Zechariah 12: 1 – 14
Tragedy Precedes Triumph
1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem. “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every 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; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
We come now to a new section of this book. The emphasis is about a future. Because the people listened to false shepherds and not to their true Shepherd, the promises previously given are thrust into the future. Our Great and Holy God’s plan can be delayed but it cannot be thwarted. Do you remember in the book of Jonah this situation?
Jonah 1
Jonah’s Disobedience
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
Jonah 3
Jonah Preaches at Nineveh
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
Jonah 4
Jonah’s Anger and God’s Kindness
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”4 Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. 6 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. 7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. 8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"10 But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”
The Lord has determined in His Holy Righteousness to bring Judgment on the nation of Assyria. We see here that in His Mercy He refrained on this Judgment with an interim period. Yet the people’s repentance soon changed back to their old ways and after about a hundred years the Judgment determined against them happened. In similar ways the promises that were given out to the Israelites are herby postponed by our Precious Holy One to a future time.
There is a sadness developing in God’s prophet Zechariah. For the amazing experiences Zechariah saw and heard from Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High – is not going to happen in the prophet’s lifetime. Instead of a nation being established with the perfect Shepherd it has ended up in the hands of false shepherds. He has been rejected by the people as God’s spokesperson. His thoughts move to the Great Prophet and Shepherd Who will also face rejection and suffering as he himself has gone through. Tragedy must precede triumph. So, let’s take a look at our Precious Holy Spirit’s teaching.
1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel.
Try to put yourself in the place of Zechariah. Up to this point he had pointed out some pretty great things that God was going to do for His people Israel. Now, however, even though the prophet has been rejected by the people, he must give a difficult message to them from God Almighty. This it is why it is called a ‘Burden’. A burden is a heavy judgment from God that the prophet must inform to the Israelites. How would you like to be the one to pass on this bad news?
The key thing for the prophet and for us is to remember that the source of everything is from our Holy Master. He Is the One Who controls all things. He Is the One Who Rules and decides Who will be blessed and who will not be blessed and where and when.
Please note the phrase “against Israel”. Remember, the nation of Israel was long ago abolished. Throughout this time you see the people addressed as ‘Judah’ and ‘Jerusalem’. Here “Israel’ is used to indicate the whole nation. The past division of the nation has been removed.
I believe Zechariah suddenly realizes the Sovereignty of our Great God after he expressed his difficulty in passing along God’s message of judgment by pointing out the greatness of the Holy Creator God in forming the heavens, earth, and giving life to man as he says,
Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him
Perhaps Zechariah was familiar with the prophet Isaiah’s remarks in chapter 42, “5 Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it:”
2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
Jerusalem will be as a cup of strong drink which causes ‘reeling’ or drunkenness. A cup of wine can be a blessing. It is suppose to bring joy. However, as we all know, too much wine causes drunkenness. Therefore, instead of the blessing that our Holy Father had in store for His people they would face judgment. In the book of Revelation chapter 14 and 16 we read that the cup is a common term for our Holy Judge’s wrath,
Revelation 14:10,”he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”.
Revelation 16: 19, “Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.”
Siege warfare involved surrounding a city with your army and waiting for them to surrender. You would cut off all food and necessities from entering the city until the people can not take it any longer and give up. We see this today with naval blockades. Nothing is allowed to be delivered by ship to the country that has been surrounded by another country’s ships.
We also see a future prophecy in this verse. Why? - Because Jerusalem in Zechariah’s day would not have to be besieged. It was a city without walls. We read in the book of Nehemiah chapter 2 how his ministry was to rebuild the walls, ‘And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire.’ After his work the city would again begin to be a city of renown
3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.
‘In that day’ is today. Our Holy Lord intended the nation of Israel to be a blessing to the entire world. It however, has become a burdensome stone or hard to bear. The world is ever at war with our Holy Maker. Inspired by Satan the world is against God and the people He chose. However, you can write this down as the truthful outcome. Anyone who messes with Israel will suffer the consequences of God’s wrath. Here we see our Holy Ruler stating that the city of Jerusalem is like a heavy sharp stone. Anyone who tries to remove it from its place will be injured.
Our Precious God has created an umbrella of mystery regarding the Jewish nation. Stop and think for a moment. Israel is about the size of New Jersey. All the world, yes and I also mean the US, is against Israel. So, how come they do not just come and wipe them out? Something is stopping them. There is a Power that resists the evil plans against this little nation. These nations all talk tough but they are hesitant to come against Israel. They tried to come against God’s people three times since the nation was re-gathered by the Lord. This little group of settlers turned back mighty armies. Hello! Can anybody see the miraculous hand of God?
In the final analysis all the enemies of the Jews will be rendered helpless. Look at what our Lord goes on to say,
4 In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’
No one can stand against God’s people. They all will be nothing but canon fodder. Look at the contrast. The enemies will be blinded, ‘and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.’ While the Great and Mighty Yahweh opens His eyes on behalf of His people, ‘I will open My eyes on the house of Judah.’ They Israelites can count on the God Who Sees All.
This should inspire the Jews to remember a different type of bondage that occurred in the past that we read about in chapter 3 of the book of Exodus, “1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem. “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.
