ZECHARIAH 13: 7-9
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS BRING SANCTIFICATION
[Zephaniah 3]
Here begins a new section in Zechariah's great last oracle. The focus is abruptly shifted from the deceitful visions of the false prophet to the sufferings of the Messiah. Clearly it is the time of Christ's death that is again previewed.
Those who truly trust the Messiah are not only purged of sin in their inner being (their heart, conscience, and mind) but also in their daily walk, for their spiritual and moral life for Christ must be brought forth. During the tribulation period severe testing will be given the repentant righteous remnant to purify them and to prepare them to be the center of Christ's reign on earth (CIT).
As with the previous verses, from here through the end of the book a fountain of victory flows but in this final section the emphasis is directly on the part our Lord plays in achieving it.
Let us continue the victory note of the previous verses and see:
I. The Shepherd Struck, 13:7. and
II. The Sheep Sanctified, 13:8-9.
In contrast to the false prophets just described God's true Shepherd is presented in verse 7. "Awake, O sword against My Shepherd, and against the Man, My Associate," declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered:"
The LORD Himself is now speaking. He immediately switches the attention of the reader from the wounds the false prophets received in worshiping his god or gods to the One True Prophet whose wounds were received in the worship of ultimate obedience (in the house of those who professed to be friends with the Lord God Almighty).
The wounds of the false prophets were self inflicted but the wounds of our Savior were the engravings of God (Zech. 3:9). This is one of the two aspects of the Messiah's suffering and death, namely that they were inflicted upon Him by God because He was the Offering for sin. Isaiah 53: 10 & 11 says, "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting (Him) to grief. As a result of the anguish of His soul He will see and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities."
Yes, it was indeed the hand of man that put Jesus to death, but human malice acting freely could do no more than whatever -"Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur" (Acts 4:28). Yes, the envy and hatred of Satan, the blind fury of the chief priest, the contempt of Herod, the guilty cowardice of Pilate, and the complicity of the multitude, all of their own free will accomplished the death but it was only because God had decreed it before the foundation of the world for the salvation of the world (Acts 2:23; Jn. 19:11).
There is no other interpretation than that these word apply to Jesus, for Christ Himself quoted them as applying to Himself in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27. Thus we have the highest hermenutical principle possible, the very interpretation of Jesus Christ Himself. Let us look at this amazing verse a phrase at a time.
God calls upon the instrument of death with the words, "Awake, O Sword." The sword (hereb, fem.) is addressed as a person by God and called to arouse itself as if it were asleep so that it could execute divine justice. The sword expresses the highest judicial power (Rom. 13:4) and represents any means of taking life. Here it is employed of divine justice in judgment against sin (Ex. 5:21; Deut. 32:40f; 2 Sam. 12:9; Ps.17:13; Jer. 47:6-7). The Sword of the Lord is often seen in Scripture.
Upon whom shall the Sword fall? Upon the wicked who deserve it? No, but upon Him who is the only One absolutely innocent and holy. Upon Him who stands in the nearest and closest relationship to YHWH. It is called to awaken against His Shepherd, His Associate. This would be inexplicable to the wisdom of man but not to the wisdom of God. For the salvation of man as revealed in the Scriptures is that the Messiah willingly becomes the Lamb of God in order to redeem a lost world and is "pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities" (Isa. 53: ) and "pours out His soul unto death" in order that sinners might not only be saved from the penalty of their sin but also inherit eternal life( Jer. 47:6).
This sword falls "against My Shepherd." The Shepherd metaphor in 11:4-14 is continued. The Sovereign Shepherd of the Universe, YHWH, calls Him, His Shepherd, because He has been appointed to this calling and because Jesus Christ is in the fullest sense God's representative and through whom the Shepherd relationship between God and His people is realized.
This is the Shepherd of Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 23. The royal Shepherd, the true Shepherd (Isa. 4:14). He is the Good Shepherd of John 10:11 who lays down His life for His sheep.
The explicit description is even further explained by, "And against the man, My Associate, "declares the LORD of Hosts." "My" is used for the LORD of Hosts is speaking. He is My Associate or My Nearest One or My Companion. The word denotes relationship and fellowship. It is used in Leviticus 24:19 signifying those of common physical and spiritual relation. The term My Associate not only indicates that the speaker and the one spoken of are of the same vocation but that they are of the same nature, the divine nature. The passage clearly predicts the association of Messiah the Son to the Father. It would not be possible to state in stronger terms the sharing of common deity.
