Zechariah
8 reminds me of an unusual demographic from my childhood. It was
said that there are more Jews living in New York City than any city
in the world. I did not understand why many of my friends were
called German Jews, or Polish Jews, or Russian Jews. How could a
nation be scattered throughout the world and yet those people retain
their original nationality? Today’s chapter gives us some
perspective. God tells the prophet, “I
am very jealous for Zion… I will return to Zion and dwell in
Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City… the
mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain“.
Through the rise and fall of empires, the Jewish people have held
onto this promise. From the Roman destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem in 70 AD for almost 1900 years the Jews were persecuted and
their sovereignty was lost. And yet, God’s promise remained, “Once
again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of
Jerusalem… The city streets will be filled with boys and girls
playing there“. Through World
Wars and the Holocaust, this people continued to remain a nation
disbursed. “It may seem
marvelous to the remnant of this people… I will save My people… I
will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people,
and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God“.
To
the tiny remnant returning from Babylon to rebuild the city, God
said, “Let your hands be strong
so that the temple may be built… I will not deal with the remnant
of this people as I did in the past“.
The prosperous nation had rebelled against God and God removed His
hand of protection. In captivity, faith in God as Lord Almighty was
forged. The promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were renewed to a
new generation, “The seed will
grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its
crops… I will give all these things
as an inheritance to the
remnant“. I believe this is a
promise for all who have been living apart from God, “I
will save you, and
you will be a blessing…
Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong“.
There
is no doubt that the Jewish people are, and will continue to be God’s
chosen people. Jerusalem is the barometer for the world. The word
of instruction continues, “Speak
the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your
courts; do
not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I
hate all
this“.
The chapter ends with the proclamation that, “Many
peoples…
will
come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty“.
In 1948, Israel became a nation again recognized by much of the
world, slowly, the remnant is returning. New York no longer boasts
the largest Jewish population. The chapter closes with a reminder
that we come to faith one person at a time. Is anyone saying to you,
“Let
us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you“?
Today, I understand Luke chapter 19 in a new way. It says that as
Jesus approached Jerusalem, “He
wept over it“.
They did not recognize Messiah had come, “If
you… had only known on this day what would bring you peace“.
The Lamb of God was sacrificed on the Roman cross for all who would
receive forgiveness by faith. But for those who would not listen,
“They
will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize
the time of God’s coming to you“.
Friend, is He weeping over you?