SHOWERS

Zechariah, Chapter 11, Part 3

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:

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.

‘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.

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.

Zechariah, Chapter 11, Part 2

Zechariah 11:2 – Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!

Welcome back, readers. In our last post we took a closer look at the cedars of Lebanon which are mentioned prominently in the scriptures. We discovered that the cedars could represent literal trees, national leaders (political and/or religious) or entire nations.

The imagery of the trees found in verse one continues with the mention of cypress and oaks.

Notice that the prophet instructs the oak and cypress trees to wail. Because emotions/feelings and actions are ascribed to these trees, we know they are symbolic of humans. What group of people do they represent?

Because cypress and oak trees are considered inferior to the cedars of Lebanon, we would expect the people represented by them to be ‘inferior’ to the leaders in some manner.

The most likely interpretation is that these people are subordinate in power, rank and authority to the national leaders. In other words, the cypress and oaks represent the ordinary citizens of the country. These are the people who are told to weep and wail.

We know that the cause of their despair is the destruction of the forest of cedars (leaders). However, we again find that this event may be interpreted in more than one way.

Some scholars believe this prophesy should be seen as a warning to the common people regarding personal holiness. If God will not overlook the sins of the leaders, neither will he overlook the sins of the individuals within the nation. When the common folks see their leaders being judged, it is a warning for them to repent lest they suffer the same fate.

This is a sober warning, which is applicable in our generation too. It seems like many religious and civil leaders have been in the news recently because of moral failures. This is a reminder to ordinary citizens such as ourselves that nothing is hidden from God. Should we be engaging in any kind of moral sin, we must repent immediately. If we fail to do so, public exposure may come to us as well.

Another interpretation says that in the natural realm, the forest of cedars was a barrier of safety for the nation. When God withdrew his hand of protection and allowed the physical forest to fall, it was a sign that Israel’s defenses were gone.

At that point, no wall, gate, citadel or other physical defense could repel Israel’s enemies or keep them from breaching the strongholds of the nation. No place or thing would be spared; God was giving Israel’s enemies access to everything.

Therefore, the citizens of Israel should mourn because the destruction or downfall of their nation was only a matter of time. That downfall would include the loss of all their personal possessions, their families, their beloved temple, and their land.

Moreover, as we would expect, destruction of the temple signaled a break in the relationship between God and his people.

Thus, we find that the interpretation of this scripture could be either spiritual or literal. In fact, it could be both – once the leaders of Israel allowed sin to drive a wedge between them and the Lord, it was only a matter of time before that broken relationship manifested as destruction in the natural realm.

Zechariah 11:3 – The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

The final verse in this short prophesy contains two separate statements, which basically reflect the same thing.

The first thing we notice about this verse is that the focus shifts from the wailing of the common people to the wailing of the shepherds. As you are probably aware, in both the Old and New Testaments, the civil and religious leaders of God’s people as referred to as shepherds:

Zechariah 10:3 – “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.”

I Peter 5:1-3 – So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

The national leaders are not upset over a minor complaint or inconvenience. They are crying out in deep distress and bitter anguish because they have been judged; they either lost everything, or they are about to. This includes their authority/positions, honors, homes, riches and security. In the day of judgment, everything would be stripped from them.

Let’s stop and ask this question: Why are they being judged?

As shepherds, these leaders were charged with the duty of taking care of the ‘flock’ or common people. The civil leaders were to rule in such a way that God’s laws were followed and his name honored. They were to deal fairly with all people. They were especially charged with making sure that people did not oppress or take advantage of widows and orphans.

Deuteronomy 27:19 – Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

While they were to be compensated for their work, the leaders were not to enrich themselves at the expense or undue burden of the people they served. They were to shepherd God’s people with the understanding that they served the Lord, who is the ultimate shepherd of his people (John 10:11&14, Psalms 23:1, Psalms 28:9, Ezekiel 34:15, etc).

Similarly, the religious leaders of the nation were charged with keeping the law themselves (being a public example), teaching God’s ways to the rest of the nation, and righteously running the temple.

However, it is clear from this passage that the leaders became corrupt, forsaking their duties in order to enrich themselves and satisfy their own lusts.

So far in this portion of scripture the leaders are described as cedars of Lebanon – they are majestic, useful and important (or they had the opportunity to be). Next, they are identified as shepherds – those given the responsibility of guiding God’s people. Finally, the Lord calls them roaring lions.

Interestingly, shepherds are supposed to protect the flock from the lions who seek to destroy or ‘eat up’ the sheep. This was a task that David performed many times before becoming king:

I Samuel 17:34-35 – But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.”

Instead of being good shepherds, the leaders of Israel would become lions who preyed upon the people they were supposed to protect and serve. They would use their positions of authority to take advantage of the people for quite some time. But eventually, God would ‘ruin the thicket of Jordan’ which would cause these corrupt leaders to roar with anguish. What does that mean?

Along the banks of the Jordan River, there are areas of dense shrubs, trees and thickets which are the habitations and resting places of lions. There the animals live in peace and security, proudly and boldly patrolling their territory, stalking unsuspecting prey at will.

Just as these lions would roar in fury and dismay if their habitat (and lifestyle) is destroyed, so the religious and civil leaders of Jerusalem will be struck with desperation and rage when God removes his hand of protection from them, and they lose everything.

By way of conclusion, we can say that in all three examples (trees, shepherds, lions) the implication is that at some point between the days of Zechariah and the return of the Lord, the leaders of Israel would profane/abandon the duties they had been given and become corrupt. The end result of their sin would be the oppression of God’s people.

But God would eventually intervene, pronouncing judgment against the corrupt and disobedient rulers. This judgment would also result in the fall of the nation. Once these rulers have been deposed, God would raise up a new, righteous shepherd to lead his flock:

Jeremiah 49:19 – Behold, like a lion coming up from the jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I [the Lord] will suddenly make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me?

With this in mind, can we find a time in the history of the Jews when events similar to those described here have come to pass?

We can certainly point out multiple possible fulfillments in the history of Israel. However, the most obvious example occurred during the incarnation of Christ.

In the New Testament, Jesus goes into great detail describing the corruption of the Jewish leaders (both civil and religious) in Matthew chapter 23.

In this passage, he tells his followers not to follow the example of their leaders, because they say one thing, but do another. In fact, Jesus says that they tie up heavy burdens and place them upon the shoulders/backs of those under their leadership, while they themselves will not live by the same rules.

These leaders are also described as proud and boastful, seeking honor and praise from men instead of seeking to please God. Jesus ends by pronouncing several ‘woes’ upon them, calling them blind guides. (If you have a few minutes, read the entire chapter of Matthew 23. You will find that Jesus’ description of the religious leaders of his day are a perfect example of the prophesy of Zechariah 11:1-3).

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus describes these same leaders as ‘ravenous wolves’, which would be very similar to a lion:

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

And of course, as you well know, not long after the death and resurrection of Christ the Christian Jews were warned to flee from Jerusalem. After they left, the Romans turned on the remaining Jews (those who had rejected Christ), slaughtering most of them while burning and desecrating the temple.

Thus, just as Zechariah foretold, the disobedient Jewish leaders eventually lost everything - their authority/positions, their honor, their families, their luxuries, their money, and even their lives.

Summary: Verse 1-3 are a complete word from the Lord which is separate from the rest of this chapter. The overall concept is that the leaders of Israel fall into apostasy, failing in their duty to lead, guide and protect God’s people. They are rebellious/disobedient to the commands of God. As a result, the entire nation falls into sin. Eventually, God withdraws his hand of protection, bringing judgment upon the leaders and the nation.

This word of the Lord is not specific to a particular event or time. Rather, it reveals a concept or a principle which we see at work in many instances throughout the history of Israel, including during the incarnation of Christ.

However, it is a clear preface to the word of the Lord which follows in verse four:

Zechariah 11:4 – Thus said the Lord my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.”

Verse four begins a new word from the Lord, which may be coming in the form of a vision (more on this later). In this vision, God is instructing Zechariah to become a shepherd – one who is to lead and teach the Jews in the ways of the Lord.

But at first glance, that doesn’t make much sense, because Zechariah already is a shepherd of Israel. He was not only from a priestly family, he was one of the chief priests (Nehemiah 2:16), who were charged with the guidance and instruction of the common people:

Malachi 2:7 – For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Therefore, it is doubtful that God is speaking to Zechariah in a literal sense. So let’s dig deeper – another possibility is that in this vision, Zechariah is symbolically representing someone else. If he were representing someone else, who would it be?

We are given two clues or specific pieces of information about this mystery person or persons. First, they would be a shepherd or teacher of Israel. Second, they would teach a specific flock or group of Jews – a generation doomed to slaughter.

This brings up an important question: How does a generation become doomed to slaughter?

Answer: They reject, rebel against, or become disobedient to the word of the Lord.

For example, there was a generation of Jews who were liberated from Egypt by the mighty power of God. After their rescue, God took them to the gates of the Promised Land and instructed them to go forth and take the Land. But they rebelled against the word of the Lord and refused to fight. As a result, that generation was doomed to wander in the desert until they died (Numbers 32:13).

Later, at the end of the era of the kings, we find that the Jews again rejected the word of the Lord by worshiping and serving false gods. As a result of their disobedience, that generation was also doomed to either death or exile:

Ezekiel 5:11-12 - Therefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD; Surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and with all your abominations, therefore will I also diminish you… a third part of you shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of you: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about you; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

So, in this vision Zechariah becomes symbolic of a future shepherd who will instruct/teach a particular generation of Jews that will utterly reject his teaching. In so doing, they reject not only the shepherd who teaches them, they also reject God who appointed the shepherd. Because of this rejection, they doom themselves to destruction.

In the period of time between the life of Zechariah and today, we can find a number of fulfillments (or partial fulfillments) of this prophesy. However, we are going to focus our study on one particular case – the generation of Jews who rejected Jesus during the incarnation.

As we will see through the remainder of our study, Jesus gave the Jews numerous warnings of coming destruction if they rejected him as the Messiah. One such warning came in the form of a parable.

In Matthew 21:33-46 we have the Parable of the Tenants, which reflects the same truth Zechariah shared with the people of his day (See also Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19).

If you have a chance, please read this passage. In case you can’t take the time to do so, I will recap it for you. The master of a house plants a vineyard, surrounds it with a fence, digs a winepress and erects a watchtower on the property.

He leases the property out to some tenants and goes to a foreign country. At the time of harvest, he sends numerous servants to collect his fruit. But every representative the owner sends is either beaten or killed by the tenants. Finally, the master sends his own son to the tenants, with the belief that the tenants will respect his son above all others.

But they don’t – instead they say, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and the vineyard will be ours’. Then Jesus asks the Jews what will happen to the tenants. They reply that the master will put the tenants to death and give control of the vineyard to others.

Little did they realize they were speaking of themselves! Because they rejected Jesus and were disobedient to his commands, they became sheep set apart for slaughter (Psalms 44:22).

Let’s delve a bit deeper into the parable of the tenants.

We know that the master in this parable is God the Father, his servants are the prophets/apostles, and the Son is Jesus. The tenants who abuse the messengers of God are the Jewish leaders of the day (Pharisees, priests, Sadducees, teachers of the law).

The Jews were supposed to be followers of God. In addition, it was their responsibility to tend to God’s vineyard – their fellow Jews – by teaching them the laws and principles of God while leading them by example.

But, like the tenants in the parable, the Jewish leaders were disobedient to their call. They rejected Christ as their shepherd, which eventually led to their own destruction.

We often marvel at the stubbornness and obstinacy of the Jews. We often point the finger of judgment and condemn them for their disobedience.

But we should keep in mind that whenever we point a finger of judgment at someone, we are pointing three fingers back at ourselves! Perhaps it would be best if we removed the speck from our own eye before trying to take the beam out of theirs!

We too consider ourselves followers of God; yet we often live in disobedience to his commands!

For example, we often neglect to follow God’s commands in the area of personal holiness. Scripture tells us that we are to live holy lives, set apart as vessels to be used of God:

I Peter 1:15 - …but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct…

Furthermore, there are many places in scripture where we are told to remove specific sins from our lives. One such example is found in Colossians chapter 3:

Colossians 3:5,8 – Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry… But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth.

But how many of us are still living in disobedience to these commands?

How many of us are engaging in sexual activity that is outside God’s framework of marriage between a man and woman?
How many of us operate in anger?
How many times do obscene words or cursing come from our lips?
How often do we gossip?
Are we jealous or do we covet the blessings of our neighbors?

I think you get the picture. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were happily going about their lives, seemingly ignorant of the fact that their disobedience was an insult to God.

So too, many modern-day Christians seem ignorant of the fact that God has called us to be holy in all we do. The benchmark of our holiness is not the society around us, or even the accepted practices of the church; the standard of our holiness is the perfect holiness of God himself. Are we striving for that?

How many of us read the scriptures daily, but are not the least bit convicted or challenged by them? Truthfully, many Christians are just as blind to the sins in their own lives as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In today’s post we noted that the leaders of Israel were walking in disobedience to the commands of the Lord. Normally, we think of disobedience as doing the opposite of what we are commanded to do. For example, we are commanded to speak the truth, so when we lie, we are disobedient.

But sometimes we forget that failing to the right thing is also walking in disobedience!

For example, in Matthew 23:23, Jesus says the scribes and Pharisees were guilty of neglecting the laws of justice, mercy and faithfulness. In other words, they didn’t necessarily do the wrong thing; they simply failed or refused to do the right thing!

My point is some of us might be tempted to say that we are not walking in disobedience to God’s commands. While it may be true that we are not breaking his commands, we may still be guilty of failing to perform the good works he has called us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

I encourage you to take an honest look at your life. Can you hear the voice of Holy Spirit? When he stops you during your busy day and commands you to speak to a hurting person, or give an unusual offering, or perform some other good work, are you obedient to his command?

Let me offer you some relief:

Perhaps at this very moment, you are acutely aware that you have been walking in disobedience to a particular command of the Lord. Perhaps you are feeling uneasy or guilty because of it.

If so, I want to make sure you understand the difference between conviction and condemnation.

Condemnation is from the devil. Through it, he seeks to convince you that you were a failure in the past, you are a failure now and that you will always be a failure in the future.

He will do his best to convince you that your sin is so bad, God will never forgive you. Essentially, he wants you to think that you have no hope, so you should just give up trying to serve the Lord, or even give up on life.

But remember, Satan is not just a liar, he is the Father of Lies!

Scripture tells us that there is no sin or blasphemy that can’t be forgiven, except the outright rejection of Christ, which is what the devil is trying to accomplish with condemnation (Matthew 12:31). Don’t fall for his tricks!

Conviction, on the other hand, comes through Holy Spirit. If you are sinning, he will convict you of your actions, which may make you feel guilty. But the purpose and result of his work is not hopelessness – it is to draw you into repentance so your relationship to God can be restored. Thus, the end result of conviction is freedom in Christ.

II Corinthians 7:10 – For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

If you are being convicted by the Spirit of a sin, please embrace his call! He desires to help you be free from that bondage so you can walk in obedience to Christ.

Let me offer you some strength:

Are you looking for a good example of obedience? How about our Savior, Messiah and King, Jesus Christ? Scripture tells us that he was obedient to the Father, even to the point of death on the cross:

Philippians 2:8 – And being found in fashion as a man, he [Jesus] humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus was willing to be obedient to the cross so that we could be forgiven. In light of that sacrifice, how can we refuse to be obedient to his life-giving commands?

Zechariah, Chapter 11, Part 1

Zechariah 11:1 – Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars!

Now we come to chapter 11 of the book of Zechariah. As we discussed in our introduction, the last four chapters of this book have a decidedly different tone and message. Promises of blessing and mercy are replaced by warnings of judgment.

