(Zechariah 1:1-21) In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of armies, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of armies. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord. 5 “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘Just as the Lord of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is, the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: 8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees responded and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” 11 So they responded to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is still and quiet.”12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord of armies, how long will You take no pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant for these seventy years?” 13 And the Lord responded to the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. 14 So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 But I am very angry with the nations who are carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.” 16 Therefore the Lord says this: “I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,” declares the Lord of armies, “and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17 Again, proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”
18 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. 19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah so that no one lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to frighten them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
God created us with the purpose of having a personal relationship with Him. And He chose the tiniest of nations, Israel, to be "the missionaries" to the world. Whenever they as a nation put their faith and trust in the Lord, and are obedient to His will, the Lord blesses them, and works for them, in them, and through them. But, they as a nation have rejected Him. For now.
Therefore, the Israelites are told to return to the Lord so that He may return to them. Israel has strayed, and one day, they as a nation will return to the Lord, after seeing the signs of Jesus' second coming (during the Tribulation). Then He will take all those who become believers during those seven years into the Millennium. After removing all evil, Jesus will set up His kingdom to fulfill all of Israel's covenants, rebuild the temple, and bring justice, peace and blessings to the entire earth for a thousand years.
Everything on earth is temporary. It is only the Lord and His word that lasts forever. So, it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have eternal life. And because His word is eternal, the Bible is always relevant. Because the Bible is timeless and true, we can trust that everything God tells us, works! And because God is holy and loving, we can trust that He wants the best for us, so can have confidence that His words will lead us to a fulfilling life of purpose, spiritual peace, hope and joy.
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