase in the number of worshippers,"[34] while true enough as an abstract principle, would seem, nevertheless, to have no connection whatever with this passage. Numbers do not appear here at all; the subject is "holiness."

"There shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah of hosts ..." The word "Canaanite" is of special interest. (See the full comments on this in my commentary on the minor prophets, vol. 2, p. 198.) The word means "trafficker," especially a crooked and deceitful one. It was a derogatory word used of the pagan population driven out of Palestine and supplanted by the Jews, who in time, also became "Canaanites" (Hosea 12:7). It stands for any wicked, profane, and idolatrous person.

"In the house of Jehovah of hosts ..." The Jewish temple, symbolical of Jehovah's house, became infested with Canaanites, as witnessed by the double cleansing of the temple by Jesus Christ who drove the money-changers out of it, both at the beginning and at the end of his personal ministry on earth. Thus, "Canaanite in the house of Jehovah" stands for any person who prostitutes sacred calling, office, or position for selfish, evil, and unholy purposes.

Such shall not be in "the house of Jehovah!" But how can it be prevented? Historically, the Canaanites have been an eager, ingenious, skillful breed of schemers; and there are many instances in which they have revived the abuses of the secular temple in Jerusalem. They have sold indulgences, prayers to get people out of purgatory, prescribed "penance" for the forgiveness of sins, etc., etc. But in spite of flagrant violations by those who mistakenly suppose themselves to be "in the house of Jehovah of Hosts," it must ever be true that Canaanites are not in the Lord's house at all. Wherever one discovers them, it is not in the house of the Lord. The Lord keeps his house. The Lord knoweth them that are hi own; and he never makes a mistake.

Preachers who are primarily purveyors of the word of God for money are the true Canaanites of this current era; and the suspicion is fully justified that there are many who fall into this category.

This verse concludes this "most Messianic" of the prophecies." A careful study of the last six chapters is all that is needed to assure on of their authenticity and true identity as the word of the Lord. No imposter, editor, redactor, interpolator, or glossator could ever, in thousand years, have produced such a masterpiece of prophecy as that which concludes Zechariah. No wonder, Christ and the holy apostles turned her again and again for prophecies bearing upon the epic ministry of the Son of God. Blessed be the name of the Lord; and Blessed be the WORD of th LORD.