Some bible commentators believe this is proof that the last four chapters of Zechariah were written by a different author. However, we must keep in mind that the God we serve is not only a God of love, but a God of justice. He will equally (and perfectly) administer mercy and judgment in accordance with his perfect and unchangeable character. For this reason, we should not be surprised to see warnings of judgment.

It might be best to think of it this way: Not all people are motivated in the same way. Some sinners are called into the kingdom by messages of love. Others require a message of ‘hell, fire and brimstone’ before they will submit to Jesus. God provides both types of messages in the book of Zechariah, so that he touches the heart of every person.

Here is something else to consider: As we have pointed out several times, the final or climactic fulfillment of many of the promises of God through Zechariah will come in the final days of this world, close to (or during) the reign of antichrist.

Obviously, between the days of Zechariah and the days of antichrist Israel was not always going to be faithful to the Lord. Therefore, she would not always be blessed and prosperous. She was in for her share of calamity and destruction, including the destruction of the temple and the capital city of Jerusalem.

Giving the Jews prior warning of these judgments is in keeping with God’s righteous ways. And because he told them up front what would happen, it gives them greater faith in him, instead of eroding trust.

Now let’s take a closer look at our text. We’ll begin by reviewing what we know about cedars.

Cedars grow abundantly in Palestine, particularly in Lebanon. The trees that grow in this region are world renown; they are of the highest quality and are considered to be ‘the best of the best’. These cedars are often referred to as the glory of Lebanon.

The trees themselves are tall and stately, having a very desirable fragrance. In addition to being strong and durable, the wood is naturally resistant to insects making it highly prized in building expensive homes. During ancient biblical times, cedar was the top choice for beams, boards, pillars and ceilings. It was also well suited and much desired for carved work like trim boards or even idols. It was also used to build ships and masts.

As you probably know, King David used cedar in the building of his royal palace (II Samuel 5:11). Additionally, he provided ‘cedar trees without number’ which were used in building the temple of Solomon (I Chronicles 22:4). Cedar was also used when the temple was rebuilt during the days of Zechariah (Ezra 3:7). Although scripture does not definitely say so, we can safely assume that cedar was used when Herod remodeled the temple just before the incarnation of Christ.

So, we find that the cedars of Lebanon are literal trees that have many practical uses. These trees are highly valued and sought after; they are considered the best in the world.

However, when reading the scriptures, we also find that the ‘cedars of Lebanon’ is a symbolic phrase used to represent leaders (political or religious) or entire nations.

For example, in Isaiah 2:6-22, the prophet pronounces judgment upon the leaders of Israel (both political and religious) for pride, greed and idolatry. In the prophesy, the leaders of the nation are described as ‘cedars of Lebanon’ (and oaks of Bashan). This implies that they were powerful, that they lived in luxury, that they had great influence over others (because people wanted to be like them) and that they refused to bow/submit to the Lord.

Another example of cedars referring to leaders of a nation can be found in II Kings 14:9-10. In this passage, Johash king of Israel refers to himself as a cedar of Lebanon. The inference is that he considers himself to be a strong and mighty ruler (far superior to the King of Judah), rich in goods and wisdom, who could withstand any enemy attack.

In other passages, the term ‘cedars of Lebanon’ is used to describe entire nations, as in Ezekiel 31 where ‘cedar of Lebanon’ refers to the powerful nation of Assyria (see verses 1-11).

Interestingly, in II Kings 19:20-28, the king of Assyria contemptuously describes the nations he has conquered as cedars growing on the sides of Lebanon:

2 Kings 19:23 – By your messengers you [the king of Assyria] have mocked the Lord, and you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses…

The inference is that the nations Assyria had conquered were all powerful, mighty and wealthy – the ‘best of the best’ - but Assyria was even greater since it had defeated them all. The speech of the Assyrian leaders was as boastful and full of pride as you could get!

Now that we know ‘cedars of Lebanon’ can refer to literal trees or it can be a symbolic term for individual national leaders as well as entire nations, let’s circle back to our text.

Zechariah 11:1 says ‘Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars’. How should we interpret this verse? Is it literal or symbolic? Does it refer to a place, a leader or a nation?

Not surprisingly, different scholars have offered different interpretations.

On interpretation says God is symbolically referring to the nation of Judah (also referred to as the house of David). This theory says that the leaders of Judah (and by extension the nation) were great, glorious and untouchable because they followed the Lord who defended them. However, when they went astray God withdrew his hand of protection and the leaders (and by extension the nation) became easy prey for their enemies.

Jeremiah 22:6-7 – For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, yet surely, I will make you a desert, an uninhabited city. I will prepare destroyers against you, each with his weapons, and they shall cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into the fire.”

In this passage, God clearly uses the term ‘Lebanon’ to describe Judah, and he declares he will cut down or remove her choicest leaders.

This is certainly a valid interpretation for the verse, but at the same time we must admit that it is very vague. Many scholars find fault with this interpretation because pinning it to a particular fulfillment in history is very difficult.

There is also a literal interpretation for this verse. This theory maintains that the prophesy refers to the temple. One reason for this interpretation is the use of the phrase ‘open your doors’, which indicates a building of some kind.

In addition, we know for certain that literal cedar wood from Lebanon was used in the construction of the temple, and since the temple is really the only building/house we would expect God to be concerned with, the actual temple is being spoken of in this passage.

Although the Jews of Zechariah’s day did not know it, the doors of the temple they were in the process of building would be opened to invaders in 167 BC. At that time, Antiochus Epiphanes (king of Syria) would order the altar to be desecrated, and he would dedicate the temple of God to Zeus.

As history tells us, the temple was eventually reclaimed and cleansed by the Maccabees in 165 BC and it remained under Jewish control until after the death of Christ.

Then, in 71 AD, the doors of the temple were once again opened or breached by the Romans who again desecrated the altar and set the entire structure on fire.

Those who support this interpretation of the verse believe that the prophetic word was fulfilled both in 167BC and 71AD. Furthermore, they believe that when the third temple is finally built, it too will have its doors opened/breached by the antichrist.

It is also worth noting that when the temple was destroyed in 71AD, so were the political and religious leaders and the city itself; thus, judgment was against the cedars both literal and symbolic.

A third theory, also literal, believes that the area referred to is the forest of Lebanon, which was a boundary between Judah and its neighboring countries. This theory says that the ‘doors’ of Lebanon are the literal mountain passes in the region.

The ‘opening of the doors’ is symbolic for the ease with which any army invading from the north could traverse the land and find itself on the doorstep of Jerusalem. In this theory, the fire refers to the rage of Israel’s enemies. Those who support this interpretation find a particular fulfillment during the Roman occupation.

Before we continue, I’d like to pause for a moment and consider this topic from another angle. Regardless of whether this prophesy refers to the temple, the nation of Israel or its leaders, it clearly refers to a time of destruction, which is the result of sin.

Sin always results in destruction. This principle was true during the times of ancient Israel, it was true during the times of Zechariah, and it is still true today.

The apostle James tells us that our own lust/desire ‘opens the door’ for sin to enter our lives. If we don’t root that sin out immediately, it will grow and eventually result in death and destruction:

James 1:11-16 – But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

Keep in mind that the book of James was written to Christians, not to sinners. Over and over in the scriptures we are instructed by multiple men of God to guard ourselves against sin and exercise the self-discipline of personal holiness. On one occasion, the apostle Paul puts it this way:

Romans 6:13 – Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Honestly, I don’t think most Christians are hoping to squeeze as much sin into their lives as possible. I believe we are all seeking to please the Lord by the way we live our lives.

However, this doesn’t happen naturally or by accident. Even though we are saved by grace, we still have a fallen nature. Our natural ‘default setting’ is to sin. (If the tendency toward sin was fully removed when we received salvation, we would have sin-free lives and a perfect church!)

Because this is the case, we must put forth effort to remove/prune sin away from our hearts. In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul instructs us to:

Ephesians 4:22-24 - …put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

In light of these verses, let’s ask ourselves some questions: Are we acutely aware of sin in our lives? Are we working on our own personal holiness? What practical steps are we undertaking to separate ourselves from sin? Do we have a plan, or are we just hoping for the best?

If we are not currently in pursuit of holiness, it’s time to begin. As a first step, I recommend spending time in prayer. Read over the many, many portions of scripture which speak about personal holiness. You must meditate on these until Holy Spirit impresses their importance upon your heart.

This is an important first step because if you are not fully convicted of sin and fully convinced you need to change, you will eventually give up the pursuit of holiness when it becomes difficult or uncomfortable.

Secondly, you must focus on a specific area of sin. Don’t just randomly pick one. As you pray into this topic and listen to the voice of Holy Spirit, he will reveal a particular area of your life that needs to be changed at this time.

Once he reveals the area of change, begin to search the word of God for scriptures relating to that topic. You must meditate on these portions of scripture until your mind is renewed and you begin to think like Christ in that area.

Now you are ready to do the actual ‘pruning’ of your life. Eventually that sin will try to trap you again. But this time you will be ready for it! Quote the word of God to it; resist the devil and he will flee from you. By the power of the Spirit, you will be victorious over that sin!

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Today’s post focuses on the cedars of Lebanon. In the symbolic sense, they represent people in places of leadership. So let me encourage you to be a spiritual cedar!

Regardless of your situation in life, you can be an effective witness for Christ through leading by example. In other words, commit yourself to personal holiness; live a life that is different from the world.

As you stand for righteousness in the things you say and do, it will not only be a witness to the people around you, it will encourage less mature Christians to live the same kind of holy life.

Let me offer you some relief:

All Christians are called to crucify our fleshly passions and be as holy as possible. If you are like me, you have tried to do this using your own strength. Perhaps you have repented of a sin, then promised the Lord that you would NEVER do that again, only to find yourself doing it later that day!

If that’s you, let me offer you some relief – it IS possible to overcome that sin.

I Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.

The problem with most of us is that we try to gain victory over sin either in our own strength or using our own tactics. Neither one of these will bring us victory. We must conquer sin using the principles outlined in God’s word.

As we mentioned in today’s post, the first step is allowing Holy Spirit to fully convict you of a specific sin. Once that happens, you must put forth the effort to renew your mind; you must put on the mind of Christ and think as he thinks about that sin.

When you can successfully do that, you will gain the victory!

Let me offer you some strength:

Personal holiness is not a one-time event – it’s a process that takes place over time. Can you rid yourself of a besetting sin? Yes – but it will take time, effort, and the help of Holy Spirit.

There will be times when you fail, but don’t give up. God’s mercies are new every morning; great is his faithfulness!

When you stumble, cast that sin under the blood of Jesus, forget what lies behind and press on into victory in Christ (Philippians 3:13-14)!

Zechariah, Chapter 10, Part 3

Zechariah 10:9 – “Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.”

As we pointed out in our last post, the remainder of this chapter focuses on promises that God made to his people, especially to the children of Israel. These promises include both spiritual and temporal/physical blessings and they include an element of battle (also spiritual and physical).

Most bible scholars believe the final fulfillment of these promises is still in the future. This is consistent with what Paul tells us in Romans chapter 11, where we read that God has caused a temporary blindness to come upon the Jews until the Gentiles have been brought into his kingdom. God promises that at the proper time, he will then remove the blindness of his people and draw them back to himself.

Here in Zechariah 10:9 we are told that God scattered Israel among the nations. Of course, we know this to be true; the Jews have been scattered throughout the known world on several occasions. Some of these include:

The Jews of Israel were scattered when Assyria conquered them in 721 BC.
The Jews of Judah were scattered when Babylon conquered them in 597 BC.
Just after the foundation of the church, severe persecution scattered the Jews to almost all of the surrounding countries.
Large numbers of Jews were scattered from Jerusalem after the Romans destroyed the city in 71 AD.
The Jews were scattered among the nations during WWII, when they fled from the Nazis.

In order to grasp the true meaning of this verse, we need to take a closer look at the word ‘scattered’. To scatter means to disperse or to spread in different directions. In many ways, this does accurately describe what happened to the Jews. But the word ‘scatter’ has a negative connotation; it carries the idea of mindless or random dissipation and/or breaking something down in order to destroy or remove it.

Most versions of the bible translate the Hebrew word as ‘sowed’ instead of ‘scattered’, which is a better word choice, because it more accurately describes what God was doing.

We know that God never intended to hurt or destroy Israel. When he ‘sowed’ them among the nations, the idea is that he purposely planted them throughout the world as a farmer would sow seed.

Hosea 2:23 - …and I will sow her [Israel] for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’ and he shall say, ‘You are my God’.

A farmer intentionally sows seed in the best possible places because his goal is to reap the largest harvest possible. In the same way, God did not just randomly scatter the Jews around the world, he purposely planted them in specific places where he could nurture and multiply them with the full intention of bringing them back to himself:

Hosea 2:19-20 – And I will betroth you [Israel] to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

God reveals to the Jews that their displacement to Babylon (and other countries) was not the last time they would be ‘scattered’. But this should not be a reason to worry or fear. God was in full control as he intentionally ‘sowed’ them throughout the world.

Furthermore, God assures his people that at the appointed time, he will once again gather them to himself. This ingathering will involve multiple generations of the Jews (them and their children), indicating that none will be lost.

At some point the Jews will ‘remember the Lord’, which speaks of spiritual understanding; they will finally accept Jesus as the Messiah and receive salvation. They will be part of the church and will enjoy the same spiritual and physical benefits that are available to all believers.

Zechariah 10:10 – “I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them.”

There are differences of opinion on how to best interpret this verse.

The nation of Israel was located between Egypt (to the west) and Assyria (to the east). For this reason, some theorize that Egypt and Assyria represent not only themselves, but all of the great empires of the world which would later exist in those lands and cause Israel to suffer.

However, regardless of which nations God’s people wound up in, he would bless them and call them back to himself. This return would involve a literal return to Gilead and Lebanon, which represent the boundaries of the Promised Land. God would so multiply his people that upon their return, there would barely be enough room for all of them to live.

A second interpretation says that the scripture should be translated “As I brought them out of the land of Egypt, so will I gather them from Assyria”. In this theory, a parallel is suggested between the way Israel was delivered from Egypt and the way it will be delivered from future oppression. This may entail a physical bondage and release, and/or a spiritual one.

In a physical sense, it means that at some point, Israel will find herself totally bound by another nation or group and unable to defend/free herself. At that time, she will cry out to God and he will once again use his miraculous power to deliver her (just as he delivered her from Egypt).

This would not only free the Jews, it would also provide a terrifying and irrefutable testimony to the nation who tried to oppress God’s people. This testimony would glorify God and give the heathen nations the opportunity to accept salvation.

In the spiritual sense, we know that the bondage of Israel in Egypt was a picture of the bondage of sin. It reflected the oppression that mankind was subjected to under the authority of Satan. Just as God brought his people out of Egypt with great miracles and his own mighty strength, he will also bring them out of spiritual darkness and into the freedom of Christ Jesus, which is possible only through his miraculous power and might.

Thus, the Jews will find themselves members of the kingdom of heaven - a spiritual Gilead (which means ‘heap or mass of testimony’) and Lebanon (which means ‘white’, as in washed in the blood of the Lamb).

In this theory, the phrase ‘till there is no room for them’ refers to the number of people who are admitted into the kingdom, which is a number beyond measure.

A third theory says that Egypt and Assyria are both mentioned to assure the Jews that the redemption being promised was open to them all. This theory takes into account a cultural difference among the Jews.

Once the Lord had freed the Jews from Egyptian bondage, they were never to return and live there (Deuteronomy 17:16). However, during the times of dispersion, there were some Jews who fled to Egypt. These people were regarded with distain by other Jews. The reputation of any Jew who returned to Egypt was sullied or tarnished in the eyes of his fellow Jews.

It is possible that the majority of Jews would have felt the promises of God did not apply to these Egyptian Jews. Thus, when God promises to bring his people back from both Assyria and Egypt, he is making it perfectly clear that he means ALL of his people, no matter where they were in the world, or what they had done.

