By David Bassett
As Christians we hold to the idea that God is a sovereign God.
This is seen in the hymns and songs we sing.
Lines such as
God is working his purpose out as years …..
Praise to the Lord the almighty the king of creation.
Jesus shall reign where ever the sun
Reign in me sovereign Lord, reign in me
and the list goes on.
Yet, there are times when we doubt the sovereignty of God. There are times when we struggle with the concept that God is in control and His purposes will prevail.
And, when you talk with other people, non believers, they can present a list of situations with a question for each one – Where is your God?
And yet in the bible we are constantly reminded of God’s sovereignty and God’s reign and God’s love. The story of the Jews is a story that displays God’s rule and his purpose and his love.
And if you were asked to describe the way God loves His people what adjective would you use?
Dearly – too week
Fully – a bit better
Zealously – now that’s getting better
I’m not sure how that would sound in today’s lingo
Awesomely, Wickedly, Filth-ely. (It depends on your age!)
As we begin to look at the night visions of Zechariah we encounter the zealous love of God for his covenant people.
A zeal that leads God to say "I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. I am extremely angry with the nations"
The visions portrayed in Zechariah are really a single unit. And together disclose the plan of God for the future of Jerusalem and Judah.
They follow a similar pattern:
A description of what the prophet sees
A question to the angel as to the meaning of what he sees
An explanation from the angel
- Four of the visions are then followed by an oracle
In the first vision Zechariah sees the reporting to the angel of the Lord from the horsemen who patrol the earth.
Here in the figure of the angel of the Lord we have a pre-incarnation appearance of Christ.
A hint of the full purpose of God to dwell with his people. For it will be in Christ’s incarnation, becoming human, that God will fully dwell with humanity.
But here, the patrollers report to the Lord that there is peace in the world. Now that sounds like good news.
The bad news is that this peace is forced and is unjust and inhumane.
It is not God’s peace.
It is a peace that is forced upon people by oppressors and dictators.
A situation we are all too familiar with as we look around our world.
As we look at our neighbours in East Timor.
As we look at those in our society who are under the poverty line, or the homeless, the dispossessed, the racial minorities in many countries.
This is what some people will raise as the question "where is your God?"
This is not God’s peace.
This is not God’s justice.
This is not God’s purpose.
And now we see the first purpose of God for the new Judah. Look at verses 14 – 17
14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim this message: Thus says the LORD of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. 16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Proclaim further: Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.
The anger of God, which we saw last week directed at the ancestors is now directed at the enemies of Judah.
Those who had kept her in exile.
Those who try in vain to fraught the sovereign plan of God.
And instead of with anger, God has returned to Jerusalem with compassion.
And here we see a promise of God. My house shall be built.
And although it will not be for another 80 years till the walls around Jerusalem will be finished , the measuring line will stretch out - a message of hope and encouragement.
The compassion of God - To restore the glory of Jerusalem.
And what is the ultimate glory of Jerusalem?
It is the dwelling place of God.
It is the focus of the nations.
It is the meeting place with God.
The second vision is straightforward in its image and message.
Horns were a symbol of power.
Blacksmiths they will remove the power of the nations.
Here, again the Jews are reminded of God’s reign over all the nations.
This is our God, the God of all the nations, the God who will be the judge over all and to whom all will need to bring account.
The third vision again focuses on Jerusalem and here again is the zeal of God for her.
The stone walls - a strong protection. But, the protection of God even greater.
The Temple - the glory of Jerusalem. But, the glory of God will outshine it.
Again, we are reminded that it is God who is our protector, he is the sovereign. And it is God who is our glory.
In chapter 2 verses 6 to 13 we have the next oracle from God.
A message for all Jews to return and work in the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem. And a warning that the other nations around are about to face the judgement of God - the anger spoken about in the first vision.
And Zion, the holy city, Jerusalem, is the safe haven.
But it is more than a safe haven for the Jews.
Verse 11 "Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you".
It is the safe haven for all the nations.
Again as we see the plan of God being revealed to his chosen people, we are reminded of God’s ultimate purpose.
To bring salvation to all people.
For God to dwell with humanity.
And again we are encouraged to remember the zeal that God has for us.
The plan he has set in place to bring all people to himself, not in a geographic place but rather in a Son. A plan he has set in place that shows the jealousy he has for his people in that he would allow his Son to die to save us. This is our God. This is his love.
I want to ask again the question I asked earlier - If you were asked to describe the way God loves His people what adjective would you use?
Further, I want to ask who are God’s people today?
And, who are the enemies of God’s people?
And can apply what we are reading about God’s sovereign plan in Zechariah and indeed in the other prophets of the Old Testament to the situation we see in the world today?
I know that the prophecies here in Zechariah are not yet fulfilled.
For will not Christ coming in his full glory to rule over his kingdom bring the prophecy "the Lord being the glory within Jerusalem" to its ultimate fulfilment?
Zechariah is a book about the past and the future.
It is about what God has done in Judah.
It is about what God has done in Christ.
And it is about what God will do in "that day" (2:11), the day of the Lord when all the fullness of God will be revealed.
As such, we get a picture of a sovereign God throughout time.
This is the God of our time.
Our God is the sovereign God who rules, a God who’s promises are trustworthy.
A God who has and is remembering his people.
A God who is concerned with justice and mercy.
Who are God’s people. The church is God’s people. Those who are in Christ. These are the people that God loves.
And God’s love is never passive but always expressing itself in positive encouragement of what is right, or, when it is spurned, in unmistakable judgements, intended to bring the sufferer to his senses, and back to God. His love is so intense that it can do no less.
So for us – what do we learn. It can be summed up in 4 words.
Know, work, trust and wait.
Know of God’s zealous love for you in Christ and be encouraged and strengthened in your faith.
Work for God’s justice both at a personal level – in the way you treat others, and on a wider scale by support of good government, support of organisations who work for justice, by prayer and by making Christ known and supporting those who are making Christ known.
Trust in God’s rule and that his purposes will succeed.
And Wait for the return of Christ and the fullness of the glory of God.
There are times when we doubt.
There are situations in this world that we can not understand.
There is the apparent victory of evil.
But greater than these remains a risen Christ as a seal of the promises of God.
And so I think its right that we remain strong and know the fullness of God. So in the words of Paul from Ephesians chapter 3 (16-21) "I pray that, according to the riches of [God’s] glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
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