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:
Promises God made to His people in verses 5-12:
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:
Next week we will continue our study in Zechariah. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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