Matthew 4

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Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan in Eden as recorded in Genesis 3. In contrast to them, the Spirit led Jesus not toward a fruitful garden, but into a desolate wasteland. He had been fasting for a very lengthy time and “He was hungry.” Though the outward circumstances were more favorable for the first man and woman, Jesus passed the important test that Adam and Eve had failed so long ago.

Our Savior had victory over Satan by using simple passages from the Bible. He answered the temptations of the devil with quotations from Deuteronomy 6-8. In that section of the Law, Moses had prepared Israel for the tests of faithfulness that they would soon face in the land of Canaan. He reminded them that God had fed them with manna during their journey through the wilderness in order that they would learn that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:13 and Matthew 4:4). When Israel came into the Promised Land, they needed to remember that God was the source of good gifts. They had to be warned not to “put the Lord your God to the test,” and they needed to “worship” and “serve” only the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:16, 6:13, and Matthew 4:7, 4:10).

Adam failed as the representative man for all of his posterity, and Israel also disobeyed Jehovah as His chosen nation, but Jesus perfectly obeyed. He skillfully used the Scriptures to expose the enticements of the ancient serpent. With this victory over a fallen angel, our Lord began His ministry in Galilee in fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2, that “Galilee of the Gentiles” would see “a great light.”

The message that Jesus began to preach was much like that of John the Baptist. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Yet there were many important differences between John and Jesus. The Son of God spoke with even greater authority than John, since He was God in the flesh. He brought life to those who would find His call to discipleship irresistible. First Simon and Andrew, and later the sons of Zebedee, “immediately” left their boats behind and followed the Lord.

The Word of Christ was also powerful to heal. The account of the miracles of Jesus spread rapidly, and people were coming to Him from all around. He was healing “every affliction” and helping “those oppressed by demons.” The Old Testament prophets made the case against the evil of the nation and announced a future era of holy blessing. Jesus was different. He destroyed evil and defeated the devil and death. He came in the strength of the coming age of resurrection. No powers of darkness could resist His command.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Glorious Lord, we do not understand the minds of men, so how can we fathom the thoughts and actions of angels? Yet men and angels are all perfectly known by You. By Your Word Jesus resisted the temptations of Satan. He would not be distracted from His mission. Thank You for the light that has dawned upon us in the life and work of our King. We have been granted eyes to see Him as our hearts have been made alive by the Holy Spirit. When our Savior called us to follow Him, we were given the grace to leave the world behind and to serve the Messiah. Remind us day by day of the greatness of our King, lest we foolishly return to the way that leads to death.

Matthew 3

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“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.” John's message was very plain: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John was predicted by earlier prophets like Isaiah and Malachi. In Isaiah 40:1-5, directly quoted in Matthew 3, we read of the coming of this forerunner of Jesus. In the same paragraph Isaiah writes about the ultimate Judgment Day which will not take place until the second coming of the Lord. All of the New Testament centuries were presented by Isaiah, Malachi, and John as a singular future happening that would soon arrive. The “iniquity” of the Lord's chosen people would be “pardoned” and “the glory of the Lord” would be “revealed” in such a way that “all flesh” would “see it together.”

We now know that the ministry of John the Baptist was at the very beginning of the New Covenant era, while the entire glorious kingdom of Christ would be seen many centuries later at the end of that epoch when heaven would come to earth. John baptized repentant Jews with water back in the first century AD. At that time he also rebuked Pharisees and Saducees who were unwilling to change, demanding that they “bear fruit” that matched their “confessing of their sins.” He insisted that Old Testament Israel would soon be cut off, and that the Lord's “axe” was already at “the root of the trees.” Though the temple would be destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans, the end of the world would not arrive until the gospel was first preached to all nations (Matthew 24:14). That would take many centuries of evangelistic labor by the church.

We should not be surprised that John did not fully understand the timing of all that God had ordained. Even the Messiah would later indicate that in His human nature He did not know the day or the hour of the end of the world (Matthew 24:36). There were many other truths that John did not yet comprehend. For instance, he was quite shocked that Jesus came to him for John's baptism of repentance. Jesus understood that He was being baptized for sinful humanity, just as He would soon die on the cross not for His own transgressions but for ours. Both His baptism and His atoning death were essential parts of His mission to “fulfill all righteousness.”

