Zechariah 12:3 – “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”
In our last post we discovered that the prophesy given in Zechariah chapter 12 is a ‘burden’ (a threat or a judgment) concerning Israel. However, the judgment spoken of in this chapter will not fall upon Israel. It is reserved for all the nations who rise up against her. Many bible commentators believe this prophesy will occur at the end of this age, as the events of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 
unfold.
We also learned that God will make Jerusalem a ‘cup of staggering’ to her enemies. This metaphor is found in numerous places throughout the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament. In all cases, the ‘cup’ contains the wrath or judgment of God.
All the nations which rise up against Israel with the intent of annihilating her will drink from the cup of God’s wrath and they will be destroyed.
Verse three speaks of Israel being a ‘heavy stone for all the peoples’. The picture being presented is of a group of young men who are gathered around a very heavy stone. Each man will attempt to lift the stone in order to bring glory to himself. But as each one lifts it they will injure themselves – they will tear muscles, rip tendons, rupture blood vessels, damage nerves and scrape their skin. In short, the stone is a burden which is too much for them to bear; it will destroy their bodies.
The meaning is this: Israel is the rock. The young men represent the nations which are enemies of Israel. They will attempt to destroy Israel or remove her from her place (take her land). But as they attempt to do so, they will bring judgment and destruction (injury) upon themselves.
It is impossible for these nations to obliterate the Jews because they are God’s chosen people, and he will make sure they continue to exist. Even a glancing examination of history shows this is true. Numerous nations have tried to exterminate the Jews; however, they are gone, and the Jews are still here!
Likewise, it is impossible for these enemy nations to remove Israel from the land, because God has given it to her as a permanent possession:
Genesis 17:8 -And I [God] will give unto you, and to your descendants after you, the land in which you are a sojourner, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
… and he is Israel’s protection:
Psalms 46:5 – God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.
This is great news for Israel, but what about the church?
As we would expect, God is watching over us too! The church is often referred to as spiritual Israel, which means that these promises apply to us as well. So, when strong enemies surround the church with the intention of destroying her, we can rest assured that God will not allow it. He will protect and save his bride (Ephesians 5:25-29).
Scripture tells us that Jesus is the ‘stone which the builders rejected’, who has become the chief corner (Luke 20:17). Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken, but those on whom it falls (the enemies of the church) will be ground to powder (Matthew 21:44, Luke 20:18).
And that’s not all! Jesus is the tried stone and sure foundation laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16) which can never be moved. In fact, his kingdom is described by the prophet Daniel as a ‘stone cut without hands’ which crushes and displaces all other kingdoms of this world (Daniel 2:45).
God’s people (Israel and the church) will be safe even though all the people/nations of the world gather against us, because God himself is a wall of fire around us and his glory dwells in our midst (Zechariah 2:5). Clearly, the church has many reasons to rejoice, even in the midst of trials!
As we noted in our last post, God is more than capable of accomplishing this because he is omnipotent and sovereign. He is the one who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth and breathed the breath of life into man. It’s his Spirit which dwells in our hearts right now! Hallelujah!
Zechariah 12:4 – “On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.”
In ‘that day’ which is the day all the nations of the world surround Jerusalem, God will strike every horse and rider.
Does the term ‘the horse and his rider’ sound familiar? It comes from the song of Moses found in Exodus 15. As you recall, the Lord parted the Red Sea so that his people could cross over on dry ground, but as soon as the Egyptian army tried to follow, the waters returned to their place and all of Pharaoh’s forces drowned. 
The song of Moses is the song of victory which Israel sung after this great deliverance. Specifically, Exodus 15:1 gives glory to the Lord because he has thrown ‘the horse and his rider’ into the sea. As a result of this song, the term ‘the horse and his rider’ became the emblem of defeated worldly powers.
