Zechariah 13:7-9 - Strike the shepherd

13:7

This verse was quoted by Jesus in Mark 14:27 when Jesus tells His disciples they they will all fall away. In this verse the shepherd is described as the man who is close to the Lord Almighty. This is obviously Jesus. So there is a foretelling of Jesus being handed over to death. There is also a foretelling of the disciples being scattered, deserting Jesus. “against the little ones”. It would not just be Jesus who was persecuted, but His followers as well, and this is part of God’s plan.

13:8,9

Revelation contains echoes of 13:8 with the large swathes of humanity suffering. This could be seen as a cleansing of the people, with only true believers left. This remaining third will be further refined. Peter may well have been thinking of 13:9 when in 1 Pet 5:7 he speaks of our faith being tested like gold. The outcome will be that they will call on the name of the Lord and He will answer them. Then we get the oft repeated refrain of the Old Testament, “God will say ‘they are my people’, and they will say, ‘the Lord is our God’”. We need to remember that part of the outcome of God’s work in our lives is that we will call upon Him and He will answer, and this will happen during a time of testing. Part of the message of Zechariah is that when testing comes we will be strengthened (Zech 12:7-9) and that God will respond to our prayers.

Galatians 5:1,2 - For freedom Christ has set us free

5:1

To fully appreciate the significance of “It is for freedom ...” we need to be aware of the slave system in those days. Slavery was not the same as the slave trade or slavery in America that we often think of. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was an integral part of the economy, and some slaves were quite well off. At the same time many weren’t and many were mistreated. However, it was possible for a slave to get enough money to buy his freedom. What he would then do is be “bought” by a god and he would technically become the slave of that god, but as the god was a nothing he would actually be free. Moreover, his original owner would give the slave a document stating “for freedom”. Now if a slave had bought his freedom and got this treasured document the last thing he would think of doing would be to become a slave again. Yet this is precisely what the Galatians were doing! They had been set free from slavery to sin, and now they were in danger of becoming slaves of the Law. How foolish indeed (Gal 3:1). Also with the matter of becoming a slave of a god, it gives us a better understanding of what Paul means when he talks of being a slave of Christ. Just as someone who became a slave of some god was free, so in becoming a slave of Christ we find the greatest freedom there is.

5:2

Paul then points out the stark reality of what would happen if they let themselves be circumcised. Christ would be of no value to them at all! Why so? The one and only grounds for our righteousness is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and He is the complete grounds for our righteousness. If we start to rely on something else, even if it something else as well as Christ (in our thinking), then Christ is of no value. We are saying we can earn at least some of our righteousness, we can justify ourselves to some extent. Christ died for those who have absolutely no righteousness of their own, and who know that that is the case.

Zechariah 13:3-6 - Every prophet will be ashamed

13:3

The foolishness of the false prophets will be recognised by all, even the members of the false prophets own family. Often a family will support one of their own even when they are clearly in the wrong, but the evilness and delusion of false prophets will become clear even to them. In fact the family would go so far as to kill the false prophet.

13:4-6

The false prophets themselves will go to extraordinary lengths to deny being prophets. Putting on a “hairy cloak” was part of the “act” of a prophet, supposedly adding some authenticity to what they were doing. In these times no one would even dare seek to be a false prophet. Today there are many false teachers and prophets about, of all shades. Some who deny the truth of the Bible, others who pretend to believe God’s word put distort it and preach or prophecy nonsense. A time will come when false prophets and teachers will be abhorred by all. Even with marks that they could not deny being there, they would seek to explain them away.

