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)!