10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 14 Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Many times I've returned to this scripture and taken it to heart as my own. The Lord has led me through difficult times and turned away accusations and attacks. As Christians we can "own" these scriptures, as the Holy Spirit opens them up.
However, their ultimate meaning and fulfilment is for Israel.
Those of us old enough to have lived through the 60's will remember "little Israel" winning the 6 day war in the face of unbelievable odds.
The enemies surrounded them, outnumbered them and yet they prevailed.
Surely, it makes us look to this scripture and see the Hand of the Lord, faithful to His Word.
Since the inception of the State of Israel, their existence has been constantly threatened by their enemies, and yet they have survived and thrived.
Today, there are many nations that raise their fist and pledge to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. They will never succeed.
For many Israelis, they pride themselves in their own strength and deny any divine intervention.
There awaits a time of revelation that God has been at work on their behalf all the time.
Zechariah 12 A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares: 2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a fire pot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.
7 “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honour of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
Mourning for the One They Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son
What a day that will be - at last Jesus will be recognised as Israel's Promised Messiah.
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