Zacarias 12
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Zacarias 12
Constable - "An amillennial explanation of the passage (Zech 12:9) follows. Leupold writes "it covers all time from that in which the prophet spoke to the end of days. What is said concerning Judah applies to the people of God of all times. The claims made for Jerusalem’s future find their ultimate fulfillment in the true Zion of God—His church; in fact, they can be applied to Jerusalem only insofar as she for a time harbored the church of God (ED: WOW! THE EXTENT TO WHICH ONE WILL GO WHEN THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH THAT GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH THE LITERAL NATION OF ISRAEL!). The whole passage speaks of God’s sovereign care and protection of the church of the Old and the New Testaments through the ages and more particularly of the church’s victory rather than the victory of Judah after the flesh.” Zechariah 12:10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me Whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. I will pour out on the house of David: Pr 1:23 Isa 32:15 44:3,4 59:19-21 Eze 39:29 Joe 2:28,29 Ac 2:17,33 10:45 11:15 Tit 3:5,6 the house of David: Zec 12:7 the Spirit of grace: Ps 51:12 and of supplication: Jer 31:9 50:4 Ro 8:15,26 Eph 6:18 Jude 1:20 so that they will look on Me Whom they have pierced: Ps 22:16,17 John 1:29 John 19:34-37 Heb 12:2 Rev 1:7 they will weep bitterly over Him: Jer 6:26 Am 8:10 Mt 24:30 26:75 Ac 2:37 2Co 7:9-11 A REMARKABLE PROPHECY OF NATIONAL REPENTANCE Now we move from the previous nine verses which emphasized Israel's physical deliverance to this most wonderful passage which gives God's promise of Israel's spiritual deliverance. You will notice I have several of the pronouns in bold red font and you may wonder if that has any significance? The answer is that the red is to symbolize the Messiah (and the shedding of His blood for sins), because it is crystal clear that in this passage we have the Lord Jesus Christ speaking one of the greatest prophecies ever given to the Nation of Israel. MacArthur makes an interesting point - It's strange, isn't it?" Here they are, having just won the battle of the ages! The greatest victory has just been won and their reaction is national mourning. Why? Because they recognize that the very one who came back as their deliverer, was the same one they killed and they pierced when He came the first time. That's why they mourn. And that's the anguish of true repentance, beloved. when the comforter is come, He will reprove the world of sin, John 16:8, now listen to Jn 16:9, "concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me." So what is the sin? They do not believe not in Me. . That is the one sin that the Spirit of God must convict a person of in order to to bring then to salvation. And that's exactly the one Israel will be convicted of. They'll look on Me, says God, Whom they have pierced and mourn as if they were mourning the death of their only son. Sorrow for the sin of rejecting Christ. Beloved, that's where salvation begins, that is where it begins in your heart. Anybody who is to be saved must turn from the ultimate sin which is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ, of not believing in Him.(Zechariah 12 - Israel's Final Deliverance) Dear reader let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem as the psalmist exhorts "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.: (Ps 122:6) (Play Paul Wilbur's Shalom Jerusalem). Feinberg rightly remarks that The transition which Zechariah makes now from a physical deliverance to spiritual salvation for God’s people is one which is in accord with the whole prophetic testimony of the Old Testament. God never contents Himself with effecting mere physical and temporal rescue; He ever desires truth in the inward parts." He adds “Nothing can excite to repentance like a view of the crucified Saviour.” Ponder that thought! When we are wrestling with sin in our life (and who isn't?), how potentially powerful is the impact on our willful heart if we by faith focus on our Redeemer and the great price He paid to redeem us from the penalty and power of sin in our lives! Looking to our glorious Jesus is a great antidote when we are being tempted by lust (and any sin) for "He is able (upon hearing their cry for help) to come to the aid of those who are (continually being) tempted." (Heb 2:18) John Piper echoes the powerful principle of pondering the Glorious One writing... I close with an illustration from an article in Leadership (Fall 1982). It was unsigned, but written by a preacher who for ten years was in bondage to lust. He tells the story of what finally released him. It is such a resounding confirmation of what I am trying to say that I want to quote the key paragraph. He ran across a book by Francois