Zechariah 12:1 – The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
This verse begins a new prophesy given from the Lord through Zechariah. We are using the ESV (English Standard Version) of the scriptures, which 
translates the original Hebrew word as ‘oracle’. Since the definition of an oracle is ‘a communication, revelation or message delivered by God to the prophets’, this is an accurate translation.
However, other versions (King James Version, for example) use the term ‘burden’ rather than oracle. This is also an accurate translation, because the original Hebrew actually means ‘threatening prophesy’.
Since the ‘burden’ is concerning Israel, we would expect this word to be a threat or judgment against God’s people. But as we read it, we find just the opposite! This chapter speaks of a time when a group of nations will band together and invade (or attempt to invade) Israel. However, they will be unsuccessful. Not only will God step in and rescue his people, he will bring destruction upon those who attempt to overthrow or annihilate his chosen nation/people.
The clear implication is that the judgment or ‘burden’ spoken of in this chapter will not fall upon Israel. It is reserved for all those nations who rise up against her.
Most scholars believe Zechariah’s prophesy describes a literal military invasion. These same scholars tie this prophesy (Zechariah 12) to the predicted invasion of Israel spoken of in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, which is commonly expected to take place at the end of this age under the direction of the antichrist (see Zechariah chapter 11).
Scholars and commentators see a spiritual fulfillment of this prophesy as well. They believe a time is coming when the people of the world will band together in an attempt to destroy the true church of God. In fact, they maintain that this is happening even today and it will continue to happen until the end of this age, when Christ returns and rescues his people.
With this background in mind, let’s take a look at our text. After declaring that this oracle/burden/prophesy is a word from the Lord, Zechariah takes a moment to remind the reader (or listener as the case may be) just who God is.
Specifically, God is the one who stretched out the heavens. In other words, he is the one who created the expanse we know as ‘space’, which contains so many planets, stars and other heavenly bodies that we literally cannot count them all. According to scientists, the universe is still expanding today, with new planets and stars continually being formed.
That’s an indication of just how big, how wise and how powerful our God truly is! And, as if that were not enough, scripture tells us that God not only created the heavenly bodies, he also named each one as well:
Psalms 147:4-5 – He [God] determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
(See also Psalms 104:1-2). Again, this description calls attention to the infinite power, greatness and wisdom of God. If he is capable of creating and naming all those planets and stars, he is surely capable of taking care of his people. This is a great comfort to Israel and the church; it is also a dire warning to those who oppose God and his purposes.
The prophet now moves our attention from the vastness of the heavens to the planet where we live. He reminds mankind that God is the one who founded the earth. He created this planet (Genesis 1:1), setting it upon its invisible foundations (Job 38:4).
Psalms 24:1-2 – The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
He is also the designer and creator of all life on planet earth, from the smallest single cell organism (Mycoplasma bacteria) to the largest known life form (blue whale).
While we are still awestruck by the power and glory of the creator of the earth, the prophet once again changes our focus. He now draws our attention to mankind, reminding us that God formed the spirit of man that is within him.
Genesis 2:7 - Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
God created us in his image, giving us an eternal soul and spirit which will live forever. In his vast unsearchable wisdom, he gives us the opportunity to join him in heaven as a son or daughter. We have no idea why God would choose to do this; it is a mystery that even the angels seek to understand (I Peter 1:12)!
Clearly, the divine plans and purposes of God are so far beyond our understanding, just thinking about them should cause us to stop and bow before him in worship and reverence.
The bottom line is that the reader/hearer of this prophesy is given an opportunity to pause and consider the omnipotence and sovereignty of God. This in turn causes faith to spring up and the reader becomes fully persuaded that whatever God is about to say in this prophesy, he has more than enough power and authority to make it happen.
Zechariah 12:2 – “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.”
God then goes on to declare that he will make Jerusalem a ‘cup of staggering’.
Obviously, this is not a literal cup like we use for coffee (Mmmm... coffee!). It is a word picture or a symbol found in numerous places throughout the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament. In all cases, the ‘cup’ contains the wrath or judgment of God.
Sometimes, Israel herself drinks from this cup because of her sin (Isaiah 51:17). At other times, it is Israel’s enemies who drink from the cup:
Jeremiah 25:15-16 – Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.”
In Jeremiah 25, God then goes on to give a whole list of nations that would be drinking from this cup. The list includes Edom, Moab, the Philistines and the Babylonians. (If you have a spare five minutes, I highly recommend that you read Jeremiah 25:15-38. It also mentions the destruction of false shepherds which were the focus of Zechariah chapter 11.)
This brings up a logical question – how do nations ‘drink’ from the cup of the wrath of God? 
They do so by continual sinning or by attacking God’s people.
In the case of sin, God gives people (and nations) ample time to repent from sin. During that time, he will also graciously give them signs that they need to change, or face the coming judgment. If nations continue to rebel and remain in sin, they are essentially drinking from the cup of God’s wrath, which will eventually result in destruction (Genesis 15:16).
