Zechariah 13
Future cleansing from all sins verse 1
IN THAT DAY there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness
Future will have no false prophets verse 2- 3
And it shall come to pass in that day in that day
says the LORD of hosts
that I will cut off the names of the idols
out of the land
and they shall no more be remembered
and also I will cause the prophets
and the unclean spirit to
pass out of the land
And it shall come to pass
that when any shall yet prophesy
THEN his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him
You shall not live
for you speak lies in the name of the LORD
AND his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him
through when he prophesies
Future no one will claim to be prophet verse 4- 6
And it shall come to pass in that day
that the prophets shall be ashamed
every one of his vision
when he hath prophesied
Neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive
BUT he shall say
I am no prophet – I am an husbandman
for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth
AND one shall say unto him
What are these wounds in your hands?
THEN he shall answer
Those with which I was wounded
in the house of my friends
One third of sheep will survive verse 7- 8
Awake – O sword – against MY shepherd
and against the man that is MY fellow
says the LORD of hosts – smite the shepherd
and the sheep shall be scattered
AND I will turn MINE hand upon the little ones
AND it shall come to pass
that in all the land – says the LORD
two parts therein shall be cut off and die
BUT the third shall be left therein
Survivor need refining by the LORD verse 9
AND I will bring the third part through the fire
and will refine them as silver is refined
AND will try them as gold is tried
they shall call on MY name – and I will hear them
I will say – It is MY people
and they shall say – The LORD is my God
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. (4726 “fountain” [maqowr] means well-spring, source of life, joy and purification, descendants of Israel, with an associative with meaning of life and cleansing of association with clean water.)
DEVOTION: Zechariah is speaking of a future day when there was going to be a cleansing of sin from all of Israel. There will be a group of people who will have their sins and impurities removed. This group is called a “remnant” in other passages.
The future is so different from now. There is sin and impurity everywhere. We have to watch for it in our conversations with classmate or fellow workers or even in our own home. Language can be a problem.
Actions can be impure. We have to learn what actions the LORD approves of and those HE doesn’t. These rules are found in the word of God regarding relationships at work, play or home. If our actions are impure we have to correct them.
As believers we are waiting for the day when the LORD ends our present circumstances and gives us our future hope. Zechariah is stating the future hope of those who live in Jerusalem. Many generations have lived with this hope not coming to fruition. Our prayer has to be “Even come Lord Jesus.”
CHALLENGE: We are part of a faithful remnant of genuine believers who will one day meet the LORD for our reward. Our responsibility is to trust HIM to help us each day.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, says the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. (2932 “unclean” [tum‘ah] means filthiness, pollution, or impurity)
DEVOTION: We are still in the future time for Israel. During this time period the names of idols are going to leave. This means that their influence was over. They were going to not be counted on to help the people. People worship idols because they want to see who they are worshiping and feel that once they offer a sacrifice to an idol and something good happens it must be them. They were wrong.
Also the power behind the worship of idols is demonic. Satan and his army of fallen angels promote false worship. In the future there will be neither false prophets nor demonic influence. The LORD is going to deal with both.
Today we deal with both. We have many false prophets who are teaching things contrary to the Word of God because they have rewritten the Word of God to say what they want to teach. We have so many translations that it is hard to understand what a passage is teaching unless we go back to the original language. We have to compare Scripture with Scripture.
Demonic influence is all around us. The enemy likes to use things we think are safe when in reality we have to fight temptations that come from television, movies, money, sports, and our computer. Each day is a new challenge.
There is a future day coming when none of these will be present to tempt us away from the LORD. Israel is going to worship the LORD alone in the future. We will join them throughout eternity to worship and serve the LORD.
CHALLENGE: At present we have to watch out for the influence of idols in our life and the influence of demonic activity around us in the forms of what we read and what we watch.
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: 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he has prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: (3584 “deceive” [kachash] means lie, deny, fail, deal falsely, to disappoint, or to feign obedience.)
DEVOTION: Deception seems to be happening on a regular basis in the world of religion. Many false teachers know how to dress for the act. They put on a good show. They have all the right words. They have all the right surroundings. They have all the right music.
