God Alone Provides
Notes
Transcript
Welcome/Prayer
Our passage this morning is prophetic and speaks mostly of the coming millennial reign of Christ, as well as events leading up to that reign...
However, the focus isn’t on the reign itself… instead it focuses on three things — how we ought to live until He does reign — the motivations for the reign of Christ — and the salvation that the reign of Christ brings...
Open to Zechariah 10...
I have the chapter broken into three sections… and I’ll read each section and speak about each section as we come to each one...
The first section — v. 1-3 — We’ll be reminded to that we are trust in God alone for blessing and provision...
The second section — v. 4-6 — We’re reminded that all glory belongs to God… and any glory, any exaltation to be experienced by God’s people is to be done so in and through the Messiah...
The third section — v. 7-12 — We’re reminded that God will redeem His people… salvation is by God alone...
In short, God alone provides all we need now and all we will ever need...
1 Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. 2 For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. 3 “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
We are given two warnings in this section… but first we are given a directive...
We are to ask rain from Yahweh in the spring...
Meaning… if we want blessing, if we want prosperity… life… then we should ask the One who gives it...
Rain symbolized blessing from God for ancient Israel…
For without it, there would be no harvest, no prosperity and life would suffer… death would bloom instead of the spring flowers...
This directive is not simply about praying for the spring rain so there would be a bountiful fall harvest...
This extends beyond simple provision… it serves also to remind Israel who God is...
He is not simply the one you should pray to for rain… but He is the One who makes the rain… He is the Creator…
It is Yahweh you are to go to for blessing and for life…
To pray for rain in this context, is in one sense, as one commentator put it, to pray for His Kingdom… for His will to be done… to ask for blessing in His Name...
Zechariah… in v. 1 alone is already challenging and upsetting anyone who holds to an idolatrous practice of seeking help from any god other than Yahweh…
For there are many who in the land who may pray to other gods for rain, like Baal, the Canaanite storm god for example,
But it is not Baal… who blesses… nor any other false god that provides… but Yahweh and Him alone...
Zechariah goes on to explain this… with v. 2 which is where we get the first of two warnings...
Idols — household gods — do nothing… and those who claim to receive revelation either by false gods or reading the stars, or by dreams, or by examining the livers of animals…
They too, are just as empty and useless as the gods the people cherish in their homes…
Remember Zechariah is talking to Jews here… to God’s covenantal people… to those who know the Great Shema of Dt 6:4-5
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
They are also the same people who have these personal gods in their homes… and yet come to God’s temple and worship Him… thinking they are safe… thinking they can just simply leave their idols at home… and come to church and worship God faithfully...
How many of you do this very thing?
How many of you have your household idols that you cherish, that you trust in, that you seek satisfaction from and not from God and God alone?
And then, on Sundays, come here, and praise His great name thinking you’re safe? Thinking you’re delivered from the very sin you covet and adore?
This warning is for you and for the rest of us to not tolerate any idolatry in our lives...
People who do this… look at verse 2… look at the text…
People who do this wander like sheep — they are lost… mindless
They are like the double-minded man in James 1:6-8… the context here is of prayer...
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
This mindless, aimless wandering leads to their afflictions… and their afflictions are due to the lack of a shepherd...
Why would God’s people lack a shepherd? A ruler over them?
Don’t they have Yahweh? Don’t they have the priests and the governor Zerubbabel?
The issue isn’t the presence of a shepherd, but the presence of an effective shepherd…
To help us understand this and what is to follow in v. 3… let us consider what is meant by “shepherd” here...
In the New Testament a shepherd is a pastor of God’s flock...
In the Old Testament a shepherd refers to a ruler, to a leader… often to kings and princes… this wasn’t unique to Israel...
For example, Hammurabi is identified as a shepherd in his famous code of laws...
Keep in mind, the height of Israel’s affliction, which was due to their idolatry and hypocrisy, was the exile… and yet leading up to the exile Israel had numerous shepherds… but it was as if they did not have any shepherd...
For the shepherds they did have were not faithful… they trusted in idols and diviners… and did not trust in Yahweh alone…
And this brings us to the second warning… the first, was not to trust in idols and divinations...