Mauriac, What I Believe. In it Mauriac admitted how the plague of guilt had not freed him from lust. He concludes that there is one powerful reason to seek purity, the one Christ gave in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The thought hit me like a bell rung in a dark, silent hall. So far, none of the scary, negative arguments against lust had succeeded in keeping me from it . . . But here was a description of what I was missing by continuing to harbor lust: I was limiting my own intimacy with God. The love he offers is so transcendent and possessing that it requires our faculties to be purified and cleansed before we can possibly contain it. Could he, in fact, substitute another thirst and another hunger for the one I had never filled? Would Living Water somehow quench lust? That was the gamble of faith. (p. 43–44) It was not a gamble. You can’t lose when you turn to God. He discovered this in his own life, and the lesson he learned is absolutely right: The way to fight lust is to feed faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. (Ed: See 1 Th 4:5 where "lustful passion" equates with those "who do not know God" - thus the "antidote" for lust is "Know God!") Do you know God this morning? Are you growing week by week in the knowledge of God’s greatness? Do you meditate on his Word day and night? Do you ponder the pictures of his Son in the gospels? Do you read solid books about his character and his ways? Do you look at everything in your day as his creation? Do you pray for a sensitive heart that can be ravished by the revelation of his glory? I call you to make those commitments now for the sake of your own soul and for the glory of God. (Read the full article Battling the UNBELIEF of Lust) Feinberg adds that "This Scripture is of vast importance for an understanding of the future of Israel. It is closely related to the passage in Romans 11:25–27. Just as God pours out refreshing showers upon the parched and thirsty ground (ED: see also Zech 13:1-note), so He will pour out the spirit of grace and supplication upon needy Israel. The verb שׁפך is employed in Joel 3:1ff (Heb) also to express this transforming spiritual transaction. For the same truth Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:26, 27; and Ezekiel 39:29. The pouring out of the spirit of grace upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem reveals two features: (1) the whole nation from the highest to the lowest will be included; and (2) where the Lord was rejected, there He begins His work of restoration. (Ref) Charles Spurgeon on the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10 - This prophecy, first of all, refers to the Jewish people; and I am happy that it confirms our conviction that the Lord will do good to Israel (PRAISE GOD SPURGEON DID NOT REPLACE ISRAEL WITH THE CHURCH!!!). We know God has said that the Jews will be restored to their own land and that they will inherit the good country the Lord has given to their fathers by a covenant. But, better still, they will be converted to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and will see in Him the house of David restored to the throne of Israel. The day is coming when they will see in Jesus of Nazareth that Messiah for Whom their saints looked with joyful expectation, of whom the prophets spoke with rapture, but who was despised and rejected by their blinded leaders. What a happy day it will be when our Jewish brethren will all be found worshiping before the Lord of hosts through their Great High Priest, who is a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek! It is also helpful to hear our text as it speaks to us. A great mistake is common among all kinds of people. It is currently believed that we are, first of all, to mourn for our sins and then to look by faith to our Lord Jesus Christ. Most persons who have any concern about their souls, but are not as yet enlightened by the Spirit of God, think there is a degree of tenderness of conscience and of hatred of sin that they are to obtain, somehow or other; and then they will be permitted and authorized to look to Jesus Christ. Now you will perceive that this is not according to the Scriptures, for according to the text before us, men first look on Him Whom they have pierced; and then, but not until then, they mourn for their sin. (ED: THIS IS SIMILAR TO FEINBERG'S POINT ABOVE) This is the common human folly—they look for the effect in order to produce the cause; they forget the old proverb and put the cart before the horse. But our text plainly indicates what is the cause and puts it first, assuring us that the effect will follow. Repentance is in no sense a preparation to faith in Christ. It is, on the other hand, a legitimate consequence of faith. In certain diseases the surgeon aims at producing an outward eruption that carries off the internal poison