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Zechariah 14:1 – Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst.

I hope you are enjoying our study of the prophetic book of Zechariah.  I congratulate you for sticking with it because in general, it is somewhat difficult to study prophesy.  No matter how much we know, many questions remain unanswered.  Furthermore, interpretations can vary widely, depending on the manner in which God chooses to fulfill his word (literal or spiritual) and our understanding of his plans/purposes. 

Timing is always another issue when studying prophesy.  The events of Zechariah 14 are a good example.  Have the events of this final chapter already occurred?  If not, do we have an idea when to expect their fulfillment?  If they have already come to pass, have they been completely or only partially fulfilled?  If the fulfillment was partial, when, how and where can we expect to witness the final outcome? 

The word of the Lord in Zechariah 14 has a wide range of interpretations, especially in regards to the timing.  Some feel the promises came to pass during the times of the Egyptians, the Maccabees, or the Romans.  Others feel the events are still in the future, to be fulfilled simultaneously with the events of Ezekiel 38 & 39 when Gog and Magog move into action.  Still others feel these events will take place under the rule of the antichrist or during the judgments of the ‘Day of the Lord’.

Our study is not going to examine every possible timetable for the events of chapter 14.  This approach would be much too complicated and much too difficult.  Instead, we will study this passage from the simplified view that the events mentioned in this chapter have not yet fully come to pass.  This will allow us to concentrate on the interpretation of the passage without getting sidetracked by chasing partial fulfillments or arguing over the timing.   

Behold:  The final prophesy of Zechariah begins with ‘behold’.  This word prompts the hearer to focus their attention on the message of the speaker, because something of profound importance is about to be revealed by the Lord. 

A day is coming for the Lord:  In this instance, ‘a day’ refers to a specific but undefined period of time (hours? weeks? months?) when the Lord Jesus shall appear on the earth for a season of judgment.  For reasons known only to the Trinity, Jesus will allow the Jews to be tested during this period of time.  While these trials and judgments are taking place, the glory, righteousness and holiness of Jesus will be revealed to the world.       

The spoil:  What do we know about ‘spoils’?

‘Spoil’ is defined as that which is seized by violence, force or robbery; especially plunder taken by an enemy.  During the time of ancient Israel, spoil included things like sliver/gold, crops, flocks/herds, personal property, clothing, jewelry and even people. 

Numbers 31:9 – And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods.  All their cities …they burned with fire and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and beast.     

Spoil taken after a military victory is considered a lawful prize; hence we have the phrase ‘to the victor belongs the spoils’.  Israel both took and gave up her fair share of spoil throughout the years.

Spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst:  In the normal course of events, armies did not linger at the place of battle just to divide the spoils, lest the enemy somehow regroup and attack again.  Rather, the plunder was distributed in the camp of the victor.  Sometimes the distribution took place immediately in their encampment just outside the ransacked city.  Other times the spoil was divided on the way home, as the victorious army stopped to rest and celebrate (I Samuel 30:8-16).

But in this case, the victors will divide the spoil inside the city of Jerusalem.  This indicates that Israel is not simply losing a battle; she will be so utterly smitten that her enemies have no fear of remaining within the city.   

Zechariah 14:2 – For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped.  Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

The Lord is very clear that these events do not happen by chance or by fate or by the will of men.  They will happen by the decree of heaven; it will be the Lord who gathers the nations together to war against Jerusalem and it will be the Lord who gives Jerusalem into their hands.

Consequently, the Jews will suffer the universal/common hardships and humiliations endured by defeated nations – their city will be destroyed, their government and military forces will be dissolved, their homes and possessions will be plundered and their women abused.    

In fact, this Gentile coalition of nations will be consumed by such a hatred of Israel they will seek to utterly annihilate her.  However, God will not allow them to do so. 

Unbeknownst to them, they will function as instruments or tools of the Most High; he will use them to refine the Jews through fiery tests and trials.  Thus, we see that God will bring about good for the Jews through this period of harsh testing. 

The Lord goes on to declare that half of the citizens of Jerusalem will be exiled from the city and half would remain.  How can this be explained?

One theory is that when the city is captured, half of the people would take refuge in a stronghold/safe place such as an underground bunker.  The enemy will not be able to breach the defenses of this strong hold.  The Jews will remain in this safe place until they see a token of God’s favor.  At that point, they will emerge from their safe place and, with divine assistance, they will either defeat their enemies or escape the city.  God will then usher in a great and final restoration of the Jews.

Another theory claims that after some of the city is exiled, the aged/infirmed and all military personnel will be executed, resulting in a 50% loss of people.  Afterward, those who are left will be placed into positions of servitude or slavery.  The Jews will remain under this bondage until God moves on their behalf and frees them.  They will then fight against (and defeat) their enemies, or flee the city and be blessed by God.  

Regardless of exactly how this prophesy comes to pass, we can see once again that God always reserves a remnant for himself; a seed which will be planted and be for the restoration of the nation of Israel.

Zechariah 14:3 – Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.

God is said to ‘go forth’ or ‘go out’ when he declares/manifests his presence by some wondrous or miraculous deed, which is plainly visible to both the righteous and the wicked.  During these times of ‘going forth/out’, God fights for his people and gives them victory.

There are many instances of this throughout the Old Testament.  One example of this would be when the Lord destroyed Pharaoh and his armies with the Red Sea, after the Jews had passed over it on dry land (Exodus 14:21-30). 

Another instance occurred during the conquest of the Promised Land, when Joshua was leading the children of Israel against a five king coalition of Canaanites.  During that battle, God sent a spirit of fear/panic into Israel’s enemies.  He also rained down giant hailstones upon them so that more were killed by hail then by the men of Israel.  As if that were not miraculous enough, he heard the prayer of Joshua and caused the sun to stand still in the sky, giving Israel time to fully destroy their enemies (Joshua 10:1-14). 

There was also the time when the King of Assyria planned to lay siege to Jerusalem and conquer the kingdom of Hezekiah.  All the Jews put on sack cloth and sought the help of the Lord.  That night an angel of the Lord went into the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 enemy soldiers.  When the remaining Assyrians woke up the next morning with all those dead bodies, they packed up and immediately went home to Nineveh (II Kings 19:35).

We could give many, many more examples but the bottom line is that God has always been ready to fight for his people in the day of battle.  During these times, his supernatural assistance is clearly evident and he receives glory for the victory of his people. 

So, to summarize so far, we can say that God will bring about an appointed period of time when the Jews will be drawn into a war with multiple other nations.  Israel’s enemies will breach the defenses of Jerusalem; approximately half of the Jews will be exiled (or slaughtered) while the other half will remain in the city, perhaps in a strong hold of some kind or perhaps in a state of servitude.

God will use this war and what occurs during it as a trial/severe test for his people.  However, at the appropriate time, he will ‘go out’ or manifest an instance of his mighty power just as he did in days of old. 

Isaiah 42:13 – The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.  

Because of God’s divine assistance, the Jews will overcome all odds and either be victorious against their enemies or escape their clutches.  In this great victory, the glory will belong to the Lord. 

What we have detailed so far reflects a literal interpretation of the scripture.  In other words, there will be actual armies, who literally fight over the city of Jerusalem, etc. However, it should be noted that some scholars believe in a spiritual fulfillment, not a literal one.

The spiritual interpretation asserts that the awful war described here is a spiritual battle between the church (including the Jewish converts) and the forces of darkness.  This interpretation says that God allows this grievous test to come upon the church in order to purify her.  Some Christians will be ‘exiled’ or defeated in spiritual battle while others will hold fast.  At the appointed time, Jesus will come to the spiritual rescue of his people and give them victory over Satan.  

Zechariah 14:4 – On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.

This verse mentions the Mount of Olives, which is also called Olivet (Acts 1:12).  At other times, it is simply referred to as the mountain east of the city or the mount facing Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23, I Kings 11:7, Nehemiah 8:15).

The Mount of Olives is actually a ridge just over a mile in length.  It is east of Jerusalem and runs in a general north and south direction.  It is separated from Jerusalem by a very narrow valley called Cedron or Kidron.  The mountain itself is formed of limestone and is divided into four clefts or summits.    

The southern summit is sometimes called the Mount of Corruption or the Mount of Offence so named because it is the location where King Solomon erected high places for the idolatrous worship of idols (I Kings 11:7, II Kings 23:1).   

Another peak is referred to as ‘the prophets’, so called because of the labyrinth of tombs on its side, called ‘the prophets tombs’.    

 The central summit, also called the ‘Mount of Ascension’ is probably the peak which was frequented by Jesus. 

The fourth summit is called the Viri Galilaei or the peak of Galilee.

The Mount of Olives is mentioned in passing once or twice in the Old Testament.  King David crossed it when he was fleeing from his son Absalom (II Samuel 15:30).  For many years the Israelites would go there to cut branches for use during the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:15). 

But the primary importance of this mountain is found in its connection to the closing years of Jesus’ life. 

• Jesus passed over the mount daily, as he taught in the temple (Luke 21:7). 
• It is widely believed that the cursed fig tree was also on that mountain (Matthew 21:19). 
• Jesus rode over the mountain during his triumphal entry to Jerusalem (Luke 1:28-8). 
• The Mount of Olives was the site of Jesus’ great eschatological discourse to the disciples in Matthew 24 & 25. 
• The Mount of Olives is the site of the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus travailed in prayer and was betrayed by Judas.

If you believe in a literal interpretation of this prophesy (Zechariah 14), then you believe that Jesus literally comes to earth and stands upon the Mount of Olives.  When he does, a tremendous earthquake will occur which splits the mount in two, from east to west. 

This will result in half of the mountain now being shifted to the north, and the other half to the south, creating a newly formed valley.  This valley will function as an escape route which leads from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, the Jordan River or some other location east of the mountain.

Those who hold to a literal interpretation point out that when Jesus left earth, it was a literal event which the disciples saw with their own physical eyes.  Furthermore, the angels who were present at that event said that Jesus would return in the same way as he left:

Acts 1:9-11 – And when he [Jesus] had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

(See also Job 19:25).  Proponents of the literal point of view also note that it is common for an earthquake to occur when the Lord appears (Exodus 19:18, Isaiah 29:6, Ezekiel 38:19-20, etc).

Others believe in a spiritual interpretation of this verse.  Those who hold to this view say the true meaning is that God’s power will manifest itself in such a remarkable way in the deliverance of the church, it will be just as if he was literally standing upon the Mount of Olives, directing the battle while destroying all obstacles that stand in the way of the church’s deliverance and victory.

Those who adhere to this theory point out that many times in scripture mountains figuratively represent obstacles or hardships:

Zechariah 4:7 – Who are you O great mountain?  Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain…

(See also Isaiah 40:4, etc).  Those who hold this view believe that the description of the Mount of Olives splitting in two as Jesus stands upon it is simply a picture for the imagination.  The purpose behind the picture is to give the people a mental image of the victory which God will give them.  This mental picture will give them hope and be an encouragement to their faith. 

Let me offer you some encouragement:

The prophesy in this chapter of Zechariah is difficult to understand, even for seasoned bible scholars.  Over the years there has been a lot of argument over the meaning and timing of these events.  These unknown factors can cause uneasiness or distress, especially for those who have been taught that we are now living in the ‘end times’ and may be a part of these events.

If that is you, let me give you some encouragement: God is acutely aware of your life and your situation.  The psalmist tells us that God sees when you sit down and when you get up.  He is acquainted with all of your ways and habits.  He even knows every word you speak, before you form the words on your lips.  He determined the number of your days before you were ever born (Psalms 139)! 

Does that sound like a God who has forgotten you or who would let your life ‘slip through the cracks’ of his knowledge? Of course not!

It has never been God’s plan for you to live in fear or uneasiness.  He has given each one of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3), which grows as we place our trust in him.  We may not understand all that God reveals through his word, but we know enough to understand that he is in control. 

We should also keep in mind that God loves us immeasurably.  If he didn’t, he never would have allowed Jesus to die for our sin.  If God has already made the ultimate sacrifice to redeem us, he certainly won’t allow us to be swallowed up by the enemy on ‘that day’!  

Let me offer you some relief and strength:

This prophesy indicates that God will bring the Jews (or the church) into a refining fire of hardship.  The enemy will try to tell you this proves that God is unjust, unfair and perverse. 

But nothing could be further from the truth!  We know that our Heavenly Father is perfectly just, perfectly righteous and perfect in his love for us.  He often prunes harmful or useless things from our lives, in order to assist our spiritual growth and make us more fruitful in his kingdom.  This process is a normal part of every Christian life.

John 15:1-2- I [Jesus] am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

You should also keep in mind that Satan is a created being; he does not know or understand the mind of God, and he never will (only Holy Spirit has that power – I Corinthians 2:9-12).  He will twist facts around to make it seem as though God is cruel, but he cannot see the glorious blessings that God will bring about through these refinements. 

The truth is that spiritual refinement always results in our ultimate good.  God is not looking for ways to send you to hell or reasons to punish you; he is actively engaged in finding ways to bless you!

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Zechariah 13:7 – “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts.  “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.”

We now come to the final portion of Zechariah chapter 13.  In our last post, we noted that a time will come when false prophets and teachers will be exposed for their lies and removed from their positions of power and influence.  These false prophets bear shameful scars in their flesh as the result of being ‘pierced’ and/or ‘wounded’.

The prophet now gives a dramatic contrast between these false prophets/teachers and the true spiritual shepherds of God. 

Zechariah begins this abrupt transition by referring to a particular shepherd.  In our translation (English Standard Version) this shepherd is described as ‘standing next to’ the Lord. Your translation may describe this shepherd as an ‘associate, fellow, neighbor or friend’ of God.  In these cases, the word refers to someone who is connected or united with the Father.  Other translations use the word ‘kindred or kinsman’ meaning one of the same blood or tribe. 

Because this shepherd is described as being united, related or associated with God, we know he is not one of the worthless shepherds described in Zechariah 11.  He is an honest and true shepherd of the Lord.

Generally speaking, this can collectively refer to all true shepherds/ministers which the Lord has provided for his people.  Let me explain.

Deuteronomy 18:15 – The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen.

When Moses spoke to the children of Israel back in the book of Deuteronomy, he mentioned that God would give his people ‘a prophet’ who would lead them to God.  At first glance, you might be tempted to think that Israel only had one spiritual leader. 

However, the phrase ‘a prophet’ is symbolic of the whole order of men and women which God sent to Israel throughout history.  In every age, God demonstrates care for his people by providing them with prophets who speak the truth and comfort Israel with the knowledge that God is with them.  These men and women speak by the power of Holy Spirit, assuring the people that God will provide salvation and deliverance for the nation. 

Of course, as we know, Jesus Christ was the culmination of this true prophetic order. At the time appointed by the Father, Jesus the Messiah came to earth and clearly explained the gospel/plan of salvation to the Jews, which would deliver them from the bondage of sin:

Hebrews 1:1-2 – Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things….

Furthermore, Jesus can be correctly described as the ‘man standing next to the Lord’, because in the flesh he is a kinsman of the Jews and in the spiritual realm he is united to God:

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 10:30 – I [Jesus] and the Father are one.

Zechariah goes on to prophesy that this true shepherd will be struck with a sword.  The term ‘sword’ generally refers to affliction, violence and sorrow. 

Again, this is applicable to the general order of true prophets and ministers.  History tells us that the Jews persecuted and executed many of the true prophets sent to them by God.

We know it refers to Jesus as well, because he specifically uses this verse to describe himself:

Matthew 26:31 – Then Jesus said to them [the disciples], “You will all fall away because of me this night.  For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”

Regarding the specific case of Christ, the sword of affliction/violence/sorrow is the sword of divine justice, which requires a blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin (Hebrews 9:22). 