Their promises of health and wealth hit people where they are hurting. They promise them blessings. They promise them that the LORD will abundantly bless if they give to these teachers.
They say that the LROD spoke to them in a vision. They add to the Word of God something that will bring them profit. Many people are deceived into believing their lies.
It is because of these false teachers that many walk away from the LORD saying that it is just a con game. They are right in their evaluation of these false teachers. They get rich while those who listen to them get poorer. They have health because they can afford the insurance while those who think they are healed still suffer under the false belief that their faith is weak or they would be healed.
There will always be false teachers until the return of the LORD to set up HIS Kingdom. We have to be aware of this fact and test the spirits to see if they are coming from the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We are challenged to be faithful witnesses to the LORD and not those who are just putting on an act.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. (974 “try” [bachan] means to examine, to prove, scrutinize, or trial.)
DEVOTION: When it gets to the end times we find that only one third of the children of Israel are going to be spared. They are going to be examined. The two words used are “refine” and “try.” To refine a metal it is put into a fire to separate the dross form the pure medal. Once this process is complete the medal is analyzed to see what it is worth. These individuals will be going through the fire of the Great Tribulation. Remember that two thirds are not going to make the grade of even going into the fire to be examined regarding their relationship with the LORD. Only one third of Israel will enter the Millennial kingdom of Christ. The trial will be hard but the reward will be greater.
We have to go through trials. The Christian life is not an easy life. It is a blessed life. We can call on the name of the LORD and HE will help us through each of our trials. HE will not end the trial but will be there with us through the trial. We are to call the LORD our God. We are to serve HIM only.
This world is the fire that we have to go through. There is another fire coming for those who take part in the second death. That fire is for eternity. Our fire or testing is only for our lifetime. Praise the LORD. We are here to warn our family and friends that the fire for eternity is real. It is great to be part of the chosen few that are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It is great to know that we were chosen before the foundation of the world. We don’t know who else was chosen, so we have to witness to all those in our world. We can hasten the return of the LORD by witnessing to the last one who is to follow HIM. Are we witnessing now? The time is coming!!!
CHALLENGE: Faith goes through fire. Our faith goes through the fire of temptations and trails that come our way each day. We need to come out of the trials as refined believers. No status quo with the LORD.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Call in MY name verse 9
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 7- 9
LORD of hosts verse 2, 7
Name of the LORD verse 3
LORD is my God verse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 9
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Unclean spirits verse 2
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
House of my friends verse 6
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sin verse 1
Uncleanness verse 1
Idols verse 2
False prophets verse 2- 4
Unclean spirits verse 2
Lies verse 3
Ashamed verse 4
Deceive verse 4
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
No remembrance of idols verse 2
No more unclean spirits in land verse 2
Through fire verse 9
Refined verse 9
Gold verse 9
God’s people verse 9
Say “The LORD is my God verse 9
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
House of David verse 1
Inhabitants of Jerusalem verse 1
Kill false prophets verse 3
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
In that day verse 1, 2, 4
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QUOTES regarding passage
spirit of uncleanness, i.e., a false entity which communicates messages to false prophets (Zec 13:2), note: niv translates “spirit of impurity” so implying as an attitude of sin and rebellion (Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
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13:2b-3. Associated with the extinction of i-dolatry will be the extinguishing of false prophecy, which includes human false prophets and the (superhuman) spirit of impurity (cf. v. 1), probably to be understood as a personal agency of evil, in contrast with the Spirit of grace, that will inspire false prophets. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Zec 13:2). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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the unclean spirit—Hebrew, spirit of uncleanness (compare Rev 16:13); opposed to “the Spirit of holiness” (Ro 1:4), “spirit of error” (1Jn 4:6). One assuming to be divinely inspired, but in league with Satan. (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Zec 13:2). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
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The prophets are false prophets, who either uttered the thoughts of their hearts as divine inspiration, or stood under the demoniacal influence of the spirit of darkness. This is evident from the fact that they are associated not only with idols, but with the “spirit of uncleanness.” For this, the opposite of the spirit of grace (Zech. 12:10), is the evil spirit which culminates in Satan, and works in the false prophets as a lying spirit (1 Kings 22:21–23; Rev. 16:13, 14). (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Na 3:18–19). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.)
