Zechariah 13:1-9

 

Zechariah 13:1-9

The Cleansing of Jerusalem

Zec 13:1  In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 

Zec 13:2  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 

Zec 13:3  And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 

Zec 13:4  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 

Zec 13:5  But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 

Zec 13:6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 

Zec 13:7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 

Zec 13:8  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 

Zec 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. 

 

         1.     In the Last Days There Will be a Cleansing Fountain in Israel – vs. 1

a.      There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins that will cleanse all who come to it.

                                               i.     The blood of Jesus washes away sin - 1 John 1:7 

                                             ii.     The blood of Jesus changes who we are - Isaiah 1:16-18 

                                            iii.     The blood of Jesus takes away our desire for idols - Ezekiel 36:25-27 

                                            iv.     The blood of Jesus sanctifies us - 1 Corinthians 6:11 

                                              v.     The blood of Jesus regenerates us - Titus 3:5 

         2.     In the Last Days Idolatry Will Be Cut Off in Israel – vs. 2-5

a.      God will perform a twofold form of cleansing: - vs. 2

                                               i.     The memory of the former idols will be lost

1.     Micah 5:10-15  

                                             ii.     The false prophets will be removed

1.     False prophets will be dealt with judicially at the family level – vs. 3

a.      Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Matthew 10:37-39 

2.     Former false prophets will be forced to cover their identities because they are so afraid of righteous punishment. – vs. 4-5

a.      They will not speak of their visions

                                                                                                     i.     Micah 3:6-7 

b.     They will dress in the humblest of clothes in hopes of blending in

c.      They will deny ever being a prophet

d.     They will claim that they are farmers in order to hide their identity

           3.     This is All Because of a Crucified Shepherd – vs. 6-7

a.      While there is much debate about what verse 6 means, I believe it fits better in the context of verse 7 than the previous verses. The reality is that it is hard to know for certain. One thing for sure is that it certainly fits with the picture of a suffering Messiah that Zechariah has already identified so clearly.

                                               i.     Jesus was crucified for the Jews – vs. 6a

1.     Psalm 22:16; Isaiah 53:5-6 

                                             ii.     Jesus was crucified by the Jews – vs. 6b

1.     John 11:49-52 

                                            iii.     Jesus was crucified by the sword or the authority of the Roman governance – vs. 7a

1.     John 19:15-16 

                                            iv.     Jesus is a part of the Godhead – vs. 7b

1.     Colossians 1:15-19 

                                              v.     Jesus, who is the good shepherd, was smitten for us – vs. 7c

1.     Hebrews 13:20-21 

                                            vi.     The sheep will be scatted – vs. 7d

1.     Matthew 26:31 

         4.     God Will Purify Israel – vs. 8-9

a.      Many millions of Jews will die in the judicial cleansing by God – vs. 8

                                               i.     Romans 9:27-29 

b.     Yet God is not done with ethnic Israel and plans to restore them after their time of purification – vs. 9

                                               i.     The Jews will be refined - Isaiah 43:1-2 

                                             ii.     They will again call on God - Zechariah 12:10 

                                            iii.     God will again hear their cry - Joel 2:32 

                                            iv.     God will recognize them as His people again - Zechariah 10:6 

                                              v.     They will see God as their God - Jeremiah 32:38 

Zechariah 12:10-14

 

Zechariah 12:10-14

The Spiritual Salvation of Jerusalem

 

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 

Zec 12:11  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 

Zec 12:12  And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 

Zec 12:13  The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 

Zec 12:14  All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. 

 

       1.     There Will Be Some Day Be a Great Revival Among the Jews – vs. 10

a.     What does true heartfelt revival look like?

                                               i.     Revival begins with and act of God working in the heart of man through the Holy Spirit

1.     Ephesians 2:4-5 

2.     Ephesians 2:8-9 

                                             ii.     Revival begins in the House of Israel after millennia of unrepentance

1.     Ezekiel 39:27-29 

2.     Romans 11:26-29 

                                           iii.     Revival begins with a Spirit of grace which produces a genuine cry for salvation

1.     Titus 3:5-6 

                                            iv.     Revival begins when we look to Jesus

1.     John 19:33-37 

                                             v.     Revival begins when we take responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus

