Zechariah 10:5 And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.
Canada just came through the Conservative Party convention where they chose to keep their current leader for the present time. I listened to a summary of the convention given by a “religious” person. That person was so encouraged by the ecumenical nature of the religious groups that were there. That is the overwhelming problem in Canada. There are too few people who are first of all born again, and secondly obedient to the call of God as born again Christians.
Jesus Christ was one person while on earth. He had a massive impact on the world during His short time on this earth. Yes, He is the eternal Son of God. In the book of Acts it was a minority of people who truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet they had a massive impact on the world in their time as born again Christians.
God is not honoured through ecumenical ventures. He is glorified when a true born again Christian chooses to humbly submit to the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. God does not need a human crowd to be heard. He makes Himself heard. He chooses to limit His visibility due to the rebellion of man. God makes it abundantly clear that He is real and the ONLY TRUE GOD. Yes, there are thousands of people who choose to reject the fact that the God of Creation is real. If you are a born again Christian, don’t be ashamed to stand firmly upon the Truth (Ephesians 6:10-20).
The Millennium will be quite different than anything this world has ever known. Anti-semitism is on the rise at this time. It goes in waves, but it is increasing at this time. Mr. Netanyahu is putting up a brave front, but his coalition government is very fragile. His support among allies like the U.S. is also very fragile. The current president of the U.S. is more or less on the side of Israel, but there are people in the Republican party who are not so supportive of Israel. The Democrats hate Israel. Even Chuck Schumer, a Jew and the leader of the Democrats in the Senate acts like he is an enemy of the Jews. The president’s own son-in-law is a Jew but he is a secular Jew who is not very supportive of his own nation. Blind people cannot see. The Jews should know better than to be in the Democrat party in the U.S. or in the Liberal party in Canada. Yet there are those who join those anti-semite parties.
Zechariah was told to write of a time when this would be changed. That time will be in the Millennium, when the Lord Jesus Christ will rule. At that time, the Jews will be submissive to Him and they will be exalted and any enemies they had will be trampled under foot. No one will dare to stand against them. They will be feared even more than they were in the days of king David.
We are told the reason for this change will be because the LORD is with them. When the LORD is with you, no one can win against you. The reason the LORD will be with the Jews at that time is because they will have repented and trusted in the LORD for their salvation.
Even though the enemies will have horses and skilled riders, it will not help them. They will be defeated.
In verse 6 we read again how the LORD will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. Judah was the tribe from which the Messiah came. Joseph was the favoured son of Jacob and he was exalted to a very high position in Egypt by God. He provided food and shelter for his entire family during a time of great famine. He was highly respected among the Egyptians. After his death, the rulers of Egypt forgot about him and they mistreated the children of Israel for several hundred years. However, God delivered them from that bondage.
In our text, at the end of the Tribulation and into the Millennium, the LORD will strengthen the house of Judah. Jesus Christ will bring them back into their land as victors. God will have mercy on the children of Israel. He will restore them to the place He promised to Abraham. He will treat them as though they had never been punished.
We see a description of what God’s mercy looks like. God does not hold grudges. He needed to punish Israel for their rebellion. However, He was always ready to forgive them. When God forgives, He forgets. His love and mercy provide for complete restoration.
What we read here is a picture of God’s salvation today as well. God is willing to hear the cry of a repentant sinner. A repentant sinner does not come to Him with some imaginary bargaining chips. He comes with nothing in his hands. He comes as a broken person who is seeking mercy and forgiveness. God does not force the repentant sinner to grovel in the mud for a time. He is ready to forgive. He replaces the guilt and shame with hope and salvation.
The conservative party just recommitted to keeping their current leader on for the time being. They talked of encouraging people to have hope in the future. They stated that they would make things better if elected. The trouble is that they are not willing to look at the key things that would bring true hope to man.
Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
As we are seeing in our text, the reason for the change in status for the nation of Israel, is because they will have repented toward God and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and King. They will no longer be fighting against the Truth, but they will embrace the Truth. That is what makes the difference.
When a person submits to God’s will and is born again, everything changes. It is sad to hear of families that are broken apart and of marriages that no longer function. There is no need for that. It may sound simplistic to follow God’s way, but it is not simplistic at all.
The Lord Jesus Christ left Heaven’s glory to come to this earth and become a man. Read John 17 and consider Jesus’ prayer to His Father. He sacrificed so much to come to this earth. However, He sacrificed more than just what we read there. He laid down His life and shed His blood and died for our sins. He suffered more than any man and He bore our sins on that cross. The good news is that He rose again demonstrating His victory over sin and death.
He is seated on the right hand of His Father in glory today. He is worthy of all praise and glory. He is there to intercede for man to the Father. When the repentant sinner cries out for forgiveness and salvation, Jesus Christ mediates that plea through His shed blood. The Father accepts that plea and is willing to forgive and save that repentant sinner.
It is great to have this great High Priest. If you do not know Him, why not stop fighting today and turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour. If you do that your life will be changed. You will no longer be that cripple who is just trying to get by. You will have a sure hope that is real and growing.
Pastor Bartel