Zechariah 12:8 – “On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them.”
So far in our study of Zechariah 12, we have discovered that a day will come when Israel is surrounded by her enemies. These enemies will be from 
many different nations and people groups. They will have superior weapons, resources and soldiers. Their goal will be to completely destroy the Jews from planet earth.
In the natural realm, Israel will have no possible chance of victory. However, God promises to rescue his people. Because of his supernatural intervention, Israel will be victorious.
But that is not all that God is accomplishing. Through this miraculous deliverance, he is bringing a spiritual awakening to Israel.
For example, we noted last week (see verse 5) that the leaders of Israel will understand and acknowledge that their military victory is not due to their own strength, but to the hand of God. Then, in verse seven, we are told that salvation will come to the common people first, then the elite of the nation.
At the risk of being redundant, let me say once again that Israel’s miraculous physical deliverance causes the Jews to acknowledge the presence of God and turn towards him, which in turn leads to a spiritual deliverance.
As we will see, the last seven verses of this chapter follow the same pattern. Verses 8-9 continue to speak of an incredible military victory, while verses 10-14 speak of a subsequent spiritual awakening. Let’s take a closer look:
On that day: As with the rest of this chapter, verse eight deals with the time when Israel will be fully surrounded by enemies from multiple nations and/or people groups. Most commentators believe this is a future event which will take place at the end of this age.
The Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem: In the original text, the word for ‘protect’ literally means ‘to shield’. 
To shield is to cover from danger; to protect from assault/injury, to ward off or to keep out. This is exactly what the Lord will do for his people. Even though the Jews have inferior weapons and defenses, they will still be safe and victorious in the natural realm because God will supernaturally intervene in their situation. This has been a consistent theme throughout the prophesy of Zechariah chapter 12.
There are multiple places in the scriptures which describe the Lord as our shield.
In II Samuel 22:36, David sings a praise song to God for his deliverance. In this song, he refers to the shield of salvation which God gives to him.
In Deuteronomy 33:29 (Moses’ farewell blessing on Israel), Moses describes God as the shield of Israel’s help.
In Psalms 5:12, God’s favor is described as a shield which goes before his people.
In Ephesians 6:16, Christians are given the shield of faith, which is the word of God.
We could go on and on, but the point is that God constantly shields/protects his people in many different ways. As we know, he is shielding/protecting the church at this very moment. He is also shielding/protecting Israel even though they currently seem ignorant of the fact.
The feeblest among them shall be like David: Commentators are in complete agreement that this verse speaks of God supernaturally strengthening the Jews. However, they disagree on exactly how God plans to do it. Here are some of the most common interpretations of ‘the feeblest being like David’:
One theory says that the reference to David speaks of the time when he slew Goliath of Gath (I Samuel 17). When this battle occurred, David was not a trained soldier; he was nothing more than an ordinary shepherd boy. However, when he stepped out onto the battle field, God strengthened him and gave him victory over the giant.
In the same way, the people of Israel, even those who are untrained soldiers, will step out in faith and fight against the massive conglomeration of armies who come against her. As they do, God will arise, giving strength and victory to Israel, just like he gave to David.
A second theory says that the reference to David speaks of the time when he was in the prime of his life – a strong king and warrior, who often led his people to victory. This theory says that during this showdown between Israel and the world, God will cause the least experienced Israelite (man and/or woman) to be free of fear, and full of heroic valor. They will engage the enemy confidently, just as David did in all the wars he fought.
Another slightly different theory maintains that the feeble refers to the Jews in general, who are a weak and insignificant nation. But on a future day (a day future to the giving of this prophesy, not the end of the world), God would bring about the birth of the Messiah.
This theory says that Zechariah’s prophesy is intended to convince the Jews that their nation would derive its strength and glory not in their own power, but by virtue of their fidelity to the Lord. In other words, Israel’s true strength and honor are found in being a blessing to all nations by birthing the Messiah, which was one of God’s true purposes for them:
Genesis 26:4 – … in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…
Again, we can disagree about the specific details of ‘the feeblest will be like David’, but one thing is certain – this verse speaks of the supernatural strength of God being infused into the Jews.
The house of David shall be like God: As we mentioned last week, because David was king, his house/family was considered to be the elite of the nation. They were part of the nobility – a class of people who were strong, wealthy, educated and well-trained as leaders.
The phrase ‘the house of David shall be like God’ is a comparison that is built upon the last phrase. The comparison goes something like this: 
If God’s supernatural power made the feeblest person in the nation as strong and courageous as David, what would that same power do to those who were already noble to begin with?
Answer: It would make them so much stronger, wiser and more courageous than anyone else that they would seem to possess divine qualities.
Like the angel of the Lord, going before them: ‘Angel of the Lord’ is one of the many different titles for Jesus. It was used frequently in the Old Testament, whenever Jesus appeared before the incarnation (Genesis 16, Genesis 22, Exodus 3:2, Judges 6, etc).
