A Blog of Encouragement from our Pastors
The WEekly Word
weekly word – 5/02/24
Zechariah 9:1-7
Zechariah 8 ends with a prophecy about life in the future kingdom of Israel, “In those days, ten men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Zechariah 9 tells how that kingdom will be established. It begins with Yahweh going on a military campaign from northern Syria, down to Lebanon, along the coastal cities of Philistia, on His way to free His besieged people in Jerusalem in verses 1-7:
The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place — for the eyes of humanity and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD — and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd. Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets.
Listen! The LORD will impoverish her and cast her wealth into the sea; she herself will be consumed by fire. Ashkelon will see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain, as will Ekron, for her hope will fail. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will become uninhabited.
A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. I will remove the blood from their mouths and the abhorrent things from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites.
Yahweh’s attack begins in a city called “Hadrach”, which is now identified as Tell Afis. It’s located in the northwest corner of modern Syria, close to the Mediterranean Sea. Then He descends south to Hamath, another Syrian city. Then He goes west to the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon in Lebanon. Finally, Yahweh travels along the coast of Israel to defeat the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron.
This text reveals how the rest of the world become increasingly unnerved:
- “Ashkelon will see it and be afraid”
- “Ekron…her hope will fail”
Likewise, we can see that each of Yahweh’s attacks is a complete victory:
- Though Tyre and Sidon are “very shrewd”, He will “cast her wealth in the sea”
- “There will cease to be a king in Gaza”
- “Ashkelon will become uninhabited”
- “I will destroy the pride of the Philistines”
There are two final passages worthy of our attention in this section.
First, in verse 6, God promises “A mongrel people will live in Ashdod”. This sounds strange to the modern ear. It means that, unlike the Jews, the people of Ashdod will not be preserved as an ethnicity. God’s unique covenant with Israel preserves them as a people forever. But other nations don’t have this promise. When God’s kingdom comes to earth, some tribes will be so unbelieving that the judgment will obliterate their identity.
Second, there is a silver lining in verse 7: “They too will become a remnant for our God; and they will become like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites.” This means that the believers who survive this attack will still live in this region. Not only that, they will exist as citizens of Israel like one of the 12 tribes. After all, we know there is no favoritism with God (Romans 2:11).
Why does God thoroughly defeat these nations and judge their peoples?
The answer is found in verse 7, where God states His goal of spiritual and cultural cleansing. Note verse 7 points out that God “will remove the blood from their mouths” and remove “the abhorrent things from between their teeth”. Having blood in their mouths and abhorrent things between their teeth refers to their practice of eating flesh contaminated with blood, violating the Noahic covenant in Genesis 9. That command teaches us not to eat blood out of respect for the life God has created (Genesis 9:4).
“Abhorrent things” refers to pagan sacrifices. It’s the same language used to describe the “abomination of desolation” in Daniel 11:31, the idol of the Antichrist. These meals were abominations to God because the food had been offered and used to celebrate a graven image.
This is a stern warning for us today. We should recognize all the more our calling to be a set apart from this world as a “kingdom and priests to our God” (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). That means we don’t find our primary identity as Americans; but as Christians who are sojourners in this world until Christ appears.
But it also means that there is salvation and incorporation offered to everyone who believes, Jew or Gentile. We have a guarantee in the OT and NT that God welcomes all His children into His kingdom, those who trust in Him while living in this world.
Pastor David
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
4/11/24 – How Do You Measure Faith? – Bryan
4/04/24 – Where is "my" God? – Ed