Equality is intended in this expression which is the doctrine of Scripture. Jesus said in John 10:30, "I and My Father are one", and in John 14:9 "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father." Jesus and God are co-equal and co-existent.
It seems strange that the "LORD of Hosts" should command the sword to do such destructive work against one who stands so near Him. But the mystery involved is the mystery of substitutionary atonement (H. C.. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, Baker Bk House. p. 254). Man denotes His humanity. Fellow or Associate His deity. The incarnation of Jesus is the solution and the meaning can only be found in the atonement. It is God the Father striking His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in our place as our Sin Bearer. It is Jesus suffering that we might be delivered from the wrath of God against sin and be released to love and serve God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Next the LORD reveals the consequences of what will happen to the Shepherd for those who are His. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;"
The sword that is first bidden to awake, is now bidden to strike (hakh -masc.) and the associate is separated from the Lord of Host and from the land of the living. The sword is an instrument of death (Ex. 5:21, 2 Sam. 12:9; Ps. 17:13) and obviously striking the Shepherd denotes removal by a violent death.
The striking of Christ opened the fountain. If He is the one to be sacrificed He must be slain for without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. Acts 20:28. He was the Lamb of God "slain from the foundation of the world" so the sword destined to strike Him had to be awakened from long slumber.
Again the important fact is accentuated that the smiting of the redeemer Shepherd was in the real sense the act of God in accordance with His eternal plans and purposes and not merely the culmination of satanic malice and human treachery.
The scene is expressed in even greater detail. The immediate result of smiting the Shepherd is that "the flock may be scattered." Jesus quoted and applied this verse to Himself in Matthew 26:31 (Mark 14:27) This is what His disciples did. ["For it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered abroad."] When the Shepherd is removed from them, the sheep will be exposed to hazards and enemies that will cause them to move off in every direction (1 Kgs. 22:17). ["There can be no doubt that the prophecy was fulfilled in the disciples' desertion of Jesus — but that probably does not exhaust the implications of the passage." [John MacKay, Focus on Zechariah.]
[Not only are the disciples indicated as scattering but as in 11:4ff, the Jews were scattered because of this event also and they remain scattered until they turn to the One they have pierced, and ask Him to be their Shepherd.]
"And I will turn My hand upon (or come back to) the little ones."
The one speaking is the same one who commands the sword of death to strike the incarnate Son and vicarious Sin-bearer of the human race.
As it was the divine will to strike the beloved Son so it is the divine will that the faithful of the flock to participate in the sufferings of Christ ( ). "The little ones" or Lord's ‘little flock' (Lk. 12:32) are those who place their faith in the Messiah-Redeemer. They will undergo suffering, tribulation and persecution (1 Peter 4:17ff; Jn.15:20; 16:33, 15:28).
The words can be understood as a discipline (as Christ suffered so shall His disciples "drink of the cup that He drank" and be "baptized with the baptism that He was baptized with") or as a promise that God would gather His scattered disciples together again.
For God did rally the dispersed again. His lambs, though frightened by the beasts of prey, will band together again. This discipline would then become a touch of comfort brought about by Christ's resurrection appearances (Mt. 26:32) and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit.
II. THE SHEEP SANCTIFIED, 13:8-9.
Again the passage returns to the great tribulation period before the second coming. Verse 8 portrays a time of great suffering for the Jewish people. "And it will come about in all the land, "declares the Lord," that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it."
This is a time of world-wide trouble and hatred of the Jew (Jer.30:7) preceding the return of the Messiah, seven years in length according to Daniel 9:27. The time is inaugurated by a Jewish treaty with the head of the Roman confederacy who in the middle of the seven years breaks the treaty and turns in deadly hatred against the Jews to bring devastation upon them.
Two thirds of the Jews in the land of Palestine (though it may mean a larger land mass) will die and a one-third remnant will be left. Apparently nearly all the two-thirds are lost and will go to Hell for only one-third are refined. This ideal is similar to the "remnant" that would be save in Isaiah 6:11-12 and Ezekiel 5:12.
