In the book of Zechariah, Zechariah said, “Thus says the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter. Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not”, and in chapter eleven and verse six of Zechariah, Zechariah shared how Jehovah God said, “I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land” where we read,
For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, says the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
The verse reads, “For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, says the LORD:” Zechariah began with the words, “for I will no more pity the inhabitants” or “because, since and on account that I, Jehovah God, shall not in any way or manner spare nor have tender love and compassion on the people who dwell, remain and abide” “of the land” which means “within the country, territory, district and region”, “says the LORD” or “utters, declares and proclaims Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God”. Zechariah shared how Jehovah God said He would no longer have compassion upon the ones who dwell within the district and region.
The verse goes on to say, “but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king:” Zechariah continued with the words, “but, lo, I will deliver the men” or “however, behold, look and consider, I, Jehovah God, shall allow the human beings both male and female to fall” “every one into his neighbor's hand” which means “each, all, the whole and everyone into their, fellow-citizens' and companions', physical hands or power”, “and into the hand” or “and in the physical hand or power” “of his king” which means “belonging to his, royal leader and ruler”. Zechariah shared how Jehovah God said He would allow the people of Israel to fall into the physical hands of their fellow citizens and their king.
Finally the verse says, “and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.” Zechariah concluded this verse with the words, “and they shall smite the land” or “and they, the neighbors of Israel, will crush, beat, discomfort and shatter the country, region, district and territory”, “and out of their hand” which means “and from their, the neighbor's and the king's, physical hand or power” “I will not deliver them” or “I, Jehovah God, shall in no way or manner rescue, save and liberate them, the flock or Israel”. Zechariah ended this verse by sharing how the “neighbors” of Israel would attack Israel, and He would in no way or manner rescue or save them.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Zechariah how Jehovah God He would not have pity upon the people of Israel, but He would allow them to be under the power of their “neighbors” and their “ruler”. These “neighbors and king” would bring ruin upon Israel, and Jehovah God would not rescue them. God loves the people of Israel, and He allowed them to be overtaken by their “neighbors” because they forsook Him and His ways. However, although they were as captives beneath their power, God would now save them from their circumstances. God wants to “deliver” us from the power of sin and darkness which holds us captive until we are set free by believing and trusting in Jesus who died on the cross in our place. When we put our faith and trust in Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us and understanding of His delivering power and His willingness to live with us forever when we surrender to Him.
Next time Zechariah shares how Jehovah God says, “I will feed the flock of slaughter”, 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