The sword of divine justice is free to pursue mankind, because we are all guilty of sinning against God’s holy laws.  But notice that was not the case for Jesus.  God had to command or call this sword to awaken against Christ, because he was/is sinless!  

It is significant that Father God is the one who awakens or calls this sword into action because it proves that the death of Christ occurred with the full foreknowledge and approval of God, at the exact time determined by his divine will.    

Zechariah then prophesies that when the shepherd is struck, the sheep of the flock will be scattered. As we noted in Matthew 26:31, Jesus applies this prophesy to himself; it refers to the scattering of the 11 disciples at the time of the crucifixion (Matthew 26:56).

However, the scattering of the disciples was only a partial fulfillment of this prophesy.

The entire flock or nation of the Jews was scattered in the destruction of Jerusalem shortly after Jesus was crucified.  From that day until the end of this age, they are still scattered sheep, waiting to be gathered by Christ once they acknowledge him as Lord and Savior (Isaiah 40:9-11).

The scattering is/will be a time of trial which can’t be avoided.  However, God promises that during that time he will ‘turn his hand upon the little ones’.

Who are the ‘little ones’?

In this case, ‘little’ refers to those who are few in number and insignificant in their own estimation.  They are fearful and of little faith; they are contemptible in the eyes of the world.  In other words, they were/are Jews who accepted the gospel message and became humble followers of Christ, like the apostles.  In Zechariah chapter 11, they are referred to as the ‘poor of the flock’. 

From the inception of the Jewish nation to the end of this age, God always maintains a group of ‘little ones’ or a remnant of Jews who believe in him and stay true to his word. 

God promises that he will ‘turn his hand upon’ this remnant of Jews.  The meaning is that God is going to put his hand of protection, favor and grace upon the Jews who accept the gospel message. 

This was clearly evident in the case of the disciples.  Jesus protected his disciples from both the Romans and the unbelieving Jewish religious leaders.  He filled them with the power of Holy Spirit, who enabled them to understand the scriptures and deliver the full gospel message to the world.  He gave them success in establishing the church and he preserved their lives until they had accomplished the work he set before them. 

As we mentioned, the scattering of the disciples was not the only scattering that occurred in the history of the Jews.  For example, in 70 AD the unbelieving Jews were also scattered during the destruction of Jerusalem.  This was a direct result of their rejection of the Shepherd/Messiah.  Verses 8-9 give us more of the details of this scattering.  Let’s take a closer look.

Zechariah 13:8 – “In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.”

In a general sense, this verse is not at all difficult to understand – at the time of the scattering, two-thirds of the people will die (be cut off) while one-third will live. 

However, the specifics are much harder to determine.  For example, what is meant by the ‘whole land’?  Some feel this refers to the entire world, while others say it refers to Judah or Jerusalem.  Other controversies arise over the timing of these events.  Here are a few possible scenarios:

*  One theory says that the whole land refers to the nation of Israel.  This theory also says the prophesy was literally fulfilled in AD 70.  At that time, a remnant of the Jews (the one-third that believed in Christ as the Messiah) fled from Jerusalem and thus preserved their lives.  Meanwhile, the rest of the Jews (the two-thirds who did not believe) remained in the city and were slain either by famine, disease or the result of war.

*  Another theory interprets this in a spiritual sense.  This theory maintains that while the majority of Jews rejected Christ as the Messiah, God has all along maintained a remnant according to the election of grace (Romans 11:5).  This number will increase exponentially when the Jews realize that Christ was the Messiah.

*  Others believe this prophesy will be fulfilled at the end of this age, when the antichrist (head of the revived Roman Empire) declares war against the Jews.  They believe this time of tribulation is the one referred to by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 12:1).

*  Another interpretation claims that the two-thirds which are destroyed are the heathen and the Jewish unbelievers; the one-third refers to Christians (both Jew and Gentile).  This belief is based on the fact that traditional Jewish worship came to an end when the temple was destroyed and pagan idolatry was eliminated when Christianity spread through the world after the death of Christ.

*  Other theories claim that the ‘whole land’ refers to the entire world.  In this case, the two-thirds represent a combination of unbelieving Jews and Gentiles.  Those who hold this theory believe this group includes those who deny Christ outright, as well as false worshipers who adhere to religious rites without having a true relationship with Jesus (Luke 13:27).  Under this theory, the one-third is made up of a combination of Jewish and Gentile believers (the church).

Obviously, there are many differences of opinion on the exact meaning of the two-thirds/one-third.  But one thing that everyone agrees on is that the one-third will be preserved or saved from destruction, both physical and spiritual, although they will experience a time of testing.

Zechariah 13:9 – “And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested.  They will call upon my name, and I will answer them.  I will say, ’They are my people’, and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

For the purposes of our study (and based on the context of chapters 12 and 13), we will assume the one-third refers to a portion of the Jewish nation who will receive Christ as the Messiah at the end of this age.

The prophet tells us that this group of Jewish Christians will be refined like silver and gold.  When precious metals are refined by fire, whatever is impure is burned away, leaving a product that is free of imperfections or defilement and more valuable than before.    

In the same way, God will refine his Jewish sons and daughters by allowing them to experience fiery trials or difficult circumstances.  While this process may be painful, it will result in good because it burns sin and corruption from the lives of the Christian Jews, making their faith even more precious than gold tried with fire.

These trials will result in purer worship and praise, greater Christian discipline, uncorrupted teaching/preaching of the gospel and more holiness in the lives of God’s people.   

During (and after) these times of trial, the Christian Jews will become increasingly aware that God never fails; he is always faithful to his promises and he can be fully trusted in every situation.  Therefore, the Jews can (and will) seek God in prayer over every situation in their lives. 

And, hallelujah, God will both hear and answer their prayers:

Psalms 65:2 – O you who hears prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

God will make it plain to the world that the Christian Jews are his special, peculiar covenant people.  He will do this by answering their prayers, showing them his favor, protecting them, and giving them his Spirit.

For their part, the Jews will know God as their covenant God and Father.  They will publicly declare their allegiance to him and enjoy their relationship with him.

Psalms 144:15 - …Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!       

Those who choose to serve the Lord will never regret their decision, because a relationship with God is the greatest joy that we can ever experience.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In the book of Zechariah, God has a lot to say about false and true shepherds. 

If you are attending a church that is being led by a true shepherd of God who cares for your spiritual growth and development, you have a lot to be thankful for!  I strongly encourage you not to take your pastors for granted. 

Take the time to send them a text or give them a call and tell them how much you appreciate them.  Thank them for being ‘on call’ 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 

If their sermon gave you new spiritual insight, challenged you, or encouraged you in your Christian walk, tell them!  Let them know that you appreciate their spiritual advice and sound council. 

Pray for them, encourage them, and bless them whenever you can!  

Let me offer you some relief and some strength:

As a Christian, you might be tempted to think that something is wrong when you experience a difficult trial.  But actually, the opposite is true – trials are evidence that God is working in your life.  Consider this:

Trials draw you closer to God – As a Christian you know that God is the source for everything you need.  He is your healer, your deliverer, your provider, your leader, etc.  So when you find yourself in the midst of a trial, you will automatically turn to him.  You will find yourself in the secret place with him, as you seek his wisdom and mercy.  Thus, you are drawing closer to him.

Trials increase your faith – As you commune with God in the secret place and he speaks to your situation, you will speak, plan and act upon what Holy Spirit reveals to you.  As you do, your faith in him will stretch and grow.

Trials create testimony – The trial you experience WILL be a testimony.  Remember the narrative of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha?  When Lazarus died, it was a terrible trial for the two sisters.  When Jesus finally came to their home, they expressed their continued faith/trust in him, regardless of the situation.  Shortly after, Lazarus was raised from the dead, which created a testimony.  As a result, many people came to Christ:

John 11:44-45 - And he that was dead [Lazarus] came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a cloth. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go.  Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

Think about that for a minute… if you knew the trial you faced today would result in a testimony that would bring lost sinners to salvation tomorrow, wouldn’t you admit it was a useful thing?  Hint:  We need to start viewing all of our trials through that lens!

Trials prompt you to get into the word – We all know the importance of being familiar with the scriptures, yet sometimes we still fail to spend time in the word.  But as soon as a trial comes along, where is the first place you find yourself?  That’s right: in the word!     

Trials prompt us to weed sin out of our lives – As mentioned in today’s post, the furnace of affliction and trial purges sin from our lives, making us purer vessels to be used in the kingdom (II Timothy 2:20-21).

So the next time a trial comes your way, don’t gripe and complain.  Instead, seek the Lord and allow him to use the situation for his glory and your good.

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Zechariah 13:3 – “And if anyone again prophesies his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’  And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.”

Chapter 13 is a continuation of chapter 12.  Thus far, we have seen that Israel will be beset on all sides by her enemies, possibly at the end of this age.  Once they are in that situation, the Lord is going to open their spiritual eyes to the truth of the gospel. 

At that point the Jews will repent with great zeal and embrace salvation.  As a result of their spiritual awakening, they will abandon all of the false idols they used to serve.  Furthermore, false prophets and unclean spirits will also cease to exist in the nation.

Verse 13 continues the subject of false prophets and teachers.  It essentially says that on ‘that day’, when Holy Spirit opens the minds of the Jews to salvation, there will be such a passionate pursuit of spiritual truth and sound doctrine, that the Jews will not tolerate anyone who teaches or prophesies falsehood.

Intolerance for false prophets and teachers is nothing new; it was a part of the Old Testament law.  In Deuteronomy 1:6-10, the Lord commands his people to denounce anyone (including friends and family) who attempts to lure them into serving an idol/false god. 

Under the Law, the person who is promoting idolatry shall be stoned for their crime with the first stone being thrown by the people they tried to ensnare or lead astray (see also Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

But on ‘that day’, the Jews will no longer be under the law.  They will have entered the age of grace.  With that change in mind, how are we to interpret the phrase ‘his father and mother… shall pierce him through’?

One theory claims that ‘thrusting him through’ is symbolic for a sharp rebuke/reproof with words.  As we know, words are often compared to swords, because they can cut or pierce people mentally, emotionally and spiritually:

Proverbs 12:18 – There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

The main point of this theory is that the parents of the false teacher will strongly rebuke their child, possibly in a public manner.  Because of their severe ‘tongue lashing’, the child will forsake the path of falsehood.

A second theory claims that the mother and father are issuing a warning to their wayward child by making a comparison:  If the false prophets of the past were subject to physical death for their sin, present day false prophets (their child) would also be doomed to death for their sin – only this time (under the new covenant) it would be spiritual death.

In this scenario, the parents are not passing a binding judicial judgment of death upon their child.  They are merely trying to show their child the danger of the path he or she is on.

Yet another theory maintains that the verse should be interpreted literally.  In this case, the false prophet or teacher is identified and punished, perhaps by whipping or other means. 

This interpretation also allows for a sentence of death for the false prophet/teacher, just as it was under the law.  However, critics of this theory point out that Old Testament law calls for stoning, not thrusting the individual through with a blade. 

Furthermore, under the New Testament covenant of grace, death would not be an option at all.  Plus, there is a question of whether or not people would be able to put someone to death without due legal process.

Which theory do you think is most likely?

Zechariah 13:4 – “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies.  He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive…”

During the time of Israel’s great revival, the false prophets and teachers will be ashamed of their lies, deception and false doctrines.  Their shame will come from one of two sources.

One possible source of shame is the now spiritually enlightened people around them.  As more and more Jews receive Christ, they will be acutely aware that these false prophets/teachers were lying about speaking for God.  The man-inspired doctrines and scriptural interpretations of the false teachers will be recognized as absurd and foolish.  People who formerly listened and supported these teachers will now publicly scorn and reject them, which will cause them to be ashamed.  (Their own parents may be in this group.)

The second possible source of shame comes from their own consciences.  In other words, it is possible that even these false prophets and teachers will turn to Christ and experience salvation.  (This is the outcome I am hoping for!)  In that case, they will be ashamed of themselves for speaking falsely and leading people astray with their lies. 

Zechariah tells us that as a result of their shame, they will no longer put on the ‘hairy cloak of deceit’.  What does that mean?

In order to understand the meaning, let’s turn to the world of textiles.  Today’s clothing is made from a wide variety of materials.  For example, we have soft clothing made from silk or cashmere.  Because these materials are highly desirable and somewhat difficult to obtain, they are very expensive. 

We also have clothing made from cotton or polyester.  These fibers are versatile, durable and commonplace, which makes them a popular and affordable option for most people.    

Coarse, heavier weaves such as canvas or wool, are commonly used to make outerwear which protects or warms the wearer. 

The men and women of ancient Israel also had a variety of materials to choose from when fashioning clothes.  As we would expect, the rich people of that day opted for soft, luxurious garments (Matthew 11:8), while the common people most often wore wool or linen.

There was also a class of woven garments made from very rough or scratchy fibers such as camel’s hair or goat’s hair.  These were the least comfortable and least desirable garments.  Sack cloth, which was worn by the ancients when they were in mourning or states of repentance, falls into this class. The clothing in this category is collectively referred to as ‘hairy garments’ (your translation may say ‘rough garment’ or ‘hairy mantle’). 

Although there is no evidence to suggest that every prophet always wore this type of clothing, we do know that prophets often dressed in sack cloth as they gave the people warning of judgment or issued a call to repentance.  They encouraged others to put on sack cloth as well (Jeremiah 4:8, Joel 1:13, Isaiah 32:11, etc).

In some cases, the prophets wore sack cloth for lengthy periods of time. In fact, there were at least two nationally recognized prophets who exclusively wore hairy garments or cloaks:  Elijah and John the Baptist.

II Kings 1:7-8 – He (King Ahaziah) said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?”  They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair with a belt of leather about his waist.”  And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Mark 1:6 – Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

Thus, ‘hairy garments’ became a badge or symbol of a prophet. 

Now let’s return to our text.  Reading between the lines, we assume that the false prophets and teachers which Zechariah speaks of will wear some kind of unique clothing/garments (possibly robes or a uniform of some kind) which are commonly worn by or associated with true ministers and teachers.  The false prophets and teachers wear these garments for the purpose of making themselves (and their messages) seem legitimate. 

But in reality, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing; their goal is to enrich and honor themselves rather than feeding God’s flock (Zechariah 10:3):

Matthew 7:15 – Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Thankfully, when Holy Spirit brings a great revival to the Jewish nation, these false prophets and teachers will be exposed, and people will no longer be deceived by them. 

At that time, the false prophets/teachers will remove the robes (hairy garments) and cast them aside because they can no longer fool people, or because they themselves have experienced repentance.

Zechariah 13:5 – “…but he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’”

As these false prophets/teachers accept the gospel message and repent (or are simply exposed as liars), they will recant their former claims to be true ministers. 

If they are questioned by anyone, they will freely admit that they are actually ‘workers of the soil’ or common laborers.  Being ‘sold in their youth’ indicates that they were once indentured servants, former slaves/bondsmen or apprentices. 

The bottom line is that these formerly false prophets are now admitting that they had no prophetic or teaching call upon their lives (I Corinthians 12:28), nor did they have the education or training required of true ministers.

They will now abandon their deceptive offices/positions and return to their own true vocations in life.  They will become honest, hardworking men and women in the secular realm.

Notice that Zechariah mentions two particular things about these false prophets:  One, they will give up the positions which are not rightfully theirs and two, they will start earning their income through honest means.  