(Amillenialist interprets this passage as being fulfilled in the Jewish destruction just prior to 70 AD but from Chapter 12 it is obvious that Jerusalem is not going to be destroyed this time).
The picture is not totally bleak. The first half of verse 9 says there will be survivors, but even then there will be further testing to be undergone. "And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested."
The fire which the remnant is brought through is the great tribulation (Rev. 11-18; Jer. 30:5-7).Yet even here God's grace shines strong. God changes the trials and afflictions the remnant undergoes to become a cause for good instead of the evil for which the enemy intended it (Gen. 50:20) and uses it to bring about their sanctification.
The refining as silver refers to the purging out of their sin, unbelief and rebellion. The term refine is literally smelt, to remove dross by heat. Metals are melted under high heat to separate out impurities and alloys.
"Test" (bahan) is to examine, scrutinize, try. God will make the trials they undergo a crucible for testing their faith. As metal is tested to determine its quality so they will be tested to examine the sanctification of their lives. The testing will be a refining to purify and develop their faith.
But this third will not worship the beast's image but will successfully pass through the furnace like Shadrack, Meshach and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:17) and come forth like purified silver and gold, and be of immeasurable value to the Lord their God. .
Though the great tribulation refining is far more intense it is normal for everyone whom God has set apart for Himself to pass through purification in this world (1 Peter 1:6-7). As Abraham was tested by the command to offer up Isaac, so every Christian must face his own test and be refined from his dross, his corruption, so he may be brightened and bettered.
In a world gone crazy they will obey God. We too must obey God no matter what the rest of the world does. Obedience may mean trials and troubles at times but as fire purifies gold and silver, we will be purified and made more like Christ. [Application Bible, Zondervan. 1624]
The result of all experience will be that there is a renewed and heighten appreciation of the covenant relationship as is seen in the second half of verse 9. "They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people; and they will say, "The LORD is my God!"
Their severe testing causes them to cry out to the Lord, to invoke the name of Lord. This call is no mere outward acknowledgment or formalistic ritual but heart felt supplicating and crying for help.
"They" refers to a collective entity. It's use stresses the unity and solidarity of this faithful purged remnant.
When they call on Jesus Christ, God answers them! And the answer is all that one could ask for: "They will be My people." A people for God's own possession ( Hosea 2:23-25). The longing of our renewed spirit is to be wholly possessed by God.
In spite of all the anti-Christian persecution they will declare that, "The Lord is my God." The preserved and sanctified remnant will have a superbly fervent and genuine testimony of radiant salvation. "The Lord is my God!" will ring from heart and tongue. The covenant relationship between the Lord and His people interrupted by so many centuries will be established again in fullest blessing.
CONCLUSION
In that time of the great tribulation the sever trials and testings of life bring the trusting, praying remnant closer to God. Even so today God desires the trials and tribulations He permits to come our way here and now to refine us and bring us closer to Him. For no matter how great the need, those that call upon the Lord, day in and day out, prove His all sufficient love and grace.
Read Isaiah 49:13.
Maybe you are in a similar place as those first disciples who were there with Jesus when He was arrested and crucified. Maybe you have scattered or wandered from the Lord also because you didn't understand what He was doing. Maybe you have said, "What do You mean, Lord? I prayed about, this and it didn't come to pass. I trusted You for that and it didn't happen. I was expecting something from You and it fell through. Why isn't my father healed? Why isn't my child saved? Why hasn't the job opened up?""
Even Jesus' closest followers couldn't understand what He was up to, so they scattered. Have we? When we wonder what He's doing or what He's saying we only need to remember that this same Jesus absorbed the sword of judgment for us. Whenever I doubt His love, question His Word or wonder at His ways, I need to come back to Zechariah 13. I realize that He is the only One who would die for a sinner like me, even though I might not understand what He's doing, I can trust Him.
But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
Jesus absorbed the sword of judgment. He opened the way for us not only to walk with Him in the present, but to live eternally with Him. He loves you more than you can ever understand. Therefore, trust Him. The One who absorbed the sword will do what's best for you in trial comes your way. [Jon Courson's Application Commentary OT Vol. 2. p. 912]
