Zechariah 4 - God Provides Power.

 

Zechariah 4 – God Provides Power

 

Zechariah ministered to discouraged people attempting to accomplish a difficult task. If you find yourself ready to quit, consider the assurances God gives His workers.

 

Oil is symbolic of God’s Holy Spirit, and He alone can give us the power to finish His work. Are you depending on Him or on your own strength and expertise? (Eph.3:20-21).

 

Unbelief makes mountains out of molehills, but faith in God makes mountains into plains! The leaders faced all kinds of obstacles, but God would open the way for them. (Isa 4115; Matt. 17:20).

 

God finishes what He starts (Phil 1:6), so we can trust Him even amid opposition. The temple project was delayed for many years, but God eventually helped them finish it.

 

To the eyes of men, the temple project was but a small thing (Hag. 2:3); but to the eyes of God, it was a source of great joy. Do your work to please God and let Him be the final judge (I Cor. 4:5).

 

Grace simultaneously extols God’s freely given blessing on the work now complete and implores Him to continue to look with favor on the temple and all that it represented.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

Zechariah 3 - God Rebukes, Removes, Restores

 

Zechariah 3 – Rebukes, Removes, Restores

 

When we come to God to be forgiven, what does He do for us?

 

He rebukes the enemy. Satan is the accuser (Rev, 12:10), but Christ is the Advocate (I John 1:9-22). We are chosen by God and belong to Him, and the enemy cannot condemn us (rom. 8:31-39)/ the Spirit convicts in love to woo us back to God. Satan accuses us in hatred to make us despair of God’s help. Be sure to distinguish these two voices.

 

He removes the Iniquity. The dirty garments symbolized the sinfulness of the nation, for the high priest was to keep himself clean before the Lord. God removes our sin and clothes us anew because Jesus died for our sins and lives to intercede for us.

 

He restores the ministry. God did not set Joshua aside, for the purpose of restoration is ministry. God told him to go back and minister to the people and tell them about the coming Messiah, the Branch. Just as Joshua was cleansed and restored, so Israel will be cleansed and restored when Messiah comes to reign.

 

Joshua would preside over the temple and the ministry of the priests. Israel’s future peace and redemption rest in the messianic figure foreshadowed in My servant the Branch.

 

The Branch is the Davidic ruler to come (Jer. 23:5). In Zechariah’s time, this promise was attached to the governor Zerubbabel, who was descended from David, but he foreshadowed a greater one to come: The Messiah.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible.

 

Zechariah 2 - Promise and Proclamation.

 

Zechariah 2 – Promise and Proclamation.

 

The act of measuring was an indication that God owned the city and had plans for it. No matter how discouraged the people of the Jewish remnant were, they could be sure that their work was not in vain. There was a glorious future for Jerusalem.

 

Many Jews still in Babylon should have returned to their land. Babylon was destined to fall, but Jerusalem would have a new beginning. Why stay in a condemned city? But some believers today still choose to stay in the world (2 Cor. 6:14-18; Rev. 18:1-8).

 

The Lord speaks and promises to care for His people. The pupil of the eye is vulnerable and feels pain keenly. God cares for us because we are dear to Him (Deut. 32:10).

 

Their sighing would be turned into singing, for the Lord was coming to them and would dwell with them. He will claim His inheritance (Ex. 19:5), and they will know Him and serve Him. The covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) will be fulfilled as the gentile nations come to the Lord because of the glory of God in Israel.

 

God’s promise to “shake my hand against them” is a gesture of militant opposition. God would reverse the fortunes of the Gentile oppressors so that master would become slave and slave, master. This about-face would cause the people to acknowledge God’s sovereignty.

 

Ultimately, a right standing before God comes only through Christ fulfilling the law on every sinner’s behalf. (Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:21).

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans for You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. Through the Bible by J. Vernon McGee.