Zechariah 10:11 – “He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart…”

Here we have a reference to both a sea and a river (Nile). These are allusions to former miracles that God had performed on behalf of the Jews.

In the first instance, God miraculously brought ten plagues upon the nation of Egypt, who finally agreed to let Israel go. But shortly afterward, Pharaoh changed his mind. He gathered his troops and marched out against Israel as they camped before the Red Sea.

At that time, God again displayed his miraculous power by standing between Israel and her enemies in the form of a pillar of fire and cloud. He kept the Egyptians at bay all night while a severe east wind blew and God parted the Red sea.

As you recall, all of the Jews passed over the sea on dry ground. Once they had passed, the pillar moved and the Egyptians rushed after the Jews. As they were in the midst of the dry seabed, God caused the water to return to its original boundaries and all of the Egyptians drowned (Exodus 14:22-30).

We find a similar occurrence when the Israelites were finally ready to conquer the Promised Land. In order to reach Jericho, they had to cross the Jordan which was at the spring flood stage. Once again, God parted the waters and his people crossed on dry land (Joshua 3:14-17).

The point is that the literal waters of the sea and river were obstacles which stood in the way of Israel’s blessing and restoration. Israel herself was incapable of removing these obstacles, but God was not; he struck the waters and provided his people with safe passage through them.

Likewise, God will make a way through every future obstacle or ‘sea of trouble’ which opposes Israel’s blessing and restoration.

These obstacles may refer to affliction, oppression or problems of any kind – political, financial, etc. However, it should be noted that in scripture ‘sea’ is often symbolic of the nations of the world. Thus, the ‘sea of trouble’ may also refer to nations or kingdoms who oppose Israel and her restoration. Regardless of the nature or identity of the obstacle, God will simply strike it down, so his people can pass through.

This is a powerful reminder to the Jews that God’s power has not diminished; no force on earth, under the earth, or in the heavens can stop him from coming to the assistance of his people and providing them with victory. His past deliverances are proof/assurance that he will also deliver them in the future.

As God delivers his people, their enemies (as represented by Assyria and Egypt) will fall out of power and be destroyed. Again, this is believed to be something that will occur in the future; possibly as the final end-time kingdom of Satan tries one last time to destroy the Jews.

Spiritually speaking, the message is that God will bring the Jews into the kingdom of heaven, regardless of any/all opposition. This fulfillment began immediately following the resurrection of Christ, and it will reach its ultimate climax when God removes the temporary blindness of the Jews and they recognize Jesus as their Messiah.

Zechariah 10:12 – “…I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the Lord.

The bottom line is that as long as they depend upon the Lord, the Jews would be sufficiently strong to be victorious over their enemies:

II Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Even if the whole world were to rise up against them, the Jews will have nothing to fear because they walk under the power, direction and authority of Jehovah himself. He will not allow his people to sink under the afflictions of their enemies. The more the Jews are opposed, persecuted and afflicted, the more they will be upheld by the mighty hand of the Lord.

In fact, the weaker the Jews are, the more glory God will ultimately receive because his grace and power will be acknowledged in Israel’s victory.

In a spiritual sense, this means that when the Jews accept salvation, they will be able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens them (Philippians 4:13). They will have the strength to forgive, perform Christian duties, withstand temptation, sharpen personal holiness, endure afflictions, gain victory over all spiritual enemies, and subdue the world around them, just as the Gentile Christians do.

By faith, all believers (Jew and Gentile) can ‘walk in his name’ which means we can live our daily lives in the will of God, standing on his promises, walking according to his commands and worshipping him in spirit and in truth.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

The promise of God’s mighty strength and power applies to the church as well as to the nation of Israel. Let’s face it – the church is weak in many areas and sometimes it looks as though we will be crushed by Satan’s schemes.

But we do not need to fear. God has built the church upon the solid rock Christ Jesus and he promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against us (Matthew 16:18). As long as we are faithful to God, he will come to our aid and fight on our behalf. Now that’s an encouraging word!

Let me offer you some relief:

There can be no doubt that Israel made many mistakes and fell into many sins. There can also be no doubt that God chastised her for her rebellion. But the bottom line is that God never cast Israel away from himself.

Instead, he called to her out of love and waited patiently for her to return. Just as the prodigal son eventually realized the error of his ways and returned to his father, so Israel will eventually realize the error of her ways and accept Jesus Christ as her Messiah.

The same principle applies to America. We have fallen into the exact same sins as ancient Israel – rebellion, sexual immorality, covenant breaking and even idol worship (idolatry is putting anything before God, such as money, self gratification, entertainment, etc).

The good news is that God has not given up on us. As we humble ourselves, and pray and turn from sin, God has promised to hear our prayers and heal our land (II Chronicles 7:14). This means that there is still hope for America!

If you are praying for our nation, don’t give up – the battle for America is still being waged. If you are not currently praying for our nation, please begin to do so now. Be a part of what God is doing in this generation!

Let me offer you some strength:

Today’s post speaks of sowing, which is different from scattering. God ‘sowed’ or intentionally planted his people into every nation of the known world. He desired for them to worship and serve him wherever they found themselves.

I believe the same thing is true for Christians. Regardless of where you live, what vocation you have chosen, or your season of life, God desires for you to serve and fellowship with him.

So don’t put off your service to the King. Don’t wait until you retire or until you move or until you find that perfect job. Enjoy fellowship with Jesus today and if he wants you to move locations or jobs, he will open a new door for you. For now, just enjoy his company!

Zechariah, Chapter 10, Part 2

Zechariah 10:6 – “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.

Welcome back to our study of Zechariah chapter 10. In our last post, we looked at the meaning of the former and latter rains which God desires to pour out upon all of his people for both their spiritual and temporal good.

We also noted that God vowed to make his people mighty in battle. God compared his people to war horses, who run to battle with great courage and fierceness because they expect to trample their enemies and experience victory. Again, we should expect to see these victories manifested in both the spiritual and temporal realms.

The remainder of this chapter focuses on promises of restoration, particularly for Israel. These promises are clearly directed to both the ‘house of Judah’ and the ‘house of Joseph’, which means the promises include all twelve tribes.

So here is what we know about the promises of restoration that are being made:

They include the ‘former and later rains’ which are God’s blessings on his people, both temporal and spiritual.
They will involve elements of battle, both temporal and spiritual.
The restoration is promised to all 12 tribes/the entire nation of Israel.

The question is, which age or generation of Jews do these promises refer to? Let’s see what we can discover.

As you recall, the nation of Israel was split into two separate kingdoms under the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon (II Chronicles 10). Due to her grievous sin, the kingdom of Israel (10 tribes) was eventually conquered by Assyria and ceased to exist around 721 BC.

Unfortunately, the kingdom of Judah (two tribes) did not learn from Israel’s mistakes. She too fell further and further into idolatry until God sent the nation of Babylon to take her into captivity (597 BC). Obviously, at the time this prophesy was given through Zechariah, the 70-year captivity was over. God had already brought a large number of Jews back to Jerusalem. They were working on rebuilding the walls of the city and the temple.

Clearly, this could be referred to as both a physical and spiritual restoration, because God brought the Jews back to the land and restored temple worship. However, no battle had taken place; the Jews were in the land because God moved upon the heart of Cyrus and he willingly allowed them to return to Jerusalem.

Also, this phase of restoration consisted almost exclusively of Jews from the kingdom of Judah. For these reasons, this cannot be the final fulfillment of God’s promises.

Another significant restoration occurred in the second century BC. At that time the Maccabees (a priestly family of Jews) organized a successful rebellion against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV, who had ransacked Jerusalem and sacrificed a pig on the altar at Jerusalem (167 BC).

Despite suffering very heavy casualties, the Maccabees were able to cleanse the temple and establish an independent Jewish kingdom (the Hasmonean kingdom). Therefore, this too would qualify as a physical and spiritual restoration.

However, most scholars also reject this event as the final fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophesy. They have two main reasons for this. One, the Hasmonean kingdom eventually failed, ending after Herod the Great came to power.

Second, there can be no doubt that true/lasting spiritual restoration could only take place after the coming of the Messiah. In other words, to have full spiritual reconciliation with God and to be forgiven in such a way that God had never rejected them, the sins of the Jews must be completely paid in full by the blood of Christ; no mere animal sacrifice could satisfy this debt.

But once Israel turns to Christ and acknowledges him as the Messiah, the Lord will pour out his mercy upon them, and they will receive the gifts of pardon, salvation, eternal life and all the other amazing blessings that God gives to the church.

For these reasons, most biblical scholars believe the final or ultimate fulfillment of this prophesy is yet to come. This view is supported by Paul in the book of Romans.

In Romans chapter 11, Paul tells us that the Jews are like a branch that has been temporarily broken off or removed from the ‘tree’ of God, so that the Gentiles could be grafted in. In other words, Paul is saying that for a time, Israel will be spiritually blind and during that season, God will invite/graft the Gentiles into his kingdom/tree:

Romans 11:25 –Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

But at the appointed time (as prophesied here in Zechariah), God will ‘bring them back’ or open their spiritual eyes. They will recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and he will forgive their sins, making it ‘as though I had not rejected them’ (Romans 11:25-36. See also Hosea 1:9-10).

You and I can also rejoice in this promise. Our sins are just as abhorrent/putrid in the sight of our perfectly holy God as those of the Jews. Our sin caused us to be separated or cast off from the Lord, just as theirs did. But thankfully, God has made it possible for Gentiles to enter his kingdom! When we approach him in true penitence, he willingly forgives us and restores us as if we had never sinned (Hebrews 8:12).

Zechariah 10:7 – Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

‘Ephraim’ and the ‘house of Joseph’ both refer to the 10 tribes of Israel. In this verse, God gives an additional word of comfort and encouragement to this group of Jews, perhaps because the exiles who returned to Jerusalem were mostly from the tribe of Judah.

God assures them that they have not been forgotten. Like Judah, they too will become mighty warriors, strong in body and bold in spirit. They will fearlessly enter battle against their physical and spiritual enemies, and they will be victorious!

This brings up a very important point: God did not command Ephraim to simply stand still and watch him achieve victory on their behalf. Rather, God empowered them to fight against their foes. This is one of the over-arching truths in this chapter, and it applies to us as well.

We might put it this way: God did his part by sending Jesus to atone for our sin, and by giving us the gift of Holy Spirit to empower us. These are things that only He could do.

Now it’s time for us to do our part. By faith and through the power of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6), we must subdue this world for Christ.

We are the ones who must form churches, build buildings and preach the gospel through every available means. We must financially support the work. We must baptize and disciple believers into the faith.

We must also take up the mantle of public office, occupy positions of authority in the courts and become business owners, using these platforms for Christ! God wants us to invade every single aspect of this life and use our place in that realm to exemplify and proclaim the name of the Lord, making sure that we subdue our sphere of influence for his glory. God needs Christian politicians just as much as he needs preachers!

We must resist the devil if we want to see him flee (James 4:7). We must bind and loose things on earth, just as they are in heaven (Matthew 16:19). God is not going to do everything for us. He expects us to use the power and authority that Christ gave to us to establish his kingdom in this world.

Here is something to consider: When Jesus prayed the high priestly prayer for us (John 17), he did NOT pray for us to be taken from the world; he prayed for us to be victorious over the evil one:

John 17:15 – I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

God has promised victory to us as individuals and as the church. But these victories come through a partnership between us and Holy Spirit. We must do our part.

Let’s get back to our text. Verse seven also tells us that when Ephraim takes a stand, victory in battle will not be the only blessing.

Ephraim can also expect to be ‘glad as with wine’. This means that God promises to fill his people with an inward joy. Because God has placed this joy within our hearts, the world cannot take it away; no matter what circumstances we face, the love and favor of the Lord will rest upon us, constantly giving us reasons to praise and glorify his name!

Furthermore, God promises that Ephraim’s children will see this and be glad. In other words, our children will witness the strength, victory and salvation which we experience, and it will cause them to rejoice in the Lord.

The implication is that they will join us in the service of the King and experience the same salvation and joy that we have. What blessing could be greater than seeing your children/family serving the Lord?

Keep this in mind: Whether you know it or not, you are a witness or a testimony to your children and grandchildren. What kind of testimony are you?

Zechariah 10:8 – “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them and they shall be as many as they were before.”

We are told that God will ‘whistle’ (your translation may say ‘hiss’) for Israel and the Jews will then be gathered in.

The word for ‘whistle’ signifies the motion of lips combined with the voice and it always signifies a calling, much like you would call or whistle for your dog.

This means that at some point in history, God will call the Jews out of the world and to himself with the gospel message (Isaiah 43:1). Again, this is consistent with what we found in Romans chapter 11 – at the appointed time, God will ‘call’ the Jews by removing the spiritual blinders from their eyes. They will recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and God will gather them into his kingdom.

It is right that he should do so, because Jesus has already paid the price to redeem every man, woman and child in the world, Jews as well as Gentiles. Furthermore, it is God’s great desire to bestow love, grace, peace, mercy, abundant life and salvation to all of mankind.

Once the Jews have accepted the gospel and found Jesus as Lord and Savior, they will continue to hear his voice just as all of children/sheep hear the voice of the good shepherd:

John 10:3-4 – To him [the shepherd] the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

The final portion of this verse declares that ‘they shall be as many as they were before’. This part of the promise speaks of increased numbers. It refers to the time of bondage in Egypt. Before Israel ever went down to Egypt, God promised to increase their numbers while they were there (See Genesis 46:3). And sure enough, he did exactly as he promised:

Exodus 1:7 – But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

In the same way, God will exponentially increase the number of Jews who become a part of his kingdom under the New Testament covenant of salvation. The sense of the passage is that as God calls his people, they shall bring others along with them, making the increase astonishing in both size and rapidity.

We can grasp this concept by thinking of a snowball – if we take even a small snowball and roll it through the snow, it will very quickly increase to a size that we are unable to lift. The increase happens because each flake of snow latches onto another flake and brings it along.

Thus, the church of Jesus Christ is a constantly growing body/kingdom which will eventually spread to the uttermost parts of the world.

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

Satan wants us to think that God is perpetually angry or that he is sitting up on his throne hoping that we fail so he can judge and punish us. This is a lie! God loves us and wants us to prosper. Scripture tells us that mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).

We saw evidence of God’s great mercy and compassion in today’s post - God promises that he will bring the Jews back to himself, because he has compassion or mercy on them. He does this in spite of all the mistakes and wrong choices that his people made in their lives.

The bible also tells us that no matter how many times we fail or give up or make a wrong choice, God does not give up on us.

Lamentations 3:21-23 – But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God never gave up on his people Israel and he won’t give up on your or your loved ones either! So, if you are enduring a trial right now, or you have recently failed in your Christian walk, don’t despair.

Instead of dwelling on your mistake, dwell on the fact that God’s mercy and compassion are new every day; Jesus has already paid the price for your failure. If you keep this in the forefront of your mind and thoughts, hope will once again well up in your heart and mind, giving you strength and peace.

Let me offer you some strength:

In the tenth chapter of Zechariah, God makes some amazing promises. For instance:

He promises the former and latter rains.
He promises to show compassion to the Jews and draw them back to himself.
He promises to make his people mighty in battle.
He promises that our children will witness our relationship with God and desire to have the same thing.

At the time of this prophesy, these promises seemed so unlikely and so far out of reach, the Jews couldn’t fathom them coming to pass. They seemed impossible! But thankfully, we serve a God who is always faithful to his promises. There is nothing too hard for him!

Jeremiah 32:17 – Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Are you holding onto a promise that seems like it will never come to pass? If so, let me offer you some strength: God is ALWAYS faithful to his promises.

If he has spoken to you through Holy Spirit, through a dream/vision or through his word, don’t doubt what he has spoken! Stand on that promise in faith and you will not be disappointed.

Like the Jews of Zechariah’s day, you may think it’s an impossible situation, but God watches over his word making sure that none of his promises go unfulfilled – including the one he made to you (Jeremiah 1:12).