and so assists in the cure; but no man would be justified in refraining from medical advice until he could see the eruption in his skin, that being a healthy sign, a forerunner of the cure, a result of medicine, and by no means a preparation for it. So repentance is the bringing into our own sight the sin that lurks within; it is a result of the medicine of faith. (CSB Spurgeon Study Bible) Messianic Jewish commentator David Baron entitled this wonderful passage "The Great Spiritual Crisis in Israel's History," writing that "The first nine verses of the 12th chapter of Zechariah describe prophetically, as we have seen, Israel's great national deliverance and the destruction of the armies of the confederated anti-Christian world-powers which shall be gathered in the final siege of Jerusalem. That will, indeed, be a great and wonderful day in their history, an hour of triumph such as they have never known before, greater than when they quitted Egypt; greater than when they triumphed over Pharaoh and his host at the Red Sea; greater than when they entered the Promised Land, and the walls of \ Jericho fell down before them." But yet there is something greater, more solemn and ore blessed, than mere outward deliverance and triumph over their enemies that Israel is to experience on "that day," and that is God s final conquest over them. ("Through God we shall do valiantly, And it is He who will tread down our adversaries. - Ps 60:12) Ah! yes, Israel shall then learn the truth of the saying, that "our only true triumphs are God's triumphs over us, that His defeats of us are our only true victories"; and will learn with the great apostle whose history and experiences are in many ways a foreshadowing of the history and experience of his nation to say, "Thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ" (2 Cor 2:14), that is, as former enemies who have been vanquished, and whom He is now leading about as manifest trophies of His all-subduing grace and power." On former occasions, when Jeshurun ("upright one" and is a term of endearment and refers ironically to Israel Dt 33:5, 26) had been made to ride on the high places of the earth, he had waxed fat and kicked ; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation (cf Dt 32:15-18). But it will never be so again. He who comes to conquer their foes comes also to subdue their hearts." Hence, great as their triumph will be, great as will have been their individual might in the last stage of their conflict with the surrounding hosts so that "he that is feeble among them will be as David", when they return from their victory, this their glorious day of triumph will end in self-abasement and tears. How this wonderful change will be brought about, how the stubborn heart of unbelieving and gainsaying Israel will at last be broken, we are told in the 10th verse.... (click for the rest of Baron's comments below).
Zacarias 12
Constable - The Lord would make Jerusalem like a cup of strong wine to the nations; when they tried to consume Jerusalem (a metonymy for all Israel), it would cause them to reel. Jerusalem had previously drunk the cup of the Lord’s wrath (Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15–17, 28), but now it was the nations’ turn to drink it. Their siege of Jerusalem would extend to all the surrounding territory of Judah. The time in view is after the Lord regathered the Israelites to their land (ch. 10). YERUSHALAYIM As you ponder what is surely one of the most incredible prophecies in all of God's Word let me encourage you to pause for just a few minutes as you listen to the song Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) which is not a Christian but a Jewish song. Listen carefully to the words and you will surely be moved to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6), a prayer that is answered in Zechariah 12-14. Come let us sing the song of a city Known for its beauty, splendor, and grace Come let us find the words to describe her She is not like, not like any other place Yerushalayim, the place to live Yerushalayim, harim saviv Yerushalayim, ir shel shalom Yerushalayim, we're going home... Dreams of Past splendor And whispers Of glory Your walls tell Your story, Your soul Waiting so long For the time when Our tears will be stilled, Our prayers fulfilled, (Ps 122:6) Our city rebuilt! In that day in Zechariah 12-14... Their tears will be stilled! Their city will be rebuilt! Notice that Zechariah 12:2-3 is a parallelism or parallel passages both of which describe the future siege on Jerusalem Zechariah 12:2 Zechariah 12:3 I will make Jerusalem a cup I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone To all the peoples For all the peoples Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around - Cup is the Hebrew word (sap/saph) is better translated "basin" or "bowl." The Hebrew word for "cup" (kos) is a well-known symbol of God’s wrath (Isa 51:17, Jer 13:13, 25:15-28, Ps 60:3, et al). It is almost like God is saying "A cup is too small to be "for all the peoples!" The picture is of all the Gentile nations of the world "drinking the basin" and becoming "intoxicated," reeling and staggering from drunkenness, all orchestrated by God's Hand of judgment. It's as if the nations will "not be able to walk a straight line" (so to speak) but will fail the test (using the analogy of testing for inebriation). MacArthur paints the picture for us -- The nations are going to attack Jerusalem...There is going to be a great world war, the battle of the centuries. They are going to converge on Israel, they are going to attack Judah the surrounding countryside and they are going to have their sights set on Jerusalem... they are going to be like men greedily draining a wine goblet. They are going to come in "drink it up." But in the end, they are going to find themselves reeling and staggering around like helpless drunks, unable to claim the coveted prize. In fact they are going to be so disorganized and drunk that they are going to be easy prey for divine judgment. (Zechariah 12 - Israel's Final Deliverance) John gives us a similar picture of these last days of the final evil world system writing "I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus." (Rev 17:6+) Zechariah is painting a similar picture of the nations drunk with the idea of conquering Israel, but instead ending up like staggering drunks who are ripe for the judgment of God. While we don't have time to go into detail, it is worth noting that God's final wrath will be poured out as a series of Bowl Judgments and it is the pouring out of the Sixth Bowl which results in gathering together of "the kings of the whole world...for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty." (Rev 16:14-note) also known as the Campaign of Armageddon. (See video of discussion I did on Revelation Overview) Kaiser - The “cup of drunkenness” (v. 2a) is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the divine judgment God brings on mortals. God’s judgment reduces them to a state of helplessness and misery similar to that of a drunken, staggering, intoxicated man.... Isaiah warned: “Thus says the Lord, the LORD and your God, who pleads the cause of His people: ‘See, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to you, “Lie down, that we may walk over you.” And you have laid down your body like the ground and as the street, for those who walk over’ ” (Isa 51:22–23). Zechariah actually uses the Hebrew word for “bowl,” not “cup”; the larger vessel is needed to allow all the nations to get drunk. (Ibid) Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling is paralleled with the next descriptive phrase Jerusalem a heavy stone (Zech 12:3). This figurative description of a cup that causes reeling is amplified by Zech 12:9 where God says He will "set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." Having drunk from the cup, the recipient nations are the object of God’s wrath (Job 21:20) and they stagger with drunkenness, becoming so mad as to participate in the ultimate folly of their own destruction by coming against God's Holy City Jerusalem. And so here in Zechariah 12:2 the destruction of the nations begins with them being made drunk, spiritually speaking, so that they carry out a foolish attack on God's Holy City which will guarantee their destruction! We see a similar description of Babylon as cup, the prophet writing that "Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad." (Jer 51:7) This prophecy will ultimately be fulfilled in the last days preceding the Second Coming of the Messiah. Constable adds this comment on Jeremiah 51:7 "Babylon was responsible for seducing many other nations to join her in her sins. These nations had fallen under the power of Babylon and had behaved like drunkards (cf. Rev. 18:3-see note). She had given the cup of God’s wrath to other nations, but now she would have to drink from it herself (cf. Jer 25:15–29)." Oh that the day might soon come when God would remember his ancient people, the Jews, and bring them back to their own land, as he certainly will do in the fullness of time
Zacarias 12
Constable - As Judge, God forces His enemies to drink from the cup that determines consequences. He forces them to drink all the wine of judgment that He has prepared for them. They cannot escape doing so or the consequences of doing so at His appointed time. In some ancient Near Eastern nations kings made convicted criminals drink poisoned wine. Isaiah 51:17 Rouse yourself (INITIALLY YAHWEH IS ADDRESSING ISRAEL)! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk from the LORD’S hand the cup (sap/saph - same word as here in Zech 12:2) of His anger; The chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs.