That title was specifically used with regard to the pillar of cloud/fire that led Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land:
Exodus 14:19-20 – Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel…
The inference is that at the end of the age, the leaders of Israel will be so supernaturally endowed with strength, power and wisdom, their enemies can only described them as being like the ‘Angel of the Lord’ who was actually God himself.
Just as Egypt was unable to defeat Israel during the Exodus, so the conglomeration of nations who come against her at the end of the age will also be unsuccessful. In both cases, Israel was vastly outnumbered, but she was victorious due to the supernatural intervention of God.
This realization will strike terror and confusion into Israel’s enemies, just as God promised (see last week’s post).
Zechariah 12:9 – “And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
The phrase ‘I will seek to destroy’ is an interesting one. It implies an earnest, unbending, unchanging goal or intention. It tells us that God is fully focused on the destruction of Israel’s enemies.
We want to be clear on one point here – when we seek to do something, it means that our minds, our wills, our actions and our resources are all channeled or focused into achieving our aim/purpose. However, despite our best efforts, we may not accomplish our goal. For us, failure is still a possibility.
But this is not the case with God; he has never failed at anything. If he sets out to destroy a group of nations, we can be sure that he will be successful. So we find that the phrase ‘I will seek’ is used for our benefit – it reminds us of God’s fierce, diligent, never-ending determination to protect those who belong to him.
The promised destruction also infers that when ‘that day’ comes, God’s longsuffering will be at an end; those who have rejected him will face destruction. There will be no partiality and no mercy in that day; all nations that are surrounding Jerusalem with the intent to blot her out will be cut off.
Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
Israel’s enemies are not the only ones who recognize God’s divine hand at work. The Jews will also understand and acknowledge that God is with them. As they begin to turn their focus onto God, he will pour out a spirit of grace upon them which shall result in their spiritual restoration.
Notice that the Spirit of grace will be ‘poured’ out. In other words, it will come in abundance! It will not be a small sprinkle or a stingy measure; it will not be limited to a chosen few. On that day, God will freely and bountifully pour out his Spirit on all the Jews – young and old, male and female, rich and poor. No one will be excluded.
Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of truth. God will remove the spiritual blindness of his people; they will begin to realize that Jesus was truly the Messiah sent by God (Romans 11). 
Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of wisdom and understanding (Isaiah 11:2). He will give the Jews the ability to understand the Old Testament scriptures which point to Jesus as the Messiah.
Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of grace and supplication (Hebrews 10:29, Romans 5:5). He will enlighten the Jews so they are able to recognize the immeasurable love that God has for them. The Jews will begin to perceive God’s infinite majesty and be in awe of him. Holy Spirit will then give them an increased desire for even more of God’s grace and love.
Holy Spirit will come as a Spirit of conviction and repentance producing a godly sorrow. This sorrow brings healing and wholeness, because it causes the Jews to repent of sin and come to Christ:
II Corinthians 7:9-10 – As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
When Holy Spirit comes to the Jews, he will come in his fullness; he will spiritually quicken them (make them spiritually alive). He is also responsible for regenerating, converting and sanctifying them, just as he now does for Christians.
He will bestow upon the Jews the same Christian graces (faith, hope, love, repentance, humility, joy, peace, meekness, patience, etc) as he now bestows upon believers.
He will also produce fruit in their lives, just as he does with us (Galatians 5:22).
Thus, through the ministry of Holy Spirit, the Jews will again turn to God and also acknowledge Jesus. Holy Spirit conviction will result in a deep and sincere repentance; the Jews will plead/cry out for God’s mercy and receive salvation.
The Jews will also fully understand/comprehend that it was their nation/ancestors who were responsible for nailing (piercing) Jesus the Messiah to the cross (John 19:36-37).
This understanding will result in great mourning and sorrow; they will begin to cry, lament and wail in bitterness. They will be shocked and grieved that their ancient leaders (Pharisees, teachers of the law, priests, etc) not only rejected the true Messiah, they condemned him to death.
The Jews will regret their hardness of heart and their unbelief. They will mourn over their many sins as a nation and as individuals.
Their bitterness is so profound it is described as the mourning over a firstborn son. In ancient Jewish culture, the firstborn son was considered a huge blessing. This son became the principle heir of the family who received a double portion of the estate. After the death of his father, he would be the leader of the family. It was his responsibility to take care of his mother and any sisters who were not yet married. This was a position of honor and dignity.
Losing a firstborn son was one of the most painful and grievous things that could happen to a family in ancient Israel (Amos 8:10). It was second only to the curse/dishonor of being childless. It is fitting that the Jews should mourn this way on behalf of Jesus, because he is the firstborn/only Son of God.