The second is to those who lead God’s people astray by them...
The leaders of God’s people who trust in idols… whether of that age, of the age of today… and lead His people astray by them will be judged...
Leaders who encourage and lead by private revelations and by divinations forbidden by God… will be judged by God… His anger is kindled against them…
And why?
Because Yahweh cares for His flock… He is the true shepherd of His people… He loves the house of Judah and they will be glorified… they will be exalted… He will not let them be reduced to nothing by those who trust in nonsense and in lies and in false dreams…
Let’s go on and read v. 4-6 and see how God will glorify them...
4 From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler—all of them together. 5 They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. 6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
Verse 4 is speaking of the Messiah...
From him… that is… from the house of Judah… the tribe of Judah… as prophesied back in Genesis 49:10 and once again here in Zechariah 10:3-4...
From Judah, shall come the Messiah… described as the cornerstone, the tent peg, the battle bow…
Meaning that only by the Christ, will the glory that is to come be possible… all the glory, all the power and rule, is anchored in Him, held together by Him… and Him alone...
And it is by His might, His power it all comes to be...
Any and all authority in all the land will come from Him and Him alone…
His people, who have been a people without a shepherd, afflicted and lost… will one day no longer be afflicted nor lost...
For from Judah a shepherd will come and make God’s people like mighty men in battle…
But their might, their victory in battle is not rooted in themselves… but in Yahweh…
Because Yahweh is with His people, and they trust in Him, even the mightest military force… depicted here by the “riders on horses”… will be put to shame...
For Yahweh is the one who strengthens the house of Judah… He is the one who saves His people...
The people do not save themselves… their household gods do not deliver them nor give them strength… they only give them empty consolation… and futility…
But Yahweh will do this… v. 6 — He will bring them back because of His compassion..
Not because of their works, but in spite of their works...
Not because of their wealth, but because of who they are to Him...
God is so gracious and merciful, that in bringing them back it will be as if He had never rejected them...
Note all the first person pronouns in v. 6...
I will strengthen the house of Judah
I will save the house of Joseph
I will bring them back
I have compassion on them
I am Yahweh their God
I will answer them
God will exalt His people who are being led astray by the faithless shepherds…
And He has done this… in part already...
For the Messiah has come… the shepherd has been sent...
Jesus has lived, died, resurrected, and has ascended...
We are not the people without a shepherd… not the church… granted there are many sheep still lost whom the Lord is bringing into His flock… both Jew and Gentile… for not all of Israel has been saved yet...
One day however, when Christ shall return, then all of His people will be with Him and will be exalted…
But that does not mean we cannot experience or enjoy the glory and exaltation of Christ now…
Whatever glory, whatever exaltation we may have in this life it is to be experienced in and through God Himself… particularly through His Son...
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
This ought to be our perspective every day with everything… 1 Cor 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Whatever you do… in secret, in public… for the glory of God.… (respect for other people’s property… conversations… stewarding creation (littering, wastefulness)
10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Whatever boost we have in this life… for any reason, let it be a boast in the Lord… Ps 115:1
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
We have no glory of our own to give to God that is not already His… and nor should we attempt to give any glory to any household god or idol we cherish in our personal lives…
8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
Whether those are carvings of wood or of one’s own affections and imaginations...
Whether it is your health you idolize...
Or a particular set of skills you possess
Or your wealth… your job… or your name...
All glory belongs to God… but beyond that reality… our salvation… our deliverance… is by God alone...
Let’s finish out the chapter… v. 7-12
7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. 8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. 9 Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. 10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them. 11 He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart. 12 I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the Lord.
God will redeem His people… and in doing so God will be their joy...
It will be a joy that is multi-generational… both parents and children alike will rejoice.… as hearts glad with wine...
God’s salvation is a deliverance from despair and depression...
One day, no longer will hearts feel heavy and weary… no longer will our souls feel dry and toxic… no longer will we reach for the bottle, the drug, or the quick snack to self-medicate or cope with the pain…
His salvation is one of joy and our lives will be marked by such joy…
For it is God who will redeem them… who will redeem us… who does redeem us…
V. 8 - God will whistle for His people and they will come to Him… for He has redeemed them…
His people, like the sheep of John 10, will hear His whistling… His voice… and they will respond… they will not be apathetic to it...