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13:2 unclean spirit. The agents of idolatry are false prophets, but the spiritual power behind it is demonic. The wicked spirits who energize false prophets are unclean because they hate God and holiness and drive their victims into moral impurities and false religion (cf. Dt 32:17; 1Ki 22:19–23; Ps 106:34–39; 1Co 10:20). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Zec 13:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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13:7a. This highly poetic utterance by the Lord Almighty combines a number of figures of speech. The abrupt turning aside to address a nonpresent agent (Awake, O sword) combines two figures of speech—apostrophe (a direct address to an impersonal object as if it were a person) and personification. These words ascribe to an inanimate object the ability to hear, respond, and arouse out of sleep. The “sword,” as a synecdoche (mention of a specific object to represent the more general), represents any instrument causing death (cf. 2 Sam. 11:24; 12:9 where Uriah’s death by arrows is ascribed to the sword). The basic idea, then, is that the Lord will direct the death of His Shepherd. He is the True Shepherd, the Messiah (cf. Zech. 11:4–14; John 10:11, 14, “the Good Shepherd”; Heb. 13:20, “the Great Shepherd”; 1 Peter 5:4, “the Chief Shepherd”).
The Lord added that this Shepherd is the Man who is close to Me. The Hebrew word translated “who is close to Me” is found elsewhere only in Leviticus (6:2; 18:20; etc.) where it refers to a “near relative” (though it is trans. “neighbor” in the niv). In Zechariah 13:7 the Lord is claiming identity of nature or unity of essence with His Shepherd, thus strongly affirming the Messiah’s deity.
13:7b–8. Calling on the wielder of the sword to strike the Shepherd, the Lord then indicated the consequences: the sheep will be scattered. In His crucifixion Christ was smitten (Isa. 53:4, 7, 10). His own disciples abandoned Him like scattered sheep (Matt. 26:31, 56). The reference to God’s turning His hand against the little ones may refer to His allowing the persecutions against Jewish Christians in the Book of Acts. The scattering of the sheep also seems to refer to the scattering of the Jewish nation when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in a.d. 70. Just as the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21) telescopes prophecies of the scattering of the Jewish nation fulfilled in a.d. 70 with those to be fulfilled in the last half of the future Tribulation period, so Zechariah here combines into one focus the same two periods and scatterings of the Jewish nation. Thus Zechariah 13:8–9 probably will see its final and complete fulfillment in Israel’s dispersion in the Tribulation (cf. Rev. 12:6, 13–17). At that time two-thirds of the Jewish nation will be struck down and perish, but the surviving remnant will be restored, at least for the most part, to their covenant relationship with the Lord. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Zechariah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1568–1569). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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In contrast to the false prophets, the true Shepherd is presented in Zechariah 13:7. (Review Zech. 11 for the other “Shepherd” prophecies.) Jesus quoted part of this prophecy when He was on His way to Gethsemane with His disciples (Matt. 26:31), and He referred to it again when He was arrested in the garden (v. 56). Only Jesus the Messiah could the Father call “the man who is My fellow,” that is, “the man who is My equal.” (See John 10:30 and 14:9.)
But there is also a wider meaning of this text as it relates to the scattering of the nation in a.d. 70 when Jerusalem was taken by the Romans. The Jews had smitten their Shepherd on the cross (Isa. 53:10), and this act of rejection led to the nation being scattered (Deut. 28:64; 29:24–25). Israel today is a dispersed people, but one day they shall be gathered; they are a defiled people, but one day they shall be cleansed. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be heroic (p. 148). Colorado Springs, CO: ChariotVictor Pub.)