In our present study, when God speaks of every horse and his rider, it refers to the military capabilities of Israel’s enemies, which may include (but are not limited to) literal horses. In fact, the enemy may be driving tanks, flying aircraft, operating drones, sailing ships or simply marching. But regardless of the equipment they are using, or the power they possess, their efforts will be futile because at some point God will strike them with panic, confusion, stupor and blindness.
When he does, their plans will fail, their military discipline will dissolve, and anarchy will result. All attempts to destroy Israel will fail. These nations will be filled with fury and anger because they cannot conquer God’s people. Their constant inability to gain victory will leave them dumbfounded and at their wits’ end; they will not know what to do next. At this point, the armies of Israel will easily defeat this much larger, stronger foe.
Some commentators feel that because of their fury and confusion, these armies will begin to blame each other for the defeat which will cause them to turn and begin to slay each other. It’s much more likely that Isreal will have to participate in the fight, but if their enemies do destroy each other, it won’t be the first time in Israel’s history (II Chronicles 20).
Meanwhile, God will keep his eyes on the house of Judah, which means he will take notice of her, watch over her and give her victory (Jeremiah 24:6, I Peter 3:12).
Zechariah 12:5 – “The the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’”
Zechariah paints us a picture of a time when Jerusalem is literally surrounded by armies from all over the world. In the natural realm, the Jews have no hope - they have inferior numbers and resources; their defenses are inadequate. No one would bet on them defeating their foes.
Thus, when the Lord of Hosts strikes these enemy armies with confusion and the children of Israel begin winning victory over them, it will be a strong testimony to the leaders of Judah/Israel.
They will recognize and publicly acknowledge that victory is within their grasp because the Lord of Hosts, who dwells in their midst, is fighting for his people.
This is one more example of the biblical principle that God works in partnership with us to achieve his will on earth.
In every battle we face, the church needs God to do what only he can do. That may involve giant hailstones (Joshua 10:11), or the suspension of natural laws (Daniel 3:16-28), or the revelation of hidden wisdom (II Kings 6:8-12), or some other supernatural intervention.
But in order to obtain victory, we must also do our part.
If we want to see the bible taught in public schools, then we must vote, we must work with the school board, and we must faithfully support the ministries that gain access to the children. If we want righteous laws, we must let our voice be heard, campaign for the right leaders, vote, or even run for office ourselves.
I can’t help but think that there are times when we become frustrated because we are praying (and praying) for a situation, when in reality God is waiting for us to act! So, get your faith out and get to work!
Many scholars also see a more spiritual application of this verse. They believe it speaks to a time when the church will suffer great persecution but will have the strength to stand firm, because God empowers her. In truth, persecution rarely diminishes the church; most often it actually increases and spreads it!
Zechariah 12:6 – “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.”
The literal interpretation of this verse is easy to understand. Despite overwhelming odds in the natural realm, Israel will defeat her enemies as easily as a flaming torch consumes dry wood and grass.
Jerusalem will continue to stand strong and firm, because that city has been chosen by God as the place where his name is glorified and worshiped. 
When interpreted spiritually, verse six speaks of a time when God raises up ministers, preachers, teachers and ordinary Christians to speak the gospel message. This message of hope will burn up all unbelief in the hearts and minds of sinners, just like a flaming torch would burn up a bundle of very dry grass or wood.
When this unbelief is removed, sinners will clearly understand the gospel message. They will perceive the love which God has for them and turn to Christ. We would recognize this event as a large revival.
The fact that the fire devours ‘to the right and to the left of all the surrounding people’ indicates that this revival will be widespread. It will cross cultural, social, economic and national borders, affecting everyone it comes into contact with.
Luke 21:15 - …for I [Jesus] will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
The church will not only remain intact throughout this season, she will grow as new believers are added to God’s kingdom.
Zechariah 12:7 – “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah.”
On the surface, this verse seems awkward and confusing, but when we dig in, the explanation becomes clear.
First off, this verse speaks to two different groups of people. There are people living in Jerusalem and there are people living in the tents of Judah.