In between His baptism and His death, our Lord would obey the Law of God for us so that He could serve as our perfect Substitute when He died on the cross. Even at this early stage in the gospel narrative, the Father declared His entire approval of Jesus. A voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

There would be much more for the disciples to learn regarding the kingdom of heaven, but already certain central facts were clear in these opening days of the public life of our Redeemer. First, John's call for everyone to turn away from their sins tells us that God was very serious about true holiness. Second, the baptism of Jesus helps us to understand that we needed a Man approved by God who would be willing to represent sinners before the Almighty. Finally, according to the testimony of John the Baptist and the Word of God from above, Jesus was and is that Man. The Kingdom of heaven was now “at hand” with the arrival of our Savior, the perfect Son of the Father.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Sovereign Lord, there is so much for us to learn from the Scriptures. It is there plainly for us to receive and obey, but what will the condition of our hearts be when we hear the divine message preached to us? Will we be willing to repent of our sin? Your Son had a complete commitment to fulfill all righteousness. Grant to us this same Spirit, that we might be eager to know and love the truth. Our Savior is fully pleasing to You. In Him we are Your beloved children.

Matthew 2

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Jesus “was born in Bethlehem” in fulfillment of Micah 5:2 and in accord with the signs in the heavens. Men from the east who were keen observers of the normal patterns of astronomy saw something that was remarkable enough to send them on the long trip to Jerusalem to inquire about an important birth. They may have had access to the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17 which announced many centuries earlier: “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

King Herod did not share their enthusiasm regarding the coming of a divine ruler, although he feigned approval saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” The religious authorities directed the visitors to Bethlehem, where the foreign travelers “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” when they found Jesus. “Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”

God used angels to direct Joseph for the protection of “the child and His mother” by first sending the family to Egypt and then leading them out of that same country after “the death of Herod.” This was in fulfillment of Hosea 11:1, which originally referred to the whole nation being rescued out of Egypt. Now the toddler who would be King of the Jews was brought out of that nation of ancient bondage and taken back to the Promised Land. “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

In the meantime Herod had murdered all the boys in the region around Bethlehem who were “two years old or under.” The sorrow of the grieving mothers was in accord with Jeremiah 31:15. Though the original passage had been about the loss of older sons who were soldiers, the power of God to raise the dead was the same in both cases. According to the next verse in Jeremiah, “They shall come back from the land of the enemy,” though their mothers had been wailing because their children “were no more.” Only Yahweh could bring hope to those in such great distress, because only God could conquer death and bring people back life.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus settled in Nazareth, a town in Galilee that was not considered a location of high esteem (John 1:45). As the prophets had predicted so long ago, the chosen Servant of the Lord would be “despised and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3). Nonetheless, the words of Isaiah 9:1 had signaled that Galilee, a place that had been the object of “contempt” in former days, would eventually be the part of Canaan where rays of heavenly glory would first shine. “In the latter time He has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father, why have men hated Your Son even before He was known by them? What kind of spirit causes a Herod to pretend to be a worshiper of the one that he seeks to destroy? Jesus was the hope of even Gentiles who were seeking the coming of the Holy One as they looked to the skies. You have protected Your Son from powerful and evil men who hated His coming, yet He was born to die according to Your own plan of salvation. Grant us more life in Christ even now, for though He died, He lives forever.

Matthew 1

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“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The story of Israel's history can be told in the genealogy of Jesus. From the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all the way to David's father, Jesse, Matthew presents his readers with a list of names containing no kings. Beginning with David through the “deportation to Babylon” all those referenced in Matthew 1 are well-known men who reigned in Jerusalem. After the exile we descend into an account of unknown people in the line of David who may have wanted to be kings, but certainly could not rule, since Israel was under the control of larger imperial powers.

It was then, when almost everyone would have given up hope, that Jesus was born of Mary. The King had arrived. So much in His heritage was a display of how God chooses to accomplishes His purposes in a most unlikely manner. Judah would have the “ruler's staff” (Genesis 49:10) rather than his more prominent brother who had far greater civil authority. Judah's son Perez would be the child of Judah and his daughter-in-law. The story would also include Rahab the Canaanite prostitute, Ruth the Moabite, and an adulterous affair between David and “the wife of Uriah.” Kings would often alternate between the good and the evil, but all of these generations culminated with the one Man that was the beginning of a whole new way of life throughout the earth.

Jesus was the long-expected hope of Israel. His Name meant “Jehovah is salvation” and Isaiah prophesied that this child of a virgin would be “'Immanuel' (which means God with us).” He had the title “Christ” which is “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Everyone assumed that Joseph was His father, but the truth revealed to Joseph by an “angel of the Lord” was that the Jesus in the womb of this Hebrew maiden was “from the Holy Spirit.”

