Zechariah 7 - Who are you doing this for?

This occurred in 518 BC, about two years after the last of the previous set of visions. “The people of Bethel has sent Sharezer” could be translated “Bethel-sharezer had sent ..” Interestingly enough NIV and ESV do not even give this as an alternative translation, yet the sometimes derided NLT does give this as an alternative. The IVP Tyndale commentary suggests that this alternative is actually the most likely. Fortunately the interpretation of the rest of the chapter does not hinge on this!

Whilst in exile the people had held an annual ceremony to mourn the destruction of the temple. They had sent people to Jerusalem to ask if they should continue this practice, now that the return had taken place and rebuilding was continuing.

Now this seems a perfectly valid question to ask, but see how the Lord responds. He responds by asking them a question, much as Jesus did when here on earth, and in doing so goes to the heart of the matter.

Remember who had destroyed the temple. It was God’s doing, His act of judgement upon all that Israel had done (see Jeremiah). So He asks them if they were fasting for God’s benefit or for their own benefit. With all our worship services and other religious practices we need to ask if we are really doing it for God, or just for ourselves.

Notice then in verse 6 that God asks what were they doing when they were feasting? We should not compartmentalise life, all that we do should be done in faith. There are probably two parts of Scripture that form the main backdrop to this. One is Isaiah 58 on true fasting, and the other is Micah 6:8. These both show what is really important, as does the teaching here. Compassion, mercy and justice are what the Lord requires. Religious practices can so easily become an excuse for neglecting to do the really important things.

The Law and the words of the prophets both clearly showed that justice and mercy were what the Lord cares about. Notice also in v12 the reference to the Spirit speaking through prophecy.

The land had become desolate, but this was not the true tragedy. The real tragedy was the sin of the people.

Atheists often complain that God demands worship. But true worship of God involves caring for the poor and acting justly. When we turn away from the Lord there is an increase in exploitation and degradation of people. Just look at society today.

Zechariah 6:9-15 - A crown for a priest

Much silver and gold had been either been taken from temple or given to the Babylonians by various kings. Some of it at least was returned with the returning exiles. A crown was to be made for the Joshua. Now remember that Joshua was the high priest, so presenting him with a crown is symbolic of the priesthood and the crown being united in one. Christ is our great High Priest and is the King of Kings. Compare v 12 with Pilate’s words in John 19:5. Verse 12 makes it clear with its reference to the Branch that this is messianic, and later Jewish teaching took it this way as well. Now what did Joshua think of this? There are great promises here and he must have known that he could not possibly fulfil them. Did he know that he was symbolic of something so much greater that was to come? There is a general lesson to learn as well. God is doing things way beyond what He does directly through any one of us as individuals, or any one part of His church. We are part of something much greater.

The glory of all this would spread much beyond Jerusalem. “Those who are far away” could refer to the remaining exiles, but also to people from other nations.

The fulfilment of all this was dependent upon obedience. It was vital that Jesus was fully obedient to the Lord.

Zechariah 6:1-8 - Four chariots

Like the first vision, this one involves four horses, though the colours are different and this time they have chariots. The chariots depict war and represent four angelic spirits of judgement. We need to understand that the events we see in the world are not random. Men are involved, men have responsibility, but God is in control. The two mountains may be Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives. The different colours could signify four different divine judgements, but this is uncertain.

Zechariah inquires as to the meaning of the four horses. They represent the Lord going to all corners of the globe. They were straining to go throughout the earth. We may often wonder why God doesn’t act more quickly, why He so often seems to do nothing. In reality He is keen to act, it is only because of mercy that He is waiting, giving more people time to repent. However, a time will come when judgement is unleashed on the earth.

The North is given special mention. This could be because Babylon attacked from the North, and the North represents Babylon. 

Zechariah 5:5-11 - Woman in a basket

This vision signifies wickedness being removed from the land and taken to Babylon. So what are we to learn from this?

First, why is  woman used as a symbol of the wickedness in the land? This is not an example of sexism! The Hebrew word for wickedness is feminine in gender, so that might be the reason. It could be associated with sexual sin, but that is not mentioned specifically here.The two who carry it to Babylon are women, so women are given a positive role in the vision as well as the negative one.

Wickedness belongs in the kingdom of the world, not the kingdom of God. We should also remember that Revelation refers to the whore of Babylon (Rev 17), to which there is an obvious link here. When it comes to reading Revelation it is important to be aware of the great extent to which it draws upon the Old Testament prophets.