Galatians 4:30,31 - Children of the free woman

4:30

Paul now quotes from Gen 21:10 where Abraham is told that he has to get rid of the slave woman and her son. Now in the original context this seems cruel, but, as noted earlier, God does actually promise to look after Hagar and Ishmael (Gen 21:13,17,18), so it is not as cruel as it might seem. We should also note the emotional attachment that Abraham had to Ishmael (Gen 21:11). Now also note this. Go and look at Gen 21:10, the words quoted by Paul as authoritative. These words were said by Sarah, yet here they are seen as inspired by the Holy Spirit, and of deep significance. This has important implications for the inspiration of Scripture. All Scripture is God breather, even when they might be thought to just be the product of an emotional reaction. Of course we must read things in their context, but Jesus and apostles had an enormously high view of Scripture, which in their terms meant the Old Testament. The fact that these are words spoken by a woman may also have implications for our view of the role of women in the church, especially as it is Paul who quotes them, and he certainly would know who said them. This is not the place to get into a deep debate on this matter, except to say I would describe myself as a “soft complementarian”. By this I mean I believe the distinction between male and female is absolutely vital, is part of God’s creation order, and is part of His blessing to us. However, I do not believe in the rigid separation of roles (eg “women shall not preach to men” type stuff, and do not believe there is much Scriptural support for this.

Anyway, back to the immediate context. There is no place for works righteousness in the gospel. They had to completely reject any notion of following the Law in order to be more acceptable to God.

4:31

Paul closes this chapter (though, of course, it was not a chapter ending when he wrote it!) by summing up the whole matter. “We are not children of the slave but of the free woman”. We need to appreciate and understand this if we are to live our lives aright and if we are to understand our lives aright. If we start having a slave mentality then it is a sign that something is going wrong in our thinking or in our emotions.

Zechariah 13:1,2 - On that day there shall be a fountain

13:1

We see hear another common theme of salvation as presented in the Bible, but so often missed in modern presentations of the “gospel”. There is a cleansing from sin and uncleanness. That applies to all of us who are saved, and to all who will be saved. We all need to cleaned, we are filthy with sin. A key element of the preaching of the gospel is the need to repent. Too often we shy away from mentioning sin, and then at others we go to the other extreme and just preach condemnation without any grace. Note that this fountain will be for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. There is salvation for Israel.

13:2

On that day the names of idols will be cut off. When God’s salvation comes we stop trusting in idols, stop putting our hope in something other than the Lord Himself. On that day we will remember them no more. The prophets will be removed. Now we might think this strange, or if you are a cessationist you might think this supports your view, but that would be terrible exegesis! The prophets at the time were almost universally false prophets. Now today there are many rubbish prophets and the church would benefit greatly from their removal!

Galatians 4:28,29 - Children of Promise

4:28

We need to understand who we are, we are children of promise! Naturally speaking Isaac should not have been born, he was an impossibility. Naturally speaking there is no way we can be children of God, no way we can be justified before God. But we are children of God’s promise. If we think we have somehow earned it, or deserve it, or our future continuance as children of God is dependent upon us, then our thinking and understanding will go astray.

4:29

So if I am a child of promise, a child of God, why am I suffering, why am I being persecuted? Paul points out that it was always thus. Ishmael mocked Isaac and God told Abraham that he had to send Ishmael away. The slave child will persecute the promise child. In the same way those who are seeking to live by the flesh will persecute those who are living by faith. Why? Well living by the flesh can fall into two camps. There are those who “live by the flesh” in the way we commonly think, ie following lusts of the flesh in the form of drunkenness, sexual immorality, greed, pride etc. Someone living by faith will be a constant rebuke to them, a reminder that there is a better way and that their way is wrong. Then there are those for whom living by the flesh means seeking to earn righteousness. They are not “sinful” in the common sense of the word, but they are still living in pride, living as if they can be good enough. Someone living by faith will be a reminder of the futility of their seeking to be righteous on their own merits.

Zechariah 12:9-14 - Mourning for the one they have pierced

12:9

Things will not be pretty for the nations that attack Jerusalem, for God will seek to destroy them. We rightly emphasise the love and mercy of God, but we also need to remember the judgement of God. If we experience persecution the ideal outcome is that those who persecute us repent and believe, but if they do not we need to know that God will judge them.

12:10

This is one of the key verses that so clearly points to Jesus. It is also one that has not been fulfilled yet, referring to the Jews looking to Jesus. The house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will receive a spirit of grace and supplication. They need grace because of their persistent rejection of God, something that has gone on for thousands of years, but a change will come. There will be a deep sorrow over what they did to Jesus when He came to earth.

