One of the great biblical keys to understanding many of the current events is Zechariah chapters 12 through 14. This week we will look at 12:1-10:
who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the
spirit of man within him,
"Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the
peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be
against Judah.
"It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all
the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the
earth will be gathered against it.
"In that day," declares the LORD, "I will strike every horse with bewilderment
and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while
I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
"Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, "A strong support for us are
the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God.'
"In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood
and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand
and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem
again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.
"The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of
David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above
Judah.
"In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who
is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will
be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.
"And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem.
"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have
pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they
will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
This discourse begins with a reminder that the Lord created the universe and man. This is a way of saying there is no problem that man can create which is too big for Him! Then He goes on to state that the problem of Jerusalem will be too big for men, and will be like a heavy stone which will injure all who try to lift it.
The problem of Jerusalem is beyond human remedy. As the Lord made clear in this Scripture, it will prove to be a tragic presumption for all who try to lift this burden. The literal translation of this verse is that all who try to lift this stone will be “cut in pieces.” Why? This is one of those ultimate questions with an answer in this case that is most profound.
The frustration of this problem will ultimately cause all nations to turn against Israel. Then the Lord will strike their forces with confusion and madness, while strengthening the people of Jerusalem, who will rise up and defeat all of their neighbors around them. Then they will come to know the One whom they pierced—Jesus, their Messiah. They will mourn for Him as for an “only Son.”
There are other biblical prophecies that confirm this one, each one adding part of the picture. For now we need to understand that the Middle East problems are not going to get fixed by men, and those who try to impose their solutions will be severely hurt.
This is crucial for us to understand concerning these times because it affects far more than just the Middle East—it affects everything and every one of us. One of the things that these times will prove to all of creation, for all of eternity, is the futility of trying to do anything apart from God. This is the presumption that has caused all of the death and destruction from the beginning, and it is the major lesson learned from all that comes about in these times.
Of course, as Americans we should be very concerned about the way the United States is trying to impose its peace plan on Jerusalem. If our leadership persists in this course, we can expect some very grave consequences. There are ways we can help both sides with this problem, which is appropriate, but not by imposing our own will and solutions on them. Personally, I am praying for godly counselors to be given to our leadership who will help steer our polices in the right way. If this does not happen, we can prepare for the consequences.
Let’s look at some personal practical, responses to what is stated in Zechariah 12. First, we should have a basic devotion in our lives to humble ourselves and begin turning to the Lord in everything. We can know all about His kingdom, but we are not living in it unless He is the Lord of our personal life. Are we living where we presume we can run our own lives, fix our own problems, as well as fix others and their problems?
Now it is certainly not wrong to try to resolve our problems, and certainly not wrong to try to help others with theirs, but it is profoundly wrong if we are trying to do anything without God. He made us for His pleasure and He made us to need Him. The most basic sin of man is to think that we can make it without Him. For this we need to repent, and pray for the repentance of our nations. Jerusalem has become the “heavy stone” which will injure any who try to lift it as a sign that this whole mentality of man trying to live without God is a burden too heavy for man to bear.
Of course, there are lunatics and fanatics who try to bring about the judgment of God by devising tragedies. This is the demonic spirit behind terrorism. Such is an ultimate presumption, even worse than trying to impose a peace plan rooted in our own wisdom on Jerusalem. To think that we, in our flesh, are needed to bring about the judgments of God, or to defend God’s honor, is an even greater delusion of pride.
The Holy Spirit is the Helper. It is His basic nature to help. If we are led by the Spirit than this should always be our devotion as well. The Lord loves Israel and He also loves the Palestinians, and all of the other people of the Middle East. What He is doing in relation to Jerusalem is for the ultimate deliverance of all of mankind. Unfortunately, the Scriptures are clear that mankind will not turn to God until we are in such a mess that we know for sure we will all perish if He does not help us.
Mankind would not have to suffer what is coming if we would embrace humility and turn to God now. We would not have to suffer as much as we do personally if we would learn to do everything with Him, instead of constantly asking Him to deliver us from the messes we get ourselves into. As we are told in I Corinthians 11:31, “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.” Now is the time to repent of this basic evil of man. If we do, we will not be judged when the judgment comes.