October 3 - Zechariah 5-8
How did you do with the symbolic language in this passage? Did you see the message presented in the visions? I hope so. The main thing is to look for the spiritual principles. When you do that, the message comes through loud and clear.
In this series of visions God shows Zechariah what has happened to Israel and what is going to happen to them. It is really very interesting. He tells Zechariah that His curse was upon the thieves and the liars of His people, which was probably most of them, and that He took all of the wickedness to Shinar or Babylon. The time there brought a rest to the Spirit, because the people started to learn their lesson. Then, He began to put it into their hearts to return and to rebuild the Temple. They saw that they had not really been committed to the Lord in the days of their fathers, so now they must be serious about righteousness. In chapter 8 God showed Zechariah the end result of all of this. He would restore the people to the Land and rebuild the Temple, because He has a zeal for Zion or Jerusalem. Then, the people would live in righteousness instead of in sin, so that ultimately the Gentiles would grab them and ask them to take them to the Lord. (8:23) That is all an amazing message told mostly through these symbolic visions.
It shows us the Lord's heart for His people to be righteous, and it shows us His plan. Do you know how much the Lord longs for you to live according to His will? Do you know that just as He has a plan for Israel, He has a plan for you? That is the kind of person God is. He is thorough. He sees the beginning and the end of all of His plans. You are a part of His plan, if you know Him, so you should ask Him to show you what he has for you and live by that direction. Then, you will have His blessing, just like Israel.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 9-11.
In this series of visions God shows Zechariah what has happened to Israel and what is going to happen to them. It is really very interesting. He tells Zechariah that His curse was upon the thieves and the liars of His people, which was probably most of them, and that He took all of the wickedness to Shinar or Babylon. The time there brought a rest to the Spirit, because the people started to learn their lesson. Then, He began to put it into their hearts to return and to rebuild the Temple. They saw that they had not really been committed to the Lord in the days of their fathers, so now they must be serious about righteousness. In chapter 8 God showed Zechariah the end result of all of this. He would restore the people to the Land and rebuild the Temple, because He has a zeal for Zion or Jerusalem. Then, the people would live in righteousness instead of in sin, so that ultimately the Gentiles would grab them and ask them to take them to the Lord. (8:23) That is all an amazing message told mostly through these symbolic visions.
It shows us the Lord's heart for His people to be righteous, and it shows us His plan. Do you know how much the Lord longs for you to live according to His will? Do you know that just as He has a plan for Israel, He has a plan for you? That is the kind of person God is. He is thorough. He sees the beginning and the end of all of His plans. You are a part of His plan, if you know Him, so you should ask Him to show you what he has for you and live by that direction. Then, you will have His blessing, just like Israel.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 9-11.