Zacarias 12
Constable - Jerusalem had drunk a powerful liquid at the hand of her God. He had given her punishment to drink for her sins (cf. Mark 10:38). She now lay in a state of stupor but needed to arise because the Lord had a future for her. Isaiah 51:22 Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people (ISRAEL), “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, the chalice of My anger; You (ISRAEL) will never drink it again (THIS FUTURE HOPE IS WHAT ZECHARIAH 12-14 DESCRIBES). 23 “I will put it (THE CUP OF REELING - cf Zech 12:2) into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Lie down that we may walk over you.’ You have even made your back like the ground and like the street for those who walk over it.”
Zacarias 12
Constable - The God offering Israel a comforting promise was her master, Yahweh, the God of the covenant, the God who had taken her to Himself, who consistently defends His people. He promised that the Israelites would never again experience the outpouring of His wrath as they had. Obviously the Jews have experienced worse persecution in recent history than they did during the Babylonian exile: the German holocaust, the Russian pogroms, etc. And they will undergo the worst trials of their history in the Tribulation (cf. Jer. 30:4–7-note "Time of Jacob's Trouble", cf Da 12:1-note). I take it that God meant that He would not punish them as He had because He would provide the Servant to drink the cup of His wrath for His people. They would not have to suffer in the future as they had in the past because God would provide a Savior who would suffer in their place. That the Jews have suffered terribly and will yet do so is because they have rejected the Savior that God provided. Jeremiah 25:15-17 For thus the LORD, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it (cf ZECHARIAH'S DESCRIPTION IN Zechariah 12:2). 16 “They will drink and stagger and go mad (cf ZECHARIAH'S PHRASE "CUP THAT CAUSES REELING") because of the sword that I will send among them.” 17 Then I took the cup from the LORD’S hand and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it:...28 “And it will be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “You shall surely drink! MacArthur on then I took the cup...and made all the nations...drink it - Obviously Jeremiah could not visit all the places listed from vv. 18–26, but in this vision he acted as if representatives from all those nations were present so he could make them drink in the message of wrath (v. 27), and understand there was no escape (Jer 25:28, 29). Constable - The Lord instructed Jeremiah to take from His hand, figuratively, a cup of His wrath and to cause all the nations to whom the Lord would send him to drink from it. The cup is a common figure for the wrath of God in Scripture (cf. Jer 13:12–14; 49:12; 51:7; Job 21:10; Ps. 60:3; Isa. 51:17, 21–22; Lam. 4:21; Ezek. 23:31–34; Hab. 2:16; Mark 10:39; 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 18:11; Rev. 14:8, 10; 16:19; 18:6)(Cup is also a symbol of God’s blessing cf. Ps. 16:5; 23:5; Luke 22:17, 20; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:24–25). This was another symbolic action that God prescribed to communicate to His people, though in this case the action was not literal. (Expository Notes) Habakkuk 2:16-note “You (BABYLON) will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the LORD’S right hand will come around to you, And utter disgrace will come upon your glory. Constable - As they (BABYLON) had made their neighbors drunk, so the Lord would give them a cup of judgment that would make them drunk. Yahweh’s right hand is a figure for His strong personal retribution, giving back in kind what the person being judged had given (cf. Isa. 51:17–23; Jer. 25:15–17; Lam. 4:21; Matt. 20:22; 26:42; 1 Cor. 11:29). Having swallowed the cup’s contents the Babylonians would disgrace themselves rather than honoring and glorifying themselves as they did presently. Their future disgrace contrasts with Yahweh’s future glory (v. 14). They would expose their own nakedness as they had exposed the nakedness of others (v. 15). Nakedness involves vulnerability as well as shame (cf. Gen. 9:21–25). The Lord pictured Babylon as a contemptible, naked drunk who had lost his self-control and the respect of everyone including himself. (Expository Notes) Revelation 16:19-note The great city (SEE DISCUSSION OF