(Zechariah 8:1-23) Then the word of the Lord of armies came, saying, 2 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 The Lord of armies says this: ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of age. 5 And the public squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its squares.’ 6 The Lord of armies says this: ‘If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of armies. 7 The Lord of armies says this: ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; 8 and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’
9 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Let your hands be strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of armies was laid, so that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I sent all the people against one another. 11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. 12 ‘For there will be the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance. 13 And it will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.’14 “For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not relented, 15 so I have again determined in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear! 16 These are the things which you shall do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace at your gates. 17 Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these things are what I hate,’ declares the Lord.”
18 Then the word of the Lord of armies came to me, saying, 19 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, jubilation, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.’
20 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘It will yet turn out that peoples will come, that is, the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying, “Let’s go at once to plead for the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of armies; I also will go.” 22 So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of armies in Jerusalem, and to plead for the favor of the Lord.’ 23 The Lord of armies says this: ‘In those days ten people from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Nothing is too difficult for God!!! But God wants to work with us, and work in the lives of those who love Him and have put their faith in Him. It's interesting how people will trust the Lord with their eternal salvation, but not trust Him necessarily with the issues in their lives. And whether issues are big or small, God wants to help us with everything. He is obviously willing and completely able, yet He will not force Himself on us. He wants us to go to Him and ask! As verses 9 and 13 says, "LET your hands be strong!" In other words, ask and allow God to work for us, in us, and through us, in His strength and wisdom. LISTEN to God's instructions so that we can know His will and know how to pray effectively.
Even though Christianity is not about do's and don'ts, our words and actions will be the evidence of our trust and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like a kid in today's culture who, when they see an influencer that they "love", they follow them, and they listen to every single word they say, and try to do everything that they do, and even try to look like them. Well, this should be us regarding Jesus!!! What does Jesus say and what has He done, what does He want now, and what is He about? I want to follow Him, know Him, and be exactly like Him!
So, what is He about? This passage alone actually tells us a lot about the Lord!
Because He is the Lord of armies, we can see that He already has a whole host of faithful followers (the angels)! Not that He NEEDS them, because already being omnipotent, the Lord is more powerful than all powers put together. But this demonstrates that He is a God of relationships, and wants to work with angels, as well as us. Not that He NEEDS us, but He wants to save us and work with us, which gives us purpose and satisfaction.
Because He is the God of love, and He created us to love and have a relationship with us, He is exceedingly jealous when we choose to stray and follow after gods, idols, and our own deceptively destructive desires. The Lord's wrath is against these things! Because He is omniscient, and cares, and wants to protect us, He wants us to follow Him as our first and only "influencer"!
The Lord is holy and righteous, and therefore hates sin and cannot have a relationship with sin, but He desires to have a close relationship with us. This is why He came in flesh to pay the price for sin, to provide forgiveness and the way. The Lord is also righteous and faithful, and keeps every promise that He makes.
The Lord is the God of truth and peace. He wants to see us living long, without fear, in His strength, wisdom, peace and joy, being productive and fruitful, as a blessing with an inheritance, speaking and practicing truth and justice, and loving one another, and in celebration, enjoying the company of each other of all ages! In all of this, He desires that we live in such a way that others see how God is with us, so that they will also desire to seek Him and to find favor with Him in His salvation - because He is the Lord God of love and relationships! How could we not want to follow Him and be just like Him???!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment