[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (JAC) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟟:𝟡-𝟙𝟘
"Thus has
the LORD of hosts said, 'Dispense true justice and practice kindness and
compassion each to his brother; and do
not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not
devise evil in your hearts against one another.'"
The people asked Zechariah, if they
should proclaim a fasting and prayer program, and the prophet told them God
didn't like such!
True religion is lived out, not just
spoken out. People of Yahweh must be both Orthodox and Orthopractic (Right
Doctrine and Right Practice). These Israelites were neither Orthodox nor
Orthopractic.
Orthodoxy is fearing Yahweh who delivered
them from the bondage of slavery, and orthopraxy is to not oppress their own
brothers knowing the salvation of God. People of Yahweh should be forgiving,
kind, gentle, helpful, and compassionate as the Lord is to them. Or else it is
a dead profession of faith!
Is it not chilling to reflect upon our
life as well: the requirements of Yahweh from us? O to be forgiving! O to be
gracious! O to be compassionate! O to be
helping! O to walk worthy of Thy calling, Thy salvation, Thy gospel, take
captive of our hearts, O Lord, our God!
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟠:𝟚
"Thus says
the LORD of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I
am jealous for her.'"
Favourable jealousy of God towards
Israel.
This chapter talks about the future. God
in His jealousy poured out His wrath against His people to purge them from
sins. And now He will be pouring out His wrath on others to bring His people
back into His fold. His jealousy is demonstrated in two opposite ways: As much
as dispersion and punishment were real, the gathering and prosperity of Israel
will be real!
And v23, everyone will want to identify
with them because of their God! When people see the goodness of God in us, they
want to identify with us.
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟡:𝟚, 𝟜
"And
Hamath also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very
wise."
"Behold,
the Lord will dispossess her And cast her wealth into the sea; And she will be
consumed with fire."
God will humble the proud and mighty.
I think a day is coming when the Chinese
will humble the proud Americans! Maybe in our lifetime. BTW, so glad to see
Italy defeating England in the Euro Cup! I was not supporting Italy. I was
cheering for the defeat of England!
Israel was humbled by Assyria. Assyria
was humbled by Babylon. Babylon was humbled by Persia. Persia was humbled by
Greece. After Greece, the Romans, after the Romans, the British, after the
British, the Americans, now the wind seems to be blowing in China! If God
chooses China to humble the Americans, I want to see it in my lifetime.
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟙𝟘:𝟙
"Ask rain
from the LORD at the time of the spring rain-- The LORD who makes the storm
clouds; And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each
man."
Almighty God is ever ready to not only
forgive but flourish us if we would just pray. This prayer presupposes acknowledgment
of sins, repentance, and earnest seeking of God. Most human beings
pray, but they do not have these three components in their prayer. BTW, it's an
earnest prayer. E.M Bounds said that God answers no prayer only earnest prayer.
Footballer Ronaldo and Cricketer Virat
Kohli said that if you want to win you have to be hungry for victory. Well,
Christians can't afford to be ignorant arrogant fools, if we pray, let's be
earnest for what we are praying for!
Even if we are earnest, even if we pray
day and night, fasting and sacrificing our body itself, if Yahweh is not a
forgiving God, there's no hearing of our prayers. And if Yahweh is not an
Almighty All-good God, there's no answering of prayers.
But He is and He does. In fact, He works
everything (and would even summon stars and shake heaven and earth) for the
good of a believer!
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟚
"I said to
them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never
mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages."
Zechariah was given only 30 shekels of
silver. He rejected and threw it away by the word of the Lord. It was a picture
of Jewish leaders despising the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Treating Him as a
worthless slave.
A story is told about Julius Caesar,
abducted by pirates when he was 25 years old. The pirates demanded a ransom of
20 talents. Julius Caesar laughed at them and suggested they demand 50 talents.
Julius Caesar knew he was worth more than that. He even told them that when
they release him, he will hunt them down. They undermined him and released him.
And it is said Julius Caesar hunted down every single one of them!
If the true Shepherd is despised, it's
likely the under-shepherds will be despised too. If Jesus was worth only 30
shekels, no surprise how people will undermine the under-shepherds!
BTW, 1Talent = 3000 shekels. How
insignificant was Jesus! Sold only for 30 shekels when Julius Caesar (even when
he was young) was abducted for 60,000 shekels. And He raised his price to 1,50,000
shekels 😂. Would you do that if somebody kidnapped
you? Asking them to demand more money to release you? 😀
Terrorists like Bin Laden are wanted for a
million dollars. Jesus was wanted for just 30 shekels. So was Zechariah, the
under-shepherd of Israel!
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟙𝟚:𝟠
"On that
day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest
among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be
like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them."
This is good news. The present Israelis
are not worth supporting. They are heathens like other people groups.
It is good, not even because their origin
is written in the Bible. It is good because it is the faithfulness of God. It is
about the power and goodness of God, nothing to admire about these Israelis.
This faithful Yahweh is my God too. He
will shake heaven and earth to preserve and prosper His people when the time
comes!
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟙𝟛:𝟜-𝟝
"On that
day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not
put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive,
but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man
sold me in my youth.'"
A day will come when people will hate
false teaching that even false teachers will be afraid to continue their
teaching publicly.
That day has not arrived yet.
Now, people aren't even educated enough about
what is right and wrong. Only after they know, they can hate it!
May I always worship and praise You,
Lord!
ℤ𝔼ℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟙𝟜:𝟡
"And the
LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his
name one."
In the end, our hope will be realized!
And we will reign with Him.
That day, that day is nearer now than
before!