Zechariah 5:1-4 - Flying scrolls

The scroll that Zechariah was very large, about 9 metres long and 4.5 metres wide. The scroll represented a curse going out over the land. Now it is important to understand what curse means. It is not like a “spell”, which is what we often seem to imagine that it means. Rather, it is God’s judgement on man’s sin, and that understanding fits perfectly in this instance.

Thieves and liars are singled out. People who commit such things will be banished from the land. Now let’s think about the situtation. The people had returned from exile in Babylon, in fulfillment of the prophecies given to Jeremiah. However, the return implied an obligation on the people. They could not just carry on as before, ignoring God’s law. In the same way, when someone receives forgiveness from Christ, there is an obligation to change the way we live.

Zechariah 4 - Lampstands and olive trees

The imagery seems strange to us and our immediate reaction is just “get to the point”. So what is it all about? Well, let’s remember the situation. Rebuilding work has been going on, but very falteringly, with much opposition and general discouragement. The point of this vision is to encourage the workers, to remind them that they are engaged on a divine task. They are not just working in their own strength, but have God’s power with them.

The vision was of seven lamps around a bowl. The bowl was the supply of oil. The olive trees would supply the oil. The Lord is showing Zechariah that He has everything catered for. So often we think that God has forgotten some vital fact, or has overlooked some need. We can be completely confident that God has everything under control.

Symbolically the olive trees represent Joshua and Zerubabbel, the priest and the ruler.

Verse 6 is addressed to Zerubabbel. Now why does God give this word to him? Imagine the situation he is in. Once Jerusalem was a great city, it had had great kings like David and Solomon. Now it was a ruin and he was trying to lead the rebuilding. Yet he was not even a king, just a governor. He must have felt totally inadequate and overwhelmed by the task. So the Lord is reminding him, or revealing to him, that it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” that things are accomplished. We need to be careful what we put our trust in.

The task ahead of Zerubbabel seemed insurmountable, yet before Zerubbabel the mountain would become nothing. The obstacles would include the opposition to the building and the unwillingness of the people to persevere. Remember that Jesus spoke of us being able to tell mountains to throw themselves into the sea if we had faith (Matt 17:20). So see how things work here. It is by the Spirit that things are achieved, yet before Zerubbabel that the mountains will become level ground. When the Spirit works He gives authority to men. If you look at the whole of the Bible from beginning to end we see the Lord giving authority to men.

Zerubbabel completing the work would show that Zechariah had been speaking the word of God.

“Do not despise the day of small things”. At this stage the progress seemed insignificant, there seemed to be no hope of great things. We must not despise small beginnings. Why? Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the situation.

The two olive trees are now explained. They are two appointed by the Lord to serve Him. Indeed, anointed as well as appointed. The immediate application of this was Zerubbabel and Joshua. Revelation 11 also contains two witnesses. The servants of God are the means by which the oil of the Lord is supplied. God works through people.

Zechariah 3:3-10 - Joshua gets a makeover

Joshua was indeed dressed in filthy rags. The high priest was guilty. So how could he possibly help Israel approach God? Or to ask a related question: how can we possibly approach God? For we are all priests now ( 1 Peter 2:9). The answer is that God has taken away our sin. More than that He is giving us new clothes. There are obvious prophecies of the work of Christ here, and the vital two parts of salvation. We are forgiven, but we are not just forgiven, we are given new clothes. Paul may well have this verse in mind when speaks in Ephesians and Colossians about us taking off the old clothes and putting on the new.

Zechariah then asks the angel to give Joshua a turban as well. Why does he do this? A turban was part of the priestly garments and signified acceptance in the court of the heavenly court. Zechariah wanted to be sure that Joshua was accepted.

So Joshua is cleansed and dressed in new garments. Just as we are forgiven and filled with the Holy Spirit. This does not absolve us of responsibility. The notion that because of the cross we can do what we like and get away with it is completely alien to the Bible. We have a new responsibility, we are now able to follow the ways of The Lord.

When we do this we can walk in God's presence, along with the other heavenly beings. We are now part of the kingdom of God. As Paul says in Ephesians we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph 2:6). We need to appreciate the new role and status that we now have.

Then it states clearly that Joshua is a precursor of what is to come, so we are justified in applying these verses to ourselves, for the priesthood of all believers is a fundamental part of the gospel. There is also a pointing forward to Christ. He is the real servant of God, the one who would bring all things to fulfilment. The Branch is also a messianic term used in Jeremiah. This is fitting for the return from Babylon was seen as a fulfilment if prophecies given by Jeremiah.

The meaning of the stone in v9 is uncertain. Some see it as a foundation stone, others as a precious stone, and some as a reference to the rock which Moses struck.