Zechariah, Chapter 10, Part 1

Zechariah 10:1 – Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.

Welcome back, dear readers! At the close of chapter 9 we found that God made promises of both spiritual and earthly blessings to his people. He spoke of plentiful harvests of both corn and wine, which the Jews had not experienced for some time. He also spoke of the joy that his people would experience when they received these blessings.

The harvests mentioned here are dependent upon the former and latter rains. Since most of us are not full-time farmers, let’s take a few moments to review this topic.

The ‘former’ rain refers to the showers/storms that come at the time the crop/seed is planted. A substantial amount of water is needed at that time in order for the seeds to sprout, grow and put down roots.

If the seed receives too much water, it will rot. If too little water is received, the seed will never sprout. In either case, there will not be a harvest.

The ‘latter’ rain refers to the showers that come in the weeks just before the harvest. This moisture is critical for the full development of the grain. For example, this rain supports the growth of the individual kernels of corn within the ear, making them full and plump.

Too little rain at this time will result in ears of corn which are small, stunted or thin. Too much rain (as in the case of a severe storm) will uproot the plants or destroy the ears, also resulting in failure of the crop.

Obviously, the correct amount of water at the right time is instrumental in receiving the most bountiful harvest possible. (Deuteronomy 11:14, Jeremiah 5:24).

If Israel’s crops failed or the yields were small/stunted it would be devastating for the people and their livestock. In some cases, it could result in a life or death situation. But Israel does not need to worry, as long as she is faithful to God.

Zechariah reminds the Jews that it is God who provides the rain which produces the plentiful harvests. He is the one who makes the storm clouds, which contain lightening, thunder and rain.

The prophet also reveals that God is ready, willing and able to give his people these needed showers at the right time and in the right amount. All they need to do is seek/ask the Lord for this blessing. Because God is always faithful to his promises, he will answer their prayers and bring the rain they need.

The former and latter rains are one example of the earthly/temporal blessings of God. But these rains also have a spiritual parallel as well.

Hosea 6:3 – Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Some commentators view the law/Old Testament covenant as the former rain, because this covenant represented a new season – it was the official or legal beginning of reconciliation between God and man. Throughout the season of the Law, God’s people grew and developed. They rooted themselves in the ways of God.

And when the time was right, God also brought mankind the latter rain – the gospel message/New Testament covenant. Through this blessing of God, man could experience a richer, fuller relationship with his creator and redeemer. For example:

Fellowship with God was no longer limited to the Jews; it was opened up to Gentiles as well.
Holy Spirit could now live within the heart of all believers.
Through Holy Spirit, God blesses his followers with spiritual gifts which were formerly only available to a limited few.
All children of God now have direct access to his presence and throne room.

What a blessing the latter rains have been for all mankind!

Other bible scholars offer a similar but slightly different interpretation. Their theory says that both rains refer to a level or measure of the love, favor and spiritual blessings of God. The former rains of God’s spiritual blessings were fewer; they were limited in scope and design, being generally available only to the Jews and then only to certain classes of the Jews such as prophets, priests and kings.

However, under the church age/age of grace, Jews and Gentiles alike may be drenched in the latter rain of God’s spiritual blessings. All believers in Christ are now prophets and royal priests before him (I Peter 2:9).

As such, men and women alike can experience the spiritual gifts of Holy Spirit. All believers can receive dreams and visions, all can enter into the throne room of God with praise and thanksgiving, all can receive gifts of tongues, words of wisdom, gifts of healing, etc.

In addition, we know that Holy Spirit will be working in all of our lives to promote the growth of the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, patience, kindness, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23).

Zechariah’s message is clear – in both the temporal and spiritual realms, it is God that gives us the former and latter rains of blessing. These gifts are bestowed upon those who seek them from God.

Zechariah 10:2 – For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

It was not the fault of the Lord that the Jews were experiencing hardship and lack. He was ready, willing and able to supply the Jews with whatever they needed and much of what they wanted (both spiritual and temporal), but they responded to him in unbelief, and thus closed the door of his favor.

For example, the Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the captivity had given up on rebuilding the temple because they did not believe that God was going to give them success in this venture. Then they grumbled and complained that they were not prospering, either spiritually or materially (Haggai 1:6-11).

They were in danger of following the exact same path their forefathers had taken when they rejected the promises of God – the vain path of false idols and heathen gods.

The Jews of past generations (just before the captivity) prayed and sacrificed to teraphim, which were small household idols made by the Jews themselves. They also consulted false prophets and soothsayers who served (and supposedly spoke for) these idols, but every single prophesy they spoke was either utter nonsense or an outright lie.

Even the dreams and visions which they claimed to have seen were nothing more than tissues of lies and deceit. Thus, any comfort the Jews derived from these false idols or their prophets was vain, empty and worthless. That false comfort soon gave way to hardship and fear because, as we would expect, these heathen gods were utterly incapable of providing the showers of blessing that the Jews needed:

Jeremiah 14:22 – Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.

But that was not the worst of it – not only had Israel gained absolutely nothing by seeking false idols, they lost the favor of the one true God and they were sent into captivity.

At that point, they truly did not have a spiritual shepherd or government ruler to lead and protect the nation. Only then did they seem to discover (much too late) that all of the promises made by the false gods of the Gentiles were vain lies, empty consolations and utter nonsense!

The current generation of Jews (those of Zechariah’s day) was not yet trusting in the same false gods, but they were actively marrying foreign women who still served these same idols and still sought out satanic soothsayers and diviners. If they continued down that path, it was only a matter of time before the Jews were ensnared once again.

So in his great mercy, God reaches out to the current generation of Israel through Zechariah and reminds them what happened to their forefathers; he shows them the folly of praying to vain idols that cannot hear, or speak or act.

It is chilling to think that this warning against unbelief is spoken to the Jews as they stare at the ruins of the former temple. It was a stark reminder that only Jehovah, the true God, can give the former and latter rains of blessing which the Jews needed to remain a nation.

So it is in the spiritual realm as well. The Jews have, even to this day, rejected the truth of God and hardened their hearts against King Jesus, the true Messiah and Shepherd of Israel.

As a result of their spiritual blindness, they remain as sheep without a shepherd. Jesus longs to gather the Jews to himself. He longs to bless and prosper them with all the spiritual blessings available in the former and latter rains, but sadly they remain in a state of wandering where they are miserably oppressed and afflicted by their enemies.

Zechariah 10:3 – My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.

There can be no doubt that as a whole, the children of Israel were all guilty of forsaking the Lord. However, here we see that God holds the leaders (anyone who had a position of authority over the common people) to a higher standard.

His anger is directed against the shepherds of Israel. This group included the civil leaders (kings, governors, judges, etc) as well as spiritual leaders (priests, scribes and teachers). Many of them were guilty of openly mocking the laws of God.

For example, let’s consider the priesthood. When a priest (or prophet or king) accepted his position, he was anointed or set apart for use by the Lord. Scripture tells us that the priests were anointed on the ear, the thumb and the big toe:

Exodus 29:20 - Then shall you kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

Though scripture is not definitive about why the anointing was done in this manner, it has often been surmised that the priests were anointed:

On the ear - that they might clearly hear the words of the Lord when he spoke.
On the thumb - that their hands might always be ready to perform the work of the Lord.
On the big toe - that they might always be ready to walk in the ways of the Lord.

As we look through the Old Testament just prior to the captivity, it isn’t difficult to see that many of the leaders who should have been committed to serving the Lord and leading the people in his ways, were corrupt.

Instead of faithfully discharging their offices and thus keeping the common people (and the nation) on the path of God’s blessing, they rejected the Lord. They encouraged the people to worship idols, seek council from lying spirits and false prophets and participate in witchcraft.

Sadly, Judah did not learn her lesson even after she was conquered by Babylon. At that time, false prophets arose who instructed the Jews remaining in the land to rebel against the king of Babylon. But God spoke through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel warning them to stay and serve the king of Babylon; he had NOT spoken through these lying prophets:

Jeremiah 27:9-10 - Therefore hearken not you to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and you should perish.

We also know that some of the Jews taken into captivity were secretly praying to false idols and seeking wisdom through sorcery, as detailed in the eighth chapter of Ezekiel.

The bottom line is that corrupt leadership played a pivotal role in the downfall of the nation and somehow, during the captivity, God judged the leaders for their folly.

But, hallelujah, captivity was not the end of the story! The God who corrects his children is also the God who blesses them.

At the time this prophesy was given to Zechariah, the punishment of the captivity was over. Jehovah was ready to once again lift his people up and bless them. He made this very plain when he said, ‘The Lord of hosts cares for his flock’.

God also promised that he ‘will make them (Judah) like his majestic steed in battle’. What does that mean?

The overall sense is that just as a war horse shows strength and courage in battle, so would the house of Israel show strength and courage in battle against their enemies, both physical and spiritual.

In the book of Job, the Lord provides us with a graphic description of a war horse (you can read the entire description in Job 39:19-25). Here are some of the characteristics which God has given to this remarkable animal:

He is strong and mighty.
He can run swiftly and jump without difficulty.
The sound of his snorting terrifies his enemies.
He welcomes the opportunity to go to war; he does not turn back when he sees weapons of the enemy.
He laughs at fear and is not dismayed.
He is confident in his rider, who is equipped with a quiver of arrows, a flashing spear and a javelin.
He smells the battle from afar and with fierceness he runs to meet it.

Overall, it is clear that the war horse is at home in battle. He does not fear or turn away; he desires to go to war, because that is what he was created to do.

In the same way, God has created his people to be his majestic war horse in the battle for planet earth. Through the power of Holy Spirit, God has made us strong and mighty:

Satan and all his minions must bow when we speak the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:10).
With God’s help, we can run through a troop and leap over walls (II Samuel 22:30).
When the enemy comes to engage us, we have nothing to fear; we are confident in Jesus Christ our King (Hebrews 13:6).
Knowing that we have are destined to overcome through Christ (John 16:33), we should relish the opportunity to wrestle against principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

This was a powerful and encouraging word that God was giving to the men of Zechariah’s day, and it is still encouraging to us as well!

Zechariah 10:4 – From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler – all of them together.

God goes on to reveal that ‘from him’ or from the midst of the Jewish nation (specifically the tribe of Judah), would come a cornerstone, a tent peg, and a battle bow.

Cornerstone: A cornerstone is a stone that forms the base of the corner of a building, joining together two walls. This particular stone is laid first; it is the rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rests. If it is not perfectly square and stable, the whole building will be precarious/unsafe and in danger of failing.

A cornerstone can also be defined as an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.

As I am sure you are aware, scripture tells us that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of our faith. He is the sure foundation upon which the church rests and because he is divine/perfect, the church is eternally stable and victorious.

Ephesians 2:19-21 - … you are ...members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being jointed together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

(See also I Peter 2:4-10, I Corinthians 3:9-11, Psalms 118:22-23, etc).

Tent Peg: Chances are that most of us are unfamiliar with the reference to the tent peg. But that was not the case for the children of Israel – they understood exactly what God was saying to them. What did they know that we don’t?

To begin with, your translation may say ‘nail’ or ‘pin’ instead of tent peg. This term refers to a nail, spike or pin which holds parts of a building together. This reference is also used in regards to organizations. When speaking in terms of an organization, the ‘nails’ or ‘pins’ refer to powerful, important or distinguished persons within the group, who keep the organization together.

The Lord uses this same word to describe Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. This man was the steward or administrator of the palace when Hezekiah was king of Judah.

As you know, Judah faced a grievous trial when the Assyrian army came to invade Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah. At that time, Shebna (steward of the palace) became haughty and abused his power to benefit himself. The Lord was very angry with Shebna and through the prophet Isaiah, judgment was pronounced against him (Isaiah 22:15-19).

By contrast, Eliakim demonstrated loyalty, valor and good leadership during the Assyrian crisis. By the word of the Lord, Eliakim replaced Shebna as steward of the palace.

God describes Eliakim as ‘my servant’ and a ‘father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah’ (Isaiah 22:20-21).

The Lord goes on to say that Eliakim would not only receive all of the authority that Shebna possessed, he would be trusted with the ‘key of the house of David’. This was a figurative way of saying that he would sustain the government on his shoulders; he would be a key person in the rule of the King.

Furthermore, (according to the word of the Lord) what Eliakim declared open, no one would shut and what he decreed as shut, no one would open (Isaiah 22:22). In other words, all access to the king and royal house would be through him; there would be no other way to approach the king.

God declared that he would fasten Eliakim like a peg in a secure place, and he would become a throne of honor to his father’s house (Isaiah 22:23). In other words, he was the nail or pin that held the kingdom together. The nation trusted and depended upon him.

Clearly, Eliakim was a type or picture of the Messiah:

Jesus our Messiah came to earth as a servant to all the inhabitants of the world (Matthew 20:26-28).
He carries the authority of the Father and only through him can we have access to God (John 14:6).
Jesus possesses the key to the house of David, because he is a descendant of David. He also possesses the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19) as well as the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18).
Jesus will sustain the government of the kingdom upon his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).

Battle Bow: This refers arms and/or military skills. The implication is that through the bow, people would be protected from any and all assailants.

There can be no question that Jesus is the ultimate warrior. By the power of his word, his enemies are slain.

Revelation 19:15-16 – From his [Jesus’] mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will treat the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of Lords.

We too have the word of God which we can use as a sword in spiritual battle to defeat the kingdom of darkness (Ephesians 6:17). When we pair this sword with our shield of faith and helmet of salvation, we are well equipped to defeat any and all enemies.

From him every ruler (your translation may say ‘oppressor’) - all of them together: One interpretation of this phrase says that the oppressor is the officer who exacts tribute from the subjects under his authority. There was a time when other nations oppressed Israel and made her pay tribute, but a day was coming when the tables would be turned – God would empower Israel in such a way that she would be victorious over her enemies and subject them to tribute.

A second interpretation says that God will cause rulers and leaders to arise from among his people who will enable the flock to successfully resist/overcome their enemies. Many commentators believe these rulers refer to the apostles of Christ, who preached and expounded the word of God and assisted in forming the church.

While we may not completely understand every aspect of this amazing prophesy, one thing is crystal clear: Jesus the Messiah, born of the tribe of Judah, is the cornerstone, the tent peg and the battle bow of the church!

Zechariah 10:5 – They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

God declares that ‘they’ (the people of God), would be mighty in battle.

For the people of Zechariah’s day, this meant that eventually Israel would defeat her enemies. It would be as if they had been trampled on; they would become like mire in the streets – something worthless, foul and despicable.

For the church, this means that eventually we will be victorious over Satan and his minions. The forces of darkness will not only be defeated, they will be recognized as worthless, foul and despicable.

It is obvious that we could never win such a victory by fighting in our own power. We must rely on God.

We are weak, but Jesus infuses us with his divine strength and power; his strength is clearly displayed and made perfect in our weakness (II Corinthians 12:9). We are safe because he protects us. We are victorious because the one who leads us in battle has already defeated Satan. His victory is our victory!

On the other hand, the armies of darkness (riders on horses) will be confounded and defeated. Regardless of their natural strength, cunning or skill, the Lord will bring down them down in the midst of their arrogance and pride. They will pass away just as mist burns up at the rising of the sun.

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

In today’s post, we noted that God provides both former and latter rains to his people. These ‘rains’ include both physical and spiritual blessings, which are necessary for us to be fruitful in the kingdom of heaven.

What do you need to further your ministry in the kingdom?

It might be something in the physical realm such as new partners in your work, additional resources, a permit of some kind, or even a building.

Or it might be something in the spiritual realm such as wisdom, knowledge or discernment. You may be in need of a break through over a demonic stronghold.

Perhaps, at some point in the past, you have been overwhelmed by these needs. You may have struggled or worn yourself out trying to acquire what you need in your own strength. If so, I have some good news for you - God is standing by, ready, willing and able to pour out his rain upon you!