DESTRUCTION OF THE FUTURE REBUILT CITY OF BABYLON) was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. All the peoples is translated in the NET Bible as "all the surrounding nations." The Hebrew word for cup is more accurately "The word is used of the bowl or basin in which the blood of the Paschal lamb was caught, Ex. 12:22, of the bowls used in the Temple service, 1 Ki 7:50, and more generally, 2 Sa 17:28." (Perowne) Arnold Fruchtenbaum comments that "Jerusalem is pictured here as a vast bowl, around which the Gentile nations will gather to drink. In the majority of cases when the word cup is used symbolically in the Old Testament, it is a symbol of divine judgment (Ps. 75:8; Is. 51:17, 21–23; Jer. 25:15–16; 51:7). As these Gentile nations come against Jerusalem, they will begin to drink from this vast cup, hoping to derive pleasure from it; but after drinking, they will run away reeling and staggering, no longer in control as they thought they would be." (Messianic Bible Study) Listen to the Jewish song D'ror Yikra (Cups) by The Maccabeats - below is the English translation. The Herbrew word "D'ror" or "Deror" means freedom and liberty "referring to Shabbat and to the FINAL REDEMPTION!" (Jewish Commentary). Indeed, Jerusalem will be a CUP filled with God's holy wrath and which will be poured out on the nations for among other things their centuries long hatred of Israel. As the Messiah Himself said their "redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28-note) Enjoy this great acapella version. Who knows, we may even sing this song in the Messiah's Kingdom! Notice also the incredible reference to Bozrah and then read Isaiah 63:1-6-commentary. Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” HE WILL PROCLAIM FREEDOM He will proclaim freedom for all his children And will keep you as the apple of his eye Pleasant is your name and will not be destroyed Repose and rest on the Sabbath day. Seek my sanctuary and my home. Give me a sign of deliverance. Plant a vine in my vineyard. Look to my people, hear their laments. Tread the wine-press in Bozrah, And in Babylon that city of might Crush my enemies in anger and fury. On the day when I cry, hear my voice. Plant, Oh God, in the mountain waste Fir and acacia, myrtle and elm Give those who teach and those who obey Abundance peace, like the flow of a river. Repel my enemies, Oh zealous God. Fill their hearts with fear and despair. Then we shall open our mouths, And fill our tongues with Your praise. Know wisdom, that your soul may live, And it shall be a diadem for your brow. Keep the commandment of your Holy One Observe the Sabbath, your sacred day. Additional Comments on D'ror Yikra (Cups) - As alluded to above, there is an intriguing mention of Bozrah in the third stanza. Here is the Jewish Commentary on this line which reads in transliterated Hebrew "Deroch poora betoch Batzra" The meaning of the Hebrew word poora is vintage, and it is derived from pora – branch. Here the analogy is that God will trod on Israel’s enemies as one treads grapes, and it is based on Isaiah (Isaiah 63:1-3): “Who is this coming from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Botzrah…why is Your clothing so red, Your garments like his who treads grapes? – I trod out a vintage alone; of the peoples – no man was with me”. (ED: WOE! HOW CAN THEY NOT SEE HIM?) Deroch poora betoch Batzra vegam Bavel asher gavra – These are names of Biblical nations that were later on applied to different nations under whose rule Jews lived. It is interesting to note that in the Babylonian tradition the word Bavel was changed to Edom so as not to offend the hosting nation.....And just as the Jews are commanded to let their inner essence free on the Shabbat day so also God promises that when the time comes the captives in exile will be released, as in the comforting prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2): “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Because the lord has anointed me. He has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble, to bind up the wounded of heart, to proclaim release to the captives, liberation to the imprisoned, to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor” (ED: O MY! THEY ARE ACTUALLY CROSS REFERENCING THE VERY WORDS SPOKEN BY YESHUA WHEN HE UNROLLED THE SCROLL AND READ THESE WORDS FROM ISAIAH 63 IN THE SYNAGOGUE! Luke 4:18-22-see commentary = “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”). Final redemption (ED: AS DESCRIBED BY ZECHARIAH!) will bring with it spontaneous outburst of joy and singing, which the poet describes in the last stanza by alluding to Pslams (Ps 126:1-2): “When the Lord restores the fortunes of Zion – we see it as in a dream – our mouths shall be filled with laughter, our tongues, with songs of joy”. (Commentary) Cup (05592)(sap/saph) refers to a "bowl" or "basin." "Cognates are attested in Ugaritic, the Samaritan Pentateuch and Phoenician. While there are a variety of terms for different types of containers and their uses throughout the OT, saph primarily refers to a shallow cup used both in the home and in the Temple for cultic rituals (cf. 2 Sa 17:28; 2 Ki. 12:13; Jer. 52:19). Apparently, 1 Ki. 7:50 demarcates between a mizrāq and a saph; both were types of gold bowls used in Solomon's temple. Exodus 12:22 assumes that every household had a saph, likely an earthen bowl, in which to pour the blood from the slain Passover lamb. Saph is used metaphorically in Zech. 12:2 to describe how the Lord will use Israel as "a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling" (NIV). "Cup" perhaps fits better in this case if it is viewed as something to be drunk from. However, it is also likely that the "cup of trembling" is poured out (as in Revelation) and thus, "bowl" works well." (Gilbrant) How interesting that the same Hebrew word sap/saph s used of the basin to collect the blood of the blemish free lamb (pre-figuring Messiah) that resulted in the redemption of Israel from Egypt and now in the last days the same word is used again in the context of the redemption of Israel (by return of the Messiah, cf Ro 11:26) from Gentile dominion and oppression. Sap/saph - basin(2), basins(1), bowls(1), cup(1), cups(2). - Ex. 12:22; 2 Sam. 17:28; 1 Ki. 7:50; 2 Ki. 12:13; Jer. 52:19; Zech. 12:2 Note that another Hebrew word sap/saph is translated as threshold or sill. The keeper of the threshold (I Chr 9:19, 22) held an important office. Theologically, it becomes a symbol of God’s presence in holy power (Isa 6:4) or judgment (Amos 9:1; Zeph 2:14). Below are the 22 uses. Jdg. 19:27; 1 Ki. 14:17; 2 Ki. 12:9; 2 Ki. 22:4; 2 Ki. 23:4; 2 Ki. 25:18; 1 Chr. 9:19; 1 Chr. 9:22; 2 Chr. 3:7; 2 Chr. 23:4; 2 Chr. 34:9; Est. 2:21; Est. 6:2; Isa. 6:4; Jer. 35:4; Jer. 52:24; Ezek. 40:6; Ezek. 40:7; Ezek. 41:16; Ezek. 43:8; Amos 9:1; Zeph. 2:14 A cup is used elsewhere as a symbol for God’s wrath (Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 13:13, et al), so what God is saying is that He is going to use Jerusalem like a "cup" to pour wrath on the Gentile nations. It is interesting that God used this same figure of speech in His declarations to Israel, the first bad, the second good (Isa 51:17) Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk from the LORD’S hand the cup of His anger; The chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs. (Isa 51:22) Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people, “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, The chalice of My anger; You will never drink it again. Reeling (Hebrew - raal) is used only here in the OT and is related to the word ra'al which also occurs only once in Nah 2:4 and means to quiver or shake. The Greek Septuagint translates raal with the verb saleuo (from salos = wave) means to cause to move to and fro, cause to waver or totter, make to rock, shake or agitate as by winds or storms. It can refer to unexpected and disastrous shaking, of what would be thought to be stable, e.g. earth or sky shake. In Acts 16, saleuo is used literally of an earthquake (Acts 16:26). Saleuo described a ship at anchor slipping its mooring in the midst of a heavy wind. The Israel hating Gentile nations will be caused (passive voice - probably the divine passive in this context) to shake and totter, and ultimately to be crushed by the Stone that returns from heaven (see (Daniel 2:34-35-see in depth commentary; Daniel 2:44-45-see in depth commentary) All the peoples (nations) - Notice that both the Hebrew (kol = the whole) and the Septuagint (pas - all without exception) both emphasize that in essence the entire world (not including those who are saved at this time and there will be many Gentiles who are saved) comes against this tiny country in the Middle East! There has always been anti-Jewish sentiment smoldering