12:11-14

On that day the mourning will spread throughout the land, encompassing the whole of Israel. and the mourning will be greater than any other mourning they have experienced, and we should remember the numerous horrific things that the Jews have gone through. They will appreciate the true horror of what they did, and of their rejection of Jesus.

Galatians 4:25-27 - Rejoice, O barren woman

4:25,26

Paul states clearly that Hagar stands for the current Jerusalem. This would be quite shocking for some, as Jerusalem was God’s city, how could Paul say that she is in slavery? Then Paul says that those who believe are part of the Jerusalem that is above, and that this Jerusalem is free. There are similarities in the thought here with that found in Hebrews. Notice also that Paul refers to both the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem. This does raise questions about the place of the current earthly Jerusalem in God’s plans.  So what are we to make of it? There are some who have an unhealthy fixation on the earthly Jerusalem. However, in a sort of inverted way those who say that Jerusalem and Israel no longer have any special part in God’s plans also have an unhealthy fixation on the earthly Jerusalem. if we look elsewhere, especially in Romans 9-11, we see that Paul was absolutely convinced that Israel would be saved, while being fully aware of the current rejection of the gospel. We need to be aware of the key point of Paul’s teaching here, and that is that it is faith in Christ that is crucial. Gentiles need to believe in Christ, Jews need to believe in Christ.

4:27

Paul then, as he often likes to do, quotes from Scripture. Sometimes he does this to prove the point, at other times it is more to illustrate the point, or to encapsulate it. Here he quotes from Isaiah 54:1. The Jews were shocked that Gentiles could come into the kingdom, but Paul is saying that this was God’s plan all along. Up until this time it seemed very much as if the Gentiles had no part in God’s plan, they were the barren woman, it was Jerusalem that had children. But now many children of God will come from the Gentile nations.

Zechariah 12:7,8 - The Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem

12:7

There will be equality! God does not want the honour of the House of David nor of Jerusalem  to be greater than that of Judah. This is very significant when we consider that the Messiah is often referred to as being the Son of David. We are all given different roles in life, some of them receive much praise and acclamation, others are grossly undervalued, and everything inbetween. Whatever role God gives to us we should do it faithfully, knowing that God will fairly reward all. Jesus said that many who are last will be first.

12:8

There will be a day of battle, a day when many forces come against Israel, but on that day the Lord will help and protect Jerusalem. So the first thing to note is that trouble will come, but God’s people will be protected. The second thing to note is that we are not passive, but the Lord involves us in the battle. Everyone’s strength will be multiplied. Ps 110 says that the Lord’s people will be ready and willing on the day of battle. When trouble comes our strength will increase. We can sometimes look ahead with foreboding, wondering how on earth we will manage, but at the right time God will increase our strength.

Galatians 4:23,24 - Son of the free woman

4:23

The distinction that Paul draws between the two sons, and the two mothers, is that one was born of a slave woman according to the flesh, and one was born as a result of a promise. Ishmael was the result of human effort and human reasoning. We can read about it in Genesis 16. Sarah and Abraham reasoned that nothing was happening so they came up with their own plan, seeking to fulfill God’s promise themselves. Isaac was born as the result of God’s promise. Naturally speaking there was no way that Abraham and Sarah could have a child between them, and the evidence of several years seemed to back this up.

4:24

Paul now draws an explicit parallel between the two women and the two covenants. Hagar represents the Law, Sinai, and Sarah represents the promise. Hagar did bear children, but these children were to be slaves. There are people who decry the Bible for “supporting slavery”, we see here that slavery is seen as definitely not being God’s plan for humanity, it is seen as inferior to His plan. Hagar and Ishmael are used as an example demonstrating that God never saw His promise being fulfilled through the Law. Now this does not mean the Law was of no value or purpose, nor does it mean that God does not care about the Law. In Genesis 21:17,18 we see that God makes promises to Hagar and Ishmael. They were not neglected by God.