3/21/24 – Speaking Through Your Ears and Heart – Bryan
3/14/24 – Consternation in the Congregation – Ed
3/07/24 – Zechariah and The Branch – David
2/29/24 – Who Do You Say Jesus Is? – Bryan
2/22/24 – Love is........... – Ed
2/15/24 – Zechariah's Eighth and Final Vision – David
2/08/24 – It's-All-Good! – Bryan
2/01/24 – Becoming a Roman's 12 Christian – Ed
1/25/24 – Zechariah's Seventh Vision – David
1/18/24 – Temple Cleansing – Bryan
1/11/24 – The Devil made me do it – Ed
1/04/24 – Zechariah's Sixth Vision – David
12/28/23 – Many Facets to Forgiveness – Bryan
12/21/23 – Jesus, Others, You – Ed
12/14/23 – Zechariah's Fifth Vision – David
12/07/23 – We Are Royalty! Believe It and Live It. – Bryan
11/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
11/23/23 – Zechariah's Fourth Vision – David
11/16/23 – Victory Through Prayer – Bryan
11/09/23 – Do you see God's hand in the things around you? – Ed
11/02/23 – Zechariah's Third Vision – David
10/26/23 – What's My Purpose – Bryan
10/19/23 – Pride vs. Confidence: The Delicate Balance in Light of
10/12/23 – Zechariah's Second Vision – David
10/05/23 – The Battle Belongs to the Lord – Bryan
9/28/23 – To Forgive or Not to Forgive, That is the Question – Ed
9/21/23 – Zechariah: Unlocking the Future – David
9/14/23 – Battle of the Wills. What Did You Expect? – Bryan
9/07/23 – The Tyranny of the Urgent – Ed
8/31/23 – Holy Quills and Medical Bills – David
8/24/23 – Sow the Seed – Bryan
8/17/23 – R.A.L.E. Part 2 – Ed
8/10/23 – Harmonizing Jesus' Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
8/03/23 – Don't Stagnate – Bryan
7/20/23 – Chewing – Rethinking Bible Study and Prayer – David
7/13/23 – Be, Know, Do – Bryan
7/06/23 – Anger Management (Part 5) – Ed
6/29/23 – Prophecies Will End – David
6/22/23 – Essential Component – Bryan
6/15/23 – Anger Management (Part 4) – Ed
6/08/23 – A Study Guide for Zechariah – David
6/01/23 – Avoidable Difficulty – Bryan
5/25/23 – Anger Management, Time to Take Action – Ed
5/18/23 – How to Prepare a Lesson on a Bible Passage – David
5/11/23 – Trust in God: Free, with Priceless Results – Bryan
5/04/23 – More on Solving the Anger Issue, (2 of 5) – Ed
4/27/23 – Without Excuse – David
4/20/23 – Is Worry A Sin? – Bryan
4/13/23 – Defining Anger (Part 1) – Ed
4/06/23 – Effective Easter Evangelism – David
3/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
3/23/23 – Should We Fast – David
3/16/23 – 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 – Ed
3/09/23 – Scarlet Threads of Hope – David
3/02/23 – Joseph: An Authentic Leader – Ed
2/23/23 – The Amalekites – David
2/16/23 – Becoming More Like Christ – Bryan
2/09/23 – "Bringing in the Sheep!" – Ed
2/02/23 – Four Mistakes Christians Make – David
1/26/23 – Living for Christ vs. Living with Christ – Bryan
1/19/23 – Bad Things and Good Things – Ed
1/12/23 – The Advancement of the Gospel – David
1/05/23 – Simpler Is Better – Bryan
12/22/22 – No Writer's Block This Time – Ed
12/15/22 – You've Got A Friend – David
12/08/22 – Tell the Story – Bryan
11/24/22 – How to Go Deeper in the Word – David
11/17/22 – The E's of Christian Living – Bryan
11/10/22 – "The Parfait of God" – Ed
11/03/22 – Fearless Obedience – David
10/27/22 – The Allocation & Bestowment of God's Blessings – Bryan
10/20/22 – 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Ed
10/13/22 – Evil Meant For Good – David
10/06/22 – Christ-Like Obedience – Bryan
9/29/22 – The "Be" Attitudes – Ed
9/22/22 – Six Parenting Lessons Learned from Lot's Failure as a
9/15/22 – Grace Greater than our Sin – Bryan
9/08/22 – Philippians 4:13 – Ed
9/01/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 2: A Silver Lining For Edomites – David
8/25/22 – Jesus Is All I Want and All I Need – Bryan
8/18/22 – Does God Expect Us to Color Within the Lines? – Ed
8/11/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 1: The Danger of Holding a Grudge –
8/04/22 – Pros and Cons of Technology – Bryan
7/28/22 – What Could Make Christianity Attractive to the World –
7/21/22 – The Curse that Became a Blessing – David
7/14/22 – No Loitering – Bryan
7/07/22 – The 23rd Psalm: – Ed
6/30/22 – Share Christ This Summer For $5 – David
6/23/22 – Serving with SOUL – Bryan
6/16/22 – Have you walked in their shoes? – Ed
6/09/22 – Habakkuk, Babylon, and the American Christian – David
6/02/22 – The Gospel That Leads to Salvation: Simple & Free, Yet
5/26/22 – Love Your Neighbor As Yourself – Ed
5/19/22 – Mutual Funds and Vice Stocks – David
5/12/22 – Make A Joyful Noise – Bryan
5/05/22 – A Romans 12 Christian | Part 2 – Ed
4/28/22 – Biblical Church Membership – David
4/21/22 – What Does Love mean? – Bryan
