A COMING TRIUMPHANT ENTRY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!”

“See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Zechariah 9:9-10

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The power of the Lord and the movement of His Spirit in making things happen in His perfect time never cease to amaze me. Let me explain the latest instance.

As you know, I write every day from the scriptures and share the devotions the Lord places on my heart. In preparation for these devotions, I map out messages weeks in advance and so I don’t really look at upcoming dates, unless of course there is a special Christian occasion on the horizon such as Christmas or Easter.

Given this, I had planned on starting my Easter series on Sunday, April 9^th with a devotion on Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, which is, of course, tomorrow, Palm Sunday. My plan was to stop my writings from the Old Testament on the day prior (today), wherever I was at, and then resume those Old Testament writings where I left off after Easter.

Now, here’s the amazing part of all this. Look again at today’s scripture passage from Zechariah, chapter 9, the final devotion here before my Easter series:

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!”

“See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”  Zechariah 9:9-10

  

How cool is this?

The stopping point before my devotion on the Triumphant Entry is the prophecy about that very entry, spoken by God through His prophet Zechariah!

Up to this juncture, you’ll recall that God had given the Israelites great news about Jerusalem and their place within it. As God allowed a remnant of His people to return home to rebuild after their Babylonian captivity, the beloved, holy city would be restored and experience a revival of epic proportions. The people within the city walls would flourish, living in joy and peace as they put their lives back together again and renewed their relationship with the Lord, a renewed relationship which involved returning to proper worship within the reconstructed Temple. The way God would bless His people would be so evident that people from other nations would flock to Jerusalem to want to join the Jews and be blessed by their God, leaving their false gods and idols behind to bring devotion to the one and only true God, the God of Israel.

But given all this, God still had the best still ahead for His people and Jerusalem. For He was sending the Messiah that had been so long predicted into His holy city as their greatest King ever, a King they were commanded to rejoice greatly and shout for joy over. Note that this King would not come in on a war horse to great fanfare but rather humbly riding a donkey to proclaim peace to all the nations as His rule would extend to all ends of the earth.

This is what the Israelites had to look forward to and tomorrow, we’ll see these words come to life as we look at Jesus’ final week of life.

Yes, your heard it right.

Final week.

For as we will see, the excitement of the Messiah’s coming would quickly turn toward cries for His execution.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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ON WATCH

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A prophecy:

“The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus—for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord—and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful.”

“Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.”

“Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth.”

“Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. But I will encamp at My temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun My people, for now I am keeping watch.”

Zechariah 9:1-8

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the last chapter of Zechariah, we found good news for the remnant of Israelites who had returned to rebuild Israel following the Babylonian captivity. That good news included God’s promise to restore and revive Jerusalem, the holy city that would once again be the host of the Lord’s temple. Additionally, God promised to bless His people as long as they continued to live in His righteousness, even giving them specific ways He expected them to live. As long as they would be obedient to His word, will, and way, they would bask in the glow of His favor and protection. In fact, as the chapter closed, we saw where nations outside of Israel would want to join the population of God’s people, committing themselves to Him so they too could be blessed.

Well, as Chapter 9 opens, we get a sense that not all nations were onboard with leaving their past wickedness behind in order to sign up for God’s team. And as we see through these verses, the decision to reject God would be one they would regret. Look again at these words here:

A prophecy:

“The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus—for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord—and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful.”

“Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.”

“Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth.”

“Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. But I will encamp at My temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun My people, for now I am keeping watch.”  Zechariah 9:1-8

We’re told right away that these verses constitute a prophecy, a message given to Zechariah, the prophet, from God Himself. Note that the message was crystal clear regarding those nations who would close to remain enemies of God and His people:

“Choose to oppose Me or My people and you will perish.”  

Indeed the prophecy tells of the destruction that would come to Israel’s opposition:

- The word of the Lord was against Hadrak, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon.

- Tyre would have her possessions taken away and her sea power destroyed before being “consumed by fire”.  

- The devastation of Tyre would bring fear and agony to the Philistine city states of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod who would see their hope wither and rightfully so. Such is what happens when any nation is staring down the barrel of God’s judgment.   

Yes, all was not looking good for the enemies of God and Israel except for some of the people of Philistine who would survive and be absorbed into the Israelite population as a clan like the Jebusites who had been inhabitants of Jerusalem when the Israelites entered and took over Canaan. Note that this clan as well as all of God’s people in Israel would not have to fear their enemies because God promised to never allow another oppressor to overrun His people because He was always on watch, encamped at His temple to guard against “marauding forces”.

 Today, the good news is that God is still on watch and guarding Israel, ready to protect His beloved nation and its people against enemies who would seek to oppose them and Him. Perhaps countries who foolishly levy threats against the Israelites today should go back in history from the time of Zechariah and see that Israel has never been completely destroyed and left abandoned since the judgment executed by Assyria and Babylon.