You can confidently approach the Father with all of your requests/needs knowing that he is always faithful to his promises. He will give you exactly what you need at exactly the right time because he desires for you to be fruitful in his kingdom. So whatever you need, ask!

Let me offer you some strength:

God has promised to make his people his majestic battle steed. In other words, he has created us to be successful partners with him in the war against darkness. If you think about it, you will see what a blessing this truly is.

After all, God doesn’t need our help to defeat Satan; he could do that as easily as an elephant can squish a spider. But for his own divine reasons, God had chosen to partner with us. He has given us an opportunity to exercise faith in him, to stand on his promises and to experience victory over evil. Frankly, that is much more satisfying and exciting than simply sitting on the sidelines doing nothing!

The bottom line is that when we partner with God, victory is assured. That thought greatly encouraged the Jews of Zechariah’s day to continue fighting their enemies, and it should encourage the church to continue spreading the gospel message to a lost and dying world.

Zechariah, Chapter 9, Part 3

Zechariah 9:14 –Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightening; the Lord God will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.

We are continuing our study of Zechariah chapter 9. In our previous post, we saw that the Lord gave his people words of hope regarding the coming of the Messiah, who would bring both Jews and Gentiles into the family of God.

He also gave promises of strength, hope and safety to the nation of Israel, who would steward the promise of the Messiah for many years to come.

In verse 13, God said that he would bend Judah as a bow and fill it with Ephraim. This war-like analogy has a double meaning.

On the one hand, it refers to the victory of the church as she spreads the gospel message to the outermost parts of the earth, overcoming all satanic opposition.

On the other hand, it refers to the physical victory of Israel over her enemies. This has been seen countless times over the course of history, and we can expect to see it in the future as well, because God will always defend the Jews and bring them victory.

This analogy of victory in war (both spiritual and temporal) continues through the remainder of chapter nine. While history reveals partial fulfillments of this prophetic word, most scholars believe that its ultimate fulfillment will take place during the great tribulation.

God has already bent Judah as a bow and placed Ephraim as an arrow (verse 13). Now Zechariah prophesies that the Lord ‘will appear over’ his people. What does that mean?

Let’s begin our explanation with a general observation about war. When two unequal armies engage in warfare, we expect the army which is bigger, more highly trained and better equipped to win the battle. Because this is what we expect to take place, no one takes any undue notice when it happens.

Occasionally, a less well equipped or less skilled army may defeat an opponent, if that opponent becomes careless or makes mistakes. If this happens, we normally attribute victory to the inefficiency of the larger army, rather than the strength of the smaller army.

But when a smaller, less equipped, less skilled army defeats an opponent at the height of their power and might, people take notice. They will call it a miracle. They will say it is an example of the power of God.

This is what the prophet means when he says the Lord ‘will appear over’ his people. Either the Jews will conquer enemies that are much greater than themselves or they will win victory over their enemies in an unusual way.

For example, in II Kings 3, we have the account of Jehoshaphat (king of Judah), Jehoram (king of Israel) and the king of Edom banding together to war against Moab. After a seven day march, the entire army was completely out of water. Death was on the near horizon for the entire alliance.

But King Jehoshaphat sought the Lord through the prophet Elisha. God answered by telling the men to dig numerous ditches throughout the valley. God promised that in the morning, he would fill them with water:

2 Kings 3:17-18 -For thus says the LORD, You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that you may drink, both you, and your cattle, and your animals.And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

Of course, victory occurred exactly as the Lord said it would. This is an example of how God gave his people victory in an unusual way.

Another example was when God parted the Red Sea so Moses and the Israelites could walk across on dry land, while the Egyptian army drowned as the waters began to flow once again.

The point is that regardless of how the victory occurs, the world will ‘see’ or acknowledge that God was involved in it. We might put it this way: the Lord shall be seen conspicuously manifesting his power over the enemies of Israel. When this happens, he will receive the glory for the victory.

During these battles, the Lord’s arrows will go forth as lightning. Scripture often refers to lightning as the arrows of God (Psalms 18:14, 77:17). These arrows are the judgments God inflicts upon his enemies (such as the ten plagues).

Just as lightening scatters and discomfits all in its vicinity, so God will scatter and discomfit the enemies of his people striking fear into the hearts. Just as lightening causes instantaneous destruction to whatever it touches, so the arrows of God will hit their mark and destroy those who oppose Israel.

Zechariah also tells us that the Lord God will sound the trumpet. In ancient Israel, trumpets were used to call the men to war (Jeremiah 4:5, 6:1).

In addition, Israel was to sound the trumpet at the beginning of the battle. God promised that when this was done, he would take immediate notice and give them victory (Numbers 10:9). Of course, we know that God was/is always aware of the armies of Israel. By having them blow the trumpet, it reassured the men that God was right there with them; it increased their faith and bravery in battle.

In this case, God will sound the call for his people to flock to his banner and begin to wage war. God will also lead the war and direct the charge while infusing fresh courage into his people.

God also declares that he will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. A whirlwind is a very ferocious storm characterized by a spiral motion of air (tornado). In the middle east, these storms often arise from the Arabian desert.

Whirlwinds are violent and immensely powerful; nothing can stand in their path. In the same way, God will violently and powerfully cut a swath of destruction through the enemies of his people. No one will stand against him or against Israel. The nation who foolishly places themselves in the path of God’s vengeance will reap destruction.

Again, this has already been seen in the history of Israel and most bible commentators believe this describes some very real battles which will take place in the future –during the tribulation period, most likely at or around the 3 ½ year mark, when the antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel (Daniel chapter 7).

Of course, we see the spiritual parallel of this prophesy fulfilled in God’s partnership with the church.

Scripture tells us that God exalted Jesus, giving him power and authority over all things including the church:

Ephesians 1:22 – And has put all things under his [Jesus] feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.

Jesus is the head of the church; we are his hands and feet in the world. We partner with him to spread the gospel message and enforce his will on the earth. As the head, Jesus leads, guides, protects and makes provision for his body, the church.

The Lord appeared to the apostles during the time of his incarnation, and after his death and resurrection. We can still ‘see’ him appearing over the church today, through our spiritual eyes of faith.

Ever since the resurrection, Christianity has won victory after victory over all the forces that opposed it because Jesus fights on behalf of the church through both natural and supernatural means.

His arrows of conviction fly forth, discomfiting sinners and drawing them to himself in the midst of their fear and shame. Just as lightening causes instant destruction of anything it touches, the powerful blood of Christ demolishes every sin when a person becomes a believer.

God also sounds his trumpet over his followers, particularly the trumpet of jubilee. The year of jubilee was signaled by a blast of trumpets throughout the land of Israel (Leviticus 25:39-54). During that year, the land was to rest (be fallow), all property/land that exchanged hands was returned, all enslaved Israelites were set free, and all debts were remitted.

The spiritual sounding of the trumpet in this prophesy speaks to a time when God calls forth a great time of revival where sinners are set free through the blood of Christ. Just as there was immense joy and celebration during the year of jubilee, there will be great joy and celebration when revival comes to the world. Those who are set free from the slavery of sin won’t be able to stop rejoicing and praising God!

At that time the gospel will go forth with the power and energy of a whirlwind, because it will be energized by Holy Spirit. It will cut a swath of destruction across the kingdom of darkness, blowing away the mists of ignorance/lies that Satan has used to bind sinners. Instead, they will experience the fresh wind of Holy Spirit, and return to Christ.

Zechariah 9:15 – The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.

The Lord of Hosts is the God of all power; nothing is impossible for him. No person, or nation or spirit can challenge him. When the Lord of Hosts promises to protect his people, you can count on the fact that it is going to happen!

This promise was part of the original blessing that God gave to Abraham when he first made the covenant with him:

Genesis 15:1 - After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward.

Almighty God not only promises to protect Israel, but he also promises that Israel would devour, tread down the sling-stones, and drink/roar as if drunk with wine. What does that mean?

Devour – The prophet does not tell us exactly what Israel is going to devour. This indicates a broader meaning of the word; it refers to destruction or absorption.

For instance, in Deuteronomy 7:16, Israel is going to “consume all the people whom the Lord your God shall deliver to you”. In Numbers 14:9, Joshua and Caleb describe the Canaanites by saying, “They are our bread”.

The overall meaning is that although Israel was in a humble state during the time of Zechariah, the day will come when Messiah shall rule and at that time any nation that opposes God’s people will either be absorbed into God’s kingdom or destroyed.

Tread down the sling-stones – In ancient times, sling shots were formidable weapons. During the era of the judges, the tribe of Benjamin had a very skilled contingent of men who used the sling shot in battle:

Judges 20:16 - Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men, left handed; every one could sling stones at a hair's breadth, and not miss.

In this prophesy, ‘treading down the sling stones’ means that the children of Israel will calmly and safely walk over all the stones their enemies have slung at them in battle, because all of those projectiles missed their mark. In other words, their enemies aimed and fired at them multiple times, but never hit them. The stones are no longer things to be feared;now they lie harmless on the ground. Almighty God, the shield of his people, will make sure this happens.

This may also be a reference to David, who slew Goliath of Gath, a giant. Goliath was big, well-armed and experienced in battle. Davidwas small, completely vulnerable and had no formal military experience. Yet, because God was on his side, he was victorious over his enemy.

Those who hold this view believe it speaks to the power of God in the defeat of Israel’s enemies. Israel is weak, but no matter how impossible the odds are, she can defeat her enemies because God is fighting on her behalf.

Drink and roar as if drunk with wine –This is a very interesting phrase.Some scholars believe it describes a time of joyous celebration which God’s people will experience after their enemies are subdued.

As with any celebration, there will be fellowship, feasting and joy. God’s people will beenjoying the spoils they acquired in war. They will be feasting on their portion of the fellowship offerings and offerings made for thanksgiving to the Lord.

Other scholars picture Israel as a lion, roaring and drinking the blood of her prey just as a lion would do in the wild.

Both interpretations are apicture of Israel defeating her enemies and giving glory to the Lord for the victory (Numbers 23:24, Micah 5:8).

God’s people are also described as being ‘full like a bowl and drenched like the corners of the altar’. Although this seems strange to us, it is a reference that would immediately be understood by the Jews because it refers to the workings of the temple.

When a sacrifice was made in the temple, the priests would collect the blood of the sacrificial animal in a bowl. They would then sprinkle that blood on the horns which adorned the four corners of the brazen altar. The rest of the blood would be poured out at the base of the altar (Exodus 29:12, Leviticus 4:18).

This phrase may refer to the vast amount of blood that will be found in the temple because the number of offerings was so great that the bowls were full and the altar was drenched.

The phrase may also mean that the armies of Israel would be the consecrated instruments of God; they would prevail for his purposes and causes. As such, they would be holy like the bowls of the temple.

Again, this kind of warfare has been seen in limited circumstances in the history of Israel. It was evident when God rescued Israel from Egypt, it was evident when God gave them possession of the Promised Land and it was evident when Israel was victorious over her enemies at the time of the Maccabees.

However, bible scholars predict a full/complete fulfillment when Israel is at war with the armies of the antichrist during Armageddon.

Spiritually speaking, the Lord is a shield which fully surrounds and protects the church. He protects us against Satan, against the power of temptation, against the opposition of this world, against all demonic spirits of sickness/disease/lack, and the rage of sinful men.

This was very apparent when God’s hand of protection was seen over his 12 apostles who were delivered time and time again so they could fulfill their ministry of spreading the gospel message and establishing the church.

We can point to examples of this protection in every generation (including our own lives) as God works through the church to add new members to the kingdom of heaven.

Israel ‘devoured’ or consumed/conquered all the people God delivered into their hands. So the church will devour spiritual food – the word of God which is the bread of life (Luke 4:4). Filled with the nourishment of the word and led by Holy Spirit, the church will ‘devour’ the kingdom of darkness by ministering the gospel to a lost and dying world.

Ephesians 5:18-20 -And be not drunk with wine, in which is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God, even the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Although it seems foolish and inadequate by the world’s standards, the preaching of the gospel will devour/destroy the kingdom of darkness just as Goliath was destroyed by the sling-stone of David.

As the church experiences great victory, she will celebrate by offering God sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving right now and in the years to come.

In the next age, there will be great celebration, which includes rejoicing, fellowship and feasting. The cause of this celebration will be the church’s victory over the devil. At that time, we will be totally free from the effects of sin. We will live forevermore in the company of our great Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 9:16 – On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.

God continues to reinforce the idea that his people would be victorious through him. He is not only a shield to defend, but a sword to gain victory; he is the Lord of Hosts who is the source of all power and authority.

God now exchanges the image of war and bloodshed for that of a shepherd and his sheep because God not only assures victory, he gives lasting peace.

Because of the covenant promises, Israel was God’s flock. Just like sheep, they have no real strength, wisdom or power of their own.In the day of trouble, it will be God who saves them, for he is the great shepherd. God will lead, protect and provide for his flock, leading them beside the still waters where they will have peace and security (John 10, Psalms 23).

God also exchanges the imagery of violent sling stones for that of precious jewels. The imagery suggests various possible meanings:

One, it might indicate that God adorns his royal diadem with them:

Isaiah 62:3 -You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

(See also Malachi 3:17).

This explanation certainly makes sense, as the glory of God is demonstrated in his redemption of love of mankind.

Two, it may refer to the jewels which adorn the official garments of the high priest (Exodus 28:15-21).

This also makes sense. The 12 jewels on the high priest’s official clothing represented the 12 tribes of Israel. This meant that God was continually looking upon his people as precious stones. In other words, the people of God were/are of great value to him.

Three, it may refer to a pile/heap of stones or a memorial stone. These were often erected in Israel to commemorate great moments in the relationship between God and his people.

One such instance can be found in Genesis 28, when Jacob erected a pillar or memorial stone to the Lord at the place where he had his vision of the ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it.

Another example would be the stone memorial that Israel built when God parted the waters of the Jordan so the Israelites could pass over the flooded river on dry ground (see Joshua chapter 4). There are many other instances of memorial stones in scripture. Which ones do you remember?

One thing we know for sure is that God’s followers are highly valued by him (after all, he died to buy us).

As God’s precious jewels, we will ‘shine on the land’. The beauty of the jewels in a monarch’s crown always catches the attention of people. Likewise, when we reflect the glory and goodness of God, it catches people’s attention and draws sinners to Christ. They will want to experience the same goodness and grace that God has given to us.

Our testimony will not just be limited to this world. The witness of what God has done on planet earth will forever rise as a memorial to all other races or created beings. Just think of it - our redemption will forever bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ!

When can we expect all of this to take place? The prophet tells us ‘In that day’. Spiritually speaking, ‘that day’ began when Jesus arose, and the church was born. It will continue throughout the age of grace.

During this period of time, we will follow our commander-in-chief King Jesus into battle against spiritual forces. By the power of his Holy Spirit, we will come against the kingdom of darkness like a whirlwind, destroying Satan’s lies and setting his captives free so they can enter the kingdom of heaven. Once there, they too will become precious jewels in the sight of our Father.

Joshua 10:8 – And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”

Though the people of God fight very real battles both spiritually and literally, victory and deliverance are won by the mighty power of God. No wonder God constantly admonishes us not to fear or be dismayed (Jeremiah 42:11, Psalms 118:6, Deuteronomy 20:1-4, Joshua 10:25, etc)!

Zechariah 9:17 – For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.

The goodness and beauty described here belong to God.

The goodness of God could never be adequately described by human words. Goodness is an attribute of God; it is a part of who he is. He does not exhibit goodness; he is the source of it - all good springs from him. He possesses goodness absolutely, without beginning or end, without measure and without limit.

This great goodness is demonstrated in the person of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. He left the throne room of heaven to reside in a body of flesh; he endured the suffering of the cross that he might become the Mediator between God and man. He bestows on us all the goodness, grace, forgiveness and spiritual/temporal blessings of the Father.

