Zechariah 9:1-8 Reworking
God tells Zechariah of a reworking of all the land around Israel. It includes judgment against Israel’s enemies and a new purpose for some. God will stand guard over what He had made.
God turns His focus to the enemies that have surrounded Israel all her life. The enmity between them will come to an end. Some will be crushed. Some swept away by fire. And some turned into a remnant for His work.
I’m so used to seeing judgment on Israel’s enemies speak of their total destruction. I’m also used to seeing them addressed one at a time. This word from God to Zechariah quickly moves through the region surrounding Israel, and Israel herself. God SEES them ALL. He sees their past, present and future. He KNOWS where they have put their hope. He will strip them of ALL that they have placed their hop in. He will even cause the other nations around them to see the fall and futility of placing their trust in ANYTHING of this earth.
But there is hope! Philistia “too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah” (verse 7b). To me, this is speaking of the gentiles and the way being opened for them to become part of God’s family. Israel’s deepest enemy becomes like a part of them. A people that God will guard from His house and let NONE march against or oppress again.
I have to admit to having skimmed ahead in this book recorded for us by Zechariah. There are MANY references and prophecies about Jesus, God’s coming King included here. This book is where, a little later, we see the Messiah riding in on a donkey.
I had to stop for a bit to take care of my husband. While in the middle of my tasks, God spoke to me about this passage. I really didn’t know what He was going to be able to show me to apply to my life. That is one of the things I ask of Him each day as I sit down with my bible/Kindle and computer. Here is what I heard; God NEVER gives judgment without also giving hope.
When the first sin was committed in this world, God meted out judgment. THEN He gave man a promise of hope. When God brought the children of Israel out into the desert and they sinned so greatly that He took the promise of the Promised Land from the first generation, He gave the next generation hope. Even when God sent Israel and Judah into captivity as judgment for their egregious sins, He gave them hope. Hope is what we cling to. NOT a hope that will fade like the world offers. NOT a hope in things that we can acquire. NOT a hope that we can never achieve and that keeps getting pushed farther into the future.
A HOPE that we can cling to in EVERY situation. A HOPE that NEVER fades or changes its promise. A HOPE that is based on a FREE GIFT that God has provided. A SURE hope for today, tomorrow, and ALL eternity. One we can rest secure in. But one that comes with a price. The price paid by Jesus but that MUST be accepted by us. Without asking and receiving the gift of Jesus’ substitution work on the cross, we have NO hope. This hope is for God’s children; ALL those who turn to Him through the work of His Son. Jesus was, is, and will ALWAYS be that HOPE.
Father God, THANK YOU for Your promise of HOPE. From the very beginning, You promised it to man. You have NEVER left us without HOPE. Even those who came before Jesus’ substitution work received Your HOPE. You have NEVER left us without YOUR hope. I’m looking forward to recognizing Your final hope of seeing You face to face. Of having all my questions answered.
Have You kept a record of all my questions? Will Jesus’ bring the ‘list’ to our ‘bench’ where we will sit and talk? Will You bring them all back to my mind? Or will they all dissolve in an instant as You reveal the answers to questions I haven’t even formed yet?