They will not hear it and then continue on in their usual course of life… they will change directions and they will head towards Him… until they get there… until He has gathered them to Himself...
Anyone who claims to be His, and yet continues in his or her own way… is a liar… His people, like the sheep of John 10 who listen to the voice of the good shepherd… God’s people are like dogs who hear the whistle of their good master and come obediently, swiftly, and with joy… tongues hanging out, tails a-wagging… and slobber stuck on our faces…
We do so because of what we are being delivered from...
God whistles… because He has redeemed us...
He has saved us from the bondage of sin and the oppression of the flesh...
We cannot rescue ourselves… redeem ourselves… the debt is too much…
Even if we tried to pay the debt… the act of thinking that we can pay the debt incurs more debt… it’s an idolatrous thought that we can be saved, be redeemed by any means other than God Himself… He alone saves, He alone redeems...
7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, 8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, 9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.
And God doesn’t free us and leave us to be… like dogs wandering without a pack… without a master… Thus He whistles… for we cannot return to Him unless He calls… unless He shows us the direction we must turn to in order to be gathered to Him...
In order for the exile to truly end… we must be where He is…
We’re not simply speaking of the exile of Judah into Babylon… but the exile from Eden.. the exile from His presence back in Genesis 3...
Though God is the one who has cast His people out from His presence… He will also be the one who brings them back to His presence...
They will hear His whistle… and they will obediently return...
In doing so… God will protect and preserve them… none of them will be lost...
Not a single person, who belongs to God will wander off… not a single sheep of God’s flock will fail to hear His voice… nor will the good shepherd fail in His task to protect and preserve the flock… Jn 10:27-28
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
The dogs of God’s pack will hear His whistle… and they will not be distracted by the squirrels and rabbits of this age… He will make sure of it.. nor will He allow other dogs of other packs to harm them or discourage them from returning…
V. 10 - God clearly states He will do this.. .
Not that He will try or give it His best… but they all will return...
And in v. 11… God will protect them… for He will pass through the sea of affliction… a reference to Israel passing through the Red Sea as Egypt chased them… seeking to bring Israel back into bondage...
But God will not allow His people to fall back into bondage… He will and He does save them… not a single one of them will remain apart from Him…
The enemies of God and His people, represented by Assyria and Egypt… will be defeated and unable to prevent the return of His people
We are able to return to Him and to endure this journey back to Him and to enter into the Promised Land for the Promised Rest because He is our strength...
God will save His people from weakness and futility...
He will be our strength.. indeed He is our strength… a truth reiterated over and over again from Genesis to Revelation… consider two of these passages...
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
And think of Paul’s prayer for the church at Thessalonica 2 Th 3:3-4
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.
The end of that request ties into the end of our chapter… where God states that His people will walk in His name...
They will do as He has commanded… they will respond to His whistle… to His redemptive work...
They will listen to Him and they will no longer be rebellious children… nor will they be like the double-minded man of James 1… with one hand on God’s holy Word and the other on some idol...
They will not look to the left or the right by listening to nonsense or by chasing false dreams and lies… but will seek His Word and His truth alone...
Knowing that God alone provides… God alone brings the rain, the blessing, the glory, the salvation...
The idols of this life cannot save....
When you get that diagnosis… that timeline…
Or when you wake up one day to an empty house… and are reminded that the time of your life is near an end… and fast approaching...
Or upon your sudden death in your youth… or as your are going about your business and the glory of the Lord returns in the clouds… and you find yourself standing before Him… who will save you? Where is your trust?
Where it is now… is where it will be then...
If you do not trust God now… you will not trust Him then… for if you do not love Him now… you will not love Him then...
If you struggle with idolatry in your life...
If you struggle to trust in God alone… to glory in God alone… confess that to God… speak of your weakness, of your incompetence to live as He calls you to live… to love as He calls you to love...
And repent… repent by going to His Word… whether you feel like it or not… whether you understand it or not...
Go to another brother or sister in Christ… seek help… go to your elders… receive encouragement, prayer, and direction from them...
Remember… it is not in your strength you do this… it is in His…
