In the book of Zechariah, Zechariah saw a vision of a man riding on a red horse with red and white speckled horse following behind him, and Zechariah asked, “O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show you what these be. And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, we have walked to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth sits still, and is at rest”, and in chapter one and verse twelve of Zechariah, Zechariah shared how the angel asked, “how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem” where we read,
Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts,
how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah,
against which you have had indignation these threescore and ten years?
The verse reads, “Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, ...” Zechariah began with the words, “then the angel” or “at that time the spiritual messenger or envoy” “of the LORD” which means “from Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “answered and said” or “began to speak, responded and uttered, declared, proclaimed and began to ask”, “O LORD of hosts” which means “O Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God who is over the spiritual army of angels and warriors” and added the following words. Zechariah shared how Jehovah God's spiritual messenger responded by asking Him the following question.
The verse goes on to say, “... how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, ...”. Zechariah continued with the words, “how long will you not have mercy” or “for what length of time shall you, Jehovah God, in no way or manner be compassionate, have tender affection and deep love” “on Jerusalem” which means “upon Jerusalem whose name means the teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”, “and on the cities” or “and upon the towns, encampments and the place guarded by waking or a watch” “of Judah” which means “belonging to Judah whose name means praised and was the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”. Zechariah shared how Jehovah God's spiritual envoy questioned the amount of time that should pass before He was compassionate and pitiful toward “Jerusalem” and the other towns belonging to “Judah”.
Finally the verse says, “... against which you have had indignation these threescore and ten years?” Zechariah concluded this verse with the words, “against which you have had indignation” or “to which you, Jehovah God, have denounced, been indignant, angry and defiant” “these threescore and ten years” which means “for the seventy years”. Zechariah ended this verse by referring to the seventy years that Jehovah God was angry with the people of Israel and allowed them to be captives in Babylon.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Zechariah how the spiritual envoy from Jehovah God asked Him for what length of time was He not going to be pitiful and compassionate to “Jerusalem” and the towns and encampments in “Judah”. The “angel” knew God was angry with the people of Israel because they had forsaken Him and His ways, and their seventy year captivity within Babylon was destined to be over. The “messenger” of Jehovah God knew He is a “merciful” God, and the timing for His pity and compassion was to be extended soon. God hates sin and error against Him, but He loves sinners. He so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we believe and trust in Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and extend His “mercy and grace” to all who surrender to Him.
Next time Zechariah shared how, “the LORD answered the angel … with good words”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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