Zechariah 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.
3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
God continued to direct Zechariah to encourage Israel about a blessed future. Again, the reason this blessing is stifled is due to the stubbornness of the children of Israel.
Back in the days of Elijah, God directed him to call for a contest on Mount Carmel. The false prophets were given first opportunity to prove their gods were real. They failed one hundred percent. Elijah took over at midday and he did things that made it impossible for anyone to accuse him of trickery. After drenching the altar and the sacrifice, he called upon God to send down fire. God heard Elijah and brought such a fire that is consumed the sacrifice and the stones of the altar. It was beyond doubt that the God of Elijah was the only true God. For a moment the people proclaimed:
I Kings 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
Sadly that was not a heart conviction. It was a momentary acknowledgment of the fact. The day will come when Israel will have that heart felt acknowledgement that the LORD is the God. In that day, the things spoken of here in our text will come to pass.
Today, God is blessing Israel to a degree. We know they went through some drought this past growing season. Then God sent them a much needed rain.
In the Millennium, there will be no drought. The latter rain will come when the crops are filling out. The harvest will be bountiful. The clouds will be bright with the rain that is needed. Notice there will be showers of rain. It will not be a destructive downpour. It will be showers that the crops can sustain and benefit from. God knows how to bless.
All the lies about man-made climate change are just that. We could all stop driving cars today and it would not have any effect on the climate. We could kill off all the cattle and it would not benefit man at all. It would be disastrous. The only negative effect that man is trying to inflict on the weather is with the jets that are tasked with spewing chemicals into the sky to try to affect changes on weather patterns. It is extremely foolish for man to mess with something he cannot control.
Pharaoh’s magicians realized they were out of their league as Moses continued to inflict pain upon the Egyptians and the magicians could do nothing to counter it. They had to admit to Pharaoh that this was the finger of God. It would be wise if our foolish “scientists” and others would humble themselves and admit there are things they just cannot handle.
Rather than trying to continuously ‘poke God in the eye’, man would be wise to repent. We can see the results of our P.M. and other fools taunting Mr. Trump. He has the power to retaliate and hurt us. He does it in spite.
God ultimately has the power to inflict pain upon society. He also can bless. He does not act for spite. He acts out of love. He wants man to stop fighting a losing battle.
II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
In verse 2 God reminded the people that the idols had spoken vanity. The diviners had seen a lie and told false dreams. Sounds much like Kenneth Copeland, Joseph Prince, and a host of other false teachers today. The sad reality is that too many people are impressed with the lies.
Zechariah warned that the false religionists comforted the people in vain. There was no comfort there. It was only a feeling that soon vanished. When there is no shepherd, the sheep will be scattered. Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd. He appoints shepherds under His authority. Anyone can examine the shepherds to see if they are true or not if they will accept the fact that God has preserved His Word from this generation and for ever. If a person does not want to believe that God has preserved His Word for ever, then they will be deceived. Your mind is not sharp enough to discern truth from lies. Neither is mine. We need absolute Truth that we can examine everything we hear and see. That absolute Truth is the King James Version for the English speaking world. The Masoretic Hebrew and the Textus Receptus Greek is the text the King James comes from. No other ‘bible’ can make that claim. The New King James uses deception to try to suggest it is just an update of the language of the King James, but those who take the time to examine it, know that is a lie.
In verse 3 the LORD declared that His anger was kindled against the shepherds and the goats. Matthew 25:32 speaks of the separation of the goats from the sheep. The goats represent the ungodly.
God did not appreciate the false prophets in Zechariah’s time. He does not appreciate the false teachers of our time. He allows them to spout off, but He also has a few true teachers who need boldness to teach the truth and expose the liars. God loves the lost. He wants them to be saved. They need to hear the truth. There is a cost to being a faithful servant of the LORD. That cost is minor compared to the blessings of obedience to the God of salvation.
In verse 3 God talked of the fact that the LORD of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah. This will be in the Millennium. He would love to visit them now, but they are still in rebellion. Judah will be like that goodly horse in the battle at that time. They will be strong in the LORD and they will manoeuvre in a way that is a demonstration of the mighty hand of God upon them.
In verse 4 we read of the place of the Lord Jesus Christ at that time.
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
Isaiah 22:23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
The cornerstone is essential to the strength of the building. The nail is that which secures everything. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone and He is the nail that drives the truth home. Just as Jael used a nail to fasten Sisera to the ground, the Lord Jesus Christ will fasten the truth to Jerusalem and to the hearts of the redeemed.
Jesus Christ is the conqueror that the Jews have been searching for in all the wrong places. He will present Himself at their lowest point and they will finally be broken and embrace Him as their Messiah, etc.
Today is the Lord’s Day. Be sure you are attending a church that teaches the truth. Don’t settle for lies. You do not need that and your soul does not want that. Let God lead you to a true house of God where you can be blessed.
Pastor Bartel