among Gentiles, even those in the Church (and frankly I personally consider the false doctrine of Replacement Theology to be a clear, albeit subtle and somewhat passive, form of Anti-Semitism), in the last days this hatred of the Jews will even surpass that of the abominable Nazi regime in World War II! And this is clearly no accident. So let me ask again, why would all the nations come against Jerusalem? The first answer already alluded to is that God is in control (cf I am going to make) and He will allow this to happen to His Chosen People. The second reason (already alluded to above) as Messianic Jewish commentator Charles Feinberg says is that "In the time of our passage all the nations of earth will be bitten by the virus of anti-Semitism." But never forgot that God is in full control. While He will not cause sin, He is able to use sinful men to accomplish His purpose, in this case the redemption and restoration of the nation of Israel. In the Revelation, the apostle John explains how the nations will be "bitten by the virus of anti-Semitism" writing that "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon (SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast (ANTICHRIST) and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.....16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. (Rev 16:12-16+) David
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Constable writes that "The Davidic rulers would also receive supernatural strength and would be like God, as the angel of the Lord who would go before them (cf. Ex. 14:19; 23:20; 32:34; 33:2, 14–15, 22; 1 Sa 29:9; 2 Sa 4:17, 20; 19:27)." What is Zechariah saying? If they are like the angel of Jehovah, then they are like Messiah which means in essence that they will be enabled by His power!
Zacarias 12
Constable - God’s Spirit would affect an even greater change later in the future (cf. Ps. 104:30; Ezek. 36:26–27; Joel 2:28; Zech. 12:10). Then the wilderness would become fertile, and what was presently considered fertile would become a veritable jungle so full of large plants would it be (cf. Isa 30:23–26). The creation will burgeon, the divine curse will be removed, and the damage that sin has caused will be reversed (cf. Isa 29:17). Isaiah 44:3-5 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants; And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.’ 5“This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’ And will name Israel’s name with honor. Constable - The Lord promised to pour out His Spirit on the Israelites in the future. This gift would have the same result for the nation as pouring water on dry ground would have for the landscape. It would bring refreshment and new life, indeed, a whole new spiritual attitude (cf. Isa 32:15; Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:26–27; 37:7–10; Joel 2:28–29). Blessing would come to the descendants of Isaiah’s audience. Isaiah in this verse may have meant that God would bring both physical and spiritual refreshment. Other passages reveal that He will send physical refreshment (cf. Isa 35:6–7; 41:18). Ezekiel 39:29-note “I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel (PARALLELS Zechariah 12:10),” declares the Lord GOD. Joel 2:28-32 “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. 29 “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. 31 “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. Comment - Partial fulfillment at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3, 17, Joel 2:28) but awaits complete fulfillment in the last days, in that day of Zechariah 12:10 (cf Ezek 36:27, Ezek 37:14) when "all" Israel (actually the "1/3" in Zec 13:9) will be saved (Ro 11:26). Thus this promise anticipates its complete fulfillment with the conversion of the nation of Israel when Christ returns. Matthew
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Constable comments that "The repeated phrases “every family by itself” and “their wives by themselves” solemnize the mourning and underline its genuineness....This would not be a national media event staged by the leaders of Israel to make a show, but individuals everywhere throughout the nation would sincerely voice their remorse." Kelly writes "“The closest relationship is as nothing in [the] presence of sin and God as its judge. Each must be alone.” And their wives by themselves - see Feinberg's comment in verse 12. Steven