Inhabitants of Jerusalem – Who is described as living in Jerusalem? It is the ‘glory of the house of David’ and the ‘glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem’. We know that David was a king of Israel and Jerusalem was the location of the royal palace and household.
Therefore, the people referred to here are princes, nobles and the elite of that society. As such, we would expect them to be educated, wealthy and influential citizens. By virtue of living in Jerusalem, these people are enclosed behind walls and other defenses which give them protection against foreign invaders.
Tents of Judah – The term ‘tent’ does not refer to a cloth shelter used in camping. It indicates a structure or house that is without walls of defense. In other words, these ‘tents’ are ordinary houses located in the countryside. Because they are in the countryside of Judah, they are spread out over a wide area and there are no gates or city walls to protect them from invaders. The people living in these homes are those who are NOT among the elite. They are common or ordinary people such as farmers, shepherds, blacksmiths, etc. They are probably not wealthy, influential or highly educated. They are unlikely to hold high offices within the nation.
The second thing to notice about this verse is that salvation comes to the tent dwellers first. This means that ordinary citizens are receiving salvation before the elite of the nation. This is consistent with what we find in the New Testament:
I Corinthians 1:26-29 – …consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
There can be no doubt that the salvation of God is available to all of mankind. The apostle Paul assures us that in the kingdom of heaven there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor or male and female. All are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Nevertheless, God has a specific order which he has chosen to follow. Salvation was offered to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles. Among the Gentiles, salvation was preached specifically to the poor (Luke 4:18, Luke 6:20) and it seems to have taken root in this people group first.
James 2:5 – Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
Scripture indicates that God sought the poor first to show that secular influence had no hand in the matter. In other words, people tend to follow the lead of those they consider the elite of society. So, if the elite were saved first, it could be said that they were responsible for influencing the poor to come to Christ. By saving the poor first, the glory belongs solely to God and no one else. 
Again, we want to stress that salvation is open to all. Although salvation came first to the Jews, both Jews and Gentiles are saved. Although salvation was first preached to the poor, it has now been proclaimed to all. We are ALL citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
As for the literal or temporal interpretation of this verse, Zechariah tells us that in the battle of the world versus Israel, those living outside of Jerusalem (those with the least amount of physical protection) will be the first to experience victory over the foreign invaders.
This is the opposite of what we would expect in the natural realm, so by giving these folks victory first, God is given full credit for not only this victory, but also the victory of Jerusalem which will follow. This will prevent the people of Jerusalem claiming that they won victory for their fellow men in the countryside.
Let me offer you some encouragement:
Yes, the church faces some serious battles. But we still have innumerable reasons to rejoice!
- Our God is omnipotent and sovereign; nothing occurs in this world without his consent.
- Our God has defeated Satan and broken the power of the enemy.
- Our God never leaves us or forsakes us.
- Our God works all things out for our good.
- Our God plans to present the church to himself as a perfect bride, without spot or wrinkle.
- Our God has prepared a place for us in heaven and at the exact right moment, he will come to take us there.
Let me offer you some relief:
Have you been praying and praying about a situation that just doesn’t seem to change? Does it seem like God isn’t listening?
Well, maybe that isn’t the case at all. Maybe God is waiting on you to do your part!
If you find yourself in this situation, I recommend changing your prayers. Stop asking God to do all the work and begin asking him what actions you should be taking. When he answers, get your faith out and get to work! The sooner you begin, the sooner you will see the victory!
Let me offer you some strength:
In the midst of great spiritual battles, it is good for us to remember that we don’t fight against flesh and blood, but against evil powers in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12).
These forces are not conquered by our own words or actions. However, they will submit to the word of God (Ephesians 6:17-18, Philippians 2:9-11), when we wield it with the authority that Jesus has given us.
As we work hand-in-hand with the Lord to change/restore our nation, let’s be sure we are declaring the word of the Lord over every battle/situation, because our strength and victory are ultimately found in him.