Romans 8:32 – He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we are surrounded and immersed in God’s goodness as if we were lost in a fathomless, bottomless ocean. God’s goodness is available to all his children, and it is limited only by our capacity to receive it. [Hint: Our capacity to receive is limited by our faith.]

As one commentator put it, ‘From God all things sweet derive their sweetness; all things fair, their beauty; all things bright, their splendor; all things that live, their life; all things sentient, their sense; all that move, their vigor; all intelligences, their knowledge; all things perfect, their perfection; all things in any wise good, their goodness.’

Again, we find that there are no words that can express the goodness of our God!

The prophet also speaks of God’s beauty. Beauty refers to the brightness or splendor of God, which appears in all his favors and gifts toward mankind. With this in mind, what could be more beautiful than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! We could praise him forever and never fully give him the glory he is due for all the blessings he has given to us!

This prophesy comes to a close with the promise of the goodness/prosperity of Israel/the land. Specifically, the grain will make the young men flourish and new wine will make the young women flourish.

Both of these blessings indicate plentiful harvests. As we know, there won’t be a harvest without some work first. The young men and women have put forth a lot of time, effort and sweat in sowing, fertilizing, pruning and finally harvesting the grain and grapes.

It is only fitting that the harvest makes them glad, because they are reaping the results of all their hard work.

This is a very encouraging word as it pertains to the harvests of the Jews in the natural realm. They will have an abundance of food and provisions, which will enable them to have peaceful lives and have even more children.

It is also a very encouraging word in the spiritual realm. This promise assures believers that as we put in the work to sow and weed and water the seeds of the gospel message in the lives of others, we will reap an abundant harvest. Once that harvest is collected, we will have great joy knowing that God has worked through us to bring souls into his eternal kingdom of goodness and beauty.

It is astonishing to consider that God has chosen us to assist him in this work! He is truly worthy of all our praise, worship and adoration!

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

Over and over in this prophesy God continues to remind his people in different ways that they would be victorious if they trusted in him. Why do you think God said this repeatedly?

I think he did it because of a lack of faith on the part of the Jews. It’s almost as if they got up in the morning believing the promises of God, but once they went out into society, they took their eyes off the Lord and began to focus on the strength and power of their enemies.

If we are honest, we will admit to being guilty of doing the exact same thing sometimes!

How often have we built up our faith by being in church only to go off to work or school the next day and find that our mind is completely focused on the things of the world?

The good news is that we can overcome this lack of faith by repeatedly reminding ourselves of the promises of God. We need to train our minds and hearts to feed off of the truth of the word of God, not the threats, bad news or complaints of the world around us:

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I encourage you to pay close attention to the thoughts that randomly flow through your mind this week. If you find they are evil, negative or faithless, give your spirit some relief by casting those lies away and feeding your mind on the goodness of God!

Let me offer you some strength:

Words can never adequately express the gratitude we feel towards God for his blessings, which flow to us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thankfully, there are other ways to express our love and devotion.

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate our gratitude is to live a holy life that is pleasing to the Lord. When we seek to circumcise sin from our hearts and do what is righteous in the Lord’s sight, it is an expression of our love, devotion and thankfulness to him.

We can also please God by living in faith (Hebrews 11:6). When he promises to deliver us, to bless us or to give us victory, let’s place our faith in his goodness and power. If we do, he will never let us down!

Zechariah, Chapter 9, Part 2

Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The first portion of Zechariah chapter 9 deals with some of the heathen nations that were intent on destroying Israel. These nations had crafty/intelligent leaders, strong military might, ample resources and a lot of wealth. Because they enjoyed a measure of success in their endeavors, they became conceited. In their state of pride, they despised Israel and mocked the God of heaven.

As a result, God pronounced judgment against them. In many instances, those judgments have been well documented in history; we can still read about them today (see the prior post).

But the oracle which began with judgment ended in mercy. God was planning to establish his house (the church) which would be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Once that church was established, God would surround it like a ring of fire (Zechariah 2:5) and protect her against Satan and his followers.

The middle portion of Zechariah chapter 9 is a prophetic word about the Messiah, the one who would bring the message of salvation, die for our sin, establish the church, and make sure that Gentiles were invited into his family.

In fact, the coming of Jesus the Messiah is the single most important event in the history of the world.

The coming of the Messiah was the reason God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was the reason God freed Israel from Egypt and brought her into the Promised Land. It was the reason he protected her during the captivity and brought her back to Jerusalem. It was the reason he insisted that the Jews of Zechariah’s day rebuild the temple – the very structure where Jesus would later proclaim the words of life!

The promise of the coming Messiah was cause for great joy and delight. The people of God were to shout loudly and rejoice greatly in the knowledge that the Messiah, their King, was coming (Psalms 148:13).

Jesus, King of kings and Lord of Lords, would be like no other king the world has ever seen:

He rules in heaven, on earth and even under the earth (Revelation 5:13). He is a perfectly righteous ruler; all his ruling actions will be perfectly fair, equitable and just, because he himself is righteous and just (Psalms 89:14). He comes to his subjects bearing the gift of salvation/eternal life (Isaiah 12:2). He is the all-powerful protector of those who have faith in him as their Messiah (Psalms 18:1-19). Every knee will bow before him (Romans 14:11). He will rule the nations with a rod of iron; no one can stand against his power and authority (Revelation 19:15).

But even though Jesus has a name above every other name (Philippians 2:9), and even though all power and authority belong to him (Ephesians 1:21), he assumed the role of a servant during the incarnation.

This is why the Messiah is described by the prophet as being humble. We can’t help but notice that the humbleness of Christ is the exact opposite of the prideful heathen kings/nations that God had just promised to destroy.

Part of the humbleness of Christ was reflected in the fact that he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. What is that about? Why was it significant?

Let’s begin by reviewing this important event. It occurred just a few days before Jesus gave up his life for us on Calvary. The event itself is called the ‘triumphal entry’. We celebrate this day as Palm Sunday.

On that day, Jesus instructed his disciples to go into the town, where they would find a mother donkey and her baby (colt or foal) tied up. Sure enough, the animals were found exactly as Jesus said they would be. The disciples brought the animals back to Jesus, and then laid their coats on the colt in place of a saddle. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the Jewish people welcomed their King by spreading their cloaks or palm branches in the roadway as they shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Matthew 21:1-11, John 12:12-19).

The triumphal entry was significant for a few different reasons.

First, it was a fulfillment of the prophesy of Zechariah. As such, it was a confirmation to the Jewish people that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah.

Second, his actions were symbolic. In order to fully understand the symbolism, we need to review some Old Testament history.

As you may recall, God had forbidden the people of Israel to amass large amounts of war horses, because in scripture war horses represent human might/power:

Deuteronomy 17:16 – He [the king of Israel] must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’

God did this because he knows what is in the heart of mankind. If Israel had a large army of fierce war horses, they would begin to trust in their own strength (just like the heathen nations), instead of relying on God to give them victory. If they won battles with their own strength and wisdom, they would become full of pride, just like the heathen nations God had destroyed (Phoenicians, Philistines, etc).

God spared them from this temptation by commanding them not to own war horses.

Just as the mortal kings of Israel were not supposed to own or ride on horses, so King Jesus the Messiah would not come to his people riding on a horse either. The picture we have is that the Messiah was a King who fully trusted in God to bring him and his kingdom to victory; he was not placing his trust in physical strength/weapons.

And sure enough, that is exactly what happened. Jesus died on Calvary, but then God raised him from the dead and give him power and dominion over all things. He has defeated death, hell and the grave. Jesus is now the head of the church and he reigns over a kingdom that has no end (Daniel 2:44)!

Thirdly, the triumphal entry was a word of wisdom to the Jews of that day, especially the religious leaders (who for the most part, refused to acknowledge it).

At the time of the incarnation, the Jews were convinced that when the Messiah came, he would immediately set up his kingdom on earth. They believed he would be a great national hero who would raise an army, overthrow Roman rule, and once again make Israel an independent nation. They expected the Messiah to bring Israel to a ‘golden age’ of peace and prosperity with borders that would surpass those of the kingdom of Solomon.

But the Jews of that day didn’t fully understand the plans and purposes of God. Specifically, their timing was all wrong. There will certainly be a time when Jesus rules in Jerusalem and Israel will enjoy a period of peace and prosperity, but this was not going to happen during the incarnation of Christ.

Even now, that event is in the future. Modern day scholars expect it to occur during the millennial reign of Christ.

So, by humbly riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus was sending a message to the Jews of that day (particularly the religious leaders). He was indeed ushering in a new kingdom, but it was the kingdom of heaven, not the kingdom of Israel. It was a spiritual kingdom built upon his victory over Satan and sin, not a temporal kingdom that would overthrow Rome:

John 18:36 – Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Once again, just to be clear, a day will come when Jesus returns to earth again to physically rule over this planet for a thousand years, but as of today that is still a future event.

For now, those of us who belong to the church of Jesus Christ can spend our days rejoicing in the victory Christ has already won. Because of him, we are free from sin and we will spend eternity with God!

Zechariah 9:10 – I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah goes on to prophesy that horses, chariots and bows (emblems of worldly military power) will be ‘cut off’ which means they will disappear or cease to exist. We would expect military might to be cut off from the heathen nations, but the prophet declares they will be removed from Ephraim (which represents the 10 tribes of Israel) and Jerusalem (which represents the tribes of Judah and Benjamin).

What does this signify?

It means that the kingdom of heaven will not come to power through typical worldly means; war/force would not be used to spread the kingdom of the Prince of Peace. His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, which is not established by military might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6) and the preaching of the gospel.

Jesus brings peace to the nations, but it is not the temporary, ever fluctuating peace that the world gives (John 14:27). It is something much, much more precious! Jesus made it possible for sinners to experience peace with God through the remission of sin:

Ephesians 2:13-14 – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both [Jews and Gentiles] one and has broken down in his flesh the diving wall of hostility…

I don’t know about you, but I am glad that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, is guarding my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)!

Zechariah also tells us that the territory of the Messiah’s kingdom will stretch from ‘sea to sea’ and from ‘the river to the ends of the earth’ (Psalms 72:8).

The boundary of the original Promised Land stretched from the Mediterranean Sea on one side to the Euphrates River on the other. Using the kingdom of Israel to denote the kingdom of heaven, the prophet indicates that the new spiritual kingdom of heaven will expand all over the world – from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the world.

Again, this language clearly confirms that Jews will not be the only citizens of this great new kingdom. God’s kingdom/church will also include Gentiles, who will enjoy the same peace, prosperity and safety as the Jewish citizens of the kingdom.

The overall thought is that the kingdom of the Messiah would have humble beginnings. It would first unfold itself through lowliness and suffering, but it would exponentially expand until it reached its true might and glory, covering the entire world.

In other words, Jesus would not conquer the world by force of arms leading to political supremacy. Instead, he would establish his kingdom through his own sacrifice which would eventually overcome the world.

Zechariah 9:11 – As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Up to this point, God had been proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, who would establish the New Testament church. This was a good reason to shout, rejoice and give glory to God.

But the promise of a new covenant did not negate the old one. In other words, God had not forsaken the first covenant or his people the Jews. Humanly speaking, the coming of the Messiah and his spiritual kingdom was still a long, long, way off and the period of time between the prophesy of Zechariah and the incarnation of the Messiah was going to be full of trials and tribulations for the Jews.

In order to encourage and strengthen his people, God gave the Jews special promises/assurances of his protection and provision for them during this specific period of time. The word ‘also’ confirms that these special blessings are in addition to the blessings of the church mentioned in the last two verses of our text.

The Old Testament contains numerous instances of God delivering his people from the prison or bondage of nations such as Egypt, Babylon and Rome. Even though these (and other nations) greatly desired to annihilate Israel, God protected and blessed her.

Those nations soon faded into the sunset of history, but Israel still stands today! This is clear evidence that God has never forsaken, cast-off or replaced the Jews and he never will!

It should be noted that these supplemental blessings are not just for those who were present in Jerusalem to hear the prophesy of Zechariah. The benefits belonged to all those who were under the first covenant made at Sinai and ratified by the blood of animals (Exodus 24:4-8).

Specifically, God promises to ‘set your prisoners free from the waterless pit’. What is he talking about?

During the time of ancient Israel, it was very common for rulers to dig pits or cisterns to retain water during the dry season. Many times when the pits/cisterns were empty (or full of mud) they were also used as temporary prisons.

This was the kind of pit that Joseph was thrown into by his 11 brothers, after they had stripped him of his coat of many colors (Genesis 37:12-24). The prophet Jeremiah was also cast into one of these pits (Jeremiah 38:6) and nearly died in the mud.

To be a prisoner in a waterless pit was essentially a euphemism for being in bondage.

Psalms 40:2 – He [God] drew me [David] up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

The waterless pit is deep and terrible. Those confined in the pit have no light, no comfort, no peace, no fellowship and no way of escape. There was no deliverance until justice had been satisfied and the prisoner’s debt paid in full. Only then would someone heed the prisoner’s cry for help and lift them out of the pit.

It isn’t difficult to see the spiritual parallel here. We were all prisoners of sin at one time. We had no spiritual light or hope. We had no peace with God, no comfort and no way of escape, since we could NEVER pay the debt of sin which we owed.

But then the Messiah came and satisfied the debt of our sin with the Father! At that point we could obtain mercy by calling out to him. When we did, he delivered us from the pit and set our spiritual feet upon the solid rock of Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!

In the meantime (until the coming of Messiah), the Jews had the blessing of forgiveness through the temple sacrifices. They had the blessing of fellowship with God through the covenant festivals. They were God’s chosen people and he blessed them in all that they endeavored to accomplish (Deuteronomy 28).

Zechariah 9:12 – Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

God has promised to deliver Israel from the bondage of other nations. This is symbolic of freedom from the bondage of sin.

But in order to obtain that freedom, the Jews were to ‘return to your stronghold’. A stronghold was a fortress or a well-fortified place of safety where people fled in perilous times. It contained offensive and defensive weapons, as well as water and other provisions. In the scriptures, God’s protection is often referred to as a stronghold.

Nahum 1:7 – The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

(See also Joel 3:16, Psalms 27:1, Psalms 18:2, Proverbs 18:10, etc). In other words, to reap the benefits of this promise of God, the Jews must willingly turn (or return) their hearts and minds to the Lord. They must trust in him alone - not in idols, or their own wisdom, or in physical weapons such as horses and chariots.

When the Jews turn to the Lord, he will make them ‘prisoners of hope’. They will be held fast and secure by the Lord, who will give them a special measure of hope to sustain them through all the years of expectation until the time of the Messiah arrived (Acts 26:6-7, Acts 28:20, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 6:18-19, etc).

Neither the persecution of the world nor the weariness of waiting could force them to give up this hope. This promise applied particularly to the Jews of Zechariah’s time, who experienced weariness in the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.

In addition to this blessing, God was going to restore ‘double’ to them. Double signifies anything that is large, plentiful or more than sufficient.

God would compensate or make amends for the loss, harm and suffering which the Jews endured (Isaiah 61:7) during this period of time.

God also promised that the latter glory of the second temple would be greater than the former, and in that house, peace would be found (Haggai 2:9). He would give his people a plentiful measure of grace - double what was received under the old covenant.

The Jews could expect to enjoy all the blessings of grace, both spiritual and temporal. Instead of trouble, they would receive double comfort and joy in Christ.

Zechariah 9:13 – For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

This is the most controversial verse in today’s study.

Many bible scholars believe this verse speaks of the military prowess of Israel, through the aid of God. The controversy comes when one tries to pinpoint its fulfillment. The following scenarios have all been suggested as the fulfillment of this word:

- Some scholars say this prophesy refers to the time when the Maccabees triumphed over the Grecian rulers of Syria (around 167-130 BC).