After so many years of preparation, the time had finally come for the birth of the promised King of the Jews. He was born into a very humble station in an enslaved society, with a mother who was poor and not yet officially married. Most of his countrymen would not know anything about Him until the day arrived for Him to be revealed in Israel. When He comes again to reign over the new heavens and earth, every eye shall see Him. The whole world will have no choice but to acknowledge what so many resisted over the centuries: Jesus saves “His people from their sins.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, grant that we would see Jesus Christ rightly in Your Word. He is the fulfillment of every divine promise. You have made many kings to reign over Your people, but Jesus is far above them all. We thank You for the wonder of His two natures, for our King is both Man and God. He has fully saved us from our sins. Our Messiah is both the Son of Mary and “God with us.” In Him we have been given a most excellent and secure heritage.

Malachi 4

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The concluding chapter of the Old Testament is about the ultimate Day of the Lord. Concerning the coming justice of the Almighty, Malachi's hearers were warned with images of fire. The earth will be “burning like an oven” and “all the arrogant and all evildoers” will be like “stubble” that is quickly consumed with nothing left of their earthly existence.

The cataclysmic moment for the true worshipers of Jehovah will be entirely different. The Lord said, “For you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” The chosen of God will be full of life and will be with the King of the Ages in His judgment against “the wicked.” Those in league with Satan will finally be under the feet of the Son of Man and His beloved people. See Genesis 3:15 and Romans 16:20.

Malachi's proclamation of Israel's glorious hope was immediately followed by a summons to biblical faithfulness. “Remember the Law of my servant Moses.” Faithful Jews were not to invent new commandments, but to attend carefully to the statutes that God had spoken through Moses so long ago.

Those who were dedicated to holiness were also to wait for the appearing of a second “Elijah” who would prepare his generation for the coming of the eternal King. There can be no doubt that John the Baptist ministered as this promised Elijah (Matthew 11:14). His intention was to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” He especially would call for repentance by those who needed to bow the knee to God as their heavenly Father. But because of all who rejected the Lord's call to obedience, God would “come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

With the opening of the New Testament we hear the message of Christ and the resurrection age as the fulfillment of the words of the Old Covenant prophets. There is no plausible explanation of the mysteries of the Hebrew Bible other than the story of the love of God through the cross of His Son.

The church must preach Christ and Him crucified and nourish souls in the hope of the resurrection while there is still time for the world to repent and believe. Eventually the trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will be raised. There will be no more sermons when Jesus returns. The final judgment that the prophet Malachi wrote about so long ago will be here. Until that last day dawns there remains an opportunity for the lost to be found and for the condemned to be saved.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

O God, the Day of Judgment is surely coming, yet the glorious sun of a resurrection world has already shined upon the souls of the redeemed. You have turned the hearts of Your beloved children back to our only Messiah. The Son of Righteousness defeated the darkness that stood against us. As the church waits for His return we have a living hope that will not disappoint. We cry out to Him in the words of Your holy ones throughout the ages, “Come soon, Lord Jesus!”

Malachi 3

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“Behold, I send My messenger, and He will prepare the way before Me.” John the Baptist would eventually be the Lord's ambassador at the close of the Old Covenant era. This important prophet did all that God had promised in introducing the Messiah to Israel. “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.” The Savior that John pointed to was both Yahweh and “the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight.”

Jesus was to one day judge the wicked and purify the elect. The end result of this holy work would be the offering of the perfected church to the Father that could rightly be said to be “pleasing to the Lord.” Nonetheless, for those outside the protection of the saving grace of Jehovah, God would be “a swift witness” against those not having an appropriate “fear” toward the great I-AM.

Was Israel so sinful that God had to come in person to atone for the nation? Malachi presented a specific example of wrongdoing where so many of the religious people of that day were failing. “Will man rob God?” They could not imagine that they were guilty of such an offense, yet the Lord insisted that they were stealing from Him in “tithes and contributions.” Yahweh invited His worshipers to “test” Him regarding these just demands. If they gave what the Lord commanded, He would “open the windows of heaven” for them and “rebuke the devourer” so that they could prosper again.

Some of those who heard the message of Malachi took these matters to heart and recorded their resolve in a “book of remembrance.” The Lord promised to make them His “treasured possession.” Yet what would become of the best intentions of even the most observant Jews? Could anyone truly offer up the perfect perpetual obedience that Jehovah rightly required of them?

