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