Many scholars believe this indicates that these false prophets/teachers will truly repent and receive salvation in Christ.  They base their belief on the apostle Paul’s description of a repentant sinner:

Ephesians 4:18 – Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

They picture a situation where the former false prophets are now hard at work in the secular realm.  However, having been formerly known as a false prophet/teacher, they are still questioned by people from time to time to ensure they do not try to return to their former scams. 

The response of the former false prophet/teacher indicates that they are so busy with their current occupations they have no time or inclination for further deceptions.

Although these actions seem odd to us, they will be perfectly normal at that time.  They are a reflection of the zealous righteousness that will be found in Israel after the Jews find Christ.  In fact, this passage suggests that the members of each individual household will hold their own sons/daughters/relatives accountable for sin, chastising them if necessary.

Furthermore, as private citizens, they will each do their part to keep those around them (neighbors and friends) on the paths of righteousness. They will no longer ‘turn a blind eye’ when they discover sin; they will call it out and have it removed from society. 

Zechariah 13:6 – “And if anyone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’ he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’”

In order to understand this verse, we need to review some ancient customs.

When the idolatrous priests and prophets wanted to get the attention of their god, they often cut or slashed their own flesh and spilled their own blood to entice the god to answer or pay attention to their requests. 

Scripture records a vivid account of just such a practice in I Kings chapter 18.  As you recall that chapter details the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  The idolatrous priests and prophets prepared an offering for Baal.  All day long they danced and cried out to Baal but there was no answer.  At that point, they took things up a notch and began to cut themselves, hoping their god would notice:

I Kings 18:28 – And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.

Back in that day, it was also common practice for the heathen nations to cut themselves as a token of grief and mourning for their dead friends and relatives:

Jeremiah 48:37 – “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off.  On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth.”

Finally, we need to take a closer look at the literal translation of verse six.  We want to pay particular attention to the word ‘back’.  In the original Hebrew, the word means ‘between the hands’.  Obviously, that could be (and has been) translated in a number of different ways: 

• The King James version uses the word ‘hands’.
• The ESV (English Standard Version) uses the word ‘back’.
• The ASV (American Standard Version) uses the phrase ‘between thine arms’.
• The Complete Jewish Bible uses the phrase ‘between your shoulders’.
• The NLT (New Living Translation) uses the word ‘chest’. 

Now let’s circle back to our text.  In verse five, we noted that the former false prophets and teachers will return to working jobs in the secular realm.  However, they will still be frequently questioned by members of the community in regard to their former ways.

The people questioning them may be doing so because they know the former false prophet by name or reputation.  But there will be another way to identify them as well – by scars on their bodies. 

The scars are probably on visible portions of their skin, likely the hands and arms.  However, if the people in question are out on the beach or working a labor-intensive job outside, the public might also catch a glimpse of their backs or chests which would almost certainly be scarred as well.

The God-fearing zealous Jews will challenge the person bearing these marks or scars, accusing them of returning to their former ways and actively trying to recruit worshipers for their false gods/idols. 

The former false prophet will reply that he (or she) received the marks in the ‘house of their friends’.   There are three possible explanations for this answer.

One, the former false prophet/teacher is flatly denying that the marks were the result of worshiping idols.  They will claim the marks are the result of cutting themselves in a state of grief over dead relatives.

The second explanation is that the former false prophet/teacher is admitting that the marks were inflicted by their friends and relatives as a corrective punishment for false prophesy.  However, the implication is that they are now reformed/redeemed and have not returned to their old ways.

The final possibility is that the former false prophet is being vague; in an effort to deflect attention away from themselves, they simply claim that the visible scars had nothing to do with spiritual matters; they were just the result of an accident at the house of a friend.   

In any case, the former false prophet/teacher will be anxious to confirm that he or she is no longer trying to deceive people with false teaching or prophesy.

Let me offer you some encouragement, relief and strength:

One of the striking things about today’s study is the boldness of the new Jewish converts. 

Clearly, they will be diligent in their own commitment to Christ.  They will also, under the anointing of Holy Spirit, be equipped to deliver the gospel message and fight evil with great boldness.

Notice that in that day the Jews will not be afraid to confront their friends, relatives or children about their relationship with Christ.  They will not be afraid to call out evil in the public realm. 

The world we live in could use some of this Holy Spirit boldness!  However, we must be careful – if we are acting outside the leadership of the Spirit, we are nothing more than annoying religious zealots.  If we are not careful, we can hurt the spread of the gospel instead of promoting it.

Scripture tells us that the apostles received Holy Spirit boldness through worship and prayer (Acts 4:23-31).  After having a confrontational encounter with the religious leaders of the day (who were denying that Jesus was the Messiah), the apostles met together with their friends and fellow believers.  The group cried out to the Lord giving him glory.  Then they specifically asked him to grant them boldness, and to confirm his word with signs and wonders:

Acts 4:29-30 – And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

Time and time again we find the apostle Paul boldly proclaiming the gospel as well (Acts 9:28, Acts 13:46, I Thessalonians 2:2, etc). 

How did Paul acquire this boldness? He too received it from Holy Spirit, through prayer:

Ephesians 6:18-19 - …praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel…

If the apostles, including Paul, needed to pray and seek the Lord for Holy Spirit boldness, my guess is that we do too!  Honestly, this is not something that I ordinarily pray for myself or for others, but I am going to start.  Would you like to join me?

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Zechariah 13:1 – “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

Welcome back, dear readers!  I am glad you have returned to continue our study of the book of Zechariah. 

As you know, the bible was not originally divided into the chapters and verses that we use today.  Stephen Langston is credited with determining the chapter divisions.  He completed his work in the early 13^th century (around 1227 AD).

The Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish Rabbi named Nathan in 1448 AD.  The New Testament verses were established by Robert Estienne around 1551 AD.  The Geneva Bible, published in the mid 16^th century, was the first bible to include chapter and verses in both the Old and New Testaments.   

Obviously, their hard work has been a tremendous benefit to believers.  However, some of the chapter divisions are, shall we say, unfortunate.  The division of Zechariah chapters 12 and 13 are one such example.  Let me explain.

Zechariah chapter 12 ends with a series of verses that focus upon a state of bitter mourning.  The prophet tells us that this mourning is the result of sin and it is so intense, that it touches every man, woman and child in the nation.  It is a mourning that is so grievous, it causes people to withdraw from each other (wives from husbands, children from parents, etc) so they can give full vent to their bitterness. 

If you stopped reading at the end of chapter 12, you may get the idea that God is pleased when his people are in bitter distress, or that the relationship between God and the Jews has been permanently destroyed.  You may get the feeling that there is no hope for a sinner like you.  But all those ideas are false. 

We know that, because we know the purpose of Holy Spirit conviction is not to condemn people; it is for the purpose of bringing them to salvation:

II Corinthians 7:10 – For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be regretted: but the sorrow of the world works death.

So, chapter 12 verse 14 can’t be the end of the prophesy, because it leaves the penitent Jews in a situation that is without hope or mercy.  However, if we continue reading and look at chapters 12 and 13 as one continuous word from the Lord, a familiar pattern emerges - God sends a spiritual awakening (Zechariah 12:10), which results in an intense remorse for sin (Zechariah 12:11-14), after which God steps in and opens up a way of reconciliation/redemption (a ‘fountain’), which will bring relief to those seeking forgiveness (Zechariah 13).

Thus, when the two chapters are viewed as a whole, everything falls into place, and we realize that God is acting in accordance with his nature which includes both perfect justice and perfect mercy.  Let’s take a closer look:

On that day:  As we noted in our study of chapter 12, ‘that day’ refers to the day/time period when a spiritual awakening will occur within the Jewish nation.  At that time, the Jews will realize that Jesus is the true Messiah, and they will experience mourning over the sin of their nation (especially their rejection of him) as well as their own personal sin.  Most scholars believe this will occur at the end of this age.

There shall be a fountain opened:  The word ‘fountain’ immediately produces thoughts of water.  Under the Old Testament law, water was an integral part of religious activity.  Here are a few examples:

• Anytime a priest went into the Holy Place of the temple, he had to first wash himself, which was a symbol of purification and cleansing (Exodus 40:30-32). 
• When an Israelite came into contact with a dead body, they were considered ceremonially unclean for seven days.  On the third and seventh days of the week they had to wash with water as part of the cleansing process (Numbers 19:11-13).
• When Israel destroyed Midian and took hordes of plunder, everything that was metal was cleansed by passing it through fire, then sprinkling it with the water of purification.  Anything that could not survive fire was just sprinkled.  This means that all of the plunder that was taken was cleansed and purified by water before being given to the people of Israel (Numbers 31:21-27).

There are many other examples of ceremonial washings in the Old Testament, but the one thing they have in common is this:  Under the old covenant, water was used in the purifying/cleansing of both people and objects from defilement, sin and uncleanness. 

These ceremonial washings (along with the blood sacrifices of animals) were a type or shadow of the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin:

1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

There was another common element in the ceremonial washings of the old covenant – the water used for cleansing was kept in a vessel (like the laver used by the priests before entering the Holy Place). This means that the available water was limited in quantity; you had to constantly refill the vessel.  It was also limited in quality, as the water could become stagnant by remaining in the vessel too long.

However, on ‘that day’, the Jews will no longer depend upon the stagnant ceremonial washings (and the blood of animals) of the old covenant to cleanse them from sin and defilement.  No longer will they have to wash again and again and again. 

Instead, the Jews will be completely cleansed by the perpetual, lavish, unlimited, freely flowing fountain of the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin and defilement (Hebrews 9:11-15).  Like the Samaritan woman at the well, they will gladly immerse themselves in the fountain of living water provided by Jesus:

John 4:13-14 –Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jeremiah 17:13 – O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.

Opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem:  This phrase can be a bit misleading.  At first glance, we may be tempted to think that salvation will not be open to the Jews until the end of this age.  But we already know this cannot be the case. 

First of all, salvation by the blood Jesus Christ is for all people; there is no other way to be reconciled to God (John 14:6).  The apostle Paul specifically tells us that all people (Jews and Gentiles) are cleansed by the same blood, and become members of the same body of Christ:

Colossians 3:11 – Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Since Jews and Gentiles drink from the same fountain of grace, salvation must have been opened to the Jews immediately after the death and resurrection of Christ.  The evidence in support of this is undeniable, as the very first converts to Christianity were the disciples!  In fact, the Jews actually drank from that fountain first; it wasn’t until much later that the apostle Peter was called to deliver the message of salvation to the Gentile house of Cornelius (Acts 10).

Furthermore, scripture tells us that the gospel message started in Jerusalem and then spread to Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world through the Jewish believers (Acts 1:8).

So, if the ‘opening’ does not refer to the fountain of salvation, what does it refer to?

Answer:  It refers to the spiritual hearts and minds of the lost Jews. 

Think of it this way:  Back in the book of Genesis, we find that Abraham sent his mistress Hagar and her son Ishmael away from the family.  On their way to Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness.  Eventually, they ran out of water and were about to die.  At that moment, the Lord ‘opened’ the eyes of Hagar, so she could see a well that was already in existence:

Genesis 21:19 – Then God opened her [Hagar] eyes, and she saw a well of water.  And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy [Ishmael] a drink.

Notice that the well of water was in the wilderness all along, even though Hagar did not know of its existence.  She continued to remain ignorant of it until God pointed it out to her (opened her eyes to it).  She could only drink from that life-giving water after God revealed its presence to her.

In the same way, the Jews have been temporarily blinded to the truth of the gospel.  The apostle Paul tells us that this spiritual blindness will remain until God is finished drawing the Gentiles into his kingdom.  Then, at the end of this age, he will ‘open their eyes’ or remove their spiritual blindness.  They will then ‘look on him whom they have pierced’ and be spiritually awakened. 

Just as Hagar drank from the well that God revealed to her, the Jews will drink of the fountain of salvation that God reveals to them.   

To cleanse them from sin and uncleanness:  It is interesting to note that the Hebrew words translated as sin and uncleanness are legal terms.  ‘Sin’ refers to any transgression of the law which requires atonement.  ‘Uncleanness’ refers to legal defilement and/or moral impurity which prohibited or cut off a person from any contact with holy things.

Under the old covenant, atonement was made by the sprinkling of blood and washing with water.  Under the new covenant, justification and sanctification both flow from the blood of Christ, which is freely given to all (Hebrews 11:9-15, I Corinthians 1:30).

Here is something else to consider:  We are discussing the salvation of the Jews – the very people who betrayed the Messiah!  They were the ones who were chosen of God, they were the ones who had his word and were under his covenant.  Yet, they were also the ones who stood before Pilate demanding the release of Barabbas and the death of Christ! 

The Jews rejected, betrayed, blasphemed and crucified Christ.  Then, for good measure, they persecuted and martyred his followers!  If they can be cleansed of sin, we can truly conclude that Christ tasted death for ALL mankind.  Every person can find atonement, regardless of what they have done, if only they will seek it!

Zechariah 13:2 – “And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, “I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more.  And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness.”

God also promises to remove idols and false prophets from the land. 

Idols/Idolatry, Old Testament:  Strictly speaking, idolatry is the worship of a deity where homage is paid to a symbolic representation of that god.  In other words, people bow down, clothe, kiss, offer sacrifices, etc. to some physical/visible form that represents the god they are worshiping.

In the Old Testament, idols took the visible form/shape of men, women, animals, nature or any combination of these.

Israel was strictly forbidden to make idols or to worship them (Exodus 20:23).  In fact, the very first of the Ten Commandments is:

Exodus 20:3 –You shall have no other gods before me.

Why was it such a sin to worship idols?  It’s because idolatry takes the glory and honor due to God and gives it to someone or something else. 

Idolatry causes the worshiper to trust in another source for their care, which is blasphemy against God because it implies that he is unwilling or unable to take care of his creation. Idolatry also seeks to promote the desires of the worshiper over the will of God for the worshiper’s life.    

Israel certainly has a history of idol worship.  Throughout the Old Testament we find them worshiping golden calves (Exodus 32:1-8, I Kings 12:25-33), household idols/teraphim (Genesis 35:2), the moon and stars (II Kings 23:5, Ezekiel 8:16) and other idols which they created themselves (Isaiah 44:9-20). 

They also worshiped the idols/false gods of the nations around them such as Baal, Chemosh, Molech, Ashtoreth, Milcom, Tammuz, etc.  In fact, Israel’s idolatry was one of the main reasons the nation was sent into captivity.

Idols/Idolatry, New Testament:  In the New Testament, the concept of idolatry was modified and expanded. It still includes giving idols the worship, honor and devotion that belongs to God alone.  However, it also entails giving any human desire precedence over God’s will.   (Colossians 3:5, I Peter 4:3).

More specifically, idolatry is the act of placing anyone or anything before God in our hearts and lives.  These idols include material possessions, power, success, relationships, sex, entertainment or any other desire we have.  When we elevate anything or anyone to a place of supreme importance above God, we are committing idolatry.

Why do we commit idolatry?

The allure of idolatry is the promise of fulfillment or satisfaction.  We think that if we acquire enough money, or attain a certain position of power, or have a particular relationship, we will find happiness and fulfillment.  Idolatry also reflects the belief that we have a better understanding than God about what is best for us.  Both of these beliefs are lies from the enemy.

Scripture tells us that those who worship idols are deceived (Isaiah 44:20), shamed (Isaiah 44:11) and foolish (Jeremiah 10:8).  Those who continue in idolatry will eventually become as worthless as the idols they serve (Hosea 9:10, II Kings 17:15).  The eventual outcome of idolatry is disappointment, emptiness, frustration, judgment and spiritual separation from God.