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Ver. 7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, &c.] Not Judas Maccabeus, slain in battle by Bacchis, as Grotius fancies; but Christ, Jehovah’s Shepherd; for these are the words of Jehovah the Father, concerning his Son, whom he calls my Shepherd; because he has a property in him, as well as in the flock; and he was chosen, called, set up, and sent as such by him; on whom he laid the strayings of all the sheep; and who as such died and rose again, and is accountable to his divine Father for the flock committed to him: by the sword awoke against him are meant either the sorrows and afflictions of Christ, which, like a sword, pierced through his soul; or the violent death he was put to, being stricken and cut off for the transgressions of his people; or the Jews, who were the instruments of it; so wicked men are called, Psal. 17:13. or rather the glittering sword of justice, which was drawn against him, and sheathed in him; which is called upon to awake, it seeming as though it was asleep; it having been a long time since the first sin of Adam was committed, in which all his posterity was concerned, and for which satisfaction to divine justice must be made; and longer still since Christ became a surety, and engaged to do it; moreover, it was a great while since it was promised that he should come, and be smitten and wounded for sin; and, after he was come into the world, it was some time before the orders were given to this sword to awake against him: even against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts; the human nature of Christ is signified by the man; not that he was really man before his incarnation, only in the purpose and covenant of God; and he often appearing in a human form; and the Scripture speaking of things future as present; though here it regards him in the days of his flesh, and as suffering: his divine nature is expressed by being the fellow of the Lord of hosts; not only being near to him in place and affection, but his equal, being truly a divine Person; of the same nature, glory, and majesty, with him, though distinct from him: and so fit to be the Shepherd of the flock: smite the Shepherd; the order is given to the sword of justice, by the Lord of hosts, to smite the Messiah, the Shepherd, even unto death: this was according to his purpose; was his will of command; agreeable to his mind; what he took a kind of pleasure in, and in which he had a hand himself; for it is rendered I will smite, Matt. 26:31: and the sheep shall be scattered; particularly the apostles, who, upon the seizure of Christ, were scattered from him, and one another, whereby this prophecy was fulfilled, Matt. 26:31, 56: and I will turn my hand upon the little ones; the same with the sheep, the disciples of Christ; yea, all that Christ died for, and to whom God is gracious for his sake; even all the little ones that believe in him; who are few in number, little in their own sight, and contemptible in the eyes of the world; pusillanimous, fearful, and of little faith, as the apostles of Christ were at the time he died: on these the Lord turned his hand; not his chastising hand, though that is sometimes on the saints; much less his hand of justice, which was laid on Christ, and it would have been unjust to have laid it on sinner and surety both; but his hand of grace and mercy, power and protection; which was upon the apostles in their ministrations, succeeding them to the conversion of sinners, and preserving them from their enemies; and all the elect are saved in consequence of the death of Christ, and redemption by him. Aben Ezra says this prophecy refers to the great wars which shall be in all the earth in the times of Messiah ben Joseph; but they regard the times of Christ the son of David, who is already come. The Targum is, “be revealed, O sword, against the king, and against the ruler his companion, who is like unto him;” and Jarchi interprets it of the king of Moab; and Aben Ezra of every king of the nations that shall in the above times reign over the earth, who thinks himself to be as God; which sense Kimchi approves of, and observes, that the little ones are governors and princes, who are less than kings: and another Jewish writer says the sense is, awake, O sword, against the king of Ishmael, who is called the king of the Turks (the grand seignior), that rules over Asia and Africa; which are more than three-fourths of the world, and the greater part of the Jewish nation are in captivity under his hands; him God calls his Shepherd, because he hath given into his hand to feed his flock in their captivity, and this flock is the nation of Israel; and he is called the man his fellow, because he thinks himself, through the pride and haughtiness of his heart, to be as God; and upon the ruin of this prince, he supposes, will be the deliverance of the Jews, who, being scattered into several parts, will, in separate bodies, return to their own land: and by the little ones he thinks are meant the kings of the nations of Edom, or of the Roman nations, which are the lesser pastors of the sheep. Manasseh ben Israel makes mention of the same exposition of the passage, but is of opinion that the words are rather to be understood of the pope of Rome, who calls himself a pastor, and next to God, and his vicar on earth; and against him and those like to him, inferior in power, God will make war. But much more agreeable, and very remarkable, are the words of R. Samuel Marochianusb, who, writing of the coming of the Messiah, says, “I fear, O my Lord, that that which Zechariah the prophet said, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered, was fulfilled when we smote the Shepherd of those little ones and holy apostles.” Moreover, it may be observed, that the