People of the Promise: Exile & Return – Lesson 21

 

Zechariah 9-11

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies – Zechariah 9

God will bring judgment on Israel’s enemy nations.  He will protect Jerusalem and His people  with His power and authority.

Psalm 91 is encouraging.  It tells us that God is our refuge and our fortress.  He is our shelter and shield.  If we trust in Him, He will command the angels to guard our ways.  He loves us so He will rescue us.  He knows each of our names and when we call upon Him, He will answer.

Zech. 9:9 points to Jesus’ first coming telling us that King Jesus is coming righteous, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  We are to rejoice and shout of His coming.  Zech. 9:10 foretells His return.  He will end military power and war.  He will bring peace, free the prisoners, and rule the world.

Phrases in Zech. 9:11-17 tell us that God is our protector and deliverer.  He will free prisoners, give hope, restore, and will shield.  Verse 14 tells us He alone has complete authority over the world.  Verse 15 says happiness will overflow.  Verse 16 says God will protect.  Verse 17 says prosperity will be restored.  These verses are encouraging.  What God says He will do, He will do!  

Principle:  What God says He will do, He will do!        

Caring for Judah – Zechariah 10

In Zech. 10:1-3 God promises to care for His people.  He promises to bring rain for their crops and there will be equality for everyone.  He warns His people that there is no help from idols or their godless leadership.  He promises to transform His people to be like war horses, ready for battle and they will defeat their enemies.

There are phrases in verse 4 that point to Christ: 

Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation and standard.

Jesus is the tent peg, holding all things securely.

Jesus is the battle bow, a strong fighter for good.

Jesus is the leader over every ruler of His people.

Promises God made to His people in verses 5-12:

He will save and bless Israel.

He will have mercy on them.

He will return joy to them.

He will gather them back to the land.

He will strengthen them and they will walk in freedom.

God strengthens me each time I study God’s Word, He gives me strength to trust Him.  He changing my wrong thinking and helps me to understand.  He brings me peace and revives my spirit.  He fills me with hope and increases my faith.

Principle:  God promises to care for and protect His people.

The Good Shepherd – Zechariah 11

The destructive armies are coming to Israel.  He describes Israel’s future judgment.  He refers to Israel as a flock marked for slaughter.  He describes those in authority over the people as false shepherds who exploit their sheep (the people) and betrayed them for personal gain. They were more concerned with making a profit; they say, “praise the Lord I am rich”.  Because of this God pronounces judgment on the wicked shepherds.

Through God’s great mercy, He sends Zechariah as the new shepherd to the flock.  Zechariah focused on the weak and wounded and led them to places to find rest.  God used 2 staffs, Favor and Union and got rid of the 3 bad shepherds.  The Favor staff symbolizes God’s favored status of Israel as His chosen people and the Union staff symbolizes the harmony of the people that was lost when Jerusalem was sieged.

Principle:  God will allow foolish shepherds to come to His people, but judgment will come on them.

Resources:

Bible.org

Easyenglish.bible

Thebiblesays.com

Next week we will continue our study in Zechariah.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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If you have enjoyed my post and have found if helpful, please leave a comment or share this post with the buttons below. 

People of the Promise: Exile & Return – Lesson 20

 

Zechariah 7-8

Empty Religious Rituals – Zechariah 7

Darius was now the king and 2 years had passed since the rebuilding of the temple started.  A delegation from Bethel asked the priests if they should mourn and fast as they had done for so many years.  God redirected their question by asking a question.  Were they doing the fasting for themselves or for Him?  God desires justice, mercy, and compassion, not outward displays of religious . These fasts were not commanded by God, but made up by man.

The people responded with God’s past mercies by their disobedience.  They neglected obedience everyday making their fasting hypocritical.  God wanted them to execute true justice, show mercy and compassion.  He wanted them to not oppress the widows and the fatherless, the alien or the poor and not to plan evil in their hearts against their brothers.

Principle:  We are to execute true justice and show mercy and compassion.

Jerusalem Restored – Zechariah 8

God responded to Zion (Jerusalem) saying He is very jealous for them.  This statement of being jealous means He has a passionate concerned for His people.  He said He will return to Zion and dwell in their midst.  Because of His presence the city will be transformed into a place of truth and holiness.  When God’s presence is real in our lives, we become holy people and people of truth.

The repeated phrase,“This is what the Lord Almighty says” tell what God promises His people:

He will dwell in Jerusalem and the city will be called the City of Truth and the mountain will be called the Holy Mountain.

The young and old will enjoy the city in safety.

It will be marvelous to the people and to Him.

The people will be saved and brought back to Jerusalem; hearts will be changed.

They will hear the words of the prophets.

Gen. 12:1-3 confirms the promise given to Abraham.  God will make him a great nation, will bless him, will bless those who bless him and whoever curses him He will curse and all people on earth will be blessed through him.

The Lord said that He hates when we plot evil against our neighbors and when we lie.  He calls us to love truth and peace.

