Zechariah 14: 1 – 21
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1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day which is known to the LORD— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “ The LORD is one,” and His name one. 10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem cshall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. 13 It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand; 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. 15 Such also shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be. 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
Today we come to the climax of the Prophet Zechariah’s message. The best is saved for last. For we will take a look at the triumph of our Precious Master, God’s Messiah, over all the earth and read of His rightful claim as the Sovereign Lord of all.
All of us especially those who read these words as a teacher and representative of our Holy Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High must be encouraged and motivate others to watch for the day of the Lord. Our words should challenge our listeners to think about the fact that He could come back at any time. Would this inspire believers to live in the present differently? We are to live our lives especially in these last scary days in obedience and spiritual readiness.
1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Verses 1 and 2 describe how God will gather all the nations against Jerusalem and it will again be destroyed. As we begin to look at this chapter I think that I should mention groups of people who look at prophecy differently. These major groups are preterits, futurists and historists.
Now for a little history lesson! I feel comfortable that everyone here and those who read these words have heard of Martin Luther. Martin Luther was used by our Lord Jesus Christ to initiate the Protestant Reformation. Martin was a Catholic priest who had come to experience a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. During a severe lighting storm our Lord revealed His Truth to him. The truth is in the Bible – the Word of God. With enlightened eyes to see Martin noticed how the Catholic church had veered off from the pure teaching of God’s Word and became bogged down with traditions and gimmicks of men. Thus he protested this change by the church. His bravery influenced ultimately the whole world so the Catholic Church started a counter reformation. Two leading Roman Catholic scholars were Francisco Ribera and Cardinal Robert Bellarmine. Ribera developed a futurist position and Bellarmine constructed a preterits’ view.
The papacy suffered a major setback through the Reformation. The help of the monastic orders was sought, but they were so decadent that they had lost the respect of the people. The Dominicans and Franciscans, peddling relics and indulgences, had become the butt of ridicule and mockery.
The conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism was basic and irreconcilable. The Romanist believed in the authority of the church; the Protestant, in that of the Bible. The one yielded his conscience to the priest; the other to God alone. The Romanist believed in the pope as the visible representative of Christ on earth; the Protestant looked, instead, upon the pope as Antichrist. The one regarded the church—meaning the hierarchy—as the depository of all spiritual truth; the other looked upon the clergy as ministers of the church, not as the church itself. The Romanist, satisfied with the teaching of the church, was content to leave the Bible to the learned; the Protestant, on the other hand, held that it was to be diligently and reverently studied, by all, as the word of God. The one dreaded its spread as tending to heresy; the other multiplied translations as the assurance of soundness, and sought to introduce them to every household.
Rome’s answer to the Protestant Reformation was twofold, though actually conflicting and contradictory. Through the Jesuits Ribera, of Salamanca, Spain, and Bellarmine, of Rome, the Papacy put forth her futurist interpretation. Almost simultaneously Alcazar, Spanish Jesuit of Seville, advanced the conflicting preterist interpretation. These were designed to meet and overwhelm the Historical interpretation of the Protestants. Though mutually exclusive, either Jesuit alternative suited the great objective equally well, as both thrust aside the application of the prophecies from the existing Church of Rome. The one (preterism) accomplished it by making prophecy stop altogether short of papal Rome's career. The other (futurism) achieved it by making it overleap the immense era of papal dominance, crowding Antichrist into a small fragment of time in the still distant future, just before the great consummation. It is consequently often called the gap theory.
So, why do I bring these points out? The Preterits description of this chapter has already occurred in 70 AD. Rome did everything that these scriptures talk about. Rome’s army was made up with every nation. When Jerusalem was destroyed, the spoils were divided up, houses were rifled, and the women were ravished.
However, if you read these verses slowly and carefully you will see that it doesn’t cover just 70 AD. You cannot just dissect the verses to make them fit such as saying that all nations were part of the Roman army. When our Precious Holy Maker says all nations, He means ‘All’ nations not just some representatives. In addition I do not remember reading anywhere regarding 70 AD where our Holy King set His feet down on the Mount of Olives which is referring to His second coming.