- Other scholars believe the verse refers to the nations of Gog and Magog which are spoken of in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. If this is the correct interpretation, then we have not yet seen its fulfillment.

- Another interpretation says that the verse should be interpreted only in a spiritual sense, because the church’s weapons of warfare are spiritual and not carnal. This view says that the 12 apostles (and other church leaders of the time) were the Jewish ‘bows and arrows’ which God used to strike the hearts of men and women with the gospel.

One thing we can agree on is that this verse speaks of the Lord our God as a warrior armed for battle, who partners with his people to defeat all the enemies of righteousness. This is clearly intimated by the fact that God is the one who bends the bow and nocks the arrow; the people of God do not have the strength or authority to do this without their commander-in-chief.

This is certainly a picture of the church which is supported in the New Testament:

God has given the church the keys of his kingdom (Matthew 16:19). He has given us the armor of God (Ephesians 6). He has given us the authority to use his Name, which is so powerful that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:10). He has given us thousands of promises which are contained in the bible and endued with his power. He has given us the gift of faith which is both an offensive weapon (when we stand upon his promises) and a defensive weapon (when used as a shield).

Let me offer you some encouragement and some relief:

In this portion of scripture, God shows the Jews that his plans were far, far greater than anything they imagined.

Obviously, the Jews were looking for the eventual coming of the Messiah. But they did not understand that he was not coming to establish a new nation of Israel; he was coming to bring a far greater kingdom to the world – the kingdom of heaven.

The Messiah is the crowning glory of this new kingdom and he has made a way for every human being to find citizenship within it. He has rescued us from the ‘waterless pit’ and now we stand upon the solid rock of his sacrifice.

In light of our citizenship in this kingdom, we should shake off the cares of this world and renew our dedication to being a warrior in his kingdom. With Jesus as our commander-in-chief, we will not only be victorious, we will be doubly blessed!

Let me offer you some strength:

In today’s text, Jehovah refers to the Jews as ‘prisoners of hope’. What a wonderful phrase!

Prisoners of hope are held securely in the arms of God. They have the ability to hold onto the promises of God and never, ever let them go. Regardless of how long it takes for the promise to be fulfilled, they still hold on. Regardless of the taunts of friends, relatives or enemies they still hold on. Regardless of how the circumstances look, they still hold on. And when the appointed time comes, they will be rewarded!

What promises of God are you standing on? Whatever they are, don’t let go!

Zechariah, Chapter 9, Part 1

Zechariah 9:1 – The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and Damascus is its resting place. For the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel.

Welcome back readers! It's time to put on our 'thinking caps' because the next portion of Zechariah has many different interpretations.

For instance, some scholars believe that the last six chapters (9-11 being one prophesy and chapters 12-14 a second prophesy) were not written by Zechariah.

Those who hold this opinion point out that the last six chapters have a very different style (they are much more poetical) from the first part of the book. In addition, these oracles are in many ways unconnected with the prophesies of the first eight chapters, which dealt almost solely with Israel.

These six chapters are sometimes attributed to Jeremiah. One reason for this is because Zechariah 11:12-13 is quoted in the New Testament (Matthew 27:9-10) but Matthew attributes the quote to Jeremiah, not Zechariah.

Other scholars believe these chapters were penned by Hosea or another unknown prophet who ministered before the captivity. This, in turn, leads to the speculation that there was actually a 13^th minor prophet.

But we do not need to be overly concerned. Regardless of who the author was, these last six chapters are clearly the divine, inspired word of God. Their authenticity is beyond question because they are quoted in the New Testament.

For the purposes of our study, we will stick to the theory that these chapters are exactly what they appear to be – the word of the Lord delivered through the prophet Zechariah. However, whenever possible we will continue to offer all of the most common viewpoints, so you can make up your own mind.

Now let's begin our study of chapter nine.

This chapter opens with an 'oracle' which is simply a divine revelation/communication delivered to mankind, usually in answer to a request for guidance. It is essentially the same as a prophesy. In fact, some translations use the word 'prophesy' or 'burden' instead of oracle.

This oracle mentions a number of cities; however, bible scholars believe the oracle refers not only to the specific cities mentioned, but to the nations or kingdoms where these cities were located.

For example, when the cities of Damascus and Hadrach (Chadrak) are mentioned, they are believed to represent the entire kingdom of Syria. So, in verse one, we find God pronouncing a word over the entire kingdom of Syria, which includes the two specific cities mentioned by name.

The interpretation of this verse depends on your understanding of the phrase 'for the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel'. Let's examine the three main viewpoints.

The first viewpoint is a literal one. It suggests that God was watching (had an eye) not only on the tribes of Israel, but on the Gentile nations as well. Their treatment of Israel did not go unnoticed; he saw every instance of injury, oppression, and persecution that his people suffered.

Because of that abuse, God was pronouncing vengeance upon the Syrians. His judgment 'rested' or was hanging over them in such a way that it would not depart until they repented or were fully destroyed. No matter what the Syrian people did to protect themselves, they were powerless to stand against God; if they declined to repent, there was no way to escape the disaster decreed for them.

Those who hold this view point out that historically speaking, these kingdoms were eventually subdued by Alexander the Great, which shows the fulfillment of this prophesy.

Meanwhile, God's eye was also upon the ten tribes of Israel. This was a word of both comfort and concern.

It was comforting because the children of Israel could be sure that God was watching over them and their nation. He had seen the injustice they suffered at the hands of Syria, and he was going to act on behalf of Israel.

But at the same time, this was a concerning word in light of the fact that God had recently corrected his people for practicing vain religious rituals (such as fasting while mistreating and oppressing their fellow countrymen). Since God was watching them as well as the other nations, they needed to be holy, just as God commanded them.

One of the implications of this prophesy is that hypocrisy is a hindrance to the blessing of God. When Israel began to earnestly seek after the Lord in sincerity and truth, God would see it; he would in every way bless them and bring judgment upon their enemies. This is consistent with the word of the Lord given in the first eight chapters of the book of Zechariah.

The second viewpoint is more of a spiritual interpretation. It interprets the verse to mean 'when the eyes of mankind are on the Lord and on all the tribes of Israel'. In other words, the oracle speaks of a time when, spiritually speaking, the Gentile nations no longer have 'eyes' for idols.

At that time, they will recognize and serve the Lord. They will also acknowledge and honor the tribes of Israel because they are God's chosen people and they (the Gentile nations of the world) have been blessed by the Jews.

When that happens, God's glory will 'rest' upon the cities of Damascus/Hadrach and upon the entire kingdom of Syria. The people there will be converted and find salvation.

Those who hold this view point out that Zechariah 8:23 speaks of just such an occurrence:

Zechariah 8:23 – Thus says the Lord of Hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'

This could certainly occur during the gospel dispensation, when Holy Spirit brings revival to the nation of Syria. However, this prophesy may also find its fulfillment sometime during the millennial reign of Christ (Isaiah 11:10).

Proponents of this view also point out that in Acts chapter 9 we find the apostle Paul preaching the gospel in the city of Damascus. His preaching of the gospel confounded the Jews so much that they plotted to murder him, and he had to escape by being lowered over the city wall in a basket during the night! This may be proof that a partial fulfillment of this prophesy was experienced during the time of the apostles.

The third viewpoint interprets the verse this way: God was announcing coming judgment upon the nation of Syria (as well as Tyre, Sidon, the Phoenicians and the Philistines, which are mentioned in the next few verses). When judgment falls on Damascus/Syria (and the other nations mentioned), the remainder of the heathen nations will look to the Lord. They will recognize/acknowledge him as the true God, and seek to serve him. The tribes of Israel will do the same thing.

In other words, the judgment/destruction of these kingdoms will be so unexpected and so shocking, it will stun all other nations. Witnesses of these events will marvel at the exact and complete fulfillment of God's pronouncements. Furthermore, people who live after these events take place (for instance, people in our generation) will also be amazed as they look back on history and see the exact fulfillment of God's decrees.

In this third view, the 'eye of man being towards Jehovah' indicates that the people of earth (Jew and Gentile) would marvel or be amazed at the power and glory of God.

Zechariah 9:2-3 - and on Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. Tyre has built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust, and fine gold like the mud of the streets.

Zechariah goes on to prophesy that the oracle did not apply only to Syria. It included Hamath and then expanded to the two very famous coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon.

What do you remember about these two cities from ancient history? Here is a brief review:

The people of Tyre and Sidon are generally referred to as Phoenicians. They were located in the modern-day countries of Syria and Lebanon.

Did you know that the ancient city of Tyre was separated into two parts?

One half was on the mainland off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The other half was on an island about a mile from the shore. Because of the split city, Tyre had not one, but two excellent sheltered harbors. This made it the top choice for all merchant shipping across the Mediterranean Sea.

As we would expect, these two cities became exceedingly prosperous through shipping and trading.

It's not hard to see that these circumstances made Tyre a very desirable place for anyone who wanted to conquer that part of the world. As one might expect, the city (especially the half located on the island) became heavily fortified over time.

What do we know about the relationship between the Phoenicians and Israel?

Scripture tells us that they were enemies back in the era of the Judges. The Sidonians had oppressed Israel, but God's people cried out to him, and he delivered them (Judges 10:11-12).

Later on, early in the era of the monarchy, Tyre and Sidon had an excellent relationship with Israel. Solomon, king of Israel made a treaty with Hiram, king of Tyre. The two nations worked peacefully together for many years to obtain (and transport) the timber, stones and other resources needed to build the first temple (I Kings 5).

But eventually, things changed. New rulers came to power. The citizens of Tyre/Sidon grew rich. They became proud of the luxury of their cities and the amount of their wealth. They boasted of their natural island defenses, the strength of their army and the craftiness of their leaders. They grew jealous of Jerusalem and began to enjoy her misfortunes.

The bible describes them as idolatrous, 'wise' (intelligent and crafty) and full of pride:

Ezekiel 28:3-4 - you [Tyre] are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;

The wisdom/craftiness of Tyre was not only the source of her pride, it was also the cause of her downfall by the judgment of the Lord:

Ezekiel 28:1, 7-8 – "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: "Because your heart is proud, and you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,' therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas."

(If you have a few spare minutes, you will enjoy reading the 26^th, 27^th and 28^th chapters of Ezekiel. All three chapters deal with the kingdom of Tyre/Sidon and the Phoenicians.)

What eventually happened to Tyre and Sidon?

History tells us that the coastal portion of Tyre was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. According to the noted historian Josephus, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre for 13 years before he successfully took the coastal part of the city!

However, he did not capture the island portion of Tyre, which had built up some incredible defenses, including an outer wall that was 150 feet high (you can research her other defenses yourself. Humanly speaking, they were formidable). The bottom line is that the people of the island city of Tyre thought their city was impregnable.

As a result, they gloried in their own wisdom and trusted in their own strength. They thought their vast wealth could provide anything/everything they might need. They mocked and rejected Jehovah, considering themselves the god of the seas.

Zechariah 9:4 – But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions and strike down her power on the sea and she shall be devoured by fire.

But when the day of destruction came, their defenses (and the heaps of gold and silver) were powerless to save them.

The island portion of the city was eventually conquered, burned, and razed to the ground by God's chosen instrument - Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

How does the destruction of Tyre and Sidon fit into the three viewpoints we mentioned earlier?

The first viewpoint says that God was looking down upon the whole world, and he was going to judge the enemies of Israel. In this scenario, the physical destruction of Tyre and Sidon by Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great would be a literal fulfillment of the prophesy.

The second viewpoint is a spiritual interpretation which speaks of a time when Gentiles and Jews alike will turn from idols and seek the Lord.

Those who hold this view point out that during the earthly ministry of Jesus, crowds of people from Tyre and Sidon would travel to hear Jesus speak. On at least one occasion, Jesus personally visited the region of Tyre and Sidon where he cast a demon from a Gentile child (Matthew 15:21).

Proponents of this theory also point out that the apostle Paul visited Tyre/Sidon on his way to Jerusalem (during his third missionary journey) and met with the believers there for seven days (Acts 21:3).

According to those who hold this view, this shows that the prophesy began to be fulfilled during the time of Christ, when Gentiles from these heathen regions began to accept the gospel message. They believe a full fulfillment will take place at some point in the future.

The third viewpoint says that God was announcing judgment upon certain heathen nations. When that judgment fell, the remaining Gentile nations (as well as Israel) would be astonished; they would acknowledge Jehovah as the true God and have an opportunity to repent.

We know that this is at least partially true. God sent Alexander the Great to cut an enormous path of destruction on his way to Egypt. Many of Israel's enemies were witnesses of these incredible victories. They would have had ample time/opportunities to turn away from their false idols and seek the Lord. Once such example was the kingdom of the Philistines:

Zechariah 9:5-6 – Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid; Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded. The king shall perish from Gaza; Ashkelon shall be uninhabited, a mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.

The oracle of the Lord now turns to the Philistines. This kingdom consisted of several independent city-states. The five major Philistine cities were Ekron, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon and Gath (Joshua 13:3).

Much like the Phoenicians, the Philistines took great pride in their military strength. They also took immense pride in their national identity. They considered themselves to be a strong, fierce, independent and relentless people. To be a Philistine was to be better than all others.

As we know, the Philistines were long and bitter enemies of Israel. They despised Jehovah and showed contempt for his name and power. Whenever Israel suffered a defeat, a loss or a setback it was a cause for rejoicing among the Philistines.

But a day was coming when God would remove their sources of pride.

God plainly foretold that when this kingdom witnessed the destruction of the Phoenicians (Tyre and Sidon) they would be struck with an all-consuming fear, and that is exactly what happened.

The Philistines considered Tyre and Sidon to be a kind of barrier for their own kingdom; as long as the Phoenicians remained free of invasion, so would the Philistines. Consequently, when Tyre fell to Alexander, the hope and courage of the Philistines fell with it.

Notice that the word of the Lord regarding the Philistines contained several specific pronouncements:

The king would perish from Gaza.
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited.
A mixed people will dwell in Ashdod.
The pride of Philistia would be cut off.

Let's take a closer look at the situation.

Back in that day it was common for a victorious leader (Nebuchadnezzar, for example) to assign a king/leader of his own choosing as a tributary ruler over the newly conquered city or nation. It would be this king's job to keep the people from revolting against the new national authority. It was also his job to collect and deliver the tribute money that must be paid to the conquering nation.

So, when God declared that the 'king would perish from Gaza', he was essentially proclaiming that the government would be fully dissolved. This not only meant that the current king would perish; it also meant he would have no successor/replacement because the nation itself was going to perish from the earth.

And again, history proves that God's word came to pass exactly as he said it would.

Josephus tells us that Gaza was taken by Alexander the Great after a siege of only a few months. Ten thousand inhabitants were killed, and the governor (Batis) was dragged around the city by a chariot until he died.

Then, instead of setting up his own puppet government in Gaza, Alexander completely removed the Philistines from every city and eventually repopulated them with strangers/foreigners.

When the Philistines were overthrown by Alexander, it destroyed their national identity which in turn destroyed their pride. Their country was a wasteland inhabited by foreigners (your translation may say bastards) who took control of their remaining homes, goods and livestock.

Some commentators believe that even Jews were taken to live in those cities, which would have been the ultimate insult to the pride of the Philistines. Others believe that 'strangers' refers to people who practiced a different religion than the Philistines. This could refer to both Jews and Christians.

Zechariah 9:7 – I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.

This verse is best examined phrase by phrase.

I – The Lord was planning to bring about a complete change of heart for the Philistine people who were left. He and he alone was capable of changing their hearts.

Will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth – The abominations mentioned here refer to sacrifices made to false idols. It was common for the heathen to drink blood mingled with the wine of their sacrifices or to eat the blood of an animal along with its flesh.

The Jews considered it an abomination to eat or drink blood, because this practice was forbidden by the Lord:

Leviticus 17:10-12 - And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eats any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourns among you eat blood.

