Why Israel Matters

Sunday of Prayer for Peace in Jerusalem

Sermon: “Why Israel Matters”

Zechariah 8:2-3

A sermon for October 6, 2024

Pastor John Bright

Zechariah 8 “2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;

With great fervor I am zealous for her.’

3 “Thus says the Lord:

‘I will return to Zion,

And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,

The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,

The Holy Mountain.’”

It has been an intense couple of weeks in the two wars that Israel is waging against Hezbollah and Hamas. Both of these groups do the bidding of the country that funds them – Iran. You may have heard before that there will never be peace there, but we have faith… not for what we see. We have faith for what is not seen or believed to be so. That’s why we pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.

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My earliest memories of Jerusalem were black and white pictures on the walls of my Sunday Class rooms when I was a child. We heard about Jerusalem every year on Palm Sunday when we waved the palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” All those church memories create a connection within us to a land on the other side of the world where Jesus walked and where King David sat on a throne. It’s a place most of us will never see.

When King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon took over Jerusalem and exiled the people of that land, many believed they would never see their homes again. God kept his promise and in 537 BC they were allowed to return. Among them was a priest named Iddo (Nehemiah 12:4) and his grandson, Zechariah (Neh. 12:16). Being a young man, Zechariah would have been born in Babylon. He would have heard stories of the great walled city of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple that was built by King Solomon. That was not what they found. The Babylonians has destroyed the wall around Jerusalem, burned the Temple and the Royal Palace. Jerusalem was in ruins. Prophets, like Zechariah and Haggai, were giving messages to God’s people who had to rebuild and start over.

A message from THE LORD OF HOSTS

“2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;

With great fervor I am zealous for her.’

“The name “LORD of hosts” occurs some 261 times in the Old Testament Scriptures. God is first called the “LORD of hosts” in 1 Samuel 1:3. The word LORD, capitalized, refers to Yahweh, the self-existent, redemptive God. The word hosts is a translation of the Hebrew word sabaoth, meaning “armies” - reference to the angelic armies of heaven. Thus, another way of saying “LORD of hosts” is “God of the armies of heaven.” The NIV translates YHWH saboath as “LORD Almighty.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-of-hosts.html

That is one of the names of God that I love the most! It is a reminder that Jehovah Sabaoth is fighting for me every day. The army of angels that protects us is surely guided by His mighty right hand. That thought brings me a great peace.

The apostle John was given a vision of a terrible battle that would come after the fall of Babylon at the end of Rev. 19:11-16 “11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This is a picture of Jesus that you don’t see on stained-glass windows. Babylon represents the world/culture that is opposed to God. Today, part of modern-day Babylon are the folks who want to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. They hate the Jews and they us – Christians and Americans. All of Babylon will be defeated one day in the future. Revelation 20 begins with 1000 years of peace.

This first message of the prophet Zechariah tells the Israelites that have become discouraged in their rebuilding efforts that Jehovah Sabaoth is “zealous.” This a word that describes strong emotion. Have you ever been to a football game and watched folks screaming at the top of their lungs for one team and maybe yelling louder against the other team? 😊 That’s a picture of zeal. God is for the Israelites but can’t tolerate their sinful ways. God has used the other nations to discipline His people but can’t tolerate their ongoing abuse. Is God the same today? Last week we talked about the attribute of immutability. God can’t change.