3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Since our Precious Master walked this earth and formed His church there has been a battle for the souls of men. Notice the separation - ‘shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.’
Our Jehovah Reopheka – The Lord Who Leads and His saints on one side and the world on the other. Our Sovereign Majesty started His church as His feet left the earth as recorded in the book of Acts chapter 1, “9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
As the Lord Jehovah Sabbaoth – The Lord of the angelic hosts, He comes back to rescue His own as we read here, “3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.”
The splitting of the mountain of olive trees is a sign that happened before. Look with me at the Gospel of Matthew chapter 27, 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Notice the earthquake and the splitting. Our Lord’s Amazing Sacrifice of His Precious Life tour apart the separation between God and man. In this instance our God Is causing another earthquake and this time He Is separating those that are His and those who are not His.
We do not want to pass up on an important statement in verse 5 which says, 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.
In the book of Josephus, [Antiquities 9.10.4] we read about the catastrophic earthquake that happened during the of Uzziah king of Judah, “While Uzziah was in this state, and making preparation [for futurity], he was corrupted in his mind by pride, and became insolent, and this on account of that abundance which he had of things that will soon perish, and despised that power which is of eternal duration (which consisted in piety towards God, and in the observation of the laws); so he fell by occasion of the good success of his affairs, and was carried headlong into those sins of his father, which the splendor of that prosperity he enjoyed, and the glorious actions he had done, led him into, while he was not able to govern himself well about them. Accordingly, when a remarkable day was come, and a general festival was to be celebrated, he put on the holy garment, and went into the temple to offer incense to God upon the golden altar, which he was prohibited to do by Azariah the high priest, who had fourscore priests with him, and who told him that it was not lawful for him to offer sacrifice, and that "none besides the posterity of Aaron were permitted so to do." And when they cried out that he must go out of the temple, and not transgress against God, he was wroth at them, and threatened to kill them, unless they would hold their peace. In the mean time a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately. And before the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on the west, and rolled itself four furlongs, and stood still at the east mountain, till the roads, as well as the king's gardens, were spoiled by the obstruction. Now, as soon as the priests saw that the king's face was infected with the leprosy, they told him of the calamity he was under, and commanded that he should go out of the city as a polluted person. Hereupon he was so confounded at the sad distemper, and sensible that he was not at liberty to contradict, that he did as he was commanded, and underwent this miserable and terrible punishment for an intention beyond what befitted a man to have, and for that impiety against God which was implied therein. So he abode out of the city for some time, and lived a private life, while his son Jotham took the government; after which he died with grief and anxiety at what had happened to him, when he had lived sixty-eight years, and reigned of them fifty-two; and was buried by himself in his own gardens.”
We see through historic evidence that there was such an event which Zechariah comments on.
Look with me at the end of this verse, see how moved Zechariah is, ‘Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.’ Notice his change of speaking about our Holy Adoni as in the third person to a personal address, - ‘with you’. He is overwhelmed with the Power, Majesty, and Holiness of our Magnificent Lord.
6 It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day which is known to the LORD— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light.
There will no longer be periods of brightness followed by periods of gloom. Look with me at the words of the prophet Isaiah chapter 60, 1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “ Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. 5 Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory. 8 “ Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their roosts? 9 Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you. 10 “ The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, but in My favor I have had mercy on you. 11 Therefore your gates shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession. 12 For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined. 13 “ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will make the place of My feet glorious. 14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; And they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 “ Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations. 16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles, and milk the breast of kings; You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 “ Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron I will bring silver, instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. I will also make your officers peace, and your magistrates righteousness. 18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. 19 “ The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. 20 Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. 21 Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, That I may be glorified. 22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time.”
This description of continual light is taken up again in Revelation chapter 21 speaking of our eternal home, “22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
8 And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
This great river springing forth from Jerusalem is a picture of God’s provision of abundant supply and spiritual blessing. The land which is dependent upon the rains for survival points out by the reference of rivers that this will never be a problem again. Look with me at the book of Ezekiel chapter 47 which talks of this river.
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. 4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. 7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other. 8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. 9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. 12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
The term ‘living water’ describes running water from a source in contrast to the stale and stagnant water of a cistern.
9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “ The LORD is one,” and His name one.