So, we find that Israel’s grief and mourning are not shallow and temporary. Their distress is very great and very deep, inflicting their souls with bitterness.
The good news is that this sorrow will also produce a very great, very deep and very sincere repentance, which will result in salvation.
Zechariah 12:11 – “On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.”
This verse recalls an incident of extreme mourning in the history of Israel. It involves the death of one of their most beloved kings – Josiah. You can read the account of his death in II Chronicles 35:20-27. 
Scripture tells us that Josiah was a righteous king, who followed the commands of the Lord and walked in the ways of King David (II Chronicles 34:1-7). Through his leadership, religious reform and true repentance returned to Judah. But sadly, his sons did not walk in his ways.
As it turns out, Josiah was the last righteous king to reign before Judah went into captivity. He died in battle against Neco king of Egypt near the city of Hadad-rimmon, which was located close to Jezreel on the plains of Megiddo. Commentators refer to his death as the ‘sunset of Judah’.
As with every good leader, his death was an occasion of bitter mourning for the whole nation. The prophet Jeremiah and many of the nation’s worship leaders wrote and sung dirges for him. Josiah’s death became a symbol or expression for any instance of intense mourning and grief, which is why it is mentioned here in Zechariah.
[FYI, there may also be a secondary reference to the slaughter of the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon during the era of the Judges (Judges 20:47)].
Zechariah 12:12-13 – “The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves…”
This verse shows that the intense mourning which will take place is felt/experienced by each and every individual in the nation. It begins with the royal house of David, which was in the ancestral line of Christ (Luke 3:31). Other prominent families are also affected, including the household of Nathan, who was Solomon’s brother. His house is representative of all the lower classes of the royal house.
The bitter mourning is also experienced by all those in the priestly tribe of Levi. Levi represents all those who occupied places of religious authority in Israel including the teachers of the law, the Pharisees, the high priests, etc. This mourning class also includes the family of the Shimeites, who were descendants of Gershon (Numbers 3:17-18). They represent the lower orders of the priesthood.
In these verses, one particular point is highly stressed - the people involved are mourning ‘by themselves’. The implication is that the sadness of each individual is so deep and distressing, that everyone will seek to be alone with their grief. They will attempt to vent their distress in private.
Those in the same household (husbands, wives, children) will separate from one another and find a private place to grieve. They will not lean upon one another during this time; each person will repent in the presence of God alone.
Zechariah 12:14 – “… and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.”
The repentance that will come on that day will touch each and every household of the remnant of Israel. As a result, the mourning for Christ rises to the same proportion or level as his violent death, which was approved by the vast majority of the nation.
Because of God’s grace and mercy, the Jews will come to Christ and be saved by the very blood they so violently and mercilessly spilled hundreds of years earlier.
Let me offer you some encouragement:
I know that many Christians are praying for the salvation of loved ones who seem oblivious to their need for Jesus. Sometimes it seems like the more we pray, the more sin they embrace and the further they get from Christ.
If that’s you, I encourage you to remain steadfast. It is entirely possible that your loved one will eventually find themselves in an impossible or hopeless situation. God may be bringing them to that place of hardship in order to bring about a spiritual awakening within their life, just as he will do for the Jews.
When they reach the end of their abilities and the end of their hope, it will give you the chance to step in with the good news of the gospel! People who are between the proverbial ‘rock and a hard place’ are often open to the gospel when they wouldn’t be otherwise.
Just remember, this isn’t a time to say, “I told you so.” It’s a time to show mercy and compassion. What a blessing to be used by Holy Spirit to lead a lost soul to Christ!
Let me offer you some relief:
Are you reading this post today, experiencing some grief or remorse of your own? If so, you have a reason to rejoice! Let me explain.
God doesn’t want you to remain in your sin. As an act of love and grace, he sends Holy Spirit to convict you of your wrongdoing. The work of Holy Spirit is not to condemn you, it is to bring you to a place of repentance, where your sin can be washed away by the blood of Christ, and you can be fully restored to a great relationship with God.
So, if you are feeling that remorse today, give yourself some relief by taking action! If you need to ask a brother or sister for forgiveness, swallow your pride and go do it now. Make whatever amends you need to. Then, simply ask your Messiah and intercessor Jesus to cleanse you by his blood.
When you do, you will feel immediate relief!
Let me offer you some strength:
Today’s post speaks of some of the many benefits Christians have through the ministry of Holy Spirit:
He convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance. He works in our lives to promote the growth of spiritual fruit. He brings the words of Christ to our remembrance. He reveals the truth of the scriptures to us, helping us to understand the mysteries of God.
It’s no wonder Jesus calls him our helper:
John 14:16-17 – And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
I encourage you to take a few moments today to honor the Spirit and his work in your life. Express your thankfulness to God for the wonderful gift of his Spirit which abides with you forever!