It is no wonder that the New Testament tells us to renounce idolatry:

I Corinthians 10:14 – Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

I Peter 4:3 –For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

Idolatry can be avoided by making a conscious choice to put God first in our life.  When we make him the center of all we think and do, we will be in line with his plans for our life.  We can freely experience the manifold blessings of his love, guidance and provision.  At that point, we will come to know that true satisfaction and fulfillment do not come from the temporary pleasures of this world; they can only be found in our relationship with God!

So, as a result of Israel’s spiritual awakening and her new-found relationship with God, all idols/idolatry will be renounced or ‘remembered no more’. 

False Prophets, Old Testament:  False prophets are people who pretend to have a word from God for his children, but they are lying; God is not speaking through them.  False prophets were a major problem during the times of ancient Israel. 

In the Old Testament times, these men and women (Nehemiah 6:14) often practiced divination and witchcraft (Jeremiah 14:14, Ezekiel 22:28).  They spoke what was in their own hearts and minds (Jeremiah 23:25-26), or they spoke under the influence of evil spirits (I Kings 22:21-22). 

Scripture describes them as covetous (Micah 3:11), treacherous (Zephaniah 3:4) and drunken (Isaiah 28:7), as well as immoral and profane (Jeremiah 23:11-14).  They practiced all forms of evil and corruption (Jeremiah 23:9-15).  Their overall goal was to lead the children of Israel astray/away from the Lord:

Jeremiah 23:13 – In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray…

Sadly, their tactics were very successful. 

False Prophets, New Testament:  In the New Testament, the definition of a false prophet expanded to include false teachers as well.  False prophets/teachers are just as dangerous now as they were in ancient Israel.

Matthew 7:15 – “Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

False teachers are people who intentionally interpret scriptures and/or teach doctrines that directly contradict the core teachings of the New Testament.  We might say that they ‘twist’ scriptures to make the bible say what they want it to say.  Their goal is to convince their listeners that the Bible says something other than what it really does.

Like false prophets, they can be influenced by demonic spirits:

I Timothy 4:1 – The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

These false doctrines often embrace rebellion, pride, discord/controversy, and half-truths (especially about Christ). They lead people toward the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. False teachers often seek their own glory, as well as positions of power/influence and financial gain. 

Sadly, there will continue to be false prophets and teachers.  But there is good news too - every believer who ‘correctly handles the truth’ (II Timothy 2:15), is fully capable of identifying false doctrine. 

The best way to guard against a lie is to know the truth!  So, make sure you are spending time in the word of God.  If someone teaches something that sounds ‘fishy’ to you, that may be the prompting of Holy Spirit.  Don’t ignore it; double check what the teacher or prophet is saying.  It MUST line up with other scriptures in the bible.

Also, be clear about what the teacher has to say about Christ.  If they teach that something must be added to the sacrifice of Christ in order to secure salvation, they are a false teacher!

God promised Israel that on ‘that day’, the day of spiritual awakening, he would remove false teachers and prophets from their nation.  What a blessing!

Let me offer you some encouragement and some relief:

Today’s post speaks of idolatry.  Most Christians probably think that they have no idolatry in their lives.  Admittedly, it is unlikely that modern day Christians are bowing down before golden calves. 

However, when we consider that idolatry includes the act of placing anyone or anything before God in our hearts and lives, it is entirely possible that we could have some form of idolatry in our lives, perhaps without even realizing it. 

Shockingly, our idols could even be good things like careers, hobbies, or assisting the poor.  While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with these things, if they consume all our time and energy and keep us from a close relationship with God, they are idols! 

These ‘idols’ essentially put a wedge between us and the Lord, which can lead to further problems. 

Scripture tells us that whatever we do, we are to do it for the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31).  With that in mind, why not spend some time this week reviewing how you spend your time, energy and money? 

If you find something that looks idolatrous, pray and seek the Lord on how to keep that thing in proper perspective in your life.

Let me offer you some strength:

In the 12th and 13th chapters of Zechariah, a number of references are made to ‘that day’.  This tells us that God has a specific day/time period scheduled for the spiritual awakening to the Jews. 

God has specific days and seasons planned for our lives too.  Scripture tells us that before we were born, God had already determined the number of our days (Psalms 139).  This brings up a good question – are we being good stewards of our time?  What about our resources and our talents?

Ephesians 5:15-17 –Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

What season of life are you in right now?  Have you recently retired, married or graduated from school?  Do you have small children or have your children recently ‘left the nest’? 

Every time you enter a new season of life, it’s a good idea to seek the Lord’s will for your current situation because your ministry may change/evolve depending on your new season.  So don’t get stuck in the past.  God will give you the strength and grace to embrace all the new challenges he is setting before you!

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Zechariah 12:8 – “On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them.”

So far in our study of Zechariah 12, we have discovered that a day will come when Israel is surrounded by her enemies.  These enemies will be from many different nations and people groups.  They will have superior weapons, resources and soldiers. Their goal will be to completely destroy the Jews from planet earth.

In the natural realm, Israel will have no possible chance of victory.  However, God promises to rescue his people.  Because of his supernatural intervention, Israel will be victorious. 

But that is not all that God is accomplishing.  Through this miraculous deliverance, he is bringing a spiritual awakening to Israel. 

For example, we noted last week (see verse 5) that the leaders of Israel will understand and acknowledge that their military victory is not due to their own strength, but to the hand of God.  Then, in verse seven, we are told that salvation will come to the common people first, then the elite of the nation.

At the risk of being redundant, let me say once again that Israel’s miraculous physical deliverance causes the Jews to acknowledge the presence of God and turn towards him, which in turn leads to a spiritual deliverance. 

As we will see, the last seven verses of this chapter follow the same pattern.  Verses 8-9 continue to speak of an incredible military victory, while verses 10-14 speak of a subsequent spiritual awakening. Let’s take a closer look:

On that day:  As with the rest of this chapter, verse eight deals with the time when Israel will be fully surrounded by enemies from multiple nations and/or people groups.  Most commentators believe this is a future event which will take place at the end of this age.

The Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem:  In the original text, the word for ‘protect’ literally means ‘to shield’. 

To shield is to cover from danger; to protect from assault/injury, to ward off or to keep out.  This is exactly what the Lord will do for his people.  Even though the Jews have inferior weapons and defenses, they will still be safe and victorious in the natural realm because God will supernaturally intervene in their situation.  This has been a consistent theme throughout the prophesy of Zechariah chapter 12.

There are multiple places in the scriptures which describe the Lord as our shield.

In II Samuel 22:36, David sings a praise song to God for his deliverance.  In this song, he refers to the shield of salvation which God gives to him.

In Deuteronomy 33:29 (Moses’ farewell blessing on Israel), Moses describes God as the shield of Israel’s help.

In Psalms 5:12, God’s favor is described as a shield which goes before his people. 

In Ephesians 6:16, Christians are given the shield of faith, which is the word of God.

We could go on and on, but the point is that God constantly shields/protects his people in many different ways.  As we know, he is shielding/protecting the church at this very moment.  He is also shielding/protecting Israel even though they currently seem ignorant of the fact. 

The feeblest among them shall be like David:  Commentators are in complete agreement that this verse speaks of God supernaturally strengthening the Jews.  However, they disagree on exactly how God plans to do it.  Here are some of the most common interpretations of ‘the feeblest being like David’:

One theory says that the reference to David speaks of the time when he slew Goliath of Gath (I Samuel 17).  When this battle occurred, David was not a trained soldier; he was nothing more than an ordinary shepherd boy.  However, when he stepped out onto the battle field, God strengthened him and gave him victory over the giant. 

In the same way, the people of Israel, even those who are untrained soldiers, will step out in faith and fight against the massive conglomeration of armies who come against her.  As they do, God will arise, giving strength and victory to Israel, just like he gave to David.

A second theory says that the reference to David speaks of the time when he was in the prime of his life – a strong king and warrior, who often led his people to victory.  This theory says that during this showdown between Israel and the world, God will cause the least experienced Israelite (man and/or woman) to be free of fear, and full of heroic valor.  They will engage the enemy confidently, just as David did in all the wars he fought.

Another slightly different theory maintains that the feeble refers to the Jews in general, who are a weak and insignificant nation.  But on a future day (a day future to the giving of this prophesy, not the end of the world), God would bring about the birth of the Messiah.

This theory says that Zechariah’s prophesy is intended to convince the Jews that their nation would derive its strength and glory not in their own power, but by virtue of their fidelity to the Lord.  In other words, Israel’s true strength and honor are found in being a blessing to all nations by birthing the Messiah, which was one of God’s true purposes for them:

Genesis 26:4 – … in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…

Again, we can disagree about the specific details of ‘the feeblest will be like David’, but one thing is certain – this verse speaks of the supernatural strength of God being infused into the Jews. 

The house of David shall be like God:   As we mentioned last week, because David was king, his house/family was considered to be the elite of the nation.  They were part of the nobility – a class of people who were strong, wealthy, educated and well-trained as leaders.

The phrase ‘the house of David shall be like God’ is a comparison that is built upon the last phrase.  The comparison goes something like this:

If God’s supernatural power made the feeblest person in the nation as strong and courageous as David, what would that same power do to those who were already noble to begin with? 

Answer:  It would make them so much stronger, wiser and more courageous than anyone else that they would seem to possess divine qualities.

Like the angel of the Lord, going before them:   ‘Angel of the Lord’ is one of the many different titles for Jesus.  It was used frequently in the Old Testament, whenever Jesus appeared before the incarnation (Genesis 16, Genesis 22, Exodus 3:2, Judges 6, etc). 

That title was specifically used with regard to the pillar of cloud/fire that led Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land:

Exodus 14:19-20 – Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel… 

The inference is that at the end of the age, the leaders of Israel will be so supernaturally endowed with strength, power and wisdom, their enemies can only described them as being like the ‘Angel of the Lord’ who was actually God himself. 

Just as Egypt was unable to defeat Israel during the Exodus, so the conglomeration of nations who come against her at the end of the age will also be unsuccessful.  In both cases, Israel was vastly outnumbered, but she was victorious due to the supernatural intervention of God.   

This realization will strike terror and confusion into Israel’s enemies, just as God promised (see last week’s post).

Zechariah 12:9 – “And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

The phrase ‘I will seek to destroy’ is an interesting one.  It implies an earnest, unbending, unchanging goal or intention.  It tells us that God is fully focused on the destruction of Israel’s enemies. 

We want to be clear on one point here – when we seek to do something, it means that our minds, our wills, our actions and our resources are all channeled or focused into achieving our aim/purpose.  However, despite our best efforts, we may not accomplish our goal.  For us, failure is still a possibility. 

But this is not the case with God; he has never failed at anything.  If he sets out to destroy a group of nations, we can be sure that he will be successful.  So we find that the phrase ‘I will seek’ is used for our benefit – it reminds us of God’s fierce, diligent, never-ending determination to protect those who belong to him.  

The promised destruction also infers that when ‘that day’ comes, God’s longsuffering will be at an end; those who have rejected him will face destruction.  There will be no partiality and no mercy in that day; all nations that are surrounding Jerusalem with the intent to blot her out will be cut off.

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Israel’s enemies are not the only ones who recognize God’s divine hand at work.  The Jews will also understand and acknowledge that God is with them.  As they begin to turn their focus onto God, he will pour out a spirit of grace upon them which shall result in their spiritual restoration.

Notice that the Spirit of grace will be ‘poured’ out.  In other words, it will come in abundance!  It will not be a small sprinkle or a stingy measure; it will not be limited to a chosen few.  On that day, God will freely and bountifully pour out his Spirit on all the Jews – young and old, male and female, rich and poor.  No one will be excluded.

Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of truth.  God will remove the spiritual blindness of his people; they will begin to realize that Jesus was truly the Messiah sent by God (Romans 11).

Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of wisdom and understanding (Isaiah 11:2).  He will give the Jews the ability to understand the Old Testament scriptures which point to Jesus as the Messiah. 

Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of grace and supplication (Hebrews 10:29, Romans 5:5).  He will enlighten the Jews so they are able to recognize the immeasurable love that God has for them.  The Jews will begin to perceive God’s infinite majesty and be in awe of him.  Holy Spirit will then give them an increased desire for even more of God’s grace and love. 

Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of conviction and repentance producing a godly sorrow.  This sorrow brings healing and wholeness, because it causes the Jews to repent of sin and come to Christ:

II Corinthians 7:9-10 – As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting.  For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

When Holy Spirit comes to the Jews, he will come in his fullness; he will spiritually quicken them (make them spiritually alive).  He is also responsible for regenerating, converting and sanctifying them, just as he now does for Christians. 

He will bestow upon the Jews the same Christian graces (faith, hope, love, repentance, humility, joy, peace, meekness, patience, etc) as he now bestows upon believers. 

He will also produce fruit in their lives, just as he does with us (Galatians 5:22).

Thus, through the ministry of Holy Spirit, the Jews will again turn to God and also acknowledge Jesus.  Holy Spirit conviction will result in a deep and sincere repentance; the Jews will plead/cry out for God’s mercy and receive salvation. 

The Jews will also fully understand/comprehend that it was their nation/ancestors who were responsible for nailing (piercing) Jesus the Messiah to the cross (John 19:36-37). 

This understanding will result in great mourning and sorrow; they will begin to cry, lament and wail in bitterness.  They will be shocked and grieved that their ancient leaders (Pharisees, teachers of the law, priests, etc) not only rejected the true Messiah, they condemned him to death. 

The Jews will regret their hardness of heart and their unbelief.  They will mourn over their many sins as a nation and as individuals.

Their bitterness is so profound it is described as the mourning over a firstborn son.  In ancient Jewish culture, the firstborn son was considered a huge blessing.  This son became the principle heir of the family who received a double portion of the estate.  After the death of his father, he would be the leader of the family.  It was his responsibility to take care of his mother and any sisters who were not yet married.  This was a position of honor and dignity. 

Losing a firstborn son was one of the most painful and grievous things that could happen to a family in ancient Israel (Amos 8:10).  It was second only to the curse/dishonor of being childless. It is fitting that the Jews should mourn this way on behalf of Jesus, because he is the firstborn/only Son of God.

So, we find that Israel’s grief and mourning are not shallow and temporary.  Their distress is very great and very deep, inflicting their souls with bitterness.

The good news is that this sorrow will also produce a very great, very deep and very sincere repentance, which will result in salvation.

Zechariah 12:11 – “On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.”

This verse recalls an incident of extreme mourning in the history of Israel.  It involves the death of one of their most beloved kings – Josiah.  You can read the account of his death in II Chronicles 35:20-27.

Scripture tells us that Josiah was a righteous king, who followed the commands of the Lord and walked in the ways of King David (II Chronicles 34:1-7).  Through his leadership, religious reform and true repentance returned to Judah.  But sadly, his sons did not walk in his ways.

As it turns out, Josiah was the last righteous king to reign before Judah went into captivity.  He died in battle against Neco king of Egypt near the city of Hadad-rimmon, which was located close to Jezreel on the plains of Megiddo.  Commentators refer to his death as the ‘sunset of Judah’.

As with every good leader, his death was an occasion of bitter mourning for the whole nation.  The prophet Jeremiah and many of the nation’s worship leaders wrote and sung dirges for him.  Josiah’s death became a symbol or expression for any instance of intense mourning and grief, which is why it is mentioned here in Zechariah. 

[FYI, there may also be a secondary reference to the slaughter of the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon during the era of the Judges (Judges 20:47)].

