Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Second Intro to Zech. 11


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/13/2016 10:01 PM

My Worship Time                                                                                Focus:  2nd Intro to Zach. 11

            We want to take another look at this eleventh chapter of the book of Zechariah as it is taking a different direction than chapters nine and ten.  Those chapters were mostly about what is going to happen during the end of the tribulation period and also into the Millennial Kingdom, while chapter eleven looks as the work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, during His first coming.

            As we reflect on what we will be seeing in this chapter we need to realize that God has not only promised Israel a Kingdom, but also He has promised them salvation.  We have also learned that God has promised Israel a wonderful restoration as He brings the children of Israel back home to their land, something that has already began as of May of 1948.  Now as mentioned Zechariah now turns into a prophet of doom as we move forward to chapter eleven. 

            What we are going to see in the chapter is that the nation of Israel will reject their Messiah and have Him killed, but we know that that has already been fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.  John MacArthur writes “In fact, this may help you to see it in perspective; chapter 11 tells us why the promises of chapters 9 and 10 never came to pass when Jesus came the first time.  Chapter 11 tells us that when He came the first time, they rejected Him.  And so that accounts for the postponing of the promises of 9 and 10.”

            When I was thinking about this chapter I was puzzled why the Holy Spirit put it in the order that He did, and so the Lord now has shown me why this is in the way it was written.  Chapters 9-10 would have been fulfilled at Christ’s first coming if the Jews had not killed their Messiah and then there would have been no need to have chapter eleven.  I have this burning question that I really do not have an answer to that kind of fits into what we are talking about at this time.  I know that God has a plan, and nothing in that plan will not be fulfilled, but sometimes I wonder about what His plans have to do with His will.  I hope you understand my question.

            MacArthur gives the following outline that we will use as we look at this chapter and it has to do with shepherds.  One more thing before we look at this and that is that chapter eleven is the most poetic chapter in the book of Zechariah.  The first section he entitles “The ravage of the wailing Shepherds.”  Next we will look at “He rejection of the true Shepherd.”  Lastly is “The reception of the False Shepherd.” 

9/13/2016 10:21 PM

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