4/14/21 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 5/5 - David
3/31/22 – Keep Sin from Harboring in our Hearts – Bryan
3/24/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 4/5 – David
3/17/22 – Punishment or Training? – Ed
3/10/22 – Maintain the Unity in the Body – Bryan
3/03/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan’s Attack | Part 3/5 – David
2/24/22 – Are You a Good Listener? – Ed
2/17/22 – Biblical Love – Bryan
2/10/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 2/5 – David
2/03/22 – Is It Really Alright? – Ed
1/27/22 – The Faithfulness of Joseph – Bryan
1/20/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 1/5 – David
1/06/22 – What Are We To Do? – Bryan
12/30/21 – A Biblical View of the Conscience – David
12/23/21 – "Tis the Season" – Ed
12/16/21 – Every Little Detail – Bryan
12/09/21 – The Gospel and Christmas – David
12/02/21 – God is good, all the time! – Ed
11/25/21 – Thankful for Everything! – Bryan
11/18/21 – How I Began to Take Solid Food – David
11/11/21 – Does God Talk to Us Today? – Ed
11/04/21 – What Happened...and What Will Happen? – Bryan
10/28/21 – Pray to Share Your Faith – David
10/21/21 – The Way We Preach – David
10/14/21 – Justification and Sanctification – Bryan
10/07/21 – The Fix for Spiritual Laziness – David
9/30/21 – Falling Away is Falling Away from Jesus – David
9/23/21 – Beyond Sovereign - Bryan
9/16/21 – Why We Need Hebrews – David
9/09/21 – Glory and Honor – David
9/02/21 – Consider the Source. Compare to THE SOURCE – Bryan
8/19/21 – Pray for the Afghan Christians – David
8/12/21 – Now is the Time! – Bryan
8/05/21 – For Three Crimes, Even Four – David
7/29/21 – So What Are Husbands Supposed To Do? – David
7/22/21 – From Foes to Fellow Saints - Bryan
7/15/21 – Sharing the Gospel with an Atheist Israeli Jew – David
7/08/21 – When You're Afraid of Sharing the Gospel – David
7/01/21 – Farewell Dear Friends - Bryan
6/24/21 – Examples to the Flock – David
6/17/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 3 – David
6/10/21 – It Is Well with My Soul – Bryan
6/03/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 2 – David
5/27/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 1 – David
5/20/21 – What Does Biblical Giving Look Like? – Bryan
5/13/21 – Biblical Joy 201 – David
5/06/21 – Biblical Joy 101 – David
4/29/21 – Perspective & Attitude – Michael
4/22/21 – Jesus' Most Offensive Teaching – David
4/15/21 – The In-Between Times – David
4/08/21 – Spiritual Readiness – Bryan
4/01/21 – When in Doubt, Read the Directions – Michael
3/25/21 – Four Major OT Archeological Findings – David
3/18/21 – God's Timing and Faithfulness – Bryan
3/11/21 – The Pepsi Challenge between You and Jesus – David
3/04/21 – LORD of Lords – Bryan
2/25/21 – Numbers 20:6 – Michael
2/18/21 – Lessons from the Disqualified – David
2/11/21 – How to Study a Familiar Bible Verse – David
2/04/21 – Phase 2 is here! Do you know what that means? – Bryan
1/28/21 – Love God Carefully – David
1/21/21 – One of the Answers is Right Here – Micheal
1/07/21 – The New Religion – David
12/31/20 – Our Blessed Hope – David
12/24/20 – One Thing Remains – Bryan
12/17/20 – Do You Aspire to the Office of Overseer? – David
12/10/20 – Psalms - A Political Guide for God's People – David
12/03/20 – Getting Tired of Manna? – Bryan
11/26/20 – Advice on Loving Better – Michael
11/19/20 – Styles of Idolatry: BC, AD, and Today – David
11/12/20 – Fight or Flight? – David
11/05/20 – Take it to The Lord in Prayer – Bryan
10/29/20 – The Anathema Council – David
10/22/20 – Church History – David
10/15/20 – Growing In Our Faith – Bryan
10/08/20 – Finding Jesus – Michael
10/01/20 – Godly Division – David
9/24/20 – Nothing Beyond What Is Written – David
9/17/20 – Stay the Course Continued – Bryan
9/10/20 – “What did you say? I wasn’t listening." – Michael
9/03/20 – How to Assess Your Relationship with God – David
8/27/20 – All The More – David
8/20/20 – Serving With the Right Heart & Attitude – Bryan
7/30/20 – How Firm a Foundation – Bryan
7/16/20 – We Came, We Saw, We Sharpened – David
7/09/20 – Stir Up One Another – Bryan
7/02/20 – Don't Be Afraid to Be Courageous – Michael
6/25/20 – The Gentle Correction That Changed Me – David
6/18/20 – Witnessing Like and For Christ – Bryan
6/04/20 – Resistance, Riots and Romans – David
5/28/20 – Ambassador is Not a Part-Time Job – Bryan
5/21/20 – The Church is Not a Building – Michael
5/14/20 – Proclaim Jesus at the Grocery Store – David
5/07/20 – Stay the Course – Bryan
4/30/20 – It's the Little Things – Michael
4/23/20 – Living With Certainty & Purpose in Uncertain Times –
4/16/20 – Binge-Praying – David
4/09/20 – An Opportunity to Grow – David