1.     Romans 5:6-9 

                                            vi.     Revival begins when we realize how much Jesus suffered for us

1.     Isaiah 53:3-6 

                                          vii.     Revival begins when we consider how much the Father gave up for us

1.     Romans 8:32 

       2.     That Revival Will Produce a Heartfelt Longing for the Messiah – vs. 11-14

a.     Instead of joyous celebration at the incredible military salvation of Jerusalem, described in the beginning of chapter 12, there will be a deep sense of mourning. – vs. 11

b.     Instead of moving on with life unchanged, there will be a deep sense of national repentance and mourning for the Messiah they crucified so long ago. The people of Israel will seek to be alone in their tremendous grief. – vs. 12-14

                                               i.     Every family will seek to mourn individually

                                             ii.     The House of David will mourn individually

                                           iii.     The House of Nathan will mourn individually

1.     Luke 3:31 

                                            iv.     The House of Levi will mourn individually

1.     Deuteronomy 10:8 

                                             v.     The House of Shimei will mourn individually

1.     Numbers 3:17-18 

                                            vi.     Every family will seek to mourn individually

c.     Salvation is not communal; you must seek to be saved individually before the cross of Jesus

                                               i.     Mark 10:28-31 

                                             ii.     John 3:3   

Zechariah 12:1-9

 

Zechariah 12:1-9

The Salvation of Jerusalem

Zec 12:1  The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 

Zec 12:2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 

Zec 12:3  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 

Zec 12:4  In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 

Zec 12:5  And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 

Zec 12:6  In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 

Zec 12:7  The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 

Zec 12:8  In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 

Zec 12:9  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

         1.     God Who is The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and End, Speaks to Reveal His Will – vs. 1

a.      God has a message for Israel - Ezekiel 39:25-29 

b.     God is the Creator of Heaven - Genesis 1:1 

c.      God is the Creator of the Earth - Isaiah 48:12-13 

d.     The God of Heaven and Earth is the one who made Man

                                               i.     Deuteronomy 4:32 

         2.     Jerusalem Will Be Besieged Again – vs. 2

a.      The siege will be made by a global confederacy

                                               i.     Ezekiel 38:14-15 

b.     The global confederacy will be confounded in their efforts

                                               i.     Isaiah 51:17-23 

        3.     Jerusalem Will be Victorious – vs. 3

a.      Instead of like the last time, this time Jerusalem will be the clear winner. Because God enables them to crush their enemies

                                               i.     Ezekiel 39:4-6 

 

b.     This time Jerusalem will eviscerate their enemies

                                               i.     Zechariah 14:12 

c.      This time instead of Rome being the major protagonist, all the peoples of the earth will participate in this attack.

                                               i.     Revelation 16:12-16 

         4.     God Will Defend Jerusalem – vs. 4

a.      God will confuse the attacker’s weapons of war

                                               i.     Ezekiel 39:1-3 

b.     God will strike the enemy soldiers with madness

                                               i.     Zechariah 14:13 

c.      God will be watching over Jerusalem

d.     God will blind the weapons of the attackers

         5.     Jerusalem Will Believe in God in Their Hearts Once Again – vs. 5

a.      Again, unlike the latter siege of Jerusalem, this time there will be a unity among the Jews and an internal heartfelt faith in the salvation of God.

                                               i.     Romans 11:26-27 

         6.     Jerusalem Will Be Able to Go on the Offensive – vs. 6

a.      Jerusalem will not only be able to defend her own borders but be able to beat back her enemies with permanence.

                                               i.     Ezekiel 39:9-10 

b.     Jerusalem will again be inhabited with God’s people in the actual historical location.

                                               i.     Zechariah 1:17 

         7.     Jerusalem Will Be Able to Defend Her Borders – vs 7

a.      Unlike most of Jewish history, the Jews will finally be able to drive out their enemies. Even in the further outreaches of their settlements.

                                               i.     Zechariah 4:6 

         8.     The Logos Will Defend Jerusalem – vs. 8

a.      God will defend Jerusalem

                                               i.     Isaiah 37:35-36 

b.     The feeblest among them will be enabled to fight like the mighty warrior David

                                               i.     1 Samuel 18:7 

c.      A descendant of David will be like God

                                               i.     Romans 1:3-4 

d.     That descendant is also the Logos (or the Angel of the Lord) and is Jesus who is also God and the true defender of His people

                                               i.     Zechariah 6:12-15 

         9.     God Will Destroy All of Jerusalem’s Attackers – vs. 9

a.      Isaiah 54:17