He answered the question posed in Zech. 7:3 about fasting.  He said the fasts of the 4^th, 5^th, 7^th, and the 10^th months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah.   

God turns mourning, grief and sorrow into joy by giving us comfort and hope.  Just knowing that He is working behind the scenes in the middle of our suffering and knowing His ultimate promise of eternal life gives comfort and hope.

We can find joy in our heaviest burdens if we just remember what Jesus endured and how we found comfort in the presence of God.   He was betrayed, beaten, and suffered agony of the cross because He knew the joy that awaited Him.  The same Spirit that gave Jesus joy can reside in us.  We can go to Him in prayer and ask that He fill us with joy and comfort.  Invite Him to work in your life and produce joy that overflows.

The Lord describes the future when many nations and peoples will recognize His presence with the Jewish people.  Many will seek to join with them in worshiping the Lord.  Many different nations will be represented and will come to Jerusalem and will encourage others.

Principle:  Because God has promised to bless us, we should be a blessing to others.

Resources:

Bible.org

Easyenglish.bible

Thebiblesays.com

Next week we will continue our study in Zechariah.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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If you have enjoyed my post and have found if helpful, please leave a comment or share this post with the buttons below. 

People of the Promise: Exile & Return – Lesson 19

 

Zechariah 5-6

Vision 6:  The Flying Scroll – Zechariah 5:1-4

This vision symbolizes how God will judge sinners.  Zechariah saw a flying scroll that said this is a curse for the whole land.  On one side it said every thief will banish and on the other everyone who swears falsely will be banished.  God will punish those who do not obey His laws.  These laws called the Ten commandments are found in Exodus 20:1-21.

When we lie and steal we are sinning against God and against our neighbors.  Matthew 22:36-40 tells us that we must love God with all our heart and soul and mind, but we must also love our neighbor as ourselves.  If we don’t, we are violating God’s law.

This vision’s message point to our need for salvation in Christ.  “There is no one righteous; not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” – Romans 3:10-12   No one can achieve perfect righteousness on their own; that’s why we need the Savior, Jesus.

The large flying scroll represents God’s judgment against sin and its size indicates it covers the entire land.  It deals with theft and lying and those who commit these sins will face divine retribution.

Principle:  God will be relentless in judging all sin.

Vision 7:  The Woman in a Basket – Zechariah 5:5-11

In this vision he saw a woman in a basket.   The basket was filled with all the sins of the people, but it wasn’t large enough to hold all the sins.  The woman tried to lift the lead lid as if trying to escape, but the angel forces her down and puts the led back in place.  Perhaps she sensed that judgment is coming. 

This woman represents wickedness the sinful nature of the people.  The basket holds the wickedness and will be dealt with by God.

Then 2 women with wings took the basket away.  Not sure who these women are, but we know they are accomplishing the will of God.  It symbolizes the removal of sin.  They were taking the basket to Babylon, which was a fitting place to take it since Babylon was a place of wickedness and idolatry.  There a house will be built and she will be set there on her own pedestal as an idol for pagans worship.

Principle:  God will eventually remove all sin and evil.

Vision 8:  Four Chariots – Zechariah 6

This vision depicts 4 chariots – one had red horses, the 2^nd black, the 3^rd white, and the 4^th dappled. The angel revealed these were the 4 spirits of heaven.  They were powerful and went throughout the earth.

This vision is similar to Zechariah’s 1^st vision.  In the 1^st there is a man on a red horse patrolling the earth and emphasizes God’s judgment on the enemies of Israel and encourages the rebuilding of the temple.  In in the 8^th there are 4 chariots with horses of different colors patrolling the earth and emphasizes God’s execution of His judgments.  Both highlight God’s awareness and involvement in the world.

God’s judgments will come to all the nations of the earth, especially those that afflicted Israel.  God directed Zechariah to make a crown of silver and gold donated by some exiles and set it on Joshua the high priest’s head and then put it in the temple.

This is a picture of the future high priest, the future Messiah as both priest and king. He was to speak to Joshua and tell him that this is what the Lord says, “Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.  It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne.” – Zech. 6:12-13.  A branch is a term referring to the rightful heir from the family of King David.  Jesus the Messiah comes from the line of David.

Jesus fulfills the role as the great High Priest.  “but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely….” – Heb. 7:24-28.  He as our Priest offered a one-time sacrifice for us. (Heb 10:12).  He intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34).

We learn about Jesus as King from these verses:

Matt. 25:31 – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”

Eph. 1:20-22 – “Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.”

Phil. 2:9-11 – “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above   every name…”

Rev. 1:5 – “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

Principle:  Jesus is both our High Priest and our King.

These visions are hard to understand.  I had to get some help from other sources.

Resources:

Bible.org

Easyenglish.bible

Thebiblesays.com

Next week we will continue our study in Zechariah.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

__________________________________________

If you have enjoyed my post and have found if helpful, please leave a comment or share this post with the buttons below.