The salvation of God's chosen ones would be a very costly endeavor. Our Redeemer had to give far more than a tithe in order to buy us back from sin and death. His 100 percent sacrifice of Himself on the cross was necessary to satisfy His Father's righteous judgment that stood against us. It is our privilege now to live for Jesus with grateful hearts in light of His incomparable generosity toward us. No one else could have paid the price that saved us from hell.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, You have sent Your Son as the Mediator of a New Covenant. He has provided a way for those who reverence You, but He will come again to judge the wicked. We must return to You and be faithful with the possessions that You have given. We will generously support the work of Your church and give to the poor within our midst. Grant us true joy in Your service. We have committed ourselves to the way of righteousness. We will serve You.

Malachi 2

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God continued His indictment against the priests in Israel by warning them concerning the seriousness of their rebellion against Him. “If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to My Name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings.” Their holiest ceremonial offerings would be regarded as “dung” because they would not truly hear and obey the Word of God.

The Lord reminded them of His ancient “covenant” with the tribe of Levi. He had promised to make them agents of divine benediction to the entire nation. In order to have the “life” and “peace” that God pledged, they needed to approach Him with holy fear, trembling at His commandments. If they humbled themselves before the Almighty, they could have rightly spoken the truth to Israel. Instead they had “turned aside from the way” of the Lord. “You have corrupted the covenant of Levi.”

The offenses of the Jews were not only in the sphere of sacred worship but also in their family lives. “Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.” Not only had they entered into prohibited relationships, they had also broken their solemn commitments to the wives of their youth. God said, “You cover the Lord's altar with tears.” Though they continued to bring sacrificial gifts to God, the Lord heard the cries of the many women who had been abandoned by their husbands.

God instituted marriage with the goal of “godly offspring.” Instead of submitting to His plan, they were ruled by their own desires. They left their first wives in tears, even divorcing them unlawfully. Imagining that they were able to hide their actions from the God they could not see, they ignored their own guilt. They complained, “Where is the God of justice?”

God's people had become covenant breakers even after returning from the discipline of a serious period of exile. The only hope for them was to place their faith in the Lord's provision of a future atoning sacrifice who would Himself be an acceptable offering to the Almighty. Through embracing the message of the gospel Jews and Gentiles have found the only way to have peace with God.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Great God, we will honor Your Name. We humble ourselves under Your almighty hand. We are to be priests before You. Your servants should be different from the world. We should guard knowledge, give good instruction to one another, and follow what we teach others to do. Particularly within our homes we should be godly examples of love and sacrificial commitment. We should seek You and serve You as we train up our children in the way they should go. Have we spoken thoughtlessly and acted as if You do not care about justice? Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Malachi 1

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“I have loved you,” the Lord said to Israel. Yet God's people did not accept this “oracle.” Yahweh pressed upon them the truth of their blessed election by the Almighty. He reminded them of the story of Jacob and Esau in the womb of their mother Rebekah. Jacob became the nation of Israel and Esau was the father of the Edomites. The former had a wonderful eternal future, while the latter would soon be gone from the face of the earth. Concerning God's everlasting plan it was very clear which of the two nations would receive His covenant faithfulness. “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.”

God's gracious choice of Israel was not based on any merit that they possessed in themselves. The Lord's abundant mercy should have propelled them toward their Maker in sincere and humble worship. Yet they were not obedient to His Word, and even sought to deceive Him with sacrificial offerings that were plainly unacceptable.

The failings of the Jews were not corrected by those entrusted with the priestly office. Men who should have known and enforced the Lord's statutes “despised” their God. They offered “polluted food” at the “Lord's table” by accepting gifts that would have been insulting to the human governors above them. They presented animals to the Lord that were “lame or sick” and imagined that God did not notice their impudence.

The Lord preferred to end the Old Testament sacrificial system rather than this continued hypocrisy. Many of the returned exiles of Israel had counted God's regulations as an overwhelming “weariness.” The Lord deserved better than this insolence. “From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name will be great among the nations.” God would raise up a host of New Covenant worshipers who would bring the “incense” of their prayers to Him. “I am a great King, says the Lord of Hosts, and My Name will be feared among the nations.”