The ingraving of an inscription is probably an allusion to the names of the twelve tribes being engraved upon a stone. However, the most important thing is that the sins of the land will be taken away in a single day. This is what happened at Calvary.

Then we see what the fruit of this action will be. We will enjoy peace and prosperity and share that with our neighbours. It has always being a principle in the Bible that the goodness we receive from God is something to be shared with others (Matt 10:8).

Sermon : Sex, marriage and singleness

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Zechariah 3:1,2 - Accusations

Remember that Joshua actually was serving as high priest. These prophecies are not just the visions or musings of some other worldly mystic, but of a man of God deeply rooted in the ongoing reality of his day. At the same time they point towards the coming of Christ.

Maybe people were accusing Joshua or casting doubt on his suitability to be high priest, or perhaps just despairing in general about who could possibly be a high priest good enough to represent them before God.

God shows Zechariah a vision of what is actually happening. We see the reality of what is going on in the heavenly realms. In Ephesians Paul speaks about the heavenly realms, and in Colossians 3:1-4 he urges us to have our minds set on what is going on in heaven. This is not escapism, not a flight from reality. but a focus on what reality really is.

Now Joshua was indeed being accused. God is there and Satan is there. The word for Satan is the same root as the word for accuser.

So part of the truth is that Satan is indeed accusing Joshua, just as he does indeed accuse us. We need to realise this, for sometimes we can just wish that Satan would not accuse us. This is futile thinking, for he does indeed accuse us. The second part of the truth, and the source of our salvation, is that God has chosen us. God declares that He has chosen Joshua so Satan’s accusations count for nothing.

God is not blind to Joshua’s plight or state. He is here described as a stick snatched from the fire. This is an allusion to his rescue from Babylon. Note that Jude 23 uses a similar analogy.

Zechariah 2:10-13 - Shout for joy

After many years of suffering joy would return to Jerusalem. The Lord would come and would live among them. This salvation would be greater than what came before, for it would include many nations. God’s plan has always been for people to be saved from all nations and we find this repeated in many of the prophets. There are clear allusions to what Jesus said in John’s gospel in Him being the one whom God has sent.

Jerusalem would once again be God’s city. All people are called to be silent before the Lord. This is literally “all flesh” and emphasises the mere humanity of people. We are flesh, God is Lord. We so easily forget who and what we are. The atheist lives in a delusion that he is a god, that he is in charge and can rule all things. But as Christians we sometimes forget that God is Lord, especially when we feel weak.

On several occasions the Psalmist, and Isaiah called on God to rouse Himself. Now God declares that He has roused Himself. Now is the time that He is acting. We need to be careful to ensure that it is the Lord’s word that governs how we view life. Circumstances are not a good guide. 

Zechariah 2:6-9 - Time to Flee

The remainder of this chapter is set out as poetry, though most English versions do not make this clear.

God calls on those still living in Babylon to flee from there (the “land of the north”). They had been sent there as punishment, as part of the judgement upon Judah. But now was the time to flee, yet they were reluctant to do so. Note that a relatively small proportion of the Jews had returned to Jerusalem, more needed to be encouraged to return.

It is interesting that both in the case of Egypt and Babylon for a time the people were sent to live in exile. They had to live there for a time, but then a time to flee came. In our own lives God sometimes seems to send us into exile. We can get comfortable in the situation, used to it, but we need to recognise when the time comes to an end. The land of exile seemed safe, but that time was coming to an end. We often assume that things will always remain as they are, but this is not true. Things will change, the only thing that remains constant is the word of the Lord, so it is imperative that we live our lives according to His word.

The precise meaning of verse 8 is unclear. It may mean that God sent Zechariah with insistence. Judah may have felt abandoned by God, and those who looked on may have concluded the same. Yet Zion was actually the apple of His eye (see Dt 32:10). We need to understand God’s workings. He is working to make Israel, and to make you and me, into the people He always intended us to be. This will involve hard work, deep changes. If we look at the circumstances to determine whether or not God loves we will often be confused. Our confidence needs to be based on who He is, and on what He has declared in His word to be His purposes. The nations that plundered Zion would themselves be plundered. Having been defeated by some force we may conclude that the most sensible thing to do is to seek an accommodation with that force. This would be a mistake. We must always look only to God.

Zechariah 2:1-5 - Measure for Measure

In Verse 16 we have been told that the measuring line would once more be over Jerusalem. Once more Jerusalem would figure in God’s plans. The city had been left desolate, there was no sign that it would be part of God’s plan ever again, yet He declared that it would. Today we do well to beware of theologies that declare that Israel no longer has a place in God’s plan. We need to understand that the basis for Israel being part of God’s plan is not what we see, not how we with our puny minds interpret history and current events, but the everlasting promise of God.