Zechariah 12:12-13 – “The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves…”

This verse shows that the intense mourning which will take place is felt/experienced by each and every individual in the nation.  It begins with the royal house of David, which was in the ancestral line of Christ (Luke 3:31).  Other prominent families are also affected, including the household of Nathan, who was Solomon’s brother.  His house is representative of all the lower classes of the royal house.

The bitter mourning is also experienced by all those in the priestly tribe of Levi.  Levi represents all those who occupied places of religious authority in Israel including the teachers of the law, the Pharisees, the high priests, etc.  This mourning class also includes the family of the Shimeites, who were descendants of Gershon (Numbers 3:17-18).  They represent the lower orders of the priesthood.

In these verses, one particular point is highly stressed - the people involved are mourning ‘by themselves’.  The implication is that the sadness of each individual is so deep and distressing, that everyone will seek to be alone with their grief.  They will attempt to vent their distress in private. 

Those in the same household (husbands, wives, children) will separate from one another and find a private place to grieve.  They will not lean upon one another during this time; each person will repent in the presence of God alone.

Zechariah 12:14 – “… and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.”

The repentance that will come on that day will touch each and every household of the remnant of Israel.  As a result, the mourning for Christ rises to the same proportion or level as his violent death, which was approved by the vast majority of the nation.

Because of God’s grace and mercy, the Jews will come to Christ and be saved by the very blood they so violently and mercilessly spilled hundreds of years earlier.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

I know that many Christians are praying for the salvation of loved ones who seem oblivious to their need for Jesus.  Sometimes it seems like the more we pray, the more sin they embrace and the further they get from Christ.

If that’s you, I encourage you to remain steadfast.  It is entirely possible that your loved one will eventually find themselves in an impossible or hopeless situation.  God may be bringing them to that place of hardship in order to bring about a spiritual awakening within their life, just as he will do for the Jews.

When they reach the end of their abilities and the end of their hope, it will give you the chance to step in with the good news of the gospel!  People who are between the proverbial ‘rock and a hard place’ are often open to the gospel when they wouldn’t be otherwise.

Just remember, this isn’t a time to say, “I told you so.”  It’s a time to show mercy and compassion.  What a blessing to be used by Holy Spirit to lead a lost soul to Christ!

Let me offer you some relief:

Are you reading this post today, experiencing some grief or remorse of your own?  If so, you have a reason to rejoice!  Let me explain. 

God doesn’t want you to remain in your sin.  As an act of love and grace, he sends Holy Spirit to convict you of your wrongdoing.  The work of Holy Spirit is not to condemn you, it is to bring you to a place of repentance, where your sin can be washed away by the blood of Christ, and you can be fully restored to a great relationship with God. 

So, if you are feeling that remorse today, give yourself some relief by taking action!  If you need to ask a brother or sister for forgiveness, swallow your pride and go do it now.  Make whatever amends you need to.  Then, simply ask your Messiah and intercessor Jesus to cleanse you by his blood. 

When you do, you will feel immediate relief!

Let me offer you some strength:

Today’s post speaks of some of the many benefits Christians have through the ministry of Holy Spirit: 

He convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance.  He works in our lives to promote the growth of spiritual fruit.  He brings the words of Christ to our remembrance.  He reveals the truth of the scriptures to us, helping us to understand the mysteries of God. 

It’s no wonder Jesus calls him our helper: 

John 14:16-17 – And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

I encourage you to take a few moments today to honor the Spirit and his work in your life.  Express your thankfulness to God for the wonderful gift of his Spirit which abides with you forever!

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Zechariah 12:3 – “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples.  All who lift it will surely hurt themselves.  And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”

In our last post we discovered that the prophesy given in Zechariah chapter 12 is a ‘burden’ (a threat or a judgment) concerning Israel.  However, the judgment spoken of in this chapter will not fall upon Israel.  It is reserved for all the nations who rise up against her.  Many bible commentators believe this prophesy will occur at the end of this age, as the events of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39  unfold. 

We also learned that God will make Jerusalem a ‘cup of staggering’ to her enemies.  This metaphor is found in numerous places throughout the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament.  In all cases, the ‘cup’ contains the wrath or judgment of God.

All the nations which rise up against Israel with the intent of annihilating her will drink from the cup of God’s wrath and they will be destroyed.

Verse three speaks of Israel being a ‘heavy stone for all the peoples’.  The picture being presented is of a group of young men who are gathered around a very heavy stone.  Each man will attempt to lift the stone in order to bring glory to himself.  But as each one lifts it they will injure themselves – they will tear muscles, rip tendons, rupture blood vessels, damage nerves and scrape their skin.  In short, the stone is a burden which is too much for them to bear; it will destroy their bodies.

The meaning is this:  Israel is the rock.  The young men represent the nations which are enemies of Israel.  They will attempt to destroy Israel or remove her from her place (take her land).  But as they attempt to do so, they will bring judgment and destruction (injury) upon themselves.

It is impossible for these nations to obliterate the Jews because they are God’s chosen people, and he will make sure they continue to exist.  Even a glancing examination of history shows this is true.  Numerous nations have tried to exterminate the Jews; however, they are gone, and the Jews are still here! 

Likewise, it is impossible for these enemy nations to remove Israel from the land, because God has given it to her as a permanent possession:

Genesis 17:8 -And I [God] will give unto you, and to your descendants after you, the land in which you are a sojourner, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

… and he is Israel’s protection:

Psalms 46:5 – God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.

This is great news for Israel, but what about the church? 

As we would expect, God is watching over us too!  The church is often referred to as spiritual Israel, which means that these promises apply to us as well.  So, when strong enemies surround the church with the intention of destroying her, we can rest assured that God will not allow it.  He will protect and save his bride (Ephesians 5:25-29).

Scripture tells us that Jesus is the ‘stone which the builders rejected’, who has become the chief corner (Luke 20:17).  Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken, but those on whom it falls (the enemies of the church) will be ground to powder (Matthew 21:44, Luke 20:18). 

And that’s not all!  Jesus is the tried stone and sure foundation laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16) which can never be moved.  In fact, his kingdom is described by the prophet Daniel as a ‘stone cut without hands’ which crushes and displaces all other kingdoms of this world (Daniel 2:45). 

God’s people (Israel and the church) will be safe even though all the people/nations of the world gather against us, because God himself is a wall of fire around us and his glory dwells in our midst (Zechariah 2:5).  Clearly, the church has many reasons to rejoice, even in the midst of trials!

As we noted in our last post, God is more than capable of accomplishing this because he is omnipotent and sovereign.  He is the one who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth and breathed the breath of life into man.  It’s his Spirit which dwells in our hearts right now!  Hallelujah!

Zechariah 12:4 – “On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness.  But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.”

In ‘that day’ which is the day all the nations of the world surround Jerusalem, God will strike every horse and rider. 

Does the term ‘the horse and his rider’ sound familiar?  It comes from the song of Moses found in Exodus 15.  As you recall, the Lord parted the Red Sea so that his people could cross over on dry ground, but as soon as the Egyptian army tried to follow, the waters returned to their place and all of Pharaoh’s forces drowned. 

The song of Moses is the song of victory which Israel sung after this great deliverance.  Specifically, Exodus 15:1 gives glory to the Lord because he has thrown ‘the horse and his rider’ into the sea.  As a result of this song, the term ‘the horse and his rider’ became the emblem of defeated worldly powers.

In our present study, when God speaks of every horse and his rider, it refers to the military capabilities of Israel’s enemies, which may include (but are not limited to) literal horses.  In fact, the enemy may be driving tanks, flying aircraft, operating drones, sailing ships or simply marching.  But regardless of the equipment they are using, or the power they possess, their efforts will be futile because at some point God will strike them with panic, confusion, stupor and blindness.

When he does, their plans will fail, their military discipline will dissolve, and anarchy will result.  All attempts to destroy Israel will fail.  These nations will be filled with fury and anger because they cannot conquer God’s people.  Their constant inability to gain victory will leave them dumbfounded and at their wits’ end; they will not know what to do next.  At this point, the armies of Israel will easily defeat this much larger, stronger foe.

Some commentators feel that because of their fury and confusion, these armies will begin to blame each other for the defeat which will cause them to turn and begin to slay each other.  It’s much more likely that Isreal will have to participate in the fight, but if their enemies do destroy each other, it won’t be the first time in Israel’s history (II Chronicles 20).     

Meanwhile, God will keep his eyes on the house of Judah, which means he will take notice of her, watch over her and give her victory (Jeremiah 24:6, I Peter 3:12).

Zechariah 12:5 – “The the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’”

Zechariah paints us a picture of a time when Jerusalem is literally surrounded by armies from all over the world.  In the natural realm, the Jews have no hope - they have inferior numbers and resources; their defenses are inadequate.  No one would bet on them defeating their foes. 

Thus, when the Lord of Hosts strikes these enemy armies with confusion and the children of Israel begin winning victory over them, it will be a strong testimony to the leaders of Judah/Israel. 

They will recognize and publicly acknowledge that victory is within their grasp because the Lord of Hosts, who dwells in their midst, is fighting for his people.

This is one more example of the biblical principle that God works in partnership with us to achieve his will on earth. 

In every battle we face, the church needs God to do what only he can do.  That may involve giant hailstones (Joshua 10:11), or the suspension of natural laws (Daniel 3:16-28), or the revelation of hidden wisdom (II Kings 6:8-12), or some other supernatural intervention.

But in order to obtain victory, we must also do our part.

If we want to see the bible taught in public schools, then we must vote, we must work with the school board, and we must faithfully support the ministries that gain access to the children.  If we want righteous laws, we must let our voice be heard, campaign for the right leaders, vote, or even run for office ourselves.

I can’t help but think that there are times when we become frustrated because we are praying (and praying) for a situation, when in reality God is waiting for us to act!  So, get your faith out and get to work!

Many scholars also see a more spiritual application of this verse.  They believe it speaks to a time when the church will suffer great persecution but will have the strength to stand firm, because God empowers her.  In truth, persecution rarely diminishes the church; most often it actually increases and spreads it!

Zechariah 12:6 – “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves.  And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.”

The literal interpretation of this verse is easy to understand.  Despite overwhelming odds in the natural realm, Israel will defeat her enemies as easily as a flaming torch consumes dry wood and grass.

Jerusalem will continue to stand strong and firm, because that city has been chosen by God as the place where his name is glorified and worshiped.

When interpreted spiritually, verse six speaks of a time when God raises up ministers, preachers, teachers and ordinary Christians to speak the gospel message.  This message of hope will burn up all unbelief in the hearts and minds of sinners, just like a flaming torch would burn up a bundle of very dry grass or wood.

When this unbelief is removed, sinners will clearly understand the gospel message.  They will perceive the love which God has for them and turn to Christ.  We would recognize this event as a large revival. 

The fact that the fire devours ‘to the right and to the left of all the surrounding people’ indicates that this revival will be widespread.  It will cross cultural, social, economic and national borders, affecting everyone it comes into contact with.

Luke 21:15 - …for I [Jesus] will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

The church will not only remain intact throughout this season, she will grow as new believers are added to God’s kingdom.

Zechariah 12:7 – “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah.”

On the surface, this verse seems awkward and confusing, but when we dig in, the explanation becomes clear.

First off, this verse speaks to two different groups of people.  There are people living in Jerusalem and there are people living in the tents of Judah.

Inhabitants of Jerusalem – Who is described as living in Jerusalem?  It is the ‘glory of the house of David’ and the ‘glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem’.  We know that David was a king of Israel and Jerusalem was the location of the royal palace and household.

Therefore, the people referred to here are princes, nobles and the elite of that society.  As such, we would expect them to be educated, wealthy and influential citizens.  By virtue of living in Jerusalem, these people are enclosed behind walls and other defenses which give them protection against foreign invaders.

Tents of Judah – The term ‘tent’ does not refer to a cloth shelter used in camping.  It indicates a structure or house that is without walls of defense.  In other words, these ‘tents’ are ordinary houses located in the countryside.  Because they are in the countryside of Judah, they are spread out over a wide area and there are no gates or city walls to protect them from invaders.  The people living in these homes are those who are NOT among the elite.  They are common or ordinary people such as farmers, shepherds, blacksmiths, etc.  They are probably not wealthy, influential or highly educated.  They are unlikely to hold high offices within the nation.

The second thing to notice about this verse is that salvation comes to the tent dwellers first.  This means that ordinary citizens are receiving salvation before the elite of the nation.  This is consistent with what we find in the New Testament:

I Corinthians 1:26-29 – …consider your calling, brothers:  not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

There can be no doubt that the salvation of God is available to all of mankind.  The apostle Paul assures us that in the kingdom of heaven there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor or male and female.  All are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). 

Nevertheless, God has a specific order which he has chosen to follow.  Salvation was offered to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles.  Among the Gentiles, salvation was preached specifically to the poor (Luke 4:18, Luke 6:20) and it seems to have taken root in this people group first. 

James 2:5 – Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Scripture indicates that God sought the poor first to show that secular influence had no hand in the matter.  In other words, people tend to follow the lead of those they consider the elite of society.  So, if the elite were saved first, it could be said that they were responsible for influencing the poor to come to Christ.  By saving the poor first, the glory belongs solely to God and no one else.

Again, we want to stress that salvation is open to all.  Although salvation came first to the Jews, both Jews and Gentiles are saved.  Although salvation was first preached to the poor, it has now been proclaimed to all.  We are ALL citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

As for the literal or temporal interpretation of this verse, Zechariah tells us that in the battle of the world versus Israel, those living outside of Jerusalem (those with the least amount of physical protection) will be the first to experience victory over the foreign invaders.

This is the opposite of what we would expect in the natural realm, so by giving these folks victory first, God is given full credit for not only this victory, but also the victory of Jerusalem which will follow.  This will prevent the people of Jerusalem claiming that they won victory for their fellow men in the countryside.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Yes, the church faces some serious battles.  But we still have innumerable reasons to rejoice! 

• Our God is omnipotent and sovereign; nothing occurs in this world without his consent.  
• Our God has defeated Satan and broken the power of the enemy.  
• Our God never leaves us or forsakes us. 
• Our God works all things out for our good. 
• Our God plans to present the church to himself as a perfect bride, without spot or wrinkle.  
• Our God has prepared a place for us in heaven and at the exact right moment, he will come to take us there.  

Let me offer you some relief:

Have you been praying and praying about a situation that just doesn’t seem to change?  Does it seem like God isn’t listening? 

Well, maybe that isn’t the case at all.  Maybe God is waiting on you to do your part!

If you find yourself in this situation, I recommend changing your prayers.  Stop asking God to do all the work and begin asking him what actions you should be taking.  When he answers, get your faith out and get to work!  The sooner you begin, the sooner you will see the victory!  

Let me offer you some strength:

In the midst of great spiritual battles, it is good for us to remember that we don’t fight against flesh and blood, but against evil powers in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12).

These forces are not conquered by our own words or actions.  However, they will submit to the word of God (Ephesians 6:17-18, Philippians 2:9-11), when we wield it with the authority that Jesus has given us.

As we work hand-in-hand with the Lord to change/restore our nation, let’s be sure we are declaring the word of the Lord over every battle/situation, because our strength and victory are ultimately found in him.   

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Zechariah 12:1 – The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:

This verse begins a new prophesy given from the Lord through Zechariah.  We are using the ESV (English Standard Version) of the scriptures, which translates the original Hebrew word as ‘oracle’.  Since the definition of an oracle is ‘a communication, revelation or message delivered by God to the prophets’, this is an accurate translation.

However, other versions (King James Version, for example) use the term ‘burden’ rather than oracle.  This is also an accurate translation, because the original Hebrew actually means ‘threatening prophesy’. 

