In the book of Zechariah, Zechariah said, “Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire”, and in chapter nine and verse five of Zechariah, Zechariah said, “Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it” where we read,
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
The verse reads, “Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron;” Zechariahbegan with the words, “Ashkelon shall see it” or “Ashkelon, whose name means the fire of infamy or I will be weighed and was a maritime city of the Philistines which is southwest of Jerusalem, will observe, discern and perceive the destruction of Tyrus”, “and fear” which means “and be afraid, fearful, reverent and stand in awe”; “Gaza” or “Azzah whose name means the strong and was a city of the Philistines located in the extreme southwest of Palestine close to the Mediterranean” “also shall see it” which means “even so and indeed will observe, discern and perceieve the destruction of Tyrus”, “and be very sorrowful” or “and exist as exceedingly and abundantly in travail, trembling, anguish and pain” “and Ekron” which means “emigration or torn up by the roots and was the most northerly of the five principal cities of the Philistines; located in the lowlands of Judah and later given to Dan”. Zechariah shared how Jehovah said the Philistine cities of “Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron” would observe what happens to “Tyrus” and tremble exceedingly.
The verse goes on to say, “for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.” Zechariah continued with the words, “for her expectation” or “because, since and on account that her, Tyrus' object of hope or confidence” “shall be ashamed” which means “will exist as disconcerted, disappointed and confounded”; “and the king” or “and the royal leader and leader” “shall perish from Gaza” which means “will vanish, go astray, be destroyed and exterminated” “and Ashkelon” or “and Ashkelon whose name means the fire of infamy or I will be weighed and was a maritime city of the Philistines which is southwest of Jerusalem” “shall not be inhabited” which means “will in no way or manner remain, abide and endure”. Zechariah shared how “Tyrus' hope and expectation would be confounded and the royal leader would from Gaza would be exterminated while “Ashkelon” would not remain.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Zechariah how the Philistine cities and their rulers were to be overtaken and destroyed. Because these places opposed Israel and relished and contributed to their demise, they were to suffer the consequences for their insolence. God knows the people who support His people Israel and those who oppose them, and He has come to their defense over and over again. God loves people, and He offers them salvation from the penalty of sin which is death through His Son Jesus who came through Israel and died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we surrender our lives to Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us an understanding of how He has employed the nation of Israel to bring forth His Messiah Jesus as the nation through whom all the world may be saved.
Next time Zechariah says, “a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod”, 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".
No comments:
Post a Comment