Israel’s Cleansing Series

Intro

In our previous message, the national repentance of Israel is described in Zechariah 12:10-14. That work of grace involved three steps:

1st God initiated this salvation process by pouring out on Israel “a spirit of grace and supplication”i on the people. 2nd Christ is revealed to the nation as “the one they have pierced.” This revelation of Jesus as Messiah then prompts the third step.

3rd The whole nation mourns deeply for their rejection of Christ. This godly sorrow is expressed by every individual in the nation. Every clan or family mourns together as a community, and the nation as a whole repents of their sin and unbelief.

Our text continues this process of spiritual transformation with the forgivensss and cleansing their sincere repentance. Follow with me as we read our text in Zechariah 13:1-6:

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.

4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive. 5 Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[a]’ 6 If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’”

First, the source of Israel’s cleansing is stated in verse 1. Then the effect of this cleansing is described more fully in verses 2-6. Anytime a person or a nation mourns over their sin in the light of Christ crucified, God is always faithful to forgive the sin and cleanse that person so that the life is powerfully transformed. Therefore, in our text, we have not only the prophetic event of God spiritually transforming Israel in preparation for the Millennium, but we have a timeless pattern of how God brings salvation into any life. Genuine repentance prompted by the Holy Spirit opens the door for cleansing and transformation.

Hopefully you have experienced this pattern in your own life. Additionally, we must evangelize the lost with this pattern in mind. An “easy beliveism” that skips personal repentance of sin comes short of what is revealed here for salvation.ii First look with me at:

I. SOURCE OF ISRAEL'S CLEANSING as Stated in verse 1.

We are first reminded of the time in which this event occurs. Verse 1 begins with the phrase, “On that day.” That is code for the end time. We encountered it in Zechariah 12:11 which describes the repentance that will occur prior to this cleansing. “On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” The repetition of this phrase in 13:1 affirms the continuation of narrative.

The break between chapters 12 and 13 is unnecessary, since both passages deal with the same timeframe, the same people (“the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem”), and the same subject (Israel’s spiritual transformation). The chapter and verse divisions were first introduced in the 13th Century AD.iii They are not inspired. They are a helpful way of organizing the vast amount of material. So, it your studies, use them as an organizational tool, but make your own determination as to where the paragraphs change.

Notice how this time marker is reinforced at the beginning of verse 2 and verse 4 of Zechariah 13. All the events in chapter 12 occur at the end of the Tribulation period. Chapter 13:1-6 continue the thought describing the cleansing of the nation as it moves into the Millennium. “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. . . .”

As discussed in Zechariah 12:10, “the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem” is a reference to the whole nation of Israel. Some expositors restrict it to the leadership in Israel.iv But God does not just cleanse the leadership of the nation. He cleanses every individual Israelite. This is affirmed in the prediction of this event in Jeremiah 31:33-34: “‘This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ [after God restores Israel in the last days] declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ [not just the leadership] declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” That is what is taking place in our Zechariah text. Every member of the nation of Israel will know the Lord and be cleansed of their sin. Of course, this fountain is available to you and me today when we turn to Christ in faith.