Day 1028: On that day!- Zechariah 12 vs 1 - 7

1-3 The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 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.

4-7 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. Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’ 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. 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. Zechariah 12:1-7 English Standard Version

We come in Chapters 12-14 to the final part of Zechariah's ministry. And, as with chapters 9-11, it starts with the phrase 'the burden of the word of the Lord.' There were times when the message God gave His prophets to preach was a 'heavy' one. That's certainly true of the chapters which follow. Like so much of prophecy, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact time they speak of, or to distinguish between what is literal, or what is symbolic. In these chapters the Lord uses the phrase 'on that day' at least seventeen times! What is the important description Zechariah gives in vs 1-3 of the God whom the message is from?

The message is from the God who is in supreme authority over all creation, to whom all people owe their existence to, and to whom they are accountable to. So even if we don't understand, or agree on, all that follows, the truth that this God sets days when He does things that affect all mankind is something we should take deeply to heart. Verses 1-3 speak of a 'siege of Jerusalem', but also that Jerusalem will be like a heavy stone which hurts those trying to displace it, and like a drink that makes the peoples stagger.

In years past, when Israel as we know it today didn't exist, some saw this chapter as a future picture of Jews and Gentiles who would believe on Christ, and the attacks they would face from the world. But in doing so, the opponents of God's people harm themselves more than the Church. But since the years when the state of Israel was re-established, as we see it now, some say this prophecy still awaits its final outcome.

Part of the difficulty is that vs 4-7 speak of 'the horses' of those attacking God' people being struck with panic and blindness. Horses aren’t so much a part of modern armies, and this adds to why some see the chapter as speaking more about the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70, rather than an end of the ages event. It may be, however, that the horses are used here in a symbolical way. But whatever time 'that day' is referring to, what are some encouragements Christians can take from vs 4-7?

God says that He is 'keeping His eyes wide open!' He is watching over His people. We read too that people who saw what was happening regarding Jerusalem agreed that its inhabitants ‘had strength through the Lord of hosts’. God will always strengthen His saints. And we're told that those who support Jerusalem will be 'like a flaming torch among sheaves'. They will be victorious, and it will be a victory for all the region, not just Jerusalem.

As I said before, it's not easy to be crystal clear on the details. But the overall picture is that it is God who sets the agenda, and He gives victory to His people. The New Testament also uses the phrase 'on that day'. The apostle Paul said that 'on that day God will judge the secrets of men by Christ Jesus’. (Romans 2:16) It’s a day we do well to prepare for.