 

 

Zechariah 1 - Three Targets

 

Zechariah 1 – Three Targets

 

God’s anger was directed against three targets:

 

The previous generation. Their sins had helped to bring about the ruin of the nation, but the new generation was committing the same sins. Sin has a way of following us and finally overtaking us, like a wild beast let loose on our trail. It is always time to repent.

 

The present generation. During the seventy years of captivity, the nation felt God’s anger; but now the time had come for God to show mercy. His discipline had accomplished His purposes; now He would begin to heal and restore His people.

 

The complacent nations. God’s angels patrol His earth and work on behalf of His people (Heb. 1:14). The nations were at peace, but Israel was still in difficulty. When God used the other nations to punish Israel, they were excessively cruel; now God would repay them. Horns are a symbol of power, and God would break the power of the ntaions.

 

The feeble remnant, working on the temple, must have been greatly encouraged by God’s promise of mercy and help. Are you claiming His promises today?

 

Judah is the tribal name; Israel is the honorable name of the nation chosen by God; jerusalem is the seat of God’s dwelling, the location of His temple. Horns represent strength or sometimes royalty. The craftsman symbolizes God’s instruments of judgment against these nations. Perhaps they are viewed as workmen who forge weapons of destruction (Isa. 54:16, 17).

 

 

 Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. J.Vernon McGee Thru the Bible. Nelson’s Quick Reference. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

 

The Book of Haggai

 

The Book of Haggai

 

During the seventy years in Babylonian captivity, the Jewish people dreamed of being back in Jerusalem and worshiping in a restored temple. In 539 B.C., after the Persians conquered Babylon, King Cyrus abruptly decreed that the Jews could return to their homeland. Surprisingly, only a small number accepted this offer, and most of them quickly became preoccupied with building their own homes. They had lost their spiritual motivation, but this time from self-centeredness. God raised up the prophet Haggai to motivate His distracted people. Haggai forcefully informed his Jewish brethren that they were not making God their priority. Their neglect of the temple was really a neglect of the Lord. Haggai is one of only three Old Testament prophets who ministered after the Exile. The other two were Zechariah and Malachi. Together with the Judean governor Zerubbabal and the priest Ezra, Haggai attempted to jump start the Jewish people. Haggai reminds us that good intentions are not good if our day-to-day priorities are wrong. “I’ll get around to it” we tell ourselves. But sooner becomes later, and the job never gets done. If your soul is dragging, let Haggai motivate you to God-honoring action.

 

People spend money on what they consider most important. Haggai pointed out that the people in Jerusalem were valuining comforts of their own homes over God. Their homes had paneled roofs and decorated walls, while the temple – God’s house remained in ruins. They had spent their resources on what they valued. Haggai’s message was “Consider your ways!” It’s a message to us as well. We need to reevaluate where we spend our resources. Do our activities and spending habits reflect our dedication to God?

 

 

 

 

 Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. J.Vernon McGee Thru the Bible. Nelson’s Quick Reference. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Book of Zephaniah

 

Habakkuk 3 - A Plea for Mercy

 

Habakkuk 3 – A Plea for Mercy.

 

The prophet’s earlier questions and complaints against God culminate in a prayer. Habakkuk begins with a plea for mercy on Judah, quickly turns to faith-bolstering praise and then concludes with a pledge to wait expectantly for the Lord’s deliverance.

 

As Habakkuk gratefully recalls God’s faithful actions in Israel’s history, especially during the time of the Exodus, he presents a vision of God’s coming judgment on Judah.

 

Habakkuk envisioned the devastation and despair of the Judeans when the Babylonians invaded their land – barren fig trees, desolate vineyard, malnourished cattle, and sheep. This pictured ruin for the nation. No wonder Habakkuk trembled in fear. But he didn’t let fear immobilize him. He quieted his heart and cried to God for deliverance, knowing that whatever would happen, he would always be able to rejoice in the Lord. No matter what happens, God is with us, and in that too we can rejoice. Trust is believing without seeing. When we trust in our trustworthy God, we don’t need to know why. We only need to know Him.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans for You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. Through the Bible by J. Vernon McGee.