ZECHARIAH: GOD’S PRESENT DIRECTIVES AND FUTURE HOPE

XXI: God’s Spiritual Deliverance Of Israel

(Zechariah 12:10-13:9)

I. Introduction

A. Zechariah along with Haggai called the returning Hebrews back to rebuilding the temple, and he gave God’s directives and future hope. (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, “Introduction to the Book of Zechariah,” p. 1310)

B. Zechariah chapters 9-14 present two “burdens” or oracles, with Zechariah 9-11 predicting Messiah’s first advent and rejection by Israel and Zechariah 12-14 foretelling His second advent and acceptance by Israel.

C. Zechariah 12:10-13:9 predicts the spiritual deliverance of Israel, so we view it for our insight and application:

II. God’s Spiritual Deliverance Of Israel, Zechariah 12:10-13:9.

A. Since Zechariah 12:1-9 predicted God’s whole-hearted, powerful deliverance of Judah and Jerusalem from a great attack by Gentile enemies at Armageddon, the question arises as to why God would be so motivated to deliver Israel after He had allowed the nation to face so much defeat and trouble for so many centuries following her rejection of her Messiah Jesus Christ. (Merrill F. Unger, Zechariah, 1974, p. 214)

B. Zechariah 12:10-13:9 answers this question by predicting Israel’s repentance and cleansing by God, what would lead to this great change in God’s dealings with Israel (as follows):

1. At Christ’s return, God will pour out on Judah’s royalty, the house of David, and her common people, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication, a reference to the Holy Spirit and His work of convicting sinners and leading them to repentance, Zech. 12:10a; Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1567.

2. Israel will mourn deeply when she looks upon Christ Whom she had pierced, and perceiving that she had rejected and crucified her Messiah, Zech. 12:10b. This mourning will be as the mourning of an only son or a firstborn in Whom was the heirship to carry on the family name and property, v. 10c; Ibid.

3. This mourning will be genuine and universal as when Judah mourned at Haddad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo over the death of godly King Josiah, the nation’s “last hope of the fading Judaean nation” when Josiah was “slain by Pharaoh Neco II,” Zechariah 10:11-14; Ibid. Prophets (represented in the house of Nathan the prophet in David’s day), kings (represented in the house of David) and priests (represented in the house of Levi) with their wives will all weep apart from each other, indicating “the individuality and thus the sincerity of the mourning rather than a mere outward conformity,” Ibid., p. 1567-1568.

4. At Christ’s return, there will be a spiritual fountain opened to all of Judah’s people for sin and uncleanness as mentioned “in other passages of Scripture with Israel’s spiritual regeneration and the inauguration of the New Covenant (e. g. Jer. 31:31-37; Ezek. 36:25-32; Rom. 11:26-27),” Ibid., p. 1568; Zechariah 13:1.

5. Since idolatry “near the time of the Second Advent of Christ will include worship of the beast in the temple in Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27; 11;31; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:4),” God will especially “banish the names of the idols from the land,” Zechariah 13:2 NIV; Ibid.

6. Israel’s people will be so devout that parents will kill their own sons if they are false prophets, Zech. 13:3.

7. False prophets will not even wear a rough garment that true prophets wore but pretend to be farmers and lie concerning wounds receive in ecstatic frenzy, pretending their wounds had been received “as part of parental punishment or from friendly fighting,” Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Zechariah 13:2-6; Zechariah 13:4-6.

8. At Zechariah 13:7, God the Father reported on His True Shepherd in contrast to Israel’s false shepherds of verses 3-6, noting that the True Shepherd’s death was directed by the Father, and He refers to Christ as ‘amiti, literally translated as “My Fellow, Equal,” claiming “identity of nature or unity of essence with His Shepherd, thus strongly affirming the Messiah’s deity,” Zechariah 13:7a; Ibid., B. K. C., O. T., p. 1569.

9. The sheep that scatter in union with Christ’s death is Israel at the A. D. 70 fall of Jerusalem, Zechariah 13:7b; Ibid. Jesus’ disciples scattered 37 years before that at His A. D. 33 death since they were then still part of Israel, the Church not yet being formed until the Day of Pentecost, Matt. 26:31 with Acts 2:1-47.

10. During the Great Tribulation, two-thirds of the “sheep” of Israel will be slain, but a third will survive as the godly remnant who will repent, be cleansed, and come into fellowship with the Lord, Zechariah 13:8-9.

Lesson: God will strongly deliver His people Israel at Christ’s return due to the repentance of Israel’s surviving remnant from the devastating Great Tribulation and Israel’s cleansing through the atonement of Messiah Christ.

Application: (1) May we confess any sin we commit for restoration to blessed fellowship with God. (2) May we avoid sinning to avoid having to face God’s painful discipline that is needed to elicit such repentance.