A brief thought on the trinity

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some people think the trinity complicates things. I, for one, am eternally grateful that God is Three in One. Here are just a few brief thoughts on why I love the trinitarian God:

God the Father cares for me and provides for me and ways that are far deeper than I can ever know. My future is secure in His hands.

God the Son died for me on that cross, washing away all my unworthiness.

God the Holy Spirit empowers and enables me to do things that I should never be able to do.

I love God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

In support of hypocrisy (but not really)!

The Victorian age was criticised for its hypocrisy, and Jesus frequently berated the religious leaders of the time for their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is bad, but there is one good thing about hypocrisy. At least in a time of hypocrisy there is a recognition of what is good, of what should be done. In a hypocritical age people, usually the rich and powerful, know what is good, want to do something which goes against this, but which would seem to give them advantage, typically financial or sexual in nature. They have the power and money to get away with it, or so they think. They are hypocritical, and deserve to be judged, but at least in their hypocrisy there is a recognition of what is right, even if it is only lip service. Unless a society repents of its hypocrisy it then goes on to a much worse stage, the one outlined Isaiah 5:20. In this stage evil is called good, and good is called evil. Those who promote and indulge in evil are called good, and those who oppose evil and seek to live godly lives are called evil. As Isaiah 5:20 says:

Woe to those who call evil good
   and good evil,
who put darkness for light
   and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
   and sweet for bitter (NIV).

This is what is happening in our society today in the West. At the time of writing (25th January, 2019) New York has just passed laws allowing full term abortions, and it was done so to loud cheering and celebration. When the Irish referendum voted in favour of abortion there was great rejoicing. We rejoice at the “right” to kill babies in the womb, and in the case of full term abortions there can be no rational argument that the baby is not a human being, not a person. No argument can be made that it is just a clump of cells (by the way, biological science recognises that the embryo is human from conception). So society thinks this is wonderful. But what does society think of those who protect against abortion? They are accused of being evil, of working against human rights. Pierre Trudeau, the Canadian Premier, seems to consider supporting abortion to be integral with supporting human rights.

Now look at marriage. In the seventies and eighties as divorce rates increased, and living together became more widespread, there were those who argued that marriage is by far the better environment in which to bring up children. And they were accused of being bigoted against single mothers, or being out of touch.  Now if you want to be respected by society, counted as righteous by society, you need to be in favour of gay marriage, you need to believe that a person can choose their gender, that biological realities are of no significance, actually that the well being of other people and society is of very much secondary importance compared to self. And if you argue that marriage is meant to be between one man and one woman, and that calling a baby a boy or a girl is not “assigning a gender” but a recognition of the obvious biological reality, then you are a hateful bigot.

Oh to live in an age of hypocrisy! Woe to a society that calls evil good, and good evil.

Galatians 4:21,22 - Do you not listen to the Law?

4:21

The Judaisers were claiming that there teaching was based on the Law. Paul now contends that they actually totally misunderstood the Law. They wanted to be under the Law, and wanted others (in this case the Galatians) to be under the Law. In fact people who are following a wrong path will often be desperate for others to go along with them on that path. Today we see how the LGBT activists are so desperate for everyone to approve of the path they have taken and cannot cope with anyone giving the merest hint of a suggestion that their path might be a wrong path. Now, we also want people to follow Jesus along with us, but if people choose not to follow that path we might be sad, for their sake, but we do not feel threatened because our security is not in our own wisdom, but in God. The Judaisers did not realise what the consequences of being under the Law were.

4:22

Paul will now use the example of Ishmael and Isaac to illustrate the point, to illustrate the truth. Now Abraham and Sarah should never have had Ishmael, if they had fully trusted God Ishmael would not have been born. Yet God still uses this disobedience on their part as part of His plan, and here to illustrate the truth.It is also perhaps interesting that it is the women, Hagar and Sarah who are central to Paul’s argument. One was a slave woman, the other a free woman.

