Return from Exile: Zechariah 11-14 (5)

Pray Psalm 80.1-3.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

Sing Psalm 80 (various).
(St. Theodulph: All Glory, Laud, and Honor)
vv. 3, 7, 19
O God of grace, restore us, and shine on us Your face!
O save us, Lord, work for us; renew us by Your grace!
vv. 1, 2
Give ear, O gracious Savior, Who leads us as Your flock:
Stir up Your pow’r and favor, our King and Lord and Rock!

Read and meditate on Zechariah 14.1-15.

Preparation
1. How did the Lord describe the state of His people?

2. What was He going to do for them?

Meditation
In the film The Princess Bride, the Spaniard doesn’t want to give a detailed explanation of the urgency of their situation. He says to the newly revived Wesley, “Buttercup is marry Humperdinck in little less than half an hour…”

This is often good advice. Even Humperdinck showed that he understood this when he said during the wedding ceremony, as the priest dithered on, “Skip to the end!” This is especially good advice when dealing with prophecies of Scripture related to the last of the last days and the coming Day of the Lord. Jesus, we recall, made it very clear that we cannot know the details of time or situations related to His return. Only the Father knows that (Acts 1.7). For us, a general understanding must suffice.

Suppose we’d been there when Zechariah preached this word. We might come up afterwards and ask, “Say what?” To which he would reply, “Yeah, that’s all I know.” And all He knows is that God’s people are promised opposition in time and victory beyond time. Nations will hate and abuse the people of God (vv. 1, 2). But God will vindicate His people and punish the nations (v. 3). He will do that by a personal Presence on earth (v. 4) which will change the landscape of the world (v. 4) and provide a way of escape for His people (v. 5). Time as we know it will end (vv. 6, 7), and then the City of God will have a new water feature (vv. 8, 9; cf. Rev. 22.1-5) and be the center of a new, flourishing land for the people of God (vv. 10, 11).

As for the enemies of the Lord and His people? Well, let’s just say, you don’t want to be among them (vv. 12-15).

The Day of the Lord is coming. Keep building, and don’t become captive to those ways that lead to Plagueville.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
What should always bring Christians excitement and anticipation is the knowledge that Jesus Christ will one day return “from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4.16, 17). And with this knowledge, we are to “comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4.18). 

But instead, as with so many hot and mysterious topics found in the Bible, we argue with one another. We are not intended to know all the things that so many talking Christian heads are sure about. Books are written, prophecies made, movies produced; and many divisive arguments later we still must admit to the truth of Jesus’ words: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1.7).

But here is what we do know:

“Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with Him” (Zech. 14.5; 1 Thess. 4.16, 17).
“…I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14.3).

“And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow…” (Zech. 14.8)
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn. 7.37).
“…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water
that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4.14).

“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— ‘the LORD in one,’

and His name one” (Zech. 14.9).
“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding” (Ps. 47.7).
“Hear, O Israel; The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut. 6.4)
Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (Jn. 10.30).
“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11.15).

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth;
and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19.25-27).

“…I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep
what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1.12).

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only
but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4.8).

“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.
By this we know that we are in Him” (1 Jn.2.5).

That is a lot to know, and frankly, it is enough.
How God stages and plays out the end of this world is His mystery, His business, and His glory. We merely need to wait in delighted expectation for the curtain to be pulled back!

For reflection
1. We should be sure about the second coming of Christ and eagerly looking forward to and preparing for it. Why?

2. Why must we not speculate about the details of the Lord’s return?

3. What are we supposed to be doing as we look forward to the Day of the Lord?

God designed to declare by the mouth of Zechariah what evils were at hand, that the faithful might with a courageous mind be prepared to undergo their trials, and that they might never succumb under any evils, for the Lord had promised more to them than what they could have attained in Chaldea and other countries. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Zechariah 14.1ff

Pray Psalm 80.14-19.
Thank the Lord for the way He has spread the Christian faith over all the world. Pray for the persecuted believers around the world, and call on the Lord to revive His Church and awaken the world to Jesus.

Sing Psalm 80 (various).
(St. Theodulph: All Glory, Laud, and Honor)
vv. 8, 9
You set us free from sin, Lord, and planted us in grace.
We rooted in Your strong Word have spread from place to place.
vv. 10, 11
Our shadow covered mountains, our branches reached the sea;
Your grace flowed like a fountain of life, abundantly.

vv. 12-13
Now You in wrath have spoken and bruised Your chosen vine.
We languish, Lord, are broken by wrath, deserved, divine.
vv. 14, 15
Once more, Lord, hear our pleading: return and heal this vine!
Look down on us, so needy, and show Your love divine!

vv. 16, 17
Though we be burned and perish because of Your command,
Revive us, Lord, and cherish this son of Your right hand.
vv. 18, 19
Then let us not return to our sinful, selfish ways,
But call on You and learn to surround You with our praise.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.