Now we see a different aspect of this. Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line. He asks him where he is going and he says that he is going to measure out Jerusalem. But then one of the angels tells another angel to go and stop the man, for Jerusalem would be a city without walls. God was doing a new thing, He was not merely restoring the old. Just as it is essential that we see that Jerusalem is still part of God’s plan, it is equally essential that we see that this is part of God’s ongoing plan, it is no mere return to the past.

The same applies to our own lives. Things happen to us and we feel desolate. Then God starts to work again, so often we expect just a return to what things were once like. But God is going forward.

So the city would be a city without walls because of the numbers of people and livestock. Now we might think this would make it vulnerable, for a wall was there to define limits, and to provide protection. God Himself would be a wall of fire around it, a wall of protection.

Now remember the historical situation. The people were being urged to rebuild,  yet the wall had not been completed, in fact it was a bit of a ruin. So this vision had immediate practical consequences for them.

Zechariah 1:7-20 - Horses, horns and craftsmen

This message came about 3 months after verse 1.

Zechariah received 8 night visions, and all the visions came in the one night. The man in v8 is later identified as the angel of the Lord (v11). He is separate from the interpreting angel.

There were four horses in all, each of different colour. The significance of the colours is not clear, and it may not be important.

The Lord was sending messengers throughout the earth.

The world was at ease and in peace. The angel of the Lord then inquires of the Lord about how long it is going to be before He intervenes to show mercy to Jerusalem and Judah.

The Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel.

Now remember the situation we are in here. A few have returned, but godless nations still dominate the world. Jerusalem is under threat.

Assyria and Babylon had been used as instruments of judgement, but they had added to the calamity. They still had responsibility for their actions and had been unduly violent.

The Lord would return to Jerusalem, she would be part of His plans.

Prosperity and comfort would return to Jerusalem and Judah.

Horns were a symbol of strength and represent the power of the nations that defeated Israel. If the number four is to be taken as important, then it represents Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Persia. These are the nations that most troubled Israel. She was originally held in slavery in Egypt. Assyria had defeated Israel and had threatened Judah. Babylon had defeated Judah and kept the people in captivity. Now Persia was the dominant power.

The craftsman represent God’s power, His creative power. God would act to defeat the powers.

Zechariah 1:1-6 - Setting the scene

These few verses set the aim of the book. It was given in October-November 520 BC, the eighth month of the second year of Darius’ reign. Haggai also began his ministry in the same year, though a couple of months earlier. Darius was Darius the Mede. As mentioned in the introduction, Iddo was a priest. Many Israelites had returned to their home country. Rebuilding had started and stopped, specifically rebuilding of the temple.

Verse 2 reminds them of why the nation had suffered so much. It was because of the sins of their ancestors. Note that God was angry with them. We talk a lot about “hating the sin not the sinner”, but this is actually a rather unbiblical notion. The Bible frequently portrays God as angry with sinners. Now God does love sinners, but this is not inconsistent with His being angry with sinners.

So the Israelites are to learn from the past. They are to return to the Lord, then He will return to them. The Lord had sent many prophets to Israel and they had issued a clear warning, but the nation had not heeded the warning.

Moreover, the people had ignored the prophets’ warnings, thinking the disaster would never happen, yet God’s words were fulfilled. Again, they are called to learn. Note also that faith is based on evidence, or is supported by evidence. Faith is based on who God is, but the evidence supports it. Faith is not blind.

Then the people repented. Salvation comes when we admit our true state. Repentance is a vital part of salvation.

Zechariah - Introduction

You may be thinking we are spending a lot of time in the OT these days. This is true. The reason is I am getting close to having worked through the whole Bible and there are only two books in the NT that I haven't covered, 2 Thessalonians and Revelation, and now five books in the OT. Revelation will, appropriately enough, be the last book we cover.

Written around the same time as Haggai, probably after the temple building has resumed for the first eight chapters.

The final chapters consist of apocalyptic type prophecies, these were probably given some forty years later.

There are some who think that the final six chapters were written by someone else, largely because of the different nature of the material. However, single author is the simplest and best solution.

The prime initial purpose of Zechariah and Haggai was to rebuke and urge the people to complete the building of the temple.

Zechariah is one of the most quoted books in the New Testament.

Zechariah is called “son of Berekiah, son of Iddo” in 1:1 and 1:7. In Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 he is called “son of Iddo”. However, “son of” often just means descendent, a number of kings were called son of David when they were not immediate sons.

