September 29
Zechariah 8 -- 14
Just as Jesus entered Jerusalem during the last week before His crucifixion, we read that a very great multitude. . . . cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (Matthew 21:8-9). This was His formal presentation as the Messiah-King, and a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, your King comes to you: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, and upon a colt the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). The cry of Hosanna by the people (meaning "save us") was rejected by the religious leaders, who, instead, insisted that the Roman authorities crucify Him (Mark 15:13).
Zechariah also foretold details concerning Judas the betrayer and his transactions with the religious leaders, saying: I said unto them, If you think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me . . . Cast them to the potter in the House of the Lord (Zechariah 11:12-13, compare Matthew 27:9-10).
Our precious Savior Jesus, the true King of kings, was rejected and sold for the price of a servant (slave), for a mere thirty pieces of silver (Exodus 21:32; compare Matthew 26:15). As a result of the rejection of Jesus by the religious leaders, the Jews have been under false shepherds ever since. But, the most deceptive of all shepherds is yet to exploit them near the end of this present age.
About 2,000 years have gone by since that time, and we will soon see the fulfillment of another prophecy, when Israel will recognize its Messiah as Zechariah foretold: I will pour upon the House of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn (Zechariah 12:10; compare Romans 11:26-27).
Zechariah also foretold the closing of this present age when Jesus Christ will return to earth from Heaven: The Lord shall be King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9). In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the House of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness. . . . In that day, says the Lord of hosts . . . I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no more be remembered (13:1-2). That will be the day when He says: Behold, the day of the Lord comes. . . . I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. . . . Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations. . . . And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. . . . And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and His Name One (14:1-4,9; compare Revelation 22:20).
Like the first disciples of Christ, we are all prone to waste our time on the details of future events and forget what Jesus said as He met with His disciples on the Mount of Olives for the last time before His ascension. They asked: Lord, will You at this time restore again the Kingdom? . . . And He said unto them, It is not (important) for you to know the times or the seasons. . . . But you shall . . . be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:6-8).
Christ Revealed:
As King (Zechariah 9:9; Mark 11:7-11; John 12:12-19); as a Servant sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12; Matt. 26:15; Isaiah 53:5). His side, hands, and feet were to be pierced (Zech. 12:10; John 19:34; 20:27); and Christ, the Great Shepherd, was to be smitten and His disciples scattered as sheep (Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31,56; Isaiah 53:4).
Word Studies:
8:2 was jealous means had protective love; 8:6 marvelous means impossible; 8:10 hire means work, jobs; 9:15 filled like bowls means filled to the brim; 10:3 goats means civic and political leaders; 10:8 hiss means signal; 11:7 Beauty means Grace, Good Will; Bands means Unity; 11:17 clean dried up means entirely withered away; 14:2 rifled means robbed; 14:8 former means eastern (Dead Sea); hinder means western (Mediterranean Sea); 14:9 His Name One means Jesus will be recognized and reign as God, i.e. Jesus-God (see Rev. 11:15); 14:12 holes means sockets; 14:21 seethe means boil.
Government Officials: Rep. John McHugh (NY) and Rep. Max Sandlin, Jr. (TX) · BPM Staff: Steve Williams · Pray for Nabil Ajamian, Voice of Truth, editor for Arabic translation · Pray for the Bible Pathway International Radio Broadcast sponsored by Darold O'Bryant · Country: Equatorial Guinea (379,000) in western Africa · Major language: Spanish · Freedom for churches at this time · 71% Roman Catholic; 19% ancestral spirit worship and medicine men; 6% Protestant · Prayer Suggestion: Diligently seek the Lord in prayer and He will bless your efforts (Hebrews 11:6).
Memory Verse for the Week:
Titus 2:14