This phrase probably means that when the Philistines (heathen) begin to serve the Lord, they will no longer offer sacrifices to idols or eat the blood of animals, as prescribed in the law. It may also mean that the heathen will no longer thirst after the blood of their enemies (God's people), because they too are children of God.

It too shall be a remnant for our God – Although most of the Philistines will be destroyed, God will preserve a remnant for himself, who will embrace the gospel message, openly worshiping and serving him.

Shall be like a clan (or governor) in Judah – Those who were former enemies of God and Israel will now be honored just like princes or men of high rank and dignity like the rulers in Judah.

Ekron shall be like the Jebusites – The Jebusites were the original inhabitants of Jerusalem. Ekon was the least important of the Philistine cities. The intended meaning here is that the lowliest remnant of the Philistines who embrace the Jewish religion will have an equal place with the Jews in the city of Jerusalem.

The overall meaning of the verse is that God will display his power and glory to the heathen nations, who will then embrace the gospel message. When they do, they will be added to the kingdom of God. There will no longer be a difference between the Jews and Gentiles; there will be one united family of God.

Zechariah 9:8 – Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.

The oracle which began with judgment ends in mercy. Once God establishes his house (the church, made up of Jews and Gentiles) he will surround and defend it.

Zechariah 2:5 - For I, says the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

God will do this through his own power and presence, surrounding the church like a ring of impenetrable fire.

Those who march 'to and fro' (like Alexander or other conquerors) can no longer oppress the children of God, because he will be watching over them.

The literal fulfillment of this occurred when Alexander returned from Egypt after establishing the city of Alexandria. On his way home, he intended to conquer Jerusalem, but he was met by a group of priests led by Jaddua (the high priest) who made intercession for Jerusalem and the temple. As a result, Alexander spared both. He even turned around and showed favor to the Jews.

There is a spiritual parallel here as well. Jesus has purchased the church with his blood. Now he surrounds and defends us against our enemies, like a ring of fire.

The law would seek to oppress us, but it can't because the blood of Christ has freed us from its curse and condemnation.

Justice would seek to oppress us, but it can't because the blood of Christ has fully satisfied the debt owed to God.

Satan would seek to oppress us, but he can't because the blood of Christ ensures that he cannot prevail over us.

Legalistic leaders/teachers (those from the days of Christ as well as those of today) seek to oppress us, but they can't because the blood of Christ frees us from the yoke of bondage.

Our past would seek to oppress us, but it can't because the blood of Christ has washed away all our sin.

Hallelujah and Amen!

Let me offer you some encouragement, relief and strength:

Today's post speaks a lot about the subject of pride.

Pride is an abomination in the eyes of God.

Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth, do I hate.

Pride is always found in sinners; they take the glory and honor due to the Lord and heap it upon themselves. Today's post gives us several good examples of this.

But we would do well to remember that Christians can fall into the same trap. If we are not careful to remain humble, we too can fall into the trap of pride. We can become proud of our service to God, proud of our 'sinless' lives or proud of our position in the church. We must guard ourselves against these evils.

We can do so by reminding ourselves that we are sinners saved by grace alone, not by any works or merit in our own lives (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Or we, like the Phoenicians, can fall into the trap of taking pride in our own wisdom.

But scripture tells us that the wisdom of man, no matter how lofty or excellent it seems, is as nothing in the eyes of God (I Corinthians 1:18-31).

Real wisdom is not being knowledgeable in the ways of this world; everything here is tainted with sin and it will eventually pass away. Real wisdom begins with reverence and respect for God our Creator and Savior (Psalms 111:10). Following his commands and living a holy life will make us wise (Job chapter 28).

Zechariah, Chapter 8, Part 3

Zechariah 8:18-19 – And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace."

And now the Lord finally addresses the question of fasting that was asked of the priests of Jerusalem way back in chapter 7, verse 3.

All along we have talked about the fast of the fifth month (instituted because of the destruction of Solomon's temple) and the fast of the seventh month (instituted when Gedaliah was murdered and the remaining Jews were driven from the land).

However, the Jews actually observed a total of four national days of fasting.

The tenth day of the tenth month of the year (Tebet, which is November/December) was declared a national day of mourning and fasting because it was the day Nebuchadnezzar's forces began their successful siege against Jerusalem. This occurred in the 9^th year of the reign of King Zedekiah (Ezekiel 24:1-2).

The ninth day of the fourth month of the year (Tammuz, which is May/June) was also declared a day of national mourning and fasting because it was the day the city of Jerusalem was breached by the Babylonians. This occurred in the 11^th year of the reign of King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 39:2).

It was appropriate for these four days to be remembered by the Jewish population, as they represented the dreadful judgment of God:

When the city was surrounded by the men of Babylon, the Jews were suddenly aware of the impending vengeance of God for all their idolatry, unbelief and other wickedness.

When the wall of Jerusalem was finally breached (about two years later), it became apparent to the Jews that God had turned his face away from their cries.

When the temple went up in flames and was destroyed, no hope remained for the Jews except for the fact that the poorest among them would remain in the land under the rule of Gedaliah.

When Gedaliah was murdered and all the remaining Jews went into exile, the Israelites realized that the favor of God had completely and utterly disappeared from their midst.

In light of these events, it was entirely appropriate for the post-exilic Jews to observe these four days of national mourning and fasting. They needed to humble themselves before the Lord and confess their sins, both personal and national. These fasts were also a good way for the Jews to teach and warn future generations to be faithful to God and his covenant with them.

And thus it was for more than 70 years.

But now a corner had been turned; a new day was dawning. God announced that his favor once again rested upon his people. The Jews had returned to Jerusalem. The sacrifices had been reinstituted and the foundation of the temple had been laid. God had BIG plans for the future of his covenant people.

If the Jews would repent and return to the Lord, cleaving to him only, there would be an end to their misery. There would be no more need for national mourning and fasting.

This was the answer to the men of Bethel (Zechariah 7:3) – and what an unexpected and glorious answer it was! They no longer needed to observe the fast of the fifth month or any other month, because the time of mourning for Israel was over!

Instead, the former days of fasting would be turned into joyous celebrations and public feasts/festivals. They would become days of rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord for ending their captivity. They would be days of celebration because the Lord was pouring out both temporal and spiritual showers of blessing upon his people.

The Lord then admonishes his people to love truth and peace.

Truth is not just the absence of falsehood; it also includes integrity, justice, equity, mercy and compassion. When our hearts are right before God and we live according to his commands, truth naturally manifests in our outward actions and in our relationships with our fellow man.

The blessing of peace can be understood in two ways. First, it is the absence of judgment, strife, war and agitation. It includes restoration and the concept of good relationships. Secondly, peace represents the blessing, goodness and prosperity which God showers upon his people.

But the promise was not just for the people of that day. It is for all people living in the age of grace, because truth and peace were fully manifested in the person of Jesus Christ.

It was Christ that brought us the gospel message - the words of truth and life (John 6:68, Acts 5:20). In fact, he is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6); through him we have peace with the Father:

Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

The Jews of Zechariah's day were instructed to love truth and peace. We should do the same. The gospel is a message of peace which contains nothing but truth.

We should love it immensely because through it we are reconciled (brought into a right relationship) with God. Furthermore, in accordance with that gospel, we should seek to live in peace with our fellow man, treating them with the same justice and righteousness that we desire for ourselves.

In all generations, these are the works which truly please the Lord, as opposed to vain religious observances and fasts.

Zechariah 8:20 – "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities."

The remainder of this chapter speaks of the Gentile nations coming to Jerusalem to participate in the aforementioned festivals and celebrations of the Jews. This is not something we would expect to literally happen.

Rather, it is an example of figurative language commonly used in the Old Testament (especially the prophets – Micah 4:2, Isaiah 2:2-3, Isaiah 45:14-17, etc). It actually depicts the eventual spread of the gospel among the Gentile nations of the world.

First, God once again favors the Jews and restores them to his covenant promises. Then, at the appointed time, that covenant was fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 5:17) who was a Jew according to the flesh. Once the covenant was fulfilled, he sacrificed his life to usher in the Age of Grace or the Gospel Dispensation.

As you know, the gospel was first preached by the Jews in Jerusalem, but it was destined by God to spread throughout the entire world (Acts 1:8). People of every tribe, nation and tongue (the inhabitants of many cities) would hear and respond to the gospel message, being added to the kingdom of heaven and the world-wide church of Jesus Christ.

Even today this message is still spreading to the furthest corners of the globe.

Zechariah 8:21 – "The inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.'"

This verse speaks of a mutual consent among the Gentile nations to unite together and seek the Lord.

At the time this revelation was given, the Jews were poor, despondent, treated with contempt and surrounded by enemies who tried (successfully) to halt their progress. Never ever, even in their wildest dreams, did they think that the Gentiles would one day willingly come to Jerusalem in order to worship the Lord.

However, in this revelation the Lord plainly states his desire that all people/nations (the Gentiles) come to know and worship him. This is big reason why he continually encourages the Jews to finish the temple. Not only is the temple the focal point of fellowship between God and the Jews in Zechariah's generation, it will one day be the place where Christ reveals the details of the new covenant, which includes the Gentiles.

Isaiah 49:6 - And he [God] said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

At the time, the Jews mistakenly thought that their efforts to rebuild the temple and the city were in vain. But they should have had more faith in God – because of him, their efforts would prevail.

Even more astonishing, the Jews would not need to force, coax or entice other nations to know the Lord. Instead, the power of Holy Spirit would convict the Gentiles of sin and cause them to sense their need for pardon and justification before God.

Once they recognized this need, the Gentiles would immediately (at once) seek the Lord. In addition, they would have a clear concern for the spiritual welfare of others, as reflected in the fact that they will travel from one city to another encouraging others to seek the Lord also. They will be anxious to embrace salvation, to learn the truths of the gospel, to know God's will and to worship him in the correct way (in spirit and in truth).

Zechariah 8:22 – "Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord."

This verse is closely related to verse 21. It confirms that many nations/people, even the mighty and the great, will seek the Lord in Jerusalem. Why is Jerusalem specifically mentioned here?

Well, we must keep in mind that the Jews who received this message were operating under the Old Testament covenant. At that time, there was only one temple and God could only be properly worshiped at that location, with the prescribed sacrifices.

Therefore, it was imperative for the second temple to be built, so that it could remain the emblem of forgiveness/salvation until the coming of Christ, when God would institute a new covenant.

As we know, Jerusalem also played a pivotal role in the new covenant – it was the birthplace of the church of Jesus Christ.

Under the new covenant, the temple of God would no longer be a brick-and-mortar structure located in Jerusalem. God was going to dwell in human hearts, which made each and every child of his a temple of Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

2 Corinthians 6:16 - for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The light of the gospel first dawned over Jerusalem and it will spread far and wide until it illuminates every nation on earth.

So we find that Jerusalem is mentioned in this verse because it was the city where salvation/forgiveness could be found in both the old and new covenants. It is the city God has chosen to bear his name (I Kings 11:36), and the place where he has chosen to reveal himself.

This verse also indicates (in figurative language) that it will be necessary for the Gentiles to go to Jerusalem because the presence of God could be found there and no place else.

In a spiritual sense, this tells us that the people of every nation will search out the church, because she is the steward of the gospel message. It is the gospel message that brings the forgiveness, peace and eternal life which sinners are seeking. Only the gospel brings life; all false religions bring bondage and despair.

All those who adhere to the gospel message (Jews and Gentiles) will 'entreat the favor of the Lord' through prayer and other ordinances of the gospel.

Thankfully, the blood of Christ allows us to come directly into the presence of God, who is omniscient (knows all things). He is already acquainted with our motivations, our weaknesses, our troubles and our desires.

Hebrews 4:13 - Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Once we approach him in faith with reverence and godly fear/respect, we have the freedom to openly and honestly speak to the Lord about every aspect of our lives.

We can pour our hearts out to him with boldness and confidence, knowing that he both hears and answers prayer.

Zechariah 8:23 – "Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

The picture presented here is that of a Jew journeying to Jerusalem from some distant country in order to participate in one of the Jewish festivals (probably Passover). As he walks along the road, he has a number of Gentiles crowding around him, asking permission to accompany him on his journey. They wish to do so because they have learned how good the Lord has been to the Jews.

The question is, what is the meaning of this image? Let's break it down:

The Lord of Hosts: The first thing to notice is that before delivering this message, God once again stresses that he is the Lord of Hosts – the omnipotent God who possess all power. This means that no matter how impossible this prophesy seems, it was going to come to pass.

In those days: Next we see the time frame for the fulfillment of this word – 'in those days'. There is no doubt that the events of the last part of chapter 8 occur during the Age of Grace or what is known as the Gospel Dispensation. In other words, this prophesy began to be fulfilled just after the birth of the church, and it is still being fulfilled today.

Robe of a Jew: The Jews wore robes that had tassels at the four corners, which made their clothing distinctively different from that of the Gentiles:

Numbers 15:38 - Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them tassels in the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the tassel of the corners a thread of blue:

Back in the day, everyone could identify a Jew by their clothing. This was how the woman at the well knew Jesus was a Jew and not a Samaritan (John 4:7-9).

Taking hold: Taking hold of someone's clothing gives us a picture of a small child who grabs or clings to the clothing of his parents for protection, support, guidance, etc.

Let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you: These Gentiles heard and were touched by the gospel message. They are convinced that the God of Israel is the one true God. They understand that they are sinners in need of the grace that only comes through the gospel message.

A Jew: The only place in this verse where we find differences of opinion is in regards to the identity of the Jew. Here are the main theories:

The Jew represents Jesus himself, our Messiah, Mediator and King.
The Jew represents one of (or all) twelve apostles who first spread the gospel message.
The Jew represents the apostle Paul, who was specifically called to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
The Jew represents any Christian (pastor or lay person) who leads people to Christ during the Age of Grace.

Regardless of the identity of the Jew (if there is one), the overall meaning of this prophesy is that a day will come when vast numbers of Gentiles from every nation of the world will hear the gospel message and seek out those who can lead them to salvation, which came into the world through Jesus (the Jewish line).

Aren't you glad Gentiles were included too?

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Once Jesus had risen from the dead, the Gentiles heard the preaching of the gospel and Holy Spirit convicted them of their sin. This led to godly sorrow, which in turn led to repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ.

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

The key here is that someone has to share the gospel with the lost. God wants to use YOU to share the message of hope with the sinners around you who are searching for the love and truth of Christ.

I encourage you to be strong and courageous and share what the Lord has done for you when the opportunity arises.

Let me offer you some relief:

It doesn't have to be a struggle to share the gospel message.

As you walk through your daily life, remember that the Lord is always with you. His presence goes before you and behind you. Holy Spirit dwells within your heart. He is your comforter and guide, who can lead you into all truth. In addition, Jesus is your Friend, Mediator, Protector and King.

In the morning, before you begin your day, why not ask the Lord to help you be more aware of his presence in your life? Ask him to lead you to at least one person with whom you can share all the good things that God has done for you.

Don't be surprised if that person expresses an earnest desire to know the Lord!

Let me offer you some strength:

In today's text, the Lord admonished his people to love truth and peace.

As Christians, we not only speak the truth, it manifests in the actions and attitudes of our daily life. It includes things like:

Doing business with honesty and integrity.
Showing mercy and extending forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
Demonstrating compassion to those who have let us down.
Displaying personal holiness no matter what we are doing.
Having an attitude of thankfulness/not complaining about everything.
Standing up for what is right.

As we honor God by exemplifying his truth to those around us, he shower us with his peace and blessings.

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SHOWERS

Zechariah, Chapter 11, Part 3

Zechariah, Chapter 11, Part 2

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Zechariah, Chapter 10, Part 2

Zechariah, Chapter 10, Part 1

Zechariah, Chapter 9, Part 3

Zechariah, Chapter 9, Part 2

Zechariah, Chapter 9, Part 1

Zechariah, Chapter 8, Part 3

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