There is an Iddo who is listed as a priest along with Zerubbabel and Joshua (Nehemiah 12:4).

It should be noted that Zechariah was a very common name, with over thirty of them being named in the Bible, so some caution is needed in identifying him.

Zechariah means “the Lord remembers”, and this is a theme of the book.

Lamentations 5 - Has all hope gone?

This chapter is again 22 verses long, but the verses do not all start with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Some see this as representing the disintegration of Jewish society, though this may be a rather fanciful notion.

The writer calls on the Lord to remember what has happened to Jerusalem and to the nation of Israel. There is a total disintegration of society. Families have been ripped asunder, the economy has totally collapsed. As happen in all wars, women are raped (v11).

Joy has departed from the land.

Verse 19 is a declaration of God's greatness, yet it seems empty because He seems to have forgotten them. Even so he calls on God for salvation. The only hope is that God has not written them off forever.

So in the Book of Lamentations we have a graphic description of the agony they were going through, a recognition that is was all deserved, it was all a result of their sinfulness. God is their only hope. If He has rejected them forever then all hope truly has gone. 

There are those who say that Israel no longer has any special place in God's plans. Such a view seems totally at odds with the whole teaching of the Bible. The Bible is completely realistic and open about the sinfulness of Israel, yet even in the midst of her sinfulness there is always hope.

Lamentations 4 - The gold has lost its lustre

"How gold has lost its lustre". When disaster strikes all the things which previously added joy and brightness to life suddenly seem worthless. This is another 22 verse acrostic. 

The siege had become so bad that people stopped caring for their children, personal survival became the overriding concern for everyone. Even those who were once rich and lived a life of ease have been reduced to abject poverty. Women even ate their own children. Things were such that it was considered a mercy to be killed quickly by the sword than to have to endure the ongoing agony.

All this has happened as a result of the Lord's wrath being vented on Jerusalem. In verse 13 the false prophets and priests are assigned particular blame for this. Priests and prophets are meant to work on God's behalf, but instead they started operating on their own behalf. Sadly, we see this today as well.

So the people, including the priests and elders, are scattered among the nations. They looked for help, but in vain. 

The poem ends on a ray of hope. The punishment would not go on forever, and her enemies would in the end be judged themselves.

Lamentations 3:25-66 - Waiting patiently

v25-27 declare the goodness of God and the virtue of waiting patiently for Him and bearing the yoke. Bearing the yoke means living by the Lord's ways, according to His commands. In society there is a lot of talk about the need to rebel when we are young. This is nonsense. Man is naturally rebellious from the day he is born until the day he repents and turns to Christ. So the sooner we end the rebellion the better. The best thing a young man (or woman) can do is to adopt God's ways.

v28-30 tell us that sometimes it is best just bear our suffering in silence. There are times when we have no idea why things have happened the way they have, or where it is all going to end up. In those times we just trust the Lord and wait for Him. v30 is of course reminiscent of Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. 

v31-33 give the reason for this waiting quietly. In the midst of trouble it seems as if there will be no end, but it will not last forever. For the Lord does not cast off forever. And God's nature is to show love and compassion. In the end the love and compassion will come, and it will far outweigh the suffering.

v34-36 speak of the things that the oppressors were doing. The writer was confident that God would intervene at some point with judgement on this.

The natural reaction can be to complain about God, but we are actually better to examine our own ways, to see what we need to put right in our lives. 

Then after this interlude of hope he returns to his lament, before turning back to hope.

Lamentations 3:1-24 - Faith in the midst of despair

This chapter stands out from the other three in various ways. The most immediate is that it is longer! 66 verses as opposed to 22. It is again an acrostic, but each stanza has three lines that each begin with the relevant letter. So in the first stanza all the verses begin with aleph, and in the second they all begin with beth etc. 

Verse 1 stresses that this lament is written by an eye-witness. This is no mere second-hand or imagined retelling of what it must have been like to have gone through the events in Jerusalem, but is written by someone who did actually go through it. He felt as if the Lord was directly against him.

He feels utterly oppressed, and oppressed by the Lord. He prays for help but gets no answer. Every way seems to be blocked. 

It felt as though the Lord had him particularly in his sights, as though all this was meticulously planned to get him. Note that there is no indication that all this was "the work of the devil".

He experiences great bitterness and his soul is downcast. Yet in the midst of this he recalls the Lord's great love. Read verses 22-24:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him

Now remember the situation from which they are written. We often sing "great is your faithfulness" but forget the context from which it comes. It is in the midst of defeat and despair that the writer calls out in faith to the Lord. It is in a situation where he is experiencing the full depths of God's judgement and is feeling it deep within his soul with no apparent way out or way through. Even so, he waits upon the Lord. Despite everything he still trusts in the Lord. This is true faith indeed.