Since the ‘burden’ is concerning Israel, we would expect this word to be a threat or judgment against God’s people.  But as we read it, we find just the opposite!  This chapter speaks of a time when a group of nations will band together and invade (or attempt to invade) Israel.  However, they will be unsuccessful.  Not only will God step in and rescue his people, he will bring destruction upon those who attempt to overthrow or annihilate his chosen nation/people. 

The clear implication is that the judgment or ‘burden’ spoken of in this chapter will not fall upon Israel.  It is reserved for all those nations who rise up against her.

Most scholars believe Zechariah’s prophesy describes a literal military invasion.  These same scholars tie this prophesy (Zechariah 12) to the predicted invasion of Israel spoken of in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, which is commonly expected to take place at the end of this age under the direction of the antichrist (see Zechariah chapter 11). 

Scholars and commentators see a spiritual fulfillment of this prophesy as well.  They believe a time is coming when the people of the world will band together in an attempt to destroy the true church of God.  In fact, they maintain that this is happening even today and it will continue to happen until the end of this age, when Christ returns and rescues his people.

With this background in mind, let’s take a look at our text.  After declaring that this oracle/burden/prophesy is a word from the Lord, Zechariah takes a moment to remind the reader (or listener as the case may be) just who God is. 

 Specifically, God is the one who stretched out the heavens.  In other words, he is the one who created the expanse we know as ‘space’, which contains so many planets, stars and other heavenly bodies that we literally cannot count them all.  According to scientists, the universe is still expanding today, with new planets and stars continually being formed.

That’s an indication of just how big, how wise and how powerful our God truly is!  And, as if that were not enough, scripture tells us that God not only created the heavenly bodies, he also named each one as well:

Psalms 147:4-5 – He [God] determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.  Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

(See also Psalms 104:1-2).  Again, this description calls attention to the infinite power, greatness and wisdom of God.  If he is capable of creating and naming all those planets and stars, he is surely capable of taking care of his people.  This is a great comfort to Israel and the church; it is also a dire warning to those who oppose God and his purposes.

The prophet now moves our attention from the vastness of the heavens to the planet where we live.  He reminds mankind that God is the one who founded the earth.  He created this planet (Genesis 1:1), setting it upon its invisible foundations (Job 38:4).

Psalms 24:1-2 – The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

He is also the designer and creator of all life on planet earth, from the smallest single cell organism (Mycoplasma bacteria) to the largest known life form (blue whale).

While we are still awestruck by the power and glory of the creator of the earth, the prophet once again changes our focus.  He now draws our attention to mankind, reminding us that God formed the spirit of man that is within him.

Genesis 2:7 - Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

God created us in his image, giving us an eternal soul and spirit which will live forever.  In his vast unsearchable wisdom, he gives us the opportunity to join him in heaven as a son or daughter.  We have no idea why God would choose to do this; it is a mystery that even the angels seek to understand (I Peter 1:12)!

Clearly, the divine plans and purposes of God are so far beyond our understanding, just thinking about them should cause us to stop and bow before him in worship and reverence.

The bottom line is that the reader/hearer of this prophesy is given an opportunity to pause and consider the omnipotence and sovereignty of God.  This in turn causes faith to spring up and the reader becomes fully persuaded that whatever God is about to say in this prophesy, he has more than enough power and authority to make it happen. 

Zechariah 12:2 – “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.  The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.”

God then goes on to declare that he will make Jerusalem a ‘cup of staggering’. 

Obviously, this is not a literal cup like we use for coffee (Mmmm... coffee!).  It is a word picture or a symbol found in numerous places throughout the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament.  In all cases, the ‘cup’ contains the wrath or judgment of God.

Sometimes, Israel herself drinks from this cup because of her sin (Isaiah 51:17).  At other times, it is Israel’s enemies who drink from the cup:

Jeremiah 25:15-16 – Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.  They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.”

In Jeremiah 25, God then goes on to give a whole list of nations that would be drinking from this cup.  The list includes Edom, Moab, the Philistines and the Babylonians.  (If you have a spare five minutes, I highly recommend that you read Jeremiah 25:15-38.  It also mentions the destruction of false shepherds which were the focus of Zechariah chapter 11.)

This brings up a logical question – how do nations ‘drink’ from the cup of the wrath of God?

They do so by continual sinning or by attacking God’s people. 

In the case of sin, God gives people (and nations) ample time to repent from sin.  During that time, he will also graciously give them signs that they need to change, or face the coming judgment.  If nations continue to rebel and remain in sin, they are essentially drinking from the cup of God’s wrath, which will eventually result in destruction (Genesis 15:16).

Now let’s consider the case of attacking God’s people.  There are many instances where God has chosen to use foreign powers as his ‘rod of correction’.  In other words, God allowed these nations to oppress or trouble Israel, so that they would repent of their sin and return to him.

However, when nations overstepped what was reasonable and moved into the realm of trying to annihilate Israel, God put a stop to their actions.  At that point, he defended his covenant people and forced the foreign nation to drink from the cup of his wrath. 

Isaiah 51:22-23 – Thus says the Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the case of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.”

Once the foreign power drinks from the cup, their utter destruction follows.  Once such example was the nation of Babylon (see Jeremiah chapter 51).

Now that we have a better understanding of the meaning of the cup, let’s return to our text. 

We are told that at some point in time, Jerusalem will be attacked by ‘all the surrounding people’.  This indicates that multiple nations and/or people groups will be involved.  In other words, there will be an alliance of nations or people who will gather together to attack Jerusalem.  Their intent will be the total annihilation of Israel and her people. 

But the minute they advance upon her, God will make them drink from his cup of wrath; his undiluted anger and vengeance will be poured out upon them.  They will stagger and fall like a drunk man because of the terror of the Lord and his fierce retribution.

Take a minute to imagine this scene.  Satan, who hates God’s people, incites sinful nations to unite together with the intent of ending the existence of Israel by killing every single one of God’s chosen people. 

What reason will they use to justify this attack?  Perhaps Israel will control some valuable commodity or resource which these nations want.  Perhaps these nations want control of a holy site, or maybe they simply want the land for themselves.  Perhaps the alliance will claim their actions are justified retaliation for a prior skirmish. 

Regardless of what excuse they use to justify their actions, the end result will be a multi-nation force of millions of soldiers.  This alliance will have the combined resources, intelligence, weapons, strategy and communications of the entire world.  It will literally be a case of Israel against the world!

In the minds of Israel’s enemies, they are already victorious because there is no way that Israel can defeat such a formidable foe, and there is no way of escape for the Jews.  The alliance forces clearly expect to overrun and destroy God’s people within a short amount of time. 

But at the exact moment when their pride and self-assurance reach the heavens, God will come to the rescue of his people!  He will deliver Israel, and it will cause great astonishment to her enemies.  Their hearts and minds will stagger with incredulity at Israel’s victory and they will be rendered incapable of thinking or fighting.  Then they will be destroyed.

While such an event could literally take place at any time, most commentators believe the events described in Zechariah chapter 12 will either occur at the end of time (under the direction of the antichrist) or after the 1000-year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:9). 

Moving on, we notice that verse two says that ‘the siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah’. 

 There is some difference of opinion on what this means. 

The most common explanation is that the mention of Jerusalem and Judah indicates the entire Jewish population of Israel.  This means that the enemy attack will be against the entire nation of Israel, not just the capital city and its inhabitants.  It then follows that when God intervenes, he saves the whole nation, not just the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

However, I want you to be aware that there is another explanation being offered.  In this scenario, some of the Jews (those in Judah) will actually join forces with the foreign nations and be part of the alliance that is against Jerusalem.  If that is the case, these Jews will drink the cup of God’s wrath and be destroyed, just like the other nations.  This scenario seems much less likely, but it does have some proponents.

While everyone agrees that this prophesy describes an actual military invasion, there may also be a spiritual parallel as well.  Jerusalem is used symbolically to represent God’s people, which includes the church.  For this reason, the prophesy could be interpreted as an alliance of people or nations who seek the extermination of the church (all Christians). 

But there is no reason to fear.  If this is the case, we can rest assured that God will take care of us.

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

Let’s be honest… this word of the Lord seems a bit scary!  It certainly indicates a time of great uncertainty when the nations of the world are on edge and looking for war.

If you are feeling a bit fearful right now, let me encourage you with this thought:

Romans 8:31 – If God is for us, who can be against us?

Cast your mind back to the beginning of Zechariah 12:1.  Our heavenly father is still the same omniscient, omnipotent and sovereign God that he has always been.  Remember, he stretched out the heavens, created the earth and breathed the breath of life into YOU.  In fact, he loves you so much, he sent his only Son to die for your sin. 

With that in mind, do not allow fear to have a place in your heart or mind!  You may or may not be on the earth when this prophesy is fulfilled.  If you are, you can be sure that God has you under his protection, and no evil will touch you (Psalms 91:1-8).   You will have the privilege of being a firsthand witness to the power and glory of the Lord!

Let me offer you some strength:

As we mentioned in today’s post, the divine plans and purposes of God are far, far above anything we can understand or imagine.  As we look back on history, we see his hand at work in the lives of our nation, our church, our families and ourselves.

These demonstrations of God’s power and purposes should fill us with awe and prompt us to worship him.  They prove that he is at work in our lives and that he has the ability to work all things out for our good! 

Why not spend some time today in praise and worship to our amazing God!   

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Zechariah 11:12 – Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.”  And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.

We will now proceed to examine the last part of Zechariah chapter 11.  Thus far, we have seen that this chapter was a word of warning/judgment.  God gave a vision to Zechariah in which Israel was troubled by spiritual and temporal leaders who led them astray.  The end result of this bad leadership was the destruction of the nation and most of its people.

While this situation could be found more than once in Israel’s history, we are focusing our study on the period of the incarnation of Christ. 

During that time, the leaders of Israel were very poor shepherds.  They placed their traditions and ideas above the commands of God.  They put spiritual burdens on the common people which they themselves would not follow.  Furthermore, they enriched themselves at the expense of the people they were supposed to serve and they failed to give justice to the poor, the widows and the orphans.

Worst of all, they rejected Jesus as the Messiah and refused to embrace the sound spiritual doctrine he brought from the Father.  Thus, they chose death instead of life.

However, there is good news too.  God used the occasion of Israel’s apostasy to open up the gospel to the Gentiles.  In addition, he still had the ‘poor of the flock’ or a remnant of the Jews who fully embraced Jesus as the Messiah.  For full details, please refer to the prior four posts. 

Now let’s continue with our study.

As we already noted, in this particular vision Zechariah represents Christ.  In this portion of the vision, he speaks to the corrupt shepherds.  There are generally two interpretations for this verse.  They are most easily understood by examining two different translations of the Hebrew scriptures. 

The first interpretation is expressed well in the English Standard Version of the bible which says:

‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages, but if not, keep them.’

If this represents Jesus speaking to the Jewish leaders of his day, then what wages is he talking about?  Why would Jesus give these corrupt leaders the option of keeping his wages?

The concept of wages implies that some type of work or service was performed in exchange for a benefit. So let’s think for a moment – did the Lord perform any services for the Jews?

Of course he did!  He called them out of the world and made them into a nation that was set apart for his glory.  He led them to Egypt where their numbers were greatly increased.  Afterward, he brought them out of bondage with great wealth/riches.  He made an everlasting covenant with them, to be their God and make them his own people.  He gave them a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’. 

From the time the covenant was made with Abram, God had protected them, led them, blessed them, and provided for them.  He appointed priests and prophets to lead them in the ways of righteousness.  He appointed kings to reign over them.  Now he desired to give them the greatest gift of all - eternal life through the blood of his only Son. 

And what benefit or payment did God require for his services?  He desired for his people to have faith in him, to cling to him in love, to honor and worship him.  He required them to be faithful to his commands.  Was that so much to ask?  Of course not!  And yet, the religious leaders of that day refused to give Jesus even the smallest token of respect or gratitude!

As odd as it seems, God extends the same option to all of us:  each and every individual person is free to serve, worship and honor him, but they are also free to completely reject him and give their allegiance to Satan. 

Think about that for a minute… Almighty God, the supreme creator and ruler of all things, gives each person the free-will choice to accept or reject him.  While he desires for us to live under his authority, love and protection, he will not force us to do so.  He simply sets life and death before us and allows us to choose our path. 

Moses expressed the thought well in his address to the children of Israel:

Deuteronomy 30:19 - I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live…

The same choice is later presented to Israel by the prophet Elijah:

I Kings 18:21 – If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him. 

This astonishing choice is also reflected in God’s statement to the corrupt Jewish shepherds; he tells them to pay him his wages if they wish, but he won’t force them to do so.

This is a good time for us to pause and examine our own lives.  Think about your past and your present.  What has God done for you?  How has he blessed you, provided for you, healed you, and comforted you?  What sin has he forgiven for you?  How has he protected you and delivered you?  What prayers has he answered for you?

Furthermore, what about the promises of his future blessing?  If you are a child of God, then your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  You have a future awaiting you that is so amazing, you can’t even imagine it! 

1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

One day you will be united with Christ in heaven.  As a citizen of heaven, you will live a productive, rewarding life free from sin, sickness, disease, chaos and evil.  You will never be separated from the Father, Son and Spirit. 

Given all that God has done (and will do) for us, how can we not ‘give him his wages’ by faithfully serving him and obeying his commands? 

Now let’s examine the second interpretation of this verse.  It is expressed well in the King James translation which says:

‘If you think it good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.’

Instead of ‘wages’ this translation uses the word ‘price’.  The concept of price implies value.  In other words, things that are highly valued (the Mona Lisa for example) have a high price.  In fact sometimes we call these things priceless, indicating that they are of inestimable worth.  On the other hand, things that have little or no value can be bought for a very low price.

In this interpretation of the verse, Jesus is referring to the price or the value which the Jewish leaders placed upon his life, doctrine and ministry. 

While you and I would say that the life or blood of Christ is priceless, the Jewish leaders gave him a very different value – 30 pieces of silver.  In case you weren’t aware, that is the price assigned to the least valued slave in Israel:

Exodus 21:32 - If the ox shall gore a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.         

And as you know, that was the exact price the corrupt Jewish leaders offered to Judas Iscariot to betray Christ to his death:

Matthew 26:15 - …and said unto them, What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

These men not only refused to give Christ the honor and glory he was due, they added insult to injury by assigning his life (and blood) the same value as the lowest slave.  Thus, the price of the Messiah’s life was exactly what God predicted it would be hundreds of years before Christ came to earth in the form of a man.

Zechariah 11:13 – Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter” – the lordly price at which I was priced by them.  So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.

Father God, who is intensely angry with the Jews for treating his Son like garbage, refers to the 30 pieces of silver as a lordly or princely price.  Clearly, he is being sarcastic.  By assigning the life of Jesus a value of 30 silver coins, the Jewish leaders showed contempt for Christ, his doctrine and his blood.  They rejected him and cast him away as something that was vile and worthless.

In the fulfillment of this prophesy, Judas Iscariot flung the thirty pieces of silver back into the temple before he went and hung himself (Matthew 27:5).  The Jewish leaders then took the money and used it to buy a worthless piece of ground from the local potter (Matthew 27:6-8).  So we see that by the providence of God, the money went from the temple to the potter.

This is exactly what Zechariah saw in his vision.  In fact, it is likely that in the vision Zechariah saw himself casting the coins into the temple and he either saw or knew they ended up with the potter (Matthew 27:9-10).