The Lord Jesus has now become the perfect Monarch over a worldwide church. He purchased the elect from every people group throughout the world through the shedding of His own blood. There was nothing lacking in that one offering for our sake. His Spirit is now at work within us, enabling us to cry out to God with holy boldness. Because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the prophecies of Malachi are being fulfilled to the praise of the Lord's amazing grace.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord of Glory, You have spoken through Your messengers the prophets. You revealed Your love for Israel, yet Your plans have always been great even beyond the borders of the Promised Land. Father, You sent Your Son to be the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus accomplished His work as our High Priest with full integrity. Our Messiah did everything perfectly. His offering was pure, for He gave Himself as a holy sacrifice. There was no blemish in Jesus. Now our Redeemer is also our King, and His Name shall be exalted throughout the earth.

Zechariah 14

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“Behold, a day is coming for the Lord.” God announced through Zechariah the terrors and victories of a future era. “I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle.” The unified efforts of all these enemies might be successful at first, but then the Lord Himself would “go out and fight” them. Appearing with “all the holy ones,” Only the Almighty could bring about the glorious fulfillment of His eternal purposes.

God intended to open up a fountain of “living water,” as “king over all the earth.” There would “never again be a decree of utter destruction” upon His city and His people. “Jerusalem shall dwell in security.”

The enemies who once threatened God's elect faced an eventual “plague” of horrid destruction from the Lord. “The wealth of all the surrounding nations” would be “collected” into the blessed kingdom of the Almighty. The people groups throughout the globe were to become worshipers of Yahweh, going up “to keep the Feast of Booths.” This concluding festival in the annual cycle of the Jews was symbolic of the time after the final trumpet and God's judgment upon the earth. In this “Feast of Booths” the Lord was determined to dwell forever with His beloved ones in a society of perfect holiness. Even the bells on the horses would be inscribed with the words “Holy to the Lord.”

Though the prophet used distinctively Old Testament ceremonial language to describe the Lord's resurrection world, there can be no doubt that the New Testament realities that are so clearly propounded in the apostolic writings are proclaimed in Zechariah's exciting picture of ultimate victory. God's best gifts have been secured for us by the sacrifice of Jesus. Because of His shed blood and the pouring out of His Spirit we are counted as “holy to the Lord of hosts.” Those who have discovered this fountain of godly refreshment wait for the Lord's return with eager anticipation.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Sovereign Lord, You are the God of salvation. We may suffer and even be forced to flee from the hands of those who long to kill us, yet You will rescue us. Your Son will be King over all the earth, and we shall be Your temple and Your holy city. Though there will be a day of horrible panic and death for Your enemies, Your servants will ultimately experience great celebration and joy. You will perfectly sanctify everything and everyone in the new Jerusalem. 

Zechariah 13

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Using the phrase “on that day,” God declared that during the future New Covenant “a fountain” would be “opened” for the Lord's worshiping people “to cleanse them from sin.” What else would happen in the age to come? The “idols” of false gods would “be remembered no more,” and false “prophets” filled with “the spirit of uncleanness” would be put to shame regarding their claims to speak for God.

Eventually the written revelation of the Lord would be completed. The Old Testament pattern of the Lord's speech which was recorded little by little and in various ways would come to a grand finale with the Word of the Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-2). The testimony of the Messiah would be recorded first in the gospels, and then the ascended Christ would complete the Bible by inspiring the authors of apostolic letters and other writings through those who were eye and ear witnesses of His earthly ministry (Hebrews 2:1-4).

The suffering of the eternal “Shepherd” of Israel and of those individuals who put their hopes in Him would also be essential components of the New Testament period. “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” This important verse from Zechariah 13 was later quoted in Matthew 26:31.

Even though Jesus was mortally wounded, He had known in advance that He would rise from the dead. Therefore, He gave His disciples instructions about where they should meet Him. Immediately after the Zechariah quote in Matthew 26 we read, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” The dispersion of our Lord's disciples would not be permanent. In Matthew 28:16 we read that the apostles “went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.”

These men would live on and would all face significant tribulations as prophesied years earlier. Throughout the many centuries of New Covenant life, many who showed some interest in their writings would eventually fall away, but a remnant would remain faithful to the God of the Bible though their lives would not be easy. The consolations of the Almighty written in Zechariah 13 belonged to all who would worship Jesus. “They will call upon My Name and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are My people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is My God.'”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord of Hosts, there is a fountain of cleansing for us through the blood of the Lamb. Pour out the fresh water of Your Spirit upon Your children even now. Though we may suffer greatly at the hands of the wicked, our situation is still very good. We have a finished Word granted to us in the Old and New Testaments, so we have Your voice with us continually. More than this, the final Shepherd has come, and when He was struck down, He won for us the fullest peace with You. We are Your people, and You are our God.

