Bulletin Blurb - November 8, A Fountain for Sin and Uncleanness

Transcription

1 Subject: Zechariah #14 Title: A Fountain for Sin and Uncleanness Text: Zechariah 13:1-9 Bulletin Blurb - November 8, A Fountain for Sin and Uncleanness We are quickly approaching the climax or conclusion of the Book of Zechariah (God Remembers). This is what we have seen already: I. The Call to Repentance (1:1-6) II. The Eight Visions of Zechariah (1:7-6:8) III. The Crowning of Joshua (6:9-15) IV. The Question of Fasting (7:1-3) V. The Four Messages of Zechariah (7:4-8:23) VI. The First Burden (Prophecy) (9:1-11:17) VII. The Second Burden (Prophecy) (12:1-14:21) The above Second Burden chronicles the Second Advent of Christ and the acceptance of Israel s King. The nations will attack Jerusalem, but the Messiah will come and deliver His people (12). They will be cleansed of impurity and sin (13), and the Messiah will come in power to judge the nations and reign over all the Earth from Jerusalem (14). Introduction Chapter 13 continues where the preceding chapter ends, i.e., what I believe to be, a chronological order of events. The opening phrase, In that day, appears 20 times in the book of Zechariah, with 16 occurrences in the last three chapters (12:3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11; 13:1, 2, 4; 14:4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 20, 21)! It suggests a specific time period when all of these events transpire, i.e., the Tribulation where the Lord deals once and for all with the sin of His rebellious people, Israel. Outline of the Chapter I. A Fountain for the House of David (1) II. The Cleansing of the Land (2-6) III. The Remnant of Israel Is Saved (7-9) I. A Fountain for the House of David (13:1) Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. * v.1 - a fountain opened...for sin and for uncleanness - In continuity with the great mourning of Chapter 12:10-14, this fountain cleanses away confessed sin from the house of David in preparation for the Millennial reign of Christ. We understand this figurative fountain to be the blood of Jesus Christ, of which 1 John 1:7 says cleanseth us from all sin. William Cowper wrote a song in 1772 entitled, The 1

2 Cleansing Fountain, with the first verse as follows, There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. In Hebrew terms, we see here the ritual washings or cleansings pictured in the pure, fresh, cleansing water of this fountain. Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. Psalms 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. Proverbs 13:14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. II. The Cleansing of the Land (13:2-6) 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 2

3 * v.2 - in that day...i will cut off - This starts the purification process for the house of David (13:1) after they mourn for the one whom they have pierced (12:10). This cleansing process includes: - cut off the names of the idols (2) - idols no more remembered (2) - the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land (3) - the false prophets exposed (3) - the false prophet ashamed (4) - the false prophet stripped (4) - the false prophet confesses (5-6) Ezekiel 37:23 Neither shall they defi le themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. See also: Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifi ce and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifi ce, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) II Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. * v.2 - cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land In the Tribulation, there will be many false prophets and much Satanic influence. 3

4 Revelation 16:3 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 4 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. * v.3 - Thou shalt not live - Even after the cleansing of Israel, there will be unredeemed people who will try to prophesy falsely, but because Jesus will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27; 19:15) at the Second Advent, the parents of the false prophets will make sure they obey the law like Moses instructed in Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and kill their own son! Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. * v.4 - neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive - These false prophets will try to make themselves look like a prophet by their clothing that was similar to the apparel of the prophets, Elijah and John the Baptist. 2 Kings 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. Matthew 3:4 And the same John had his raiment of camel s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. * v.6 - What are these wounds in thine hands? - This phrase is typically considered to be a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ only by inference, but there is no biblical cross reference in the New Testament where this phrase is used in reference to Christ. Christ wasn t wounded, He was executed. Other than His disciples, Christ wasn t in the house of His friends because the nation of Israel as a whole despised and rejected Him! The context of vs.2-5 is the false prophets, so if it is Jesus, why the abrupt change in v.6? One prophecy of Judas in Psalm 41:9 says, Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. We know Judas 4

5 betrayed Jesus in accord with the leaders of Israel, but I don t believe they are who is referred to in Zechariah 13:6. This goes against the grain of many commentators, but there is significant disagreement over this verse and there are many that agree with me, so what then does this mean? The answer is that wounds of the false prophets were just another ploy to deceive like they tried to do with their clothing. The false prophet confesses his real or true calling in v.5 as being a husbandman (farmer), and when asked where he got his injuries in his hands, he says they came from his friends in order to make his audience believe he was a real persecuted prophet. They were fake or self-inflicted for effect, much like those today who claim to be stigmatic (displaying marks resembling the crucified body of Christ). (See The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, by Walvoord & Zuck, pp.1568, 1569). I know this interpretation goes against tradition, however, I fail to see a smooth transition from false prophets of vs. 2-5 to Christ in v.6. I believe the day of v.4 is the Tribulation period where Israel is being chastised, and this wounded in the house reference is not a reference to a Mid Tribulation appearance to Israel by Christ. III. The Remnant of Israel Is Saved (13:7-9) 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. The passage speaks of the smitten shepherd (7a), the scattered sheep (7b, 8), and the saved remnant (9). This might be a good time to revisit some of the visions that Zechariah had in the early chapters of this book and the promises of restoration of Israel with a remnant in Zechariah 8:3-8, 12, 22, 23; 9:14-17; 10:5-12. Romans 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. 27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will fi nish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. * v.7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd -The sword is figuratively speaking, but this is a prophecy of the death of Jesus. In Romans 13:4, the sword represents the 5

6 right of civil authority and responsibility to execute judgment against evil, and it was the sword of the Roman government that granted approval and ordered the crucifixion of Christ. This is another reference to Jesus as the shepherd of Israel. In John 10:11-14, Jesus is called the good shepherd, and in Zechariah 11:3-9, Israel is the flock. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep...14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a fl ock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his fl ock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Ezekiel 34:5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the fi eld, when they were scattered...8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my fl ock became a prey, and my fl ock became meat to every beast of the fi eld, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my fl ock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my fl ock...10 Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the fl ock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for fi lthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God s heritage, but being ensamples to the fl ock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. * v.7 - smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered - Matthew 26:31 notes that Jesus quoted this with reference to Himself and His Apostles, and v.56 shows that they forsook him, and fl ed when Jesus was apprehended in the Garden of Gethsemane. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and affl icted...7 He was oppressed, and he was affl icted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth... 6

7 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. - I will turn my hand upon the little ones - This refers to the sheep of Israel, which I believe could go two ways: Zechariah 11:7 And I will feed the fl ock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the fl ock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the fl ock. Isaiah 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: The scattering: Disciples; 70 AD; Tribulation (Matthew 24) * v.8 - two parts therein shall be cut off - In the Tribulation, the majority (2/3) of these Jews will be killed while a remnant remains (1/3). Even part of the whole world will be killed under the Four Horsemen of the Apocalyspe as seen in Revelation 6:1-8 when power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth (8). Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fl y into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a fl ood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the fl ood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the fl ood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. * v.9 - I will bring the third part through the fire - The refining process will be in the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14) as Israel first went through the iron furnace...of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance (Deuteronomy 4:20). Because tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed (Romans 5:3-5), this remnant will come forth as gold...when he hath tried me (Job 23:10). * v.9 - I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God - Because of their refinement, this remnant will finally be able to say that the Lord is truly their God! No more doubts, fears, waffling or uncertainties about who the God of Israel is! 7

8 Jeremiah 32:38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. 42 For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. 43 And fi elds shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. 44 Men shall buy fi elds for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD. Ezekiel 37:23 Neither shall they defi le themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. See Hosea Chapters 1 & 2. 8