word for little ones sometimes signifies great ones, as Mr. Pocock has observed, and particularly in this text; which, according to the sense some give of it, mentioned by R. Tanchum, is, I will turn mine hand upon the illustrious and the princes, and not upon the little ones, as commonly understood; and which he takes to be the best of the expositions adduced: and with this agree the several oriental versions; some copies of the Septuagint read, upon the shepherds; and so the Arabic version; and the Syriac version renders it, the superiors; and so may very well be applied to the apostles of Christ, who were in the highest office in the church, and shepherds of the flock; on whom, after the death of Christ, God turned his hand of power, which was upon them, and was with them in their ministrations, making them successful wherever they went; and also his hand of providence was upon them, protecting and preserving them, until they had done the work they were sent about. After this prophecy concerning the Messiah, occasionally inserted here, the prophet returns to his prediction of the state of the church, and what shall befall it in the latter day. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 743–744). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
TozerSpeaks by A. W. Tozer
Basically, God has been very kind and tender with us – but there is no way in which He can compromise with our human pride and carnality. That is why His Word bears down so hard on “proud flesh,” insisting that we understand and confess that no human gifts, no human talents can accomplish the ultimate and eternal work of God. (p. 421)
It is the ministry of all Christians to have some share in the building up of the Body of Christ until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, with a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (p. 422)
First, Christian believers and Christian congregations must be thoroughly consecrated to Christ’s glory alone. (p. 423)
The Word of God speaks with such appreciation of the common people that I am inclined to believe it is a term dear to God. (p. 424)
Jesus looked first for consecration and in our own day it is surely true that His Spirit uses those who are no longer interested in their own promotion, but are consecrated to one thought – getting glory for Jesus Christ, who is Savior and Lord! (p. 424)
Natural gifts are not enough in God’s work. The mighty Spirit of God must have freedom to animate and quicken with His overtones of creativity and blessing. (p. 424)
You can write it down as a fact: no matter what a man does, no matter how successful he seems to be in any field, if the Holy Spirit is not the chief energizer of his activity, it will all fall apart when he dies. (p. 425)
We do not believe that God’s presence and blessings in the souls of men can be humanly induced.
We believe such revival wonders can take place only as the Holy Spirit energizes the Word of God as it is preached. Genuine blessings cannot come unless the Holy Spirit energizes and convinces and stirs the people of God.
Now, what does this all add up to? If we are intent upon God’s glory alone, if we are using the resources of prayer and if we are obedient to the Spirit of God, there will assuredly be an attitude of true joyfulness in Christ’s church. (p. 428)
I must agree with the psalmist that the joy of the Lord is still the strength of His people, I do believe that the sad world is attracted to spiritual sunshine – the genuine thing, that is.
Some churches train their greeters and ushers to smile, showing as many teeth as possible. But I can sense that kind of display – and when I am greeted by a man who is smiling because he has been trained to smile, I know I am shaking the flipper of a trained seal.
But when the warmth and delight and joy of the Holy Spirit are in a congregation and the folks are just spontaneously joyful and unable to hide their happy grin, the result is a wonderful influence and effect upon others. (p. 429)
But we are Christians, and Christians have every right to be the happiest people in the world.
I hope that none of us can ever hear of a fellow Christina being in trouble or experiencing trials without feeling concern, suffering over it and taking the matter to God in prayer. (p. 430)
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OLD TESTAMENT WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
To exalt Christ ought to be the deepest desire of our hearts and the most natural expression of our lives. The word exalt comes from two Latin words “out” (ex) and “high” (altus). To exalt the Lord means to lift him high, out from among the “celebrities” in this world. (p. 92)
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The gospel of Jesus Christ gives happiness, it delivers us from worry, it administers comfort, it gives guidance, it teaches that the body can be healed miraculously, it puts us into touch with the Infinite, it helps us to know God, and it enables us to live a godly, moral, ethical life. (p. 17
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I fear that the condemnation that some of us who are preachers today will have to face is that we never held before the people what really is coming to meet them. We were so afraid of being called offensive, we were so afraid of being called out-of-date, we were so afraid of being condemned because we were preaching hellfire and thry ot frighten people, that we did not present the truth. If I may use the language of the apostel paul, “knowing therefore the terror of the lord, we persuade me” (2 Cor. 5:11) (p. 26)
(A Merciful and Faithful High Priest by Martyn Llloyd-Jones)
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Acts 13
Saul adopts a Christian name, Paul, and travels to Galatia with the message of the Gospel.