Zechariah 12:4-6 - On that day

12:4

We should be wary of interpreting verses like this over literally. It would seem best to take it as simply meaning that God will strike down Israel’s enemies as they attack, throwing them into confusion. However, we should note that the use of horses in battle was seen as a significant advancement at this stage of history. The nations will try many things to destroy Judah, but the Lord is watching over Judah.

12:5

The people of Judah would then become strong. This will happen because they realise that the Lord is their God. We can try all sorts of things to bolster our courage, trusting in ourselves, in others, or something, but true courage only comes when we trust in the Lord, when we know that He is indeed our God.

12:6

Judah will be a source of much destruction to the nations. It will not be so much that Judah attacks them, but the consequence of their attacking Judah, and Jerusalem herself will remain in place. There are some who spiritualise everything in the OT referring to Israel and Jerusalem. Now there are many ways in which this does give important to insights, but to just spiritualise it seems to me to be very dangerous. There are so many promises in the OT referring to Israel and to Jerusalem that it seems almost certain that physical Jerusalem and Israel are involved as well.

Galatians 4:18-20 - I am perplexed about you!

4:18

People can impress others with their enthusiasm and dedication, indeed at one level there is something admirable about anyone who highly dedicated to a cause or activity. However, it is very possible, and very common, to be zealous for something that is not good. And Christian zeal should be demonstrated not just when someone is watching! We should be dedicated and disciplined in our service of Christ at all times.

4:19,20

Paul had a deep dedication towards the people he preached to and pastored. It was not just a matter of preaching to a bunch of people, hoping that some would believe, and then moving on. Paul set up churches with good leaders, and continued to pray for the people, and sometimes had later contact with the churches again. Today we can listen to sermons via YouTube or podcasts from all over the world, and from many “big names”. This is good, but we need to recognise that effective teaching involves several aspects. The message must, of course, be Biblically based, true to the word of God, But we also need the work of the Holy Spirit, and we need the personal dedication of our leaders and each other. That is why the direct preaching in our own local church, and in various small groups that we might have, are so important. And podcasts are absolutely no substitute for teaching within the local church. The most effective teacher/preacher in your life is the pastor/minister in your church, your small group leader, not Tim Keller (whom I happen to like) or whichever international preacher you like.

Zechariah 12:1-3 - The Lord who formed the spirit of man

12:1

The opening verse of this prophecy gives a clear description of the one who is speaking. “The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, forms the human spirit within a person”, God is uniquely qualified to declare what will happen, and we are wholly unqualified to doubt or question what He says. God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He forms the spirit within a man or woman. God knows what He is talking about, and when we think we know better than God we are fools.

12:2,3

We have here a picture of the battle of Armageddon from Revelation (Rev 16:14). One might have envisaged a glorious victory, but it will start with Judah and Jerusalem being besieged. All the nations of the earth will be gathered against Israel, but they will find her immovable and it will result only in harm for the nations. We do need to understand this, and we can apply it to the nation of Israel and to the church. The world will ultimately want to destroy Israel and to destroy the church. This will not work, but there will be much suffering along the way. We need to appreciate the difficulties, and we need to appreciate the victory.

Galatians 4:16,17 - Have I become your enemy?

4:16

“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Often people will be vilified for telling the truth. Sometimes the truth is not pleasant. In today’s culture telling the truth is often labelled “hate speech” and special interest groups are not interested in the truth. However, it is only the truth that will set us free, the truth that is found in Christ, indeed the truth that is Jesus Christ. Paul is getting the Galatians to look at themselves and to consider what is lying behind their own reactions. The problem in Galatia was not just a theological matter, but involved personal issues as well. This is the case in most disagreements and problems that arise in churches. We need to be aware of the multifaceted nature of problems. If we look at something from just one angle we will rarely appreciate the true nature of the issue.

