Posts that reference the book of Zechariah

Signs of Hardness: Refusing to Listen

In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. In our current series, we’ve begun considering some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. So far we’ve discussed disobedience, wealth, discontent, and rejecting correction. Another sign is refusing to listen.

What does it mean to refuse to listen?

Of course, listening has nothing to do with our physical hearing. Rather, it is to heed, to take to heart, and in Biblical contexts to obey. So, refusing to listen is an insolent act of defiance toward God. The prophet Zechariah records God’s recounting of Israel’s hardness.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. … “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”
Zechariah 7:9-12,14

How does it produce hardness?

Listening is a spiritual skill. If we do strengthen our spiritual self, the natural self will step into the vacuum. We know that the natural self wants nothing to do with the things of God, and prefers to cater to its own desires. We have to harden our hearts in order to ignore God’s instructions, God’s correction, God’s voice and walk our own path. We can’t do it otherwise. It is a deliberate choice.

For generations, God sent prophets to His people to point out where they had strayed, where they had violated God’s standards. The prophets also instructed the people on the changes they needed to make and encouraged them to get back on track. The response to Jeremiah was typical

“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you! But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done…”
Jeremiah 44:16-17

How do you soften a heart hardened by a refusal to listen?

Obedience

The Apostle John gives encourages us: Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 1 John 2:24

A relationship with Jesus is marked by listening to and living according the words of Jesus. If we are obedient to Christ, we will have a soft heart

Humility

Jesus told His disciples:

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

If we grasp that we can do nothing apart from Christ, we will realize how important it is to listen to His word.

Action

The proof that we have heard and understood is that we act. At the end of the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

It is a mark of wisdom and stability to build our lives on the Word of God. It does no good to hear the words of Christ and walk away unchanged.

Let’s resolve to have a tender listening heart, ready to take whatever action necessary to be conformed to the image of Christ. We owe Him no less.

Next week, one more sign of hardness.

Small Beginnings

By Paula

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT

This verse is pulled from a vision Zechariah was given about the Temple rebuilding project. Israel was back in the land after captivity in Babylon and rebuilding the Temple was essential not only to re-establishing the worship of Jehovah, but also their identity as a people.

The task seemed impossible. Opposition was fierce. The older folks knew it would never hold a candle to Solomon’s Temple. There were plenty of reasons to abandon the undertaking. But there was one extremely important reason to keep going.

Obedience to God.

As we consider the work that lies before us, the kingdom work God has called us to do, it’s easy for discouragement to set in. We hear a constant soundtrack of negatives. I’m just one person. I don’t know much. I’ve never done anything like this. I’m not sure this is going to work. I’m not seeing a lot of progress. I feel like a failure. I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

Or maybe we question our call in the first place. I’m just a mom. I’m just a kid. I’ve made too many mistakes. I’m too old. I’m too young. I’ve never done this before.

Don’t despise, don’t be discouraged by these small beginnings. It’s not about the “small.” It’s about the “beginning.” Zechariah said, “The LORD rejoices to see the work begin.”

Read that again. The LORD rejoices.

–When you pour yourself into raising your kids to love and honor God, the LORD rejoices.

–When you commit to investing in that one person in the office nobody likes, the LORD rejoices.

–When you make time for a cup of coffee with that neighbor who never seems to be outside anymore, the LORD rejoices.

–When you pull that Sunday school lesson together to give those little boys something to remember, the LORD rejoices.

Small beginnings? Perhaps. A great work? No question.

Really Refined

By Paula

I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” Zechariah 13:9

Sometimes, our understanding needs refining most of all.

It’s “I will bring them through.”
Not, “I will leave them to be consumed.”

It’s “I will make them pure.”
Not, “I will constantly remind them where they fall short.”

It’s “silver” and “gold,” rare and precious.
Not ordinary and forgotten.

It’s “They will call on my name.”
Not, “They will do everything in their own strength.”

It’s “I will answer them.”
Not, “I will let them squirm a little first.”

It’s “I will say, ‘These are my people.”
Not, “I guess I’ll take them. If I have to.”

It’s “They will say, ‘The LORD is our God.'”
Not, “I find my joy and purpose in something else.”

Behold Your King

By Paula Wiseman

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

Notice how the prophet describes the king.
Righteous
Having Salvation
Humble
Mounted on a donkey, a young donkey.

Righteous – He fully reflects the character of God.
Having Salvation – He has terms of our deliverance and rescue.
Humble – Identifies with us
Mounted on a donkey – Bringing peace and reconciliation.

And how should we react?
Rejoice greatly!
Shout aloud!

He is not a tyrant coming to crush us.
He is not a despot seeking power.
He is not an autocrat imposing his will.

For an afternoon, in Jerusalem, there was great rejoicing.
One day there will be again.
We can rejoice now.

Our king is righteous, having salvation, and humble.

Behold our King!

A Study in Contrasts: Zerubbabel

By Paula

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

We are continuing our look at contrasts in Scripture marked by the conjunction “but.” Last week we looked at the stand taken by Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael while they were in Babylonian captivity. That captivity lasted seventy years. After the Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Persians, King Cyrus issued a decree allowing any Jews to return home to Israel and restore the cities and the land. You can read about that return in Nehemiah and Ezra. The restoration happened in fits and starts marked by opposition, distraction and discouragement.