Zechariah 11:14 – Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Back in verse 7 of this chapter, we saw that the Great Shepherd took to himself two staffs.  One was called Grace (or Beauty) and the other Unity (or Bands).  At that time, we noted that there were literally dozens of different interpretations for the meaning of these two staffs. 

Now we find the Lord breaking the staff of Unity.  Naturally, the meaning of this breaking depends on the view you took of the staff back in verse 7, but here are three of the most accepted views:

• It signifies the removal of any form of civil government from the Jews. 
• It signifies the abrogation (repealing) of the Mosaic Law.  This would include the Jewish ordinances which Gentiles/Christians were forced to adopt for a short time.  An example of this would be circumcision.  When Gentiles first came to the faith, the Jews insisted they be circumcised, but later it was determined that circumcision had nothing to do with grace, so it was optional (Acts 15:1-30).
• It signifies the removal of unity between the various factions of Jews, particularly those who lived within Jerusalem during the Roman siege. True religion bonds people together in peace.  When it was cast aside by the Jews, we see them murdering Jesus and eventually falling upon one another.  This led to the victory of Rome.    
• It signifies God removing his hand of protection and care from the Jews, only because that was what they wanted.

Whatever you specific interpretation, we can say in general that when the Jews chose to reject the Lord, he in turn rejected them, allowing them to walk away from his grace and mercy.  Because they were no longer ruled by the Prince of Peace, the Jews ended up with anarchy, confusion and destruction. 

Zechariah 11:15 – Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.”

The word ‘foolish’ is defined as ‘void of understanding, unwise, absurd, despicable, contemptible or without judgment/discretion.’

Now God instructs the prophet to once again take up a staff (symbol of authority and leadership), but this time it is the staff of a fool.  This means that the Jewish people can expect to have leaders (civil and religious) who are unwise, make absurd decisions, act despicably and generally rule without sound judgment.  They will rule the Jewish nation with force and cruelty, taking no real care of the flock or people.  The end result of such leadership is always chaos, confusion and eventual destruction.  (As an American citizen, I’m having a sense of déjà vu here… what about you?)

In the New Testament, Jesus refers to these leaders as blind guides (Matthew 15:14, Matthew 23:16 & 24) and adds that those who follow blind guides will suffer the same fate they do.

Again, we need to point out that this was NOT what God wanted for his people, but it was their decision to reject the Great Shepherd and when they rejected him, they were left with nothing else. 

While this applied to the Jews who died in the war against Rome of 71 AD, many scholars see a still future fulfillment under the rule of the antichrist.  These scholars point out that as a whole, the Jews rejected Christ during the incarnation, and they are still rejecting him now. 

II Thessalonians 2:9-12 – The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

If they continue to reject him during the great end time harvest, their only option will be to become fooled or ensnared by the false antichrist of the final days.  Once that happens, they can expect chaos, calamity and eventual destruction, unless the Lord intervenes on their behalf.  (Incidentally, this refers to the Gentiles as well.)

Zechariah 11:16 – “For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.”

What is being revealed about the foolish shepherds of Israel?

They do not care for those being destroyed (cut off), or seek the young:  In any flock, the sheep must be trained to follow the shepherd.  This is why immature lambs often wander away from the flock.  A good shepherd will go in search of those who are lost and restore them to the safety of the group.

Spiritually speaking, God’s children are his flock.  If one of them strays from the faith, it is the job of the shepherd to seek them out and restore them. 

But the foolish shepherd will not go after those who have spiritually abandoned the Lord.  This is not surprising, since they themselves no longer have fellowship with God.  

Jesus, however, is the Shepherd who always goes out to seek the lost lamb; that is the reason he came to earth:

Luke 19:9-10 – And Jesus said to him [Zacchaeus], “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

They do not heal the maimed:  People are sinful and as such, we reap sickness and death in many different ways.  We need to be healed physically, mentally and emotionally.  We often need healing, restoration or even resurrection in our marriages, our relationships, our finances, our careers, etc. 

False or foolish leaders have no compassion for the sick and hurting; neither do they possess the means to heal.  They will often refuse to give even basic comfort to those who need it.

But Jesus, our Great Shepherd, paid for all our healing during his suffering and death on earth.  He is willing and able to heal, restore or resurrect anything in our lives that needs his touch.

Isaiah 53:5-6 – But he [Messiah] was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

They do not nourish the healthy:  Foolish shepherds feed their followers a steady diet of what they want to hear, whether it is truth/sound doctrine or not:

II Timothy 4:3 – For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions…

Meanwhile, true spiritual shepherds feed their flock the sound doctrine of scripture.  Sometimes that doctrine is pleasing or ‘tasty’ (like ice cream), but the faithful shepherd will also feed his/her flock whatever they need to be healthy Christians, even if that doctrine isn’t so tasty (like okra or liver).  Though it might not be especially pleasing, it’s what they need to spiritually grow and mature.

They devour the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs:  Shepherds who do not follow God are concerned only with their own wealth, glory and comfort.  They are characterized by negligence, selfishness and cruelty.  They will devour or destroy those under their authority in order to enrich themselves.

Zechariah 11:17 – “Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye!  Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!”

In general terms, we can say that the foolish (worthless, good-for-nothing) shepherds are leaders who accept the title of shepherd while performing none of the duties associated with that office.  In fact, they will enrich themselves by killing the flock, if given the chance.  Eventually, punishment will be executed upon these wicked leaders. 

Specifically, the worthlessness of the foolish shepherd is interpreted in two ways. 

In the first theory, the shepherd is worthless because he or she ultimately betrays the flock by abandoning them all together in the time of their greatest need. 

John 10:12 – He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

In other words, false leaders will remain in place as long as they get what they want and no harm comes to them.  However, once they themselves are threatened in any way, they will immediately flee in an attempt to save themselves.

Of course, Jesus is the complete opposite of these shepherds.  He has promised never to leave us or forsake us, regardless of what we walk through (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5, etc).  He promises to be with us even to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

The second theory says the worthlessness of the foolish shepherd should be interpreted to mean that the false shepherd is like a religious idol – a worthless thing with no power/ability; a thing full of ‘nothingness’. 

While this aptly described the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, most scholars see an additional future fulfillment during the end time rule of the antichrist.  Let’s examine this further.

The worthless shepherd described here will eventually find his arm withered and his right eye blinded.  What does that mean?

In the scriptures, one’s arm is a representation of strength and power (Psalms 44:3, Job 38:15, Deuteronomy 9:29, etc).  So here we have a shepherd (one with civil and/or spiritual authority) who also has great strength and power.  Scholars believe this may refer to the civil power wielded by the antichrist at the end of the age. 

A clear right eye signifies intelligence and wisdom.  According to scholars, the antichrist will seem both wise and intelligent.  At some point, he will pretend to understand the mysteries of God.  He will claim to see into the spiritual realm and have more revelation than any former prophet; he will then claim to be the Messiah of the world.

But in reality, it’s all a lie.  His only desire is to sit on the throne of the temple like God and receive the worship of men.  The Jews (and indeed the world) will trust in him, but he is worthless and full of ‘nothingness’; has nothing to offer mankind.

Here is some good news:  Zechariah reveals that this shepherd (antichrist) will eventually find his power withered away and his wisdom blinded.  In other words, he will not prevail. 

Jesus will destroy him by the power of his word and his very presence.  All of antichrist’s crafty schemes will be exposed, and everything he vainly worked to achieve will be taken from him.

II Thessalonians 2:8 – And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

Today’s post talks about all the amazing benefits that God freely and lovingly gives to his children.   These include, but are not limited to, healing, peace, joy, finances, forgiveness, eternal life, wisdom… the list goes on and on.  All of us could easily say that, like Israel, God has placed us in a land that flows with milk and honey.

How are we responding to that love?  Do we honor, adore and worship him, living in faith to his promises?  Or are we like spoiled children who complain and throw tantrums if we don’t get what we want? 

If you find that you need to make a change in your relationship with Jesus, I have good news for you – you can do so right now!  Scripture tells us that Jesus is constantly knocking on the door of our hearts, desiring to have a closer relationship with us.

The first step in opening the door to your heart is to repent of ingratitude.  Ask Holy Spirit to assist you in renewing your mind so that you are constantly reminded of all his good benefits.

Psalms 103:1-5 – Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Here is something you might want to try:  Set an hourly alarm on your watch or phone during your waking hours.  When it rings, think of a benefit God has given you and then praise him for it!

Let me offer you some strength:

In this post we noted that God broke the staff of Unity/Bands.  Although there may be differences of opinion on exactly what that staff represents, we do know that unity is an important part of the New Testament church.

The apostle Peter tells us that believers should have unity of mind, sympathy and brotherly love, as well as a tender heart and a humble mind (I Peter 3:8).  While we cannot condone unrighteousness or allow disobedience in the church to continue without correction, we do need to be able to overlook minor differences in the way we worship and serve the Lord. 

God has created each one of us in a unique way.  We need to find a way to honor those differences while still coming together in unity so our local church can continue to serve the Lord and bring others into the fellowship of his kingdom.

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Zechariah 11:8 – In one month I destroyed the three shepherds.  But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.

Thus far in our study of the vision given to Zechariah in chapter 11, we have discovered that a time would come when the Jews were led by false shepherds, both civil and religious. 

These men were supposed to lead and guide the common people in the ways of the Lord.  They were to be champions of justice and protectors of the poor and fatherless. Sadly, they had abandoned their calling and were using their positions of authority to enrich themselves. 

But they did not operate outside the knowledge of God.  He saw their works and became impatient and disgusted with them when they refused to repent.  The judgment God pronounced against them is detailed in verses 4-17.  Although there could be multiple fulfillments of this judgment, our study will focus on the events which occurred at the time of Christ.

In the vision described by Zechariah, the prophet represents Jesus the Great Shepherd.  In our last post we saw that he had taken up two shepherd staffs.  Although there is a difference of opinion on the exact meaning of these staffs, we know that when a shepherd took up his staff, it signified two things:

• One, he had officially accepted the role of head shepherd.
• Two, he possessed the ability and authority needed to fulfill his role.

In the same way, when Zechariah symbolically picked up the two staffs in his vision, it signified that at some point, Jesus officially agreed to take up the office of the Shepherd/Messiah/Redeemer of mankind.  It also signified that he possessed all the power and authority needed for this role.

Now the prophet tells us that in one month, he destroyed three shepherds.  What does that mean?

Let’s discuss the 30-day period first.  There are generally two interpretations for this.  One, it is believed to simply represent a short span of time; not necessarily an exact 30-day period.  Or two, each of the thirty days represents a year, which translates to roughly a 30-year time span.    

As for the three shepherds who were replaced, different answers are given based on the different fulfillments of the prophesy.  For example, some scholars identify the three as Judas, Jonathan and Simon Maccabees, because they believe this prophesy was fulfilled during that era of time (approximately 167-141 BC).   

We, however, are focusing on the time period before, during and after the incarnation of Christ.  As it relates to this particular time period, it is widely believed that the three shepherds do not represent three individuals, but three groups of leaders/magistrates over the Jews:

1. Princes – This category includes those who maintained some type of civil authority over the Jews including judges, the Sanhedrin and/or other smaller governing councils.
2. Prophets – This category includes the Scribes, Pharisees, teachers of the Law, etc.  Basically it would be religious leaders who were not priests.   
3. Priests – This category includes all those within the priesthood, including the high priest(s).

When these three groups are destroyed or cut off, the end result is the cessation of civil government, the sealing up or closure of vision/prophesy (as it relates to the Law or OT covenant) and the end of sacrifice. 

Historically, we can show that all three of these groups (and their purposes) ceased to exist for the Jews when Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 71.  Thus, God’s word was fulfilled exactly as he said it would be.  

 Zechariah goes on to say that ‘I became impatient with them (or my soul loathed them), and they also detested me’. 

To loath is to be filled with disgust or aversion.  Used in this context, the meaning is that Jesus was filled with disgust when he looked upon the works of the princes, prophets and priests of that day.  In our culture, we might say that the three groups had so corrupted their purpose and misused their authority, that it made Jesus angry and ‘sick to his stomach’.

In turn, the men of these three classes ‘detested’ Jesus.  To detest is commonly defined as ‘to hate’, but it also means ‘to witness against, to denounce, to condemn’. 

It isn’t difficult for us to read through the gospels and find example after example of the Jewish leaders doing exactly that:

Witness Against - Matthew 26:59- Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;

Denounce - John 5:16 - And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day.

Condemn - Mark 10:33 - Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

Worse yet, they incited large numbers of the common Jews to reject him as well.   

Zechariah 11:9 – So I said, “I will not be our shepherd.  What is to die, let it die.  What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed.  And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.”

Many scholars believe Zechariah’s words are a paraphrase of what was spoken years earlier by the prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 15:1-2 - Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not turn toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.  …Thus says the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.    

These two prophesies are very similar and they have virtually the same meaning.  So what is the God saying through his prophets?

The Lord declares ‘I will not be our shepherd’ or as the King James Version says, ‘I will not feed you’.  The meaning is this: because the people have rejected the Lord and his commands/laws, he will stop ‘feeding’ them or giving them sound doctrine.  

Those who reject sound doctrine set themselves up for destruction.  In this case, the Jews who rejected the gospel message had only one way left to obtain eternal life - to live a sinless life under the law, which we know was impossible.  Therefore they chose death instead of life. 

That kind of death/destruction is not just spiritual; it is often physical as well.  In the case of Jews alive during the incarnation, those who rejected Christ eventually found themselves embroiled in a bitter war with the Romans, which led to the physical destruction of their homes, their city, their temple and themselves.

Sadly, the principle of rejecting sound doctrine in favor of false beliefs/gods occurs many times throughout the scriptures (for instance, the entire book of Judges).  It is important to note that the end result of false doctrine is always the same: spiritual and physical destruction/death. 

This is exactly what we would expect, because in rejecting the ways of Jehovah, you are embracing the ways of Satan and he has nothing to give but bitterness and death.

This leads us to one inescapable conclusion: the judgment of God cannot be considered cruel or malicious, because he tried all possible means to gather his flock to himself.  In the end, they refused; it was their decision to reject Christ’s doctrine and authority.

Luke 13:34 - O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen does gather her brood under her wings, and you would not!   

Let’s look at it another way.  We know that the shepherd is set over a flock for specific purposes: to lead them to places of bountiful food and water, to defend them from wild beasts and robbers, to heal or nurse them and to do what is best for them.

Spiritual shepherds do the same thing.  They provide spiritual food, defend against false teachers/doctrines, provide comfort/healing and generally lead them in the manner that is best for their spiritual good.   

Jesus was more than willing to do all this (and more) for the Jews, but they refused.  Therefore, Jesus ceased to be their Shepherd; he removed his hand of protection/provision from them.  Once that happened, the only possible outcome for the Jews was physical and spiritual death.     

 When the Jews rejected Christ, God then opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles:

Acts 13:46 - Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you [the Jews]: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.    

You and I need to take this lesson to heart, because it is still possible for Christians today to reject sound doctrine and fall into spiritual death.  The apostle Paul warned of this in his letter to Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:3-4 - For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they draw to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto myths.

As Christians, it is our responsibility to make sure we don’t begin having ‘itchy ears’ that long for false doctrine.  So how can we avoid falling into the same trap?  Here are some tips to keep us from being deceived:

- Be careful who you allow to be a spiritual leader or teacher in your life.  What do you know about the background of this person?  Are there any ‘red flags’ in their everyday lives or ministries that would cause you to pause?  If so, make sure you investigate them fully. 

- As you are being taught in Sunday morning services, or in a bible study or through an online ministry, be sure that you are carefully watching and listening to what they say.  Have your bible close by and double check the scriptural references for accuracy.  If Holy Spirit gives you a warning sign, be sure to listen.  

