Passage of the Day - March 24, 2011

Zechariah 9:11

    ¹¹As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you,
         I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

God made a covenant with Israel and is keeping it through the remnant of His People via the Church established by Christ through His Jewish Disciples in Jerusalem.  The Church (and Christ’s Kingdom) has expanded to all parts of the Earth.  What made the Jews so special?  Was it their genetics, their personality traits, their faithfulness?  No, it was their God!  Since their God is now our God, we our part of God’s chosen race.  Spiritually we are descendents of Abraham, David, and Christ.  We are God’s children.  Not by any act of our own, but by God’s covenant made to Abraham, advanced by God’s covenant made to the Israelites via Moses, and perfected through God’s covenant made through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - March 23, 2011

Zechariah 9:8-10

 ⁸But I will camp around My house because of an army,
         Because of him who passes by and returns;
         And no oppressor will pass over them anymore,
         For now I have seen with My eyes. 
    ⁹Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
         Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
         Behold, your king is coming to you;
         He is just and endowed with salvation,
         Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
         Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 
    ¹⁰I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
         And the horse from Jerusalem;
         And the bow of war will be cut off 
         And He will speak peace to the nations;
         And His dominion will be from sea to sea,
         And from the River to the ends of the earth.


The problem with Israel was not that they were constantly at war with other nations and empires; they were constantly at war with God.  Their desire to rebel against God and go astray was the reason for all of their hardship.  God continually sent nations to refine Israel.  Israel and Judah were led by good kings, but mostly bad kings.  When Christ came, He was to be their eternal King.  Following and subjecting themselves to their eternal King meant peace because Christ brought peace between man and God.  The problem was the nation and leaders of Israel rejected and rebelled against their appointed King.  However Christ's kingdom lives on by the remnant of Jews that did accept Him as King and established His Church.  Christ's kingdom allows members of other earthly nations (besides Israel) to find peace with God and be a part of Christ's spiritual nation.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - March 22, 2011

Zechariah 9:6-7

  ⁶And a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod,
         And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 
    ⁷And I will remove their blood from their mouth
         And their detestable things from between their teeth.
         Then they also will be a remnant for our God,
         And be like a clan in Judah,
         And Ekron like a Jebusite.


I will leave the interpretation of this passage to the non-consensus of the experts and commentaries.  I will rather focus on an applicable theme.  God is all about refinement and remnants.  When the end comes and all our works are subject to the fire, what will remain?  What will have eternal value?

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - March 21, 2011

Zechariah 9:1-5

 ¹The burden of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD),
    ²And Hamath also, which borders on it;
         Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
    ³For Tyre built herself a fortress
         And piled up silver like dust,
         And gold like the mire of the streets.
    ⁴Behold, the Lord will dispossess her
         And cast her wealth into the sea;
         And she will be consumed with fire.
    ⁵Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
         Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
         Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded.
         Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
         And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

Here is another reminder how temporal things have zero spiritual value.  No matter how much we amass, God can take it from us faster than we can say “Even more.”  We, the truly temporally rich of the world, are no better than anyone else and are entitled to no higher acceptable level of pride or tolerable evil.  If anything, God expects more of us.  Our nation(s) have been planted, watered, and pruned for a purpose.  If we as a nation(s) fail to serve God’s purpose, we will be uprooted and burned.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - March 17, 2011

Zechariah 8:18-23

¹⁸Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,

 ¹⁹"Thus says the LORD of hosts, '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, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'

 ²⁰"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities.

 ²¹'The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go."

 ²²'So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.'

 ²³"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'In those days ten men 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."'"

From John Wesley’s notes:

The fourth month — Wherein the city was taken by the Babylonians.

The fifth — In which the temple was burnt.

The seventh — Wherein Gedaliah was killed.

The tenth — On the tenth day whereof the king of Babylon's army sat down before the city.

From me:

Christ is the transitional figure in history.  God pretty much dealt exclusively with Jews until Christ came.  Jesus preached to the Jews and the Church was established in Jerusalem.  Now the whole world is a part of what started in Jerusalem.  Many pilgrimages are made to Jerusalem to this day.  The sadness over the destruction of Jerusalem became gladness when it was rebuilt, when it became the birthplace of the Christian Church, and when Christ returns to rule.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - March 16, 2011

Zechariah 8:16-17

 ¹⁶'These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.

 ¹⁷'Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD."

  

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?  But do we do it?

Are we up front and honest all the time, or do we hide the truth.  We know bold face lying is wrong, but what about hiding the truth, or manipulating the truth in order to deceive?

Do we judge with truth and judgement for peace or do we base our dealings with people on our own agenda and preconceived notions?  How about with our kids?  I have found that Bill Cosby was right when he said "Parents aren't interested in justice; they want QUIET!"  However, succumbing to this temptation teaches what to our kids?

Devising evil against another DOES include that jerk on the road.  The Holy Spirit is slapping me upside the head as I write this.

Don't love perjury.  Does this mean God forbids us to be politicians?  Absolutely not!  He just forbids us to be electable ones.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - March 15, 2011

Zechariah 8:1-15

¹Then the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,

 ²"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'

 ³"Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.'

 ⁴"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age.

 ⁵'And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.'

 ⁶"Thus says the LORD of hosts, '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 hosts.

 ⁷"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west;

 ⁸and 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"Thus says the LORD of hosts, '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 hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built.

 ¹⁰'For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I set all men one against another.

 ¹¹'But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,' declares the LORD of hosts.

 ¹²'For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

 ¹³'It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O 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 thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Just as I purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and I have not relented,

 ¹⁵so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah Do not fear!

I'm going out on a limb and going to say that the Church created by Christ and his Jewish apostles and followers are the remnant spoken about in this passage and all us Christians are the fruit.  We have much to improve, and I think our influence is waining in these last days, but I believe we have been viewed as an overall blessing of God as opposed to a curse of God in the span of the last 2000 years.  When Christ returns, He will draw us back to Jerusalem to be where we truly belong.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)