The God Who Still Comes For His People
October 19, 2008 Zech 10
Intro:
A little over a month ago, I was sitting on the LRT late one night after a football game, feeling a profound sense of sadness. No, it was not because the Eskimos lost, though they had. I’m getting used to that… and I’m not bitter! It was because of another situation, the details of which I won’t go into, but one where people for whom I care were hurting, deeply. It was a hard situation, and I felt compassion and sadness together, and as I rode the LRT listening to my iPod, feeling this sadness and loss and hurt, the question running through my mind and heart and prayers was simply, “Lord… where are You in the midst of this? Where can I find You? Where are You working, where are You going to bring something good out of such a hard place?”
Zechariah 10 (NIV)
We find some answers to that age-old question, “God, where are you?”, in Zechariah 10.
1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds.
He gives showers of rain to men,
and plants of the field to everyone.
2 The idols speak deceit,
diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
they give comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
3 "My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
for the LORD Almighty will care
for his flock, the house of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler.
5 Together they [a] will be like mighty men
trampling the muddy streets in battle.
Because the LORD is with them,
they will fight and overthrow the horsemen.
6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God
and I will answer them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like mighty men,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will signal for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,
and there will not be room enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Assyria’s pride will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.
12 I will strengthen them in the LORD
and in his name they will walk,"
declares the LORD.
I am Here in daily provision (vs. 1-2a):
We ask, “God, where are you?”, and the first answer is “I am here in daily provision”.
1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds.
He gives showers of rain to men,
and plants of the field to everyone.
2 The idols speak deceit,
diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
they give comfort in vain.
Remember these words are 2500 years old, an agricultural society dependant on the spring rains to bring the essentials for life. In this setting, people across the known world related natural phenomenon to “gods”, and sought to appease them. Even the Israelites, the people of God, succumbed to that practice as we see in vs. 2, looking to idols and diviners to try to secure the daily needs. Against this God proclaims that He is the source of the rains and the storm clouds and thus the source of life and of every daily provision and it is Him that we should ask and seek. So where is God? In the daily provisions of life. The food we enjoy, the clean water, the shelter and clothing and relationships of love and security. God is the source, and God is here.
I am Here to care and lead (vs. 2b-3)
Where else is God? He is here to care and lead. Zechariah continues from this rejection of the idols and diviners, and moves on to question the leadership that has been in place over the people that have allowed them to seek answers from other “gods” rather than from the God of Israel:
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
3 "My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
for the LORD Almighty will care
for his flock, the house of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.
The image of the leader as a shepherd is a familiar one in the Bible. Zechariah has a lot more to say about the “shepherds” of God’s people in the next chapter, so I’ll leave much of this until next week. But the point of these two verses is simple yet profound: the leadership has failed, so God Himself is stepping in. God is coming to lead, God is coming to “care for his flock”, God is going to punish the failed human leaders and personally come to lead His people.
This is unprecedented. Unheard of. Almost incomprehensible. How could God, who is spirit, actually come and take over, and lead His people? How could that be?? To answer that, we have to jump ahead a few hundred years where we see the answer. “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:34). Jesus said, ““I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).
Where is God? He has come, in Jesus, to supersede failed earthly rulers and personally care for the “sheep”, transforming them from helpless, stupid sheep into “proud horse(s) in battle”.
I am Here as Cornerstone, Tent Peg, and Battle Bow (vs. 4)
Where else is God? If you felt I was stretching the text by reading vs. 3 as a prophecy of Jesus coming, we’ll see that more clearly here in vs. 4:
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler.
This verse is clearly recognized as a prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah. There are three images used to describe Him. First is the “cornerstone”. Eph 2:20 says it plainly, “the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself”, clearly referring back to Zech 10 as well as other places. Jesus used the same language, as did Peter in Acts 4 and 1 Pet 2. The “cornerstone” in the construction technology of the time was the most important – it had to be strong, it had to be square, everything else was built upon that one important piece. The “tent peg” is a less familiar picture of the Messiah. Here the object is probably not what we think of as a tent peg – something we push into the ground to hold our tent in place when we go camping – but rather a peg that would have been inside the tent, upon which the person could hang their valuables or clothes or bag or whatever else needed to be kept off the floor. There is some other background, but “the peg thus symbolizes the support for the people, the one on whom the weight of the nation’s needs rests.” (Klein, Zechariah, “New American Commentary”, p. 294). The final messianic image is the “battle bow”, a symbol of strength and military might and victory.
All of this means, quite simply, that the answer to our question, “where is God?”, is “in Jesus”. Jesus the “cornerstone”, Jesus the “one on whom the weight of the nation’s needs rests”, Jesus the victorious conqueror. We find God in the person of Jesus.
