relationships (Zechariah 12:1-14) Love and Reconciliation

(Zechariah 12:1-14) 

The pronouncement of the word of the Lord concerning Israel:

The Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of a person within him, declares: 2 “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. 3 It will come about on that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will injure themselves severely. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. 4 On that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with insanity. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strong support for us through the Lord of armies, their God.’

6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again live on their own sites in Jerusalem. 7 The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be greater than Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be great, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will 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 the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that are left, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Here is a prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion, and a prophecy of the end times.  When Israel goes through the Tribulation, they will see the judgements, which are their signs of Jesus' second coming and realize that Jesus was and is their Messiah.  

Although the Lord's work on the cross was necessary to make salvation possible, it will weigh heavy on Israel's heart to also realize that they crucified their King, the only One able to fulfill their covenants!  But when they as a nation become believers during the Tribulation, being forgiven of their sins, and covered by the Lord Jesus' righteousness, which is to be in perfect obedience, Jesus will return at the end of the Jewish Age to set up the Millennial kingdom and give Israel their promised land, seed and blessings (see Genesis 12:1-3).

Meanwhile, verse one demonstrates just how much God is about having a close, personal relationship with us!  He created us with this in mind!  It is He who forms the spirit within each individual!  Because He is love, He created us with a free will.  And because He is love, He will not force anyone to love Him back.  But because of His great love, Jesus died in our place to pay for all sin, then rose again to have victory over death, so that anyone who believers in Him will have eternal life, as well as be reconciled with the Lord in a personal relationship.  

People cannot first be "good enough" in order to go to the Lord.  God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin.  So, the Lord asks that we go to Him as we are, and repent.  In His salvation, we receive His indwelling Holy Spirit, and He changes us from the inside out.  We cannot be God, but we can be more and more like Him by continually allowing Him to work in and through us.  And as children of God, to truly love the Lord is to desire to follow Him, be close to Him, and be just like Him!