Zechariah is given the assurance of the upcoming glorious day when our Master and King will Rightly establish His Reign on this earth. This is finally the answer of our prayers that have been made for over 2000 years as described in the book of Matthew chapter 6, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
In this day there will be no rival to our Beautiful God. He alone will be known as the God Who Rules the whole world. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
In the remaining verses we will review the consequences of our God’s Rule. When you review the bible especially I and II Kings, you will unique situations. For example you will see one king have a long run and then another one a very short time. How come? Well for the most important reason, the new king was evil and our Lord would not allow him to reign for long. He would allow situations for which this king’s reign would come to a quick end. Behind the scene our Lord would allow other rivals to challenge this new kings power and authority. The new king would have to assert his authority over all his territory Sometimes the battles would be long and bloody. Our King however wins over his subjects differently Look at verses 10 and 11,
10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited
He shall win men’s hearts by establishing prosperity. That will definitely work.
The city of Jerusalem will stand out from everything by being elevated. All other areas will be leveled out. Previously mentioned were the two rivers running from the city of Jerusalem. This are will be farmable, fruitful, and prosperous. Geba is 6 miles Northeast of Jerusalem and Rimmon is 35 miles Southwest of Jerusalem. Benjamin’s gate is at the north of the city. The first gate is the East gate. The corner gate marked the Northwest limit of the city of Jerusalem. The Tower of Hananel was a defensive fortification on the North wall.
12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
Some people have commented that this describes a nuclear exchange. It does describe what an Neutron Atomic Bomb would do. However, please note that this is described as a plague which the Lord will strike those who fought against Israel. He is now going to deal with those who resisted Him. With some of the nasty bacteria surfacing today such as flesh eating bacteria it is very easy to see our Lord allowing these types of diseases to affect those who are His enemies. They will wither away, go blind and have their tongues dissolve away. It is interesting to put a spiritual thought to these conditions. That is, that those who stand against God’s truth will wither away spiritually, Why? Because they are blind to the truth and have nothing worth saying.
Now take a look at what happens next. Please note that these nations are not united. They wind up fighting with each other While this mayhem is going on at the same time the Israelites will prosper.
13 It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand; 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. 15 Such also shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
Our Holy Father will cause the enemy to be in complete perplexity. They will wind up destroying each other. And while this is all going down the Jews will rejoice in the spoils of all that is left. This occurred before as the book of 2 Kings chapter 7 teaches, “1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’”2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” 3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.” 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside. 12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.’” 13 And one of his servants answered and said, “Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.” 14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.” 15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. 17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.” 19 Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.”
16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
Here we read about the character of our Great and Mighty King. The number one priority is to worship the Lord our God. Those who refuse will be punished.
Repentant sinners saved by His Grace from all nations will worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Feast of Tabernacles that commorated the Wandering in the Wilderness will still be conducted in the restored kingdom. It is a feast of Thanksgiving that will continue in our Precious Messiah’s Reign on earth.
20 In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
As a reminder, remember that Zechariah was speaking not only to us who dwell in the future, but also to those living in the present who were enduring tremendous hardships. Their Temple seemed inadequate. They were constantly being harassed by their enemies and were having a hard time just surviving. The prophet was promising them that our Holy God would one day fulfill their dreams and restore Jerusalem. In the future even the most mundane and common objects would be holy.
In the book of Ephesians chapter 3 we read my favorite verses, “20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. He Is able to do for us more than we can ever imagine. If we walk with Him we can discover this as reality.
The promise that God made to the Israelites way back in the time of Moses will be fulfilled. Look we me at these wonder words written in the book of Exodus chapter 19, 3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
The words ‘Holiness to the Lord’ will be inscribed on the gold headband worn by the high priest as we learn from the book of Exodus chapter 28, 36 “You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
The words from Psalm 103 verse 12 are very comforting to us, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us” Our Lord has made a Divine purpose to never remember our sins. He has not forgot them. He has determined never to remember them again. For those who are not His however, He remembers their sins. He never forgot the Caanites transgressions and all the evil that they caused as we read here in the final verse.
Thank you Lord for Your Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, and Grace to us. We love You. .