Lamentations 2 - Disaster brought on by God

This is another acrostic poem and Jerusalem is again personified as a woman. The city is seen as experiencing the wrath of God. There was no pity in the Lord's judgement. Now this might offend some of our ideas about God, but let's look at the situation. God had spent literally hundreds of years warning Israel, yet she paid no heed. So Jerusalem had ample opportunity to avoid the calamity. So God is amazingly patient, He is slow to anger. But there comes a point when the patience is at an end and the judgement does come. So anyone who thinks because God is a God of love hell won't happen is a fool. And see that the destruction is seen as something that God actively caused, it is not something He merely allowed to happen.

The elders sat in mourning, and the writer himself is torn in is heart over what has happened. 

Note in verse 13 the reference to Jerusalem's wound being deep and asking who can heal her. The wounds are the wounds of sin.

Verse 14 talks about the false prophets. The purpose of a prophet is to expose sin and so warn off calamity. Jerusalem had chosen to reject the true prophets and instead to listen to the false prophets.

Verse 17 says that God planned this long ago. Chapters in the first five books of the Bible warned clearly enough that these things would happen. 

Verse 20 shows that this was written by an eyewitness, or at least someone with very good sources. These things actually happened.

There was no escape from the judgement. Likewise, there will be no escape from the final judgement, so if we are wise we will repent now and turn to Christ now.

Lamentations 1 - Desolate Jerusalem

Lamentations consists of five poems/laments. Four of them, including this one, consist of 22 verses and are acrostic. That means that each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

The first part is written as if the city of Jerusalem is a women, a widow. Once she was great among the nations, but now is a slave. She weeps at night. The lovers of verse 2 are the idols and other nations that she turned to, instead of turning to the Lord, for help. They all betrayed her. When in trouble the Lord is the only one we should turn to.

Her people are identified with Jerusalem, yet they had all been exiled to other nations. The religious festivals were a focal point of life in Jerusalem, yet now there is no one left to attend them. She had been defeated by her enemies. Her enemies (Babylon) were at ease while she was in great distress.

Verse 5 highlights the reason for all this. It is because of her sins, and because of the active judgement of God upon her. 

All the splendour of Jerusalem had gone. This included gold and silver from the temple, and the best of her leaders. The leaders in fact proved to be weak and fled the city. The city was left utterly desolate with no one to help. 

Verses 8 and 9 stress again the role that her sin played in all this and the desolation that followed.

Verse 12 and 13 make it clear that she knew that it was the Lord who sent the suffering. Any view of God that has no room for His active role in judgement of sin is utterly inadequate and unbiblical. Jerusalem was left with nothing. 

The writer is struggling with the enormity and horror of what has happened, yet knows at the same time that it was completely deserved. Even so he calls on the Lord to look at his distress. 

At the end he calls on the Lord to deal with his enemies with the same judgement that He dealt with Jerusalem.

Lamentations - Introduction

Lamentations consists of five laments over the destruction that Judah suffered at the hands of the Babylonians. The city of Jerusalem and the temple were both left in ruins and all the most skilled people had been exiled off to Babylon. All the promises of God for the nation seemed to lie in ruins, just as the city did.

The author is not named, but the book is traditionally thought to be written by Jeremiah. Whatever the case, the author definitely seems to have been an eyewitness of the events. 

Deep and terrible things had happened to Jerusalem, admittedly through her own fault. Some of the things that happen to us are a direct consequence of our own sin. In books like Ezekiel and Jeremiah we get a forensic description and explanation of what was happening and why it happened, but we also need to work through the heart matters, and Lamentations does that.

Nehemiah 13 - Final reforms

The whole Book of Moses was read out, presumably the Law. There were many things that had been forgotten. It does seem something like harbouring a grudge to still be blaming the Ammonites and Moabites for something that happened long ago.  However, there are two things we can take from this. First is that this past action was indicative of their attitude, so it wasn't just a one-off. Secondly, our actions have eternal consequences. 

Nehemiah had returned to Babylon for a time, and during this time Eliashib had managed to get himself and Tobiah a position in the temple. Nehemiah came back and when he learnt of what had happened turfed Tobiah out. This is reminiscent of Jesus clearing the temple. 

Moreover, the Levites were not being given their allotted portion, so they were returning to normal work. The church should pay people properly to do the work of the church. So Nehemiah put things right.

