Herein, the Word of the Lord has come unto Zechariah. It is the eighth month, in the second year of Darius. Zechariah is the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet. (Nehemiah 12:4) During this time, the Lord hath been sore displeased with Israel's fathers, and is saying unto them, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, "Turn ye unto Me," saith the Lord of hosts, "and I will turn unto you," saith the Lord of hosts." (Zechariah 1:1-3)
The warning that is being stated is to "be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts: turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings, but they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord." (Zechariah 1:4)
Jesus expands on this same message in Matthew 23, when He speaks to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but don't ye after their works for they say and do not. For they bind heavy burdens; and are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men; they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, "Rabbi, Rabbi," but be not ye called Rabbi; for One is you Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren ..." (Matthew 23:1-10)
Jesus finishes by saying, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; for I say unto you, "Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23:39; Jeremiah 22:5; Psalm 118:26; Matthew 21:9)
Jeremiah had earlier prophesied, saying, "But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by Myself," saith the Lord, "that this house shall become a desolation ... I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited .... and many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, "Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city?" Then they shall answer, "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them." (Jeremiah 22:1-9)
Repeatedly, the Israelites were committing this great evil against their souls. "Therefore, now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel."(Jeremiah 44:6) Nevertheless, the Lord continued to call His people, pleading with them to "turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin." (Isaiah 31:6-7)
And again in Malachi the same invitation. "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them, "Return unto Me and I will return unto you," saith the Lord of hosts, "but ye said, "Wherein Shall we return?" (Malachi 3:7)
This same compassion for His people and on His dwelling place is expressed in Jeremiah. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers ... but they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy." (II Chronicles 36:15-16)
"That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not heir heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God." (Psalm 78:8)
As we move through these small sampling of scriptures, we see the Lord's mercy and love continually expressed throughout. As the psalmist David asks, "Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favourable no more? Is His mercy clean gone for ever? Does His promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up His ender mercies?" (Psalm 77:7-9)
Thankfully, we are privileged to know the rest of the story, that the same God who created the world and all its inhabitants, was made flesh and dwelt among us. As John writes, "He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not." (John 1:10-11; I Timothy 3:16)
As a consequence, we too can call to remembrance the song the Lord placed in our heart in the night. We too can remember the works of the Lord, the same God that doest wonders and has declared His strength among the people. Why? Because we know "Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people." (Psalm 77:15; 11)
We understand that the first commandment -- "Hear O Israel the Lord thy God is One Lord" has not changed, and will not change, because our hearts have come to know personally the God that furnishes a table for His people in the wilderness. The One and Same God that smote the rock, that caused the waters to gush out, and the streams to overflow. And that He can give bread also, and provide flesh for His people.
But some sinned more against the Most High, provoking Him and speaking against God, because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation -- even when tHe had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the corn of heaven, until they were full. They believed not for His wondrous works. (Psalm 77:13-24)
And sadly, we see many who say they worship the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength but then refuse to believe that the same God who created them in the beginning would love them enough to shed His precious blood on a cross, beaten and mocked, so that we could have abundant life in Him.
Why is this? I believe it's because we've allowed our church leaders to divide the One and Only Lord God into three, a multi-headed triad, if you will that has rendered the body of Christ church , His holy people powerless and scattered. (Daniel 12:7)
But it doesn't need to be this way. Re-read the scriptures above and understand that before God clothed Himself in a sin-prone body (yet without sin), He told us that a day would come when we would "look upon Me whom they have pierced!" (Zechariah 12:8) That the day would come when we would hearken in our hearts to the Lord of hosts, and that when we turned unto the Lord of hosts, He would turn unto us. (Zechariah 1:1-4)
"Therefore, now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel ..."
Not a God divided into three persons (as the false modern day religious culture would have us believe), but the One Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel who loved His people -- as the apple of His eye. But He won't railroad us into believing in Him, and thus, we see in scriptural example after example, the Israelites going around and around the mountain but never reaching the promised land.
Let's not find ourselves in the same situation, wherein our hearts strive for the things of this world, and not the Lord God who chooses to love us beyond measure. In this current dispensation of grace, His name is JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21-23)
Come to Jesus today -- for He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. The Creator of the universe who came down from His glory to redeem His people.
Stand in the offering plate.
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