As we have seen over and over again, God never fails to keep His promises. We should revel and rejoice in that truth today and every day we’re blessed with.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM...

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’ Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for His blessing.”

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Zechariah 8:20-23

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Israel’s enemies had tried over and over again to defeat the nation, shrugging off the assertion that their efforts would always be fruitless because Israel was protected by the Lord God Almighty, a God they chose to neither acknowledge nor worship. As we know, every attempt that was initiated by a sinful, wicked nation against Israel failed and failed badly. The only real victory any enemy of Israel had came only because God allowed it to happen, using Assyria and Babylon as instruments of His judgment, a judgment we know wasn’t intended to last forever. God promised it Himself and as we have seen in the Book of Zechariah as well as other post-exilic books such as Ezra and Nehemiah, a remnant of Israelites did indeed return to the Promised Land, permitted by God to come home and rebuild their homes, lives relationships with Him, and, of course, His Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Israel’s enemies had to look on with fascination and even a sense of trepidation as God once again showed that the Israelites were His people and He their God. And with that kind of arrangement, how could any opponent of Israel every triumph? It had to be a question that adversaries had asked and perhaps one of the answers to the question might be found in a saying very familiar to us today:

If you can’t beat them, join them.

We get a sense that this would indeed be the approach other nations would use because the Lord tells us Himself in today’s scripture passage drawn from the closing verses of Zechariah 8. Look again at these words here:

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’ Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for His blessing.”

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”  Zechariah 8:20-23

Note the battle describer God uses to name Himself:

“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies”

The title conjures up imagery of a military commander leading his troops into war; in this case, the Lord leading the armies of the heavens which were of such power that no fighting force on earth stood a chance against them. And so given this, the scriptures tell of what was to come, that “people from nations and cities around the world” would travel to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and seek His Lord’s blessings. These people, knowing they could not beat the Lord, made the wise choice to join Him instead, clutching at the sleeves of the Jews while asking permission to walk along with God as they were.

In other words, all the nations of the world who had once rejected God were now ready to accept Him, giving Him their devotion.

Friends, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we saw this scene play out again here in the 21st century?

Wouldn’t it be great if every nation in the world would dedicate themselves to the God of Israel who is actually the God of all people, Him being their Maker and Master?

And wouldn’t it be a total game changer if all nations would just choose to join God instead of trying to beat Him, pledging their full dedication and worship to Him and Him alone?

I know it sounds improbable but it’s definitely something we all should be praying for.

After all, God has worked greater miracles.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

DO THESE THINGS

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered Me,” says the Lord Almighty, “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

Zechariah 8:12-19

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Zechariah, chapter 8 opened, we found the Lord promising a revived and restored Jerusalem, also vowing it would be a place where people would thrive and live in peace and happiness.

But what about the rest of the nation, the remainder of the Jewish population who would return home to populate places outside of Jerusalem?

As we see in today’s passage, the Lord had words of promise for them as well along with words of instruction and direction about things He expected His people to do. Look again at these verses here:

“The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered Me,” says the Lord Almighty, “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”  Zechariah 8:12-19

Through the scriptures here, we see the Lord painting a total picture of prosperity for His people of Judah and Israel, the people who once were a “curse among the nations” would now be seen as blessed and thriving.

The heavens were going to “drop their dew”, the vine was going to “yield its fruit”, and the sown seed was going to “grow well” with the ground producing its crops. The Lord was giving these things to His people “as an inheritance” and life was going to be good. Once again they were going to be God’s people and He their God thus there was every reason to stay strong and no reason to fear

But note that there were conditions for the Israelites to remain within the blessings of God’s goodness and favor, things they were to do to avoid the same disastrous judgment that had befallen their ancestors.

What were the conditions?

They included the following:

1. Speak truth to one another.

“Speak the truth to each other.”

2. Deliver true and sound verdicts in court.

“Render true and sound judgment in your courts.”

3. No evil plots against one another.

“Do not plot evil against each other.”

4. Stop lying.

“Do not love to swear falsely.”

5. Love truth and peace.

“Therefore love truth and peace.”

As long as the Israelites did these things, life would be good to include their “fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months” which would “become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals”.

What did all these conditions have in common?

They were all centered on righteousness, the kind of righteousness that only comes in being obedient to the Lord’s word, will, and way. Indeed, when we commit ourselves to carry out all He asks us to do, fulfilling His every purpose, then we can’t help but live right and righteously, in a way that is pleasant and pleasing in His sight.

And when we do the things the Lord tells us to do, we prosper and revel in the abundant bounty of gifts the Lord rains down on His faithful ones.  

It was true for the Israelites in Zechariah’s day and it’s true for all of God’s people today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com