Work was also being done on the Sabbath, and this was another issue that Nehemiah addressed. So the Sabbath was strictly adhered to. This gives some insight into why the Sabbath was such a point of conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees.

So Nehemiah carried out many reforms. 

Nehemiah 10-12 - More lists

The people made an oath to the Lord, and the names of those who sealed it were recorded. The people separated themselves for the Lord,committed their lives to Him and promised not to intermarry. They would also keep the Sabbath. Failure to cancel debts had been one the main sins of the past, so they promised to adhere to this law. There would also be the giving of a tithe and a dedication of the first born. The temple of the Lord would be properly cared for.

So this was all very good, but we know that it did not produce the desired fruit. In the end the people rejected the Son of God. 

Next we get another list, this time of who settled in Jerusalem, and of the priests.

After this came the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem, with particular emphasis on worship.

Nehemiah 9 - Repenting

The people now confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They had got to where they were both because of their own sins and the sins of all the Israelites in the past, indeed the sins of everyone from Adam onwards. 

The whole history of Israel was read out. We need to recognise the proper connection we have to the past. 

There are a number of key points from the history of Israel. The first is that the Lord is the starting point for everything. He is the author and giver of life. It was His choice that started the nation. Then there is the fact that God sees the sufferings of His people and cares about it. He intervenes in order to set the people free.

He led them to the Promised Land, and He gave them instruction in how to live (the Law).

Next is the continual disobedience of the people and God's immense patience with them. God was faithful to His promises, and merciful, yet the people refused to listen to Him and persisted in their disobedience. 

It ends with the people calling on God's mercy.

Nehemiah 8 - Repenting

After this the people wanted the Law to be read. Maybe there was some recognition that all their troubles were rooted in their disobedience to the Law, and that their salvation lay in following the Lord. Even in our fallen condition there is still a latent sense of God in all of us, the problem is that without Christ sin always comes to the fore.

So Ezra read the Law out to them, supported by various people. The Zechariah may or may not be the prophet, it was a common name.

There are a number of interesting things about the reading of the Law. One is that Ezra organised things so that the people were properly instructed and the meaning was made clear. The Word of God is given so that all can understand. Then there is the reaction of the people, they had started to weep. Presumably this was because they realised their sinfulness. Finally their is Ezra' s response. He tells them to stop weeping and to rejoice. Why was this? It is because it was a day holy to the Lord. God was the focus, not them. This should also be a warning to us when we adopt a po-faced attitude to religion.

So they rejoiced, and even celebrated the Law in ways that had never been fulfilled before.

Nehemiah 7 - Listing again

If you are anything like me, you tend to find these long lists of names that crop up periodically in the Bible rather tedious. However, there is a serious point to them. Here the keeping of records in the past enabled Nehemiah to help restore things to the way they were meant to be. One of the most common emotions is to think that God has forgotten or overlooked us. Jesus tells us that every hair on our head is counted and that not one sparrow falls from the sky without God knowing about it. God cares and knows much more than we imagine. He remembers things. When the enemy seeks to upset God's plans, and even seems to succeed, we can be confident that he will not succeed. God will restore things to the way they were meant to be.

Nehemiah 6 - Dealing with opposition

Opposition continues. While we are going on with God's plans we need to appreciate that there will always be opposition. The wall had been completed, and Sanballat, Tobiah and the rest of the gang were leading the opposition. They sought to use a more subtle approach, inviting Nehemiah to go and meet with them. Nehemiah was focused on the task in hand and refused to be distracted. Four more times they tried to get Nehemiah to come to them, but he continued to resist.

Finally Sanballat sought to to use false accusations, claiming Jerusalem would be rebelling. False accusations and rumours are a common tactic of the enemy. Nehemiah was not taken in and prayed to the Lord for strength.

Next Shemaiah sought to distract Nehemiah, saying they should hide in the temple because Nehemiah's life was in danger. The enemy will use all sorts of tactics, appealing to various emotions, in seeking to stop us doing God's work. Nehemiah knew what was going on. He had a clear focus on what God had given him to do. We need to have the same focus. Knowing what we are supposed to be doing is a good defence against being misled into doing the wrong thing. As a leader we need to take risks and must not be seen to be protecting ourselves at the expense of others.

The prophets, who should have been supporting the work, were actually speaking against it. There will always be false prophets.

So the work was completed and fear filled the surrounding lands.

Nehemiah 5 - Dealing with Poverty

Attention was not devoted to the rebuilding alone. One of the prime areas of failing had been the neglect of the poor, something the Law required, and failure to do so was drawn attention to by the prophets. Poverty was a major problem. Symptoms of the problem were a lack of food and having to subject their children to slavery. Moreover, there were structural problems that hindered them from overcoming the problems (v5). It was also the case that the powerful were making things worse (v7).