I am Here in the midst of battle (vs. 5)
Where is God? In the middle of the battle:
5 Together they will be like mighty men
trampling the muddy streets in battle.
Because the LORD is with them,
they will fight and overthrow the horsemen.
When you and I feel like we are in the middle of a righteous battle, trying to do the right thing even though it is extremely difficult, the promise is right here: “the LORD is with them”, and we will fight and overthrow even the most fearsome opponents, even when it looks like we are outmatched and the other forces so much bigger and stronger, like horsemen to foot soldiers, it doesn’t matter. Where is God? In the midst of the battle.
I am Here to redeem (vs 6)
Where is God when we have turned away, been disobedient, forgotten Him? Sometimes we clearly see that we are in a mess because we have disobeyed God, made bad choices, went the wrong way. So then where is God?
6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God
and I will answer them.
Where is God when we’ve messed up? God is there with compassion. That is the word in the passage. God is there with restoration. God is there to strengthen. God is there to answer. These are powerful, amazing words! Let’s not run past them!! Compassion from the Almighty God of the Universe!! Restoration from the God of grace!! Strength from the God who is All-Powerful!! Answers from the God who knows all and sees all!! Notice one more thing: “They will be as though I had not rejected them”. A clean slate, a fresh start, complete restoration even after punishment. Amazing!! This is where God is – here, now, with compassion, restoration, strength, answers, and a fresh start.
I am Here, I am Calling (vs 8)
Where is God? Listen:
8 I will signal for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before.
The word “signal” is actually “whistle” – the way a shepherd would call and “signal” for the sheep to come and follow. The verse reminds us of Jesus’ words in John 10:4, “his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” So where is God? He is calling to us, signaling us, wanting us to “know his voice”, recognize His signal, and be gathered to Him.
My friends, there is only one way for us to be able to recognize our Shepherd’s call – we must spend time with Him. Reading our Bibles, praying earnestly, seeking God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength. I honestly feel that a big part of our problem, during times of trouble where we are crying out in hurt and need for God, is that we struggle to recognize His voice because we didn’t spend the time with Him when things were not desperate. We were lazy in our spiritual disciplines, leaving the Bible on the shelf and repeating a meal-time prayer without thought. Then the struggle comes, we cry out for God in our need – which is good and which we need to do! – but we have trouble hearing the response because it is unfamiliar. I implore you: seek God, learn to listen to His voice, be with Him, so that when in time of need and you cry out for help, you will recognize His voice and know His presence.
I am Here, Leading you through the trouble (vs. 9-11)
Where is God? Leading His people through the trouble:
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,
and there will not be room enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Assyria’s pride will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.
This is familiar language to the people of God, recalling the Exodus and the promises of God to restore His people to abundance after they have been distant. Yet now the language is future tense, and once reminding us of the glorious past and promising the same for the near future.
There are two slight problems with translation in the passage as we have it, which are significant to the meaning. I don’t have time to explain all the details, so hope you’ll take me at my word and ask for more clarification if you want. The first is the word “scatter” in vs. 9. The word should actually be “sow”. They are similar words, but the first sounds random and almost haphazard. The second, “sow”, is intentional and represents the decision of the farmer to plant seed where he wants it to grow. The meaning and application for us is this – we are in the situations and circumstances we are because the sovereign hand of God has placed us there, that we might grow and bear fruit (or “remember me” in the text), and then be brought back after being a witness. The second problem is at the beginning of vs. 11 – it says “they”. Leading scholars believe it should say, “He”, and refer to God leading us through the sea of trouble, subduing the seas, drying up the rivers, and bringing down the enemies.
This too is significant for us. Where is God? Leading us through the trouble. And again, our clearest example of this is Jesus Himself, who led us through the very gates of death itself, emerged victorious on the other side, and so strips away all fear of death and of eternity without God. And with that assurance, we face any and every situation knowing that the “worst” that can happen to our physical bodies only ushers in the glory of eternity with God.
Conclusion:
God, where are you? we sometimes ask. He answers, “I am Here in daily provision, I am Here to care and lead, I am Here as Cornerstone, Tent Peg, and Battle Bow, I am Here in the midst of battle, I am Here to redeem, I am Here and I am Calling to you, and I am Here, Leading you through the trouble.”
I am here, and “I will strengthen (you) in the LORD, and in (My) name (you) will walk". (vs 12). As we go this week, may we walk in that strength, knowing God’s presence with us in every moment, fighting beside us, with us learning to listen to His voice, God walking us through the trouble, and walking in His name, as His children, obedient in every way, and showing others around us where God is in the midst of their lives as well.