Zechariah 12

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The Lord alone “stretched out the heavens and formed the earth.” He also created humanity and gave us life. Beginning with Adam, Jehovah “formed the spirit of man within him.” God also chose Israel, brought His nation into the land of Canaan, and eventually made Jerusalem the center of His presence in the world. His promises concerning the destiny of His covenant children are uniquely reliable among all those who would venture any opinions regarding the future.

In the final three chapters of Zechariah the Lord revealed that a latter era would be seen “on that day.” What did God intend us to understand by using this phrase? John 19:37 is the key for our right thinking on these matters since it is an inspired quotation of Zechariah's words: “They will look on Him whom they have pierced.” Jesus is the mortally wounded Man of Zechariah 12. Yet the prophet spoke of God Himself facing suffering. The Lord who pledged to pour out upon His beloved children “a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy” would give these gifts “when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced.”

With this sure identification of Jesus in Zechariah 12, there can be little doubt that the “Judah” and “Jerusalem” referred to in this same chapter must be that group of believers who would be united to Christ in His church. “The surrounding peoples” standing against God's assembly refer to the world that has rejected the Savior. The salvation of God's city, Jerusalem, points to the final vindication of the Lord's beloved ones “on that day” when He fulfills all His promises of grace and judgment.

From the vantage point of the community that originally heard Zechariah, all of these prophecies concerning the first and second coming of Jesus were part of one distant future “day,” while we live in the middle of these sacred events. The initial arrival of the Messiah has taken place, but the second advent is yet to be fulfilled. The descendant of David through his son “Nathan” (Luke 3:31) has already accomplished so much for us. Because our perfect Mediator lives forever, we have a newly revealed way of approaching God with confidence.

By the message of apostles and ministers of the Word we have heard the truth of the death of Christ, and by the Spirit of the Lord we have repented of our complicity in His sufferings. It was our sin that brought about the cross, and we see His atonement for us as our only hope. Therefore we can confess the truth that we have “looked” on Him whom we have “pierced.” Repentance and faith have become for us a gateway to the bounty of heaven.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Our Father, You have created the world. You have redeemed a people for a coming day of new creation. Though there is much tribulation around us, Your eyes are open and You will not forget us. Even if we are in the midst of a crowd of strangers, You will know us at once. You will see us and rescue us, even if everyone to the right and to the left will be destroyed in their sin. You will give us the grace of the full salvation that You have shown to us in the resurrection of the Son of David. He was pierced for us and has become the firstborn among many brethren.

Zechariah 11

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The Lord calls the corrupt leaders in the Promised Land majestic “cedars” that will be cut down, “lions” that will have no remaining habitat in which to hide, and “shepherds” who will “wail” when they finally realize that “their glory is ruined.” This final metaphor was developed further in the remainder of the chapter.

While Zechariah himself was called to be a “shepherd of the flock,” Jehovah's voice was always to be the one that His sheep would follow. Instead they listened to those who had “no pity on them.” Such false ambassadors hoped to profit off the demise of the Lord's children. Every “neighbor” and “king” stood ready to betray the weak.

In light of this alarming infidelity, God would bring the Old Covenant period to an end. The Lord's “favor” would appear to be withheld for a time, and any hope of a healthy “union” of Israel and Judah would have to wait until a better era when Jews and Gentiles together would live in peace under the reign of the Messiah.

How would the promised Christ come to prominence in future centuries? Zechariah wrote of a “worthless shepherd” and about “thirty pieces of silver” paid to a man “who deserts the flock.” Judas would not be faithful to his Lord, but would sell the Lord of glory into the hands of adversaries. Nonetheless, even this lowest of all moments was part of God's plan that would eventually lead to the astounding preeminence of Jesus.

As devastated as Judas was on the dark day when he was overtaken by despair (Matthew 27:3), Jesus Himself went far lower for our sake by becoming a curse for us. Through His righteous life, more precious than gold, our redemption price has been paid. Because of the success of His atoning sacrifice, the shame of the cross has been more than overruled, and we are able to find hope even when our worst fears seem to have defeated us.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Great God, we are so prone to wander, for we take glory in things that do not last. Our idolatry has brought much trouble upon many people. Please grant favor to Your chosen ones because of Your love for Your Son. Bring about a new union of Your children, for we have been drawn together through Christ, the Suffering Servant. He gave His life for us, and is a completely faithful Shepherd. He has served You to the end, and has saved us by the gift of His own blood.