SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/20/2016 4:41 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-8 Divine Plan for Jerusalem
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Zechariah 1:9-17
Message of the verses: Let us begin this section with verses 16 “16 ’Therefore thus says the LORD, "I will return to Jerusalem with
compassion; My
house will be built in it," declares the LORD of hosts, "and a
measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem."’” The people must have been joyous when they
heard this first message from Zechariah as they would have been comforted in
knowing that God will return to Jerusalem with His compassion and that His
house would be built once again.
John
MacArthur points out that there are four things in verse sixteen for us to look
at. 1. God will return to Jerusalem with
mercy and also tender affection. The
word actually can mean love or “bowels” “literally deep feeling of
emotion.” 2. The next thing we see is
restoration in verse 16 which is right in the middle of the verse. “My house will be built in it.” “Four years after that prophecy, the temple
was finished.” 3. Next we see
reconstruction “And a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” This means that they’re going lay out the
city to rebuild it. Nehemiah finished
this 80 years later. 4. The last word
from this verse is very important and that word is reassurance which is
actually at the end of verse seventeen:
“17 “Again, proclaim, saying, ’Thus says the LORD of hosts, "My
cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose
Jerusalem."’"” This has
to be a wonderful message to those who were of the remnant who returned to
Jerusalem.
Now Dr.
Wiersbe entitles his sub-section “The answer” and it covers verses 13-17, which
are some of the verses we have been looking at.
He writes some similar things that we have already looked at concerning
the word jealousy so I will not repeat them.
“The Lord
was angry with the Gentile nations because they had been unnecessarily brutal
toward the Jews. True, God had called
Assyria to punish the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and Babylon to chasten Judah;
but these nations went beyond what God called them to do and tried to destroy
the Jews. Other nations, like Moab, had
also joined in the assault (see Pss. 83 and 137).
“But the
Lord’s most heartening words had t do with Judah’s future, not her enemies, for
God promised to return to His people and prosper their nation. He would comfort Zion and prove to the enemy
nations that Jerusalem was indeed His chosen city. This promise is repeated and expanded in the
rest of Zechariah’s prophecy.”
He then
goes on to write something that is for our benefits from this passage: “When our situation appears to be hopeless we
must remind ourselves that God identifies with our sufferings and is in charge
of the future. Our responsibility is to
repent, confess our sins, and believe His ‘comforting words.’ His responsibility is to respond to our faith,
and work out His perfect will for us.”
4/20/2016 5:02 PM
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