Saved To Sin No More!

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed - Part 2

In the previous Blog, I left the reader with this question: Is this about ethnic Israel being restored and saved; or is the subject about the eschatological Israel of God, ultimately saved from her enemies?  Is it the Jerusalem of Palestine that is preserved; or is it the New Jerusalem - the Church?   It would be easy to just assume that "Israel according to the flesh" is the subject – and it might be.  But the flow of thought in this prophecy of Zechariah doesn't permit us to do that.

Chapter 11 is clearly an accounting of events relating to ethnic Israel and their demise.  So we would expect that when Chapter 12 talks of Israel it helps us understand their end.  What makes this difficult as Thomas McComiskey writes, "We have found however, that sections of this book adumbrate [foreshadow] the church and that is true here."[1]

Having said that the oracle clearly represents the physical city of Jerusalem and Israel as an historic nation. The view I take is not conclusive but I think it represents an honest exegesis of Zechariah 12-13:6 that presents an eschatological view somewhat like this graph:

What is prefigured is more distant, but it cannot be dismissed from the exposition.  Zechariah 12-13:6 enables us to see what is near.  This preserved remnant is mighty through the Sovereign God.  God will make the remnant (metaphorically speaking: Jerusalem) impregnable. “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’” (Zechariah 12:3–5, NIV)

McComiskey explains that the phrase "when all the nations of the earth" is better translated "if all the nations of the earth."[2]    According to verse 10, the Lord's gracious activity to these people occurs because of their spiritual renewal. In a sovereign act of grace He will awaken their hearts giving them a new spirit. This cannot be anything but the fulfillment of the New Covenant.  “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, NIV) .  As McComiskey says:

"This sovereign activity of God within their hearts will impel Jerusalem's inhabitants to look to this pierced figure in sorrow. That the mourning of this verse is not hopeless anguish over their rejection of him, but heartfelt repentance, is clear from the resultant cleansing from sin that the discourse goes on to describe (13:1-6)." [3]

““On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” (Zechariah 13:1, NIV)  This is well worth the read:  "Likened to a gushing spring, this divine forgiveness cleanses from sin and uncleanness.  Not only are the people and their leaders cleansed of their overt disobedience to God, but also of the uncleanness that their disobedience created.  When this rushing fountain opens it will cleanse the land of all uncleanness."[4]   This, of course, leads to Chapter 14, which is unmistakably the eternal state: the new heavens and new earth.

There Is A Fountain [5]
Verse 1 There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel's veins And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains	Verse 3 Dear dying Lamb Thy precious blood Shall never lose its pow'r Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved to sin no more Be saved to sin no more Be saved to sin no more Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved to sin no more

Saved to sin no more.  Father I cannot conceive of such joy. What must it be like!  Oh the blood of Jesus that cleanses from all sin.  Mercy that knows no bounds.  Hallelujah, what a Savior. Grant me the grace to live in light of that day -- IN THAT DAY!  With all my brothers and sisters, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, from every tongue, every tribe, every nation -- saved to sin no more.  Praise God!  And can it be that I should gain such interest in His blood.   The thought is beyond comprehension.  Thank You, Father.  Amen!

---

[1] Zechariah, Thomas Edward McComiskey, The Minor Prophets, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Mich., USA, 1998, Page 1209.

[2] Ibid, Page 1210

[3] Ibid, Page 1215

[4] Ibid, Page 1218

[5] William Cowper, © Words: Public Domain, Music: Public Domain

In That Day -- Salvation.

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed - Part 1

"Zechariah 12:1–13:6 represents an oracle from God that outlines his comprehensive plan for the renewal of his people . . . This salvation from God is only the first step in his plan for his people. He promises to produce penitence, provide cleansing, and remove idolatry and false prophecy from the land." [1]

The events in this passage seem to follow this order:

1. A siege and then a deliverance for Jerusalem and Judah (vv2–9); 
2. A spiritual renewal of Israel and the arrival of the Messiah (12:10–13:1); and 
3. The removal of wickedness and idolatry from Israel (13:2–6).

A key feature of this section of the repeated phrase "on that day":

• Zechariah 12:3 (NIV) ³ On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
• Zechariah 12:4 (NIV) ⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.
• Zechariah 12:6 (NIV) ⁶ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.
• Zechariah 12:8 (NIV) ⁸ On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them.
• Zechariah 12:9 (NIV) ⁹ On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
• Zechariah 12:11 (NIV) ¹¹ On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
• Zechariah 13:1 (NIV) ¹ “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
• Zechariah 13:2 (NIV) ² “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
• Zechariah 13:4 (NIV) ⁴ “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive.

Those verses outline the storyline.  "The consistent use of the phrase “in that day” (17 times in 44 verses) demonstrates the eschatological nature of the oracle." [2]  Many expositors [3] view this apocalyptic prophecy in keeping with salvation of the nation of Israel, e.g. “and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”” (Romans 11:26–27, NIV).

The question that we are left to consider is this: Is this about ethnic Israel being restored and saved; or is the subject about the eschatological Israel of God, ultimately saved from her enemies?  Is it the Jerusalem of Palestine that is preserved; or is it the New Jerusalem - the Church?  We will pursue that in this very difficult passage in the next Blog.

Thank you Father, that in spite of our human weakness and uncertainty about such things as who and when, there is no doubt in Your eternal and perfect mind.  You are a God that says, "In that day;" and You know exactly what day.  And there is another thing that begs no doubt: You will save Your people.  This is for sure: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:10–12, NIV).  You are the eternal God “. . . who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit . . ..” (Zechariah 12:1, NIV).  There is none like You.   Grant grace and mercy today.  Save us from the Wicked One.  Work in us what is pleasing to You. And because of Your grace may we be found to work for Your Kingdom even more diligently, not that we are working, but You are working within.  Amen!

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1. Boda, Mark J. (2009-05-26). Haggai, Zechariah (The NIV Application Commentary) (Kindle Locations 9497-9500). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
2. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Zec 12:1–9). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
3. The spiritual conversion of Israel is described in 12:10–13:6. God’s ultimate deliverance of Jerusalem is not political favoritism. Rather it is rooted in a spiritual renewal, which itself is an act of God’s grace. Out of deep conviction and as a result of the action of God’s Holy Spirit, the Jewish people will turn in national and individual repentance to accept the One whom they had previously rejected (11:12). - Believer’s Study Bible. 1991 (W. A. Criswell, P. Patterson, E. R. Clendenen, D. L. Akin, M. Chamberlin, D. K. Patterson & J. Pogue, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (Zec 12:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.