- Just as Holy Spirit will never give a word of prophesy or vision that does not match up to scripture, neither will he supersede or replace the scriptures with a new ‘word’ or command of God.  If a spiritual leader or teacher tells you they have a ‘new’ word from the Lord that replaces an existing command, beware!

- If you come across a ministry that requires a donation in order for you to receive prayer, or a ministry that claims God will not hear you without a donation, stop following them immediately!  While tithes and offerings should be a part of Christian life, they are not required for answered prayers.

Remember, the devil is a liar who specializes in half-truths.  If you want to avoid being fooled, know the scriptures!

Zechariah 11:10 – And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.

In this verse we see God officially ‘breaking up’ with his people.  But this does not mean that the grace and salvation of the gospel were completely withdrawn from mankind.  Rather, it was temporarily taken from the Jews (Romans 11:25) and given to another flock – the Gentiles. 

Matthew 21:43 - Therefore I [Jesus] say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Because of God’s goodness and grace, you and I can also receive the salvation given to the Jews!  Such a blessing is almost incomprehensible!  Hallelujah!

In light of the fact that we have received such an astonishing gift, let’s commit ourselves to bringing forth fruit in the kingdom of heaven.

Zechariah 11:11 – So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders (poor of the flock), who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.

There is no doubt that the majority of the Jews rejected Christ as their Shepherd.  But God always has a remnant that is faithful to him (Romans 9:27).  In this prophesy that remnant is referred to as ‘sheep traders’ or ‘poor of the flock’. 

These Jews ‘watched’ or placed their full attention on Jesus, taking note of his commands and words of warning.  Thus, they knew or were fully convinced that the prophesy concerning the destruction of the Jews and the city of Jerusalem was certainly going to come to pass.

Luke 21:20-22 - And when you shall see Jerusalem surrounded with armies, then know that its desolation is near.  Then let them who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them who are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter into it.  For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

These Jews were saved from the horrific destruction that eventually came upon those who remained in Jerusalem because they closely listened to the Holy Spirit and obeyed his voice. 

There is still a spiritual war going on today.  If we want to come through it victorious, we too must listen to the voice of Holy Spirit and follow where he leads.   

Let me offer you some encouragement:

As we consider the prophesy of Zechariah, one thing becomes very clear – God is always faithful to his word.  When he promises destruction for those who reject him, they will be destroyed.  When he promises blessing for those who follow him, they will be blessed.   

So on those days when life seems hard, or it seems difficult to do the righteous thing, encourage yourself with the promises of God.  Today may be a difficult day, but the time will come when the trumpet sounds and you will live in eternal bliss and glory with King Jesus!

Let me offer you some relief:

Is it possible that you are reading this blog post while being in a state of rebellion against the Lord?  Are you a prodigal who has walked away from your faith?

If so, I want to give you a word of hope and relief.  God did everything in his power to call the Jews back to himself.  He would have forgiven them and immediately placed them back into his flock if they had only asked.

God is more than willing to do the same for you.  All you need to do is humble yourself, confess your sin and ask for forgiveness.  When you do, the blood of Christ will immediately cleanse you from sin and you will be back under the care of the Great Shepherd.    

Let me offer you some strength:

 Are you walking through a difficult time?  If so, let me remind you that you don’t walk alone.  Our loving Shepherd is walking with you every step of the way.  He will lead you in the paths of righteousness and restore your soul.  Even in the valley of the shadow of death, he is there to comfort you.  He will prepare a table of blessing for you under the eyes of your enemies.  Surely his goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of this life (Psalms 23)!  

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Zechariah 11:5 – “Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them.’”

Welcome back, readers!  In our last post, we began to examine a new word from the Lord through Zechariah.

In that prophesy, God instructs Zechariah to become a shepherd to a doomed flock.  We determined that in this vision/prophesy Zechariah is symbolically representing someone else. 

He represents a future leader of Israel who will instruct a particular generation of Jews that will completely reject his teaching.  In so doing, that generation will also be rejecting Jehovah, who appointed the shepherd to teach them.  Because they reject the word of the Lord (and by extension the Lord himself), they doomed themselves to destruction.

While we could point to a number of different instances in the history of Israel which fulfill this word, we are confining our study to one example – the generation of Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah during the incarnation.

Now let’s continue on with our study.  Verse 5 is often interpreted in a spiritual sense and in a literal sense.  Let’s look at the spiritual interpretation first. 

Here in verse 5, the prophet speaks of three distinct groups of people:

• Those who ‘sell’ the Jews. 
• Those who ‘buy’ and ‘slaughter’ the Jews. 
• The shepherds who have no pity on the Jews.

However, as it turns out, all three groups are really the same people!

First, let’s discuss the shepherds who are without pity.  This refers to the Scribes, Pharisees, priests, teachers of the law and any other religious leaders of that day.  The spiritual welfare of the people was their responsibility.  They were to serve out of compassion and love, keeping the flock of God on the paths of righteousness. 

But when we examine the scriptures, we find that during the incarnation, this was not the case.  In general, the spiritual leaders of Israel showed no compassion to their fellow Jews; they were putting heavy burdens upon the people, which they themselves could not keep (Matthew 23:4)!

In fact, Jesus says that the religious leaders not only refused to enter into the age of grace, they intentionally hindered anyone who was trying to enter in:

Luke 11:52 – Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.

In addition, they chose to enforce or cling to the traditions of their elders even when those traditions were at odds with the commands of God.  They rejected the grace of God and continued to seek eternal life/salvation by the works of the law. They were intentionally blind regarding the things of God, and they forced the common people down those same paths.

Mark 7:7-8 - But in vain do they [the religious leaders] worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such things you do.

This is the same group of men who ‘sold’ the Jews.  Scripture tells us that the religious leaders of the day were all about financial gain:

Matthew 23:14 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater condemnation.  

In short, we can say that these men enriched themselves through collecting a tithe of everything, refusing to take care of their own parents (Mark 7:10-13), and basically using any means at their disposal (moral or immoral) to make money for themselves. 

Worse yet, after doing so, they turned around and offered false praise to God for their ill gotten gains!

They were also the men who spiritually slaughtered the common people.  They fed their fellow Jews regular doses of poisonous doctrines, commanding them to reject the salvation and grace offered by Christ.  They continued to insist that salvation could be achieved through the works of the law, even though the law could only produce death.

Now let’s take a moment to examine the temporal/physical interpretation of verse 5.

In this scenario, the shepherds who have no pity on the Jews and the people who sold them to their enemies are still the same group of people - the religious leaders of the day. 

Again, it was the duty of Israel’s shepherds to protect the nation.  They were to feed the Jews with the word of God, govern according to God’s command, seek the lost, heal the sick and protect the weak.  But they did none of these things. 

Instead, they became like wolves and lions, taking advantage of their own people.  Eventually, after rejecting Christ, they led the Jews in a rebellion against Rome, which caused their own death and ruin. Thus, the religious leaders ‘sold’ their own people to destruction.

History confirms that in 71 AD the Roman commander Titus killed large numbers of Jews while desecrating the temple and destroying Jerusalem.

Here is something interesting to consider:  Those who hold this view (a temporal fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophesy) believe that the Romans would go unpunished for their slaughter of the Jews.  What is the reasoning behind this?  

First we need to understand that God considered Israel his own people, so to attack or strike Israel was the same as attacking or striking God himself.

Jeremiah 2:3 – Israel was holy to the Lord, the first-fruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.

Attacking Israel was an offence against God, because Israel was God’s chosen nation; the Jews were his covenant people.  Bur the generation destroyed by Rome was the same generation that had rejected Christ as their shepherd. 

In rejecting that shepherd, they also rejected God himself.  Therefore, at that point (due to their own decision) they were no longer in covenant with God so their enemy (Rome) could attack them without fear of retribution from the Lord.

Proponents of this view point out that God often used foreign powers as the rod of correction for his people (as in the entire book of Judges, the conquest of Judah by Babylon, etc).  Unless these foreign nations offended the Lord with their pride or were excessively cruel towards Israel, they were unpunished for their attacks on the Jews.

It is certainly possible for both the spiritual and literal interpretations of this verse to be true.

Zechariah 11:6 – “For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord.  Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”

The Jews pronounced judgment upon themselves for their rejection of the Messiah.  This verse gives an overview of what that destruction would look like, and we can’t help but notice that it seems to mesh with the known circumstances which took place in 71 AD.

History tells us that during the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, the Jews actually killed one another as various religious factions fought among themselves.  Thus, some of the Jews died at the hands of their neighbors.

The word of the Lord predicted that others would be killed by their ‘king’.  Did that occur?  Yes, it did!  When calling for the crucifixion of Christ, the Jews publicly declared that Caesar was their king:

John 19:5-6 – They [the Jews] cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!”  Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”  The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”  So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

By their own request, the Jews rejected Jesus and chose Caesar as their king, and God gave them what they wanted.  Unfortunately, their ‘king’ ruled without pity, slaughtering large numbers of people while destroying and burning the city of Jerusalem and the holy temple.    

In the past, God had delivered his people (either wholesale or a remnant) from all their enemies (the Philistines, Midianites, Ammonites, etc), but not this time.  Because of their rejection of Jesus, God did not deliver anyone in the city from the hands of the Romans.  History records that under Vespasian and Titus, 97 thousand Jews were taken captive and 600 thousand were slain (Josephus lists the number of the slain at 1,100,000).  As the Lord declared hundreds of years earlier through Zechariah, the Jews would be destroyed.     

Zechariah 11:7 – So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders.  And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union.  And I tended the sheep.

In this particular case, the King James Version of this verse is a bit clearer than the English Standard Version which we normally use:

Zechariah 11:7 - And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staffs; the one I called Grace, and the other I called Unity; and I fed the flock.

As we mentioned last week, the prophet is most likely recounting or describing a vision which the Lord gave him.  In this vision, Zechariah himself represents the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  This explains why Zechariah says that he performed certain actions (I will feed the flock, I took two staffs, etc) which we know were ultimately performed by the Messiah.  Just to be clear, Zechariah is describing the actions that he saw himself taking in his vision.  He did not literally feed the doomed flock, nor did he actually go find two staffs, name them and later break them.    

So in this verse we find that God sent Jesus as a shepherd (spiritual leader), who fed (taught) the entire flock (the Jews).  As we have already discovered, the majority of that particular generation doomed themselves to destruction by rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. 

However, there was a small remnant of that generation who DID believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  In this verse, they are referred to as the ‘poor of the flock’.  This group included the apostles, some of the priests/religious leaders and a section of the common people. 

They are described as being poor because they were poor in the things of this world (financially poor) or because they were poor in spirit:

Matthew 5:3 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Being poor in spirit is actually a good thing.  Those who are poor in spirit recognize that they are sinners; they acknowledge they live in a state of spiritual poverty which they cannot rise above in their own strength.  The realization of their true situation humbles them to the point where they can seek and find true spiritual riches such as grace, mercy and salvation.  All Christians were at one time poor in spirit.

Once a person accepts the forgiveness and salvation available in Jesus, they are now the richest people on the planet because they are coheirs with Christ (Galatians 4:7).    

Yet, the Jewish Christians of that day could still be described as being poor because they were persecuted, reviled, reproached and cursed by their fellow Jews. Thus, they are described as being the poor of the flock.

Zechariah goes on to say that in his vision he obtained two staffs.   

According to Coke’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, in ancient times shepherds commonly carried two staffs. 

One was a long rod which was sometimes used as an aid or support in climbing hills.  This staff was for counting the sheep, marking every 10^th sheep as a tithe and separating any diseased animals from the healthy ones.

The second staff or crook was rounded at the top.  This was used to grab any stray sheep by the leg or horn and hold them while the shepherd corrected them.     

In the physical sense, when a man picked up the staff(s), he was assuming the role of authority as the shepherd of the flock. 

Likewise, when Zechariah picks up the staffs in his vision, it is symbolic of assuming an office of spiritual authority.  Because Zechariah is symbolic of Christ, this signifies Jesus taking on the role of head spiritual shepherd for all of mankind. 

The two staffs mentioned in this verse are given names.  One was called Grace (or Beauty) and the other Unity (or Bands).  

Dozens and dozens (and dozens) of possible meanings have been ascribed to these two staffs.  Here are just a few:

• Beauty represents the Jews as being God’s chosen people.  Unity represents the brotherhood between Israel and Judah.  Or, the two staffs represent Judah and Israel. 
• The two staffs represent leaders of the Jews, specifically Zerubbabel and Nehemiah.
• Beauty represents good things of God, which Israel enjoyed when she was faithful to him.  These benefits include righteous kings and judges, a land flowing with milk and honey, and revelations of himself which other nations did not have, etc.  Unity or Bands (also rendered destroyers) represents the judgments that fell upon all the people when they broke covenant with God.  This may include the destruction caused by the Babylonians or the Romans. 
• Beauty refers to salvation through the gospel, which is the best thing that ever happened to mankind while Unity refers to the specific ordinances of the gospel which keep unity within the body of Christ.
• The two staffs represent leniency and severity; Christ uses both in governing his people.
• Beauty represents the staff of protection and provision which Christ provides his sheep, while Unity/Bands represents the violence and judgment he uses against the enemies of his people.
• Beauty represents the temple or spiritual life of mankind, while Unity represents the civil government or society of the nations.
• The two represent the double care that Jesus has for his flock – care for their souls and care for their bodies.     

Perhaps bible commentator Matthew Poole said it best: “…thus Christ enters on the actual exercise of his office, and takes two staves to himself, at the meaning whereof, we can but guess.”

(After reading through lengthy lists of possible meanings for Beauty and Unity, I tend to agree with Poole!)

Although the definite meaning/significance of these staffs remains a mystery, there are some things we know for certain:

1. At some point the Father, Son and Spirit were in agreement that Jesus would be the Redeemer of mankind.  In accordance with that decision, Jesus humbled himself and took on a body of flesh.  Through his death and resurrection, he became the spiritual Shepherd of all who would come to him:

John 10:11 – I [Jesus] and the good shepherd:  the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

2. ‘All’ includes both Jews and Gentiles:

John 10:16 – And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

3. Jesus possesses everything that is needed for the office he has undertaken.  We might say he has ‘the right tools for the job’.  In Psalms 23:4, David speaks of God’s ‘rod and his staff’ which represent both correction and support. 

The bottom line is that Jesus is all we need!   

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  As David tells us in Psalm 23, the Lord leads us into green pastures and beside still waters.  In other words, as long as we follow after him, he leads, provides and protects us.   

However, this does not mean that we will never face trials or storms in life.  What it does mean is that whatever situation we are facing, the Good Shepherd has seen it and allowed it to touch our lives.

Since that is the case, we know the trial we face will be for our good.  It will draw us closer to the Shepherd, it will teach us his ways, it will prune us so we produce more fruit and it will increase our faith. 

That trial will also result in God’s glory.  As sinners witness the peace you have during your ordeal, they will want to know how they can have it too.  They will want to know where you are getting the strength to stand in the storm. 

This will be your opportunity to glorify your Shepherd by bringing him a lost sheep.  That alone makes your trial worthwhile!  But wait… there’s more!

Let me offer you some strength:

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you have no doubt realized that the end result of every test is a testimony. 

Every storm and every trial ultimately gives us another opportunity to speak about the goodness, favor, protection and grace of our God.  It also gives us another reason/opportunity to worship our God and give him praise.      

Are you facing a storm right now?  If so, do not despair or lose hope!  Stand strong in your faith, and you will soon have yet another testimony to share with the world.