Please note the statement, ‘In that day I will make the governors of Judah.’. Since king Saul the nation of Israel was ruled by kings not governors. Pointing to the future you will note that today in the State of Israel they are ruled by leaders not kings. The verse goes on to say, ‘like a firepan in the woodpile.’ A fire pan is used to carry hot coals. You would take the coals and place a few on wood in order to start a fire. This verse is an encouragement from their Heavenly Father. This is a picture of future triumph. As the coal sets the sheaves on fire, the people of Jerusalem will be protected by God Almighty. They are impregnable. Look at the news today. All the enemies that cause the Israelites trouble are themselves discomforted and dealt with severely. Israel accomplishes far beyond and above normal reasoning in its defense and their military ability.
We see a unique statement listed, ‘but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.’ It doesn’t sound like a proper statement – Jerusalem is mentioned then a dash then again Jerusalem is listed. It is not a mistake. Our Holy Spirit is Awesome. He put this verse here to bring up a significant point. The city of Jerusalem shall be the city that it was originally intended to be. It shall be the city of peace and of truth. It shall be the fulfillment as the prophet Ezekiel 35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.’
Now what is this verse saying, “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah’?.
I believe that our Lord is saying that His people will manage to survive. Notice that ‘tents’ are listed - not ‘buildings’. People outside Jerusalem who even dwell in tents will be protected. If invaders came your first response would be to flee to the protection of the walled city. Our Lord Jesus Christ as you know is the Greater Son of David. Remember that His place of operation was in Galilee. It was here that He touched the citizens of Israel with His truth. Those outside Jerusalem responded to His rightful position as God’s Anointed – The Messiah.
Another point to make is that Jerusalem has been and will always be the center of attention. As a result of this prominence the people who dwell in Jerusalem because of pride have the tendency to think that they are better than everyone else. In truth, no one is better than anyone else. Our Lord instructs us to consider others greater than ourselves. To take the humble approach is what our Lord desires as He instructs us in the book of Micah chapter 6 verse 8, ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?’
8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.
Truly our Lord has defended His people who dwell in Israel. His protection is evident to those who are willing to see. The remainder of this verse speaks about our Beautiful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The religious leaders thought at first that they had eliminated this new Way lead by a teacher Who proclaimed that He was God’s Son. But God defended them as He promised to the church in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 15 verse 8, ‘And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’ God will make His people like David who was strong, effective, and irresistible. And the One Who will lead us came from the house of David as is seen for Who He Is – God!.
The Jews were quite familiar with the Angel of the Lord Who went before them during their freedom from the land of Egypt. In the book of Exodus chapter 23, we read about the Lord traveling with the Israelites during their Wanderings in the desert, ‘20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. 25 “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 31 And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem
Why do the nations want to come against Jerusalem? It is because our Holy Father placed His Name on this spot. It is the symbol of God’s dwelling place. Anything our Holy God claims as His own gets the enemy’s attention. It is like the sinful pride you see in toddlers. One child has a toy and another comes and pulls it out of the other one’s hands. They claim, ‘Mine!’.
‘In that day’ it will come to pass that judgment will be poured forth upon all those who seek to destroy God’s people as the book of Revelation chapter 19 teaches us, 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He has a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 7 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Here we read one of the most inspiring and interesting verses in the bible. This beautiful statement ‘And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication.’ needs to be looked at with intense yearning for information. First of all we see the word ‘pour’ is derived from the heavy rains. It speaks of abundant provision as we come to understand from the following Scripture passages;
Isaiah 44 , 1 “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘ Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses.’ 5 One will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.”
‘The Spirit of grace and supplication’ is the Gracious working of our Precious Holy Spirit that leads mankind to conviction of our sins; the development of an attitude of repentance; and an attitude to seek His Mercy and Forgiveness. We read this from our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John chapter 16, 5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
The statement, ‘then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn’ is referring to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He gave His Life in exchange for the death sentence that was hanging over our heads. In the Gospel of John chapter 19 we read about His Great Sacrifice, ‘31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
Truly this verse affects all believers. I do not know about you but when I think about the suffering our Precious King and God went through for me it causes me the same feelings as expressed in this verse. There will come a day when the Jewish people will have their eyes opened for now they are temporary blinded to the truth of Who Jesus Christ Is. We read this fact in the book of 2 Corinthians 3 verse 14, ‘But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.’
They will then realize that all along Jesus Christ was the Messiah and they will mourn for their sin. They will recognize that they have done this to the One Whom they should have accepted when He came to them the first time. They should have treated Him as He deserved as the true and right Son of God. Their feelings of sadness will be like one who lost their first son.
11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every 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; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
We see here an interesting portion of Scripture. The verse continues to describe the intensity of the morning for the action that was taken against God’s Holy Son – The Messiah. Yet it describes an area called ‘Haddad Rimmon’. This place was a pagan worship location for the phony deity, Hadad, the god of storm. Rimmon was the chief god of Damascus in Syria. We find this fact out in the book of 2 Kings chapter 5, 18 Yet in this thing may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD please pardon your servant in this thing.”
Such pagan rites would include mourning for the dead deity in order to bring him back to life. We see another of this mourning for Tamuz in chapter 8 of the book of Ezekiel. This worship of a phony deity, by the way has been incorporated into the Catholic church in which they call it the 40 days of Lent, 13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
The people of Israel were use to joining in mourning for phony deities. Our Holy God says they will wind up mourning for real when they come to understand that the only True, Real, and Holy Son of God they had rejected and asked for Him to be killed. The mourning will wind up being deep and personal affecting entire families throughout the nation of Israel.