INSIGHT Chapter 13 records a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy that is easily missed. In chapter 1, Jesus commissions the disciples to be witnesses for Him and proclaims that they will take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Now the Holy Spirit sets Paul and Barnabas apart to begin traveling to the ends of the earth, taking the message with them. You and I can extend that prophetic fulfillment, too, as we accept the Great Commission as our personal commission and help to take the message of salvation to the ends of the world. (Quiet Walk)
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THE INCARNATION
The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1:14
The doctrine of the Incarnation does not teach, neither does it involve the idea, that a change took place in the personality of the Son of God. There was a change in the form in which He appeared, there was a change in the state in which He manifested Himself, but there was no change in His personality. He is the same Person always. In the womb of the virgin Mary and lying as a helpless babe in the manger, He is still the second person in the holy Trinity.
We must never so state the doctrine of the Incarnation as to give the impression that we say that the Son of God was changed into a man. That is why that phrase about God becoming man is misleading. We see this in John 1:14: “The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” That very phrase “was made” has often caused people to think that the Son of God was changed into a man. This is partly due to the fact that it is not really the best translation. Instead of saying, “The Word was made flesh,” what we really mean is that He became flesh or that He took on flesh. The idea of making gives the impression of being changed into, but that is wrong.
In other words, the way in which the Scripture generally puts it is this: In Romans 8:3 we are told that He came “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” That is better. Or take it as it is put in 1 John 4:2: “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” Jesus Christ has not been changed into a man; it is this eternal Person who has come in the flesh. That is the right way to put it.
A Thought to Ponder: We must never so state the doctrine of the Incarnation as to give the impression that we say that the Son of God was changed into a man. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 257, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Completing a Good Work
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
In his introductory comments to the Philippian church, Paul reminds them of his thankfulness for them (v. 3), his prayer for them (v. 4), and as we see in our text, his confidence in God’s continuing work in their lives.
This “good work” is not the sort of work that men and women are able to accomplish. Paul identifies this as God’s work, as yet not completed—that is, the transforming work of grace. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (2:13).
The work of grace takes several forms: It includes the redemption of our lost souls, having been fully accomplished by Christ on Calvary. It also includes our ultimate sanctification, transforming our character from that of a redeemed sinner to one of Christ-likeness. He is working toward this goal on a daily basis and will finish the task in His presence. But the work of grace also includes our service for Him—not our work, but His, that He does through us. He grants us, through His grace, the distinct privilege of participating in His work here on Earth.
Paul writes that the ultimate completion of this “good work” of grace awaits “the day of Jesus Christ.” In a similar prayer for the Corinthian believers, he writes of their “waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7-8).
Meanwhile, we can rest in His faithfulness, fully convinced of His intention and ability to complete His work. “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8).
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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DAILY HOPE
Today’s Scripture
Numbers 26-27
Every decade the United States takes a census of all the people in America. The first Federal Population Census was taken in 1790 and has been taken every ten years since. The census is used for many purposes other than to count how many people are living in the country.
A census had been taken earlier in Numbers One. Israel was now commanded by the Lord to take a second census. This was to determine how many people were available to go to war that were over the age of twenty.
This new census would also allow Moses and the leadership to know how to allocate the land each tribe had been promised. The distribution of land was determined by the size of the tribes. The boundaries were expanded or reduced according to the numbers that were reported to Moses.
In a culture and period that was dominated by male leadership and ownership, it is surprising to have a section devoted to women who appealed for their own rights and ultimately granted an inheritance. The daughters of Zelophehad presented their case before Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation to ask for their father’s inheritance. Moses takes it before the Lord and they receive their proper rights.
It is refreshing to see the Lord was responsive to needs regardless of gender even when it was contrary to cultural or normal traditions. God is a God of order and concerned for the less fortunate and underprivileged. This new precedent was established, allowing future cases to be settled. The Lord gave clear directions for transfer of inheritances and further secured the welfare of family inheritances from that time forward.
Having both foresight and tenacity to come before leadership over unknown issues takes courage. Living a life of faith requires both of these traits as we face issues and unknown trials ahead. Like Joshua and these women, let us “…Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
In Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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