Eventually a guy named Zerubbabel was named the governor and Joshua served as high priest. God raised up the prophet Zechariah, who prophesied a lot about the Messiah who would come, but he also gave messages of encouragement to the governor and the high priest. Chapter 4 is the fifth message Zechariah records and it is especially for the governor, Zerubbabel. It is one of the most powerfully encouraging messages in Scripture. Here are some of the encouragements in this message.

God has a mighty work for us to participate in. You can argue that Zerubbabel was the governor, of course HE had an important work. Not everyone is a leader. We’ll come back to that in just a second. The reality of this undertaking was that governor was not going to lay every block in the Temple himself, nor was he going to personally rebuild the wall. These words to the leader apply to the people who will follow.

Now about leaders. We are “in-between” in our relationships. There are those we follow and then, there are those we lead. We follow ministry leaders and supervisors at our place of employment. We follow laws and ordinances. We also have the opportunity to lead our children, to be oversee to new hires, to be examples in society or even on social media. In all of those circumstances, let’s embrace the work God has for us.

God knows the work is a big one. After all, He sent the prophet. Zerubbabel wouldn’t have needed a message from Zechariah if the work was easy or ordinary. Rebuilding a temple and a city wall with a bunch of people with little or no experience, who had their own homes and safety to worry about, with limited materials and funds, not to mention the marauding bands of vandals who terrorized the people.

What God has called us to, what God has called you to, is an important work for the kingdom. In a general sense, it’s carrying the gospel out to a world that doesn’t want to hear, a world that has established itself as God’s enemies. More specifically, the work that God has called you to is nothing to sneeze at. You may have hard-hearted family members. You may have hostile co-workers. You may struggle with temptation and hardship. Jesus said we would have trouble and suffering, but He also promised that He had overcome it. (John 16:33)

God promises to accomplish the work. The message to the governor is NOT by power or by might, not by your strength, your talent, your resources BUT BY MY SPIRIT says the Lord of hosts. Now some of the modern translations give you a better idea what that name for God means. Hosts make me think of dinner parties and making sure everyone has enough to eat and drink. It’s not that kind of host. It’s an army, a heavenly army. So God makes this promise and then reassures Zerubbabel (and us) that He can bring it to pass. No one can stand in opposition to God accomplishing His purposes.

When we try to accomplish God’s purposes in our own strength and energy we get discouraged and even burned out. Think about your work right now. Which best describes your gut reaction? Energy or exhaustion? I don’t think God calls us to frustration. That could be a signal to evaluate whose work we’re doing and whose strength doing it in.

The Apostle Paul brought intellect, theological rigor and a strong work ethic to his ministry. But he knew that wasn’t what let people see the grace of God. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Take hold of that message today.

Mount of Olives: Winning the Battle

By Paula

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. Luke 22:39

The Mount of Olives rises 2700 feet (826 m) above the Kidron Valley. It is part of a three-peak ridge that was at one time covered in olive trees. There was a garden there. Every spring we recount the story of what happened in that garden, but it is usually just a stop along the way of a bigger story, the Easter story.

Today, let’s take a few minutes and climb one more mountain and consider what took place–and what is yet to take place–on the Mount of Olives.

It is a place Jesus resorted to often.

Luke tells us it was His custom to go to the Mount of Olives. I can imagine a visit each time He was in Jerusalem. Maybe it began when he climbed the hill with his father as a boy. In this passage, it was a place where He poured out His heart to God. We need a place, a familiar comfortable place to meet God regularly.

It was a place of sorrow and struggle.

In some ways, the battle for our salvation was won on that mountain in the intensive prayer session. Scripture doesn’t give the specifics, but I wonder if the temptation Jesus faced that night was even more strident and grueling than His time in the wilderness. In the midst of that struggle, He knew His closest friends would fail Him and abandon Him. The crowds He would soon face wouldn’t grasp what He was doing or the implications of their call for His blood. Although not as intense, we face our own moments of sorrow and struggle alone. We have faced our share of battles that have touched the deepest parts of our soul.

It was a place of deep communion.

Jesus reached out to His Father, and God sent a ministering angel to strengthen Christ. When we seek God’s face in the depths of our anguish, He hears and He sends strength and comfort.

It was a place of resolve and victory.

By the time Jesus rose to His feet, He was ready to face everything that lay ahead with steadfast resolve. He never wavered. There was no hesitation in His steps, no fear or uncertainty in His voice. Evidence of his victory came weeks later, when His friends watched Him return to the Father’s right hand from that very mountain. Zechariah tells us He will return to that spot yet again to put the final seal on His victory and receive His kingdom. That reality should strengthen our resolve. The victory is already won.

There are other mountains in Scripture besides the ones we’ve discussed. Moriah. Carmel. Tabor. Pisgah. Ebal. And others. Each one stands out from the surrounding landscape. Each one unique, both in the perspective it offers and in the experience of the climb. Perhaps your curiosity is piqued now. Even better, I hope your hunger and longing to see, to know, to experience all the mountain offers won’t let you rest until you climb the next one.

Next week is Thanksgiving here in the US.

I’ll be back the following week as we turn our hearts and our thoughts toward Advent.

Catch up on the Mountains series