In the church we have a habit of talking a lot of nonsense about poverty and prosperity. The Bible is concerned with prosperity, but the major outworking of this in a truly Biblical sense is in bringing an end to poverty. This will require structural changes in society, and the rich (and we need to recognise that in global terms "the rich" includes most of us who live in the West, it is not just the bankers!).

So Nehemiah instituted change, and the religious leaders were involved in this too. He also took action in his own life, not taking advantage of the special privileges of the governor. 

Now, just in case you are thinking I am a socialist, I am not. There are other passages in the Bible we count against the naive socialist solutions that some Christians put across. But neither am I part of the "religious right" (and I don't like tea!). We need to read the whole Bible and take all of it on board.

Nehemiah ends the section by calling on God to remember him with favour for what he has done. Now for some of us this offends our religious mores. It should not. Jesus often spoke about rewards. 

Nehemiah 4 - Building in the face of opposition

Sanballat and Tobiah were angry at the rebuilding of Jerusalem and sought to mock the efforts of the Jews. Today there is derision against the church.

What was Nehemiah's reaction? First he turned to God. This is what we should always do, and we need to appreciate the importance of doing this, for we are in a relationship with the Lord. Israel's repeated mistake was to turn to anything and anyone else except God in times of trouble. Then he calls for judgement upon Sanballat and his associates. Now in our wishy washy Christianity we may react against this, but we are wrong to do so. Jesus was quite clear about the consequences of sin, as was Paul. Note also that Nehemiah calls on God to judge them, he does not take judgement into his own hands. There needs to be a recognition of sin for what it is.

So good progress was made and the wall reached half its height. 

The plotters heard about the progress and were even angrier. Other nations had joined Sanballat and Tobiah. So they plotted against Jerusalem. Nehemiah's reaction was again to pray to the Lord and to post guards. Prayer and action go together, it is not prayer or action.

However, while progress had been made the size of the task was starting to overwhelm the people, along with the threats from their enemies. This is a normal and natural reaction. 

So Nehemiah posted extra armed guards at the weakest points. Then he also encouraged the people to trust in the Lord. The enemies heard of the action that Nehemiah had taken and they gave up for a time.

So the people continued to build, with some building and some guarding. They worked together to complete the task.

Nehemiah 3 - Working together

The priests were involved in the rebuilding of the walls. They also dedicated them. Scripture is often recording lists of people who were involved in various incidents, both good and bad. What we do is noticed by the Lord and we do well to remember this. From the negative side, we cannot get away with things. Sin is deceitful, trying to persuade you that no one will ever know. Well, when we sin, we know and God knows. Positively, even if no one appreciates what we do, or even knows about it, God knows. On several occasions Jesus speaks of the rewards we get. We need never worry about whether we are recognised for what we do, for God always recognises us.

The nobles of Tekoa considered the work above them, so did not fully engage. Women were also involved in the work (v12), and Shallum was the son of a ruler, yet was happy to be involved in the work.

So the record goes on of the various people involved in carrying out the work. Nehemiah was a true leader because he managed to get most of the people working together on the project.

Nehemiah 2:11-20 - Reality and Vision

Nehemiah did not make a big show of his mission and purpose, instead he inspected the walls of Jerusalem at night and had not told anyone of his plans. Sometimes we are far too ready to make a big fanfare of doing something rather than just getting on with the job. 

Many of its walls and gates had been broken down. A lot of this would be a hangover from the Babylonian destructions, but some may have been a result of opposition to the rebuilding. 

Only after fully appraising himself of the situation did Nehemiah speak to the priests, nobles and officials. One might wonder why they would listen to him. As noted in chapter 1, some of his relations may have been officials in the city, and he also had letters of commendation from Artaxerxes, so this may have given him credibility. 

The people may have become resigned to the dilapidated state of the place, thinking that there is nothing better they can expect. Likewise it is easy for us to become resigned to the present state of the church in the West. It needs someone with godly vision to open our eyes to what is possible, and, more to the point, what is in God's heart. Nehemiah was fully aware of the present situation, but was also convinced that something could be done about it. Having both of these is the mark of true leadership. The leaders were with him in this. Even when people seem downtrodden and resigned to a poor state of affairs, there is usually some spark of hope, some desire for something better.

Sanballat and Tobiah mocked the plans. There will always be opposition, and it will usually start by mocking the work. Nehemiah knew that God was his strength, and knew the historical plans of God.