Now let’s consider the case of attacking God’s people. There are many instances where God has chosen to use foreign powers as his ‘rod of correction’. In other words, God allowed these nations to oppress or trouble Israel, so that they would repent of their sin and return to him.
However, when nations overstepped what was reasonable and moved into the realm of trying to annihilate Israel, God put a stop to their actions. At that point, he defended his covenant people and forced the foreign nation to drink from the cup of his wrath.
Isaiah 51:22-23 – Thus says the Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the case of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.”
Once the foreign power drinks from the cup, their utter destruction follows. Once such example was the nation of Babylon (see Jeremiah chapter 51).
Now that we have a better understanding of the meaning of the cup, let’s return to our text.
We are told that at some point in time, Jerusalem will be attacked by ‘all the surrounding people’. This indicates that multiple nations and/or people groups will be involved. In other words, there will be an alliance of nations or people who will gather together to attack Jerusalem. Their intent will be the total annihilation of Israel and her people.
But the minute they advance upon her, God will make them drink from his cup of wrath; his undiluted anger and vengeance will be poured out upon them. They will stagger and fall like a drunk man because of the terror of the Lord and his fierce retribution.
Take a minute to imagine this scene. Satan, who hates God’s people, incites sinful nations to unite together with the intent of ending the existence of Israel by killing every single one of God’s chosen people.
What reason will they use to justify this attack? Perhaps Israel will control some valuable commodity or resource which these nations want. Perhaps these nations want control of a holy site, or maybe they simply want the land for themselves. Perhaps the alliance will claim their actions are justified retaliation for a prior skirmish.
Regardless of what excuse they use to justify their actions, the end result will be a multi-nation force of millions of soldiers. This alliance will have the combined resources, intelligence, weapons, strategy and communications of the entire world. It will literally be a case of Israel against the world!
In the minds of Israel’s enemies, they are already victorious because there is no way that Israel can defeat such a formidable foe, and there is no way of escape for the Jews. The alliance forces clearly expect to overrun and destroy God’s people within a short amount of time.
But at the exact moment when their pride and self-assurance reach the heavens, God will come to the rescue of his people! He will deliver Israel, and it will cause great astonishment to her enemies. Their hearts and minds will stagger with incredulity at Israel’s victory and they will be rendered incapable of thinking or fighting. Then they will be destroyed.
While such an event could literally take place at any time, most commentators believe the events described in Zechariah chapter 12 will either occur at the end of time (under the direction of the antichrist) or after the 1000-year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:9).
Moving on, we notice that verse two says that ‘the siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah’.
There is some difference of opinion on what this means.
The most common explanation is that the mention of Jerusalem and Judah indicates the entire Jewish population of Israel. This means that the enemy attack will be against the entire nation of Israel, not just the capital city and its inhabitants. It then follows that when God intervenes, he saves the whole nation, not just the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
However, I want you to be aware that there is another explanation being offered. In this scenario, some of the Jews (those in Judah) will actually join forces with the foreign nations and be part of the alliance that is against Jerusalem. If that is the case, these Jews will drink the cup of God’s wrath and be destroyed, just like the other nations. This scenario seems much less likely, but it does have some proponents.
While everyone agrees that this prophesy describes an actual military invasion, there may also be a spiritual parallel as well. Jerusalem is used symbolically to represent God’s people, which includes the church. For this reason, the prophesy could be interpreted as an alliance of people or nations who seek the extermination of the church (all Christians).
But there is no reason to fear. If this is the case, we can rest assured that God will take care of us.
Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:
Let’s be honest… this word of the Lord seems a bit scary! It certainly indicates a time of great uncertainty when the nations of the world are on edge and looking for war.
If you are feeling a bit fearful right now, let me encourage you with this thought:
Romans 8:31 – If God is for us, who can be against us?
Cast your mind back to the beginning of Zechariah 12:1. Our heavenly father is still the same omniscient, omnipotent and sovereign God that he has always been. Remember, he stretched out the heavens, created the earth and breathed the breath of life into YOU. In fact, he loves you so much, he sent his only Son to die for your sin.
With that in mind, do not allow fear to have a place in your heart or mind! You may or may not be on the earth when this prophesy is fulfilled. If you are, you can be sure that God has you under his protection, and no evil will touch you (Psalms 91:1-8). You will have the privilege of being a firsthand witness to the power and glory of the Lord!
Let me offer you some strength:
As we mentioned in today’s post, the divine plans and purposes of God are far, far above anything we can understand or imagine. As we look back on history, we see his hand at work in the lives of our nation, our church, our families and ourselves.
These demonstrations of God’s power and purposes should fill us with awe and prompt us to worship him. They prove that he is at work in our lives and that he has the ability to work all things out for our good!
Why not spend some time today in praise and worship to our amazing God!