4:17

Now Paul talks about those who were misleading the Galatians. They zealously courted them, making out as if the Galatians were very important to them. But they were not doing this for a good purpose. They wanted to shut them out from the grace of God so that they would instead be devoted to the Judaisers. Anyone who is a true servant of the Lord will seek to point people to Jesus, to make them disciples of Jesus, to make them people who love the Lord above all else. False teachers will seek to make people devotees of themselves. This can happen in obvious ways, but it can also be more subtle. If we are teachers or leaders we need to watch ourselves very carefully. Are we drawing people to Christ, or to ourselves?

Zechariah 11:15-17 - Woe to my worthless shpeherd

11:15,16

Zechariah has been playing the role of a good shepherd, only to be rejected by the people, mirroring God’s rejection of His people. Now Zechariah is to play the role of a foolish shepherd. Note that shepherd is foolish not in the sense of doing daft things, but that he does not care for the weak, lost or young, but rules only to exploit the people for his own gratification.

11:17

God then announces a damning judgement upon the worthless shepherd. See that the worthless shepherd is sent as a judgement upon the people for their wrong attitudes, but the shepherd himself will then receive judgement for his wrong actions. God’s actions are usually multi-dimensional, and if we view them one dimensionally we will never understand God.

Galatians 4:13-15 - You received me as an angel

4:13,14

When Paul first preached the gospel to them it was done in weakness. There is no agreement on what “bodily ailment” or “physical infirmity” means. Some think it was an illness such as malaria, others that it was general weakness. Whatever the case, Paul came in weakness, and there was nothing about him that would prove attractive. Despite this, the Galatians welcomed him. People with illness or infirmity were often viewed as being under judgement from God or the gods. Conversely, physical well-being was highly regarded. Culturally it would have been easy for the Galatians to despise Paul. Instead they received him as “an angel of God”. They welcomed him as Christ’s representative.

4:15

“What has happened to you?” Paul is getting them to look back to those days when they welcomed him so openly. Why did they welcome him then? Because he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit was at work among them. One way of distinguishing between good and false teaching is to consider how we react, and the “atmosphere”. Now we need to be careful here, for false teachings and false teachers can and do seduce. But if God is genuinely working through someone, genuinely communicating His message through them, there will be a “godly atmosphere”. There will, of course, be glorification of Christ, this is absolutely essential, but there will also be a promotion of right attitudes towards people. Valuing people for the right reasons. We will see later that the false teachings of the Judaisers was leading to back-biting. The reference to “gouging out your eyes” has been taken by some to imply that Paul had a sight problem. It is perhaps more likely that this is just a proverbial statement of affection, like saying “I’d give my right arm for ...”

Zechariah 11:12-14 - Give me my wages

11:12

Zechariah asked for his wages, if it seemed good to them, and was given thirty pieces of silver. This, of course, is the amount Judas was paid for betraying Jesus (Matt 26:15). This was the price of a slave who was accidentally killed (Ex 21:32). There are some who say it reflects an insulting wage in the Near East of the time, but others say it is actually a significant sum.

11:13

The Lord then instructed Zechariah to throw it to the potter. There are various explanations as to why he was instructed to do this. One is simply that there was a pottery nearby, though this explanation seems to have little point to it. Another is that the Hebrew word for potter is very close to the word for treasury, and yet another is that it could actually refer to a metalworker. None of these is particularly enlightening.

11:14

The unity between Judah (the southern kingdom) and Israel (the northern kingdom) was broken after Solomon, and they were not exactly friends. It is difficult therefore to see what this verse is referring to, unless it is looking backwards.

Galatians 4:10-12 - You observe special days!

4:10,11

While the Jews had special days and months, so did the pagan religions, with special days for various deities. In Judaism there were new moons and sabbatical years. The Galatians were returning to these things and seeing life as governed by them. So Paul fears that all his efforts had been in vain. So what was Paul seeking to do, what does the gospel seek to do? It seeks to set people free from bondage. Indeed, freedom will be a primary feature of the coming passages. We have a deep seated need to be subject to something. Even when we rebel against one thing, whatever we may claim, we usually end up becoming enthralled to something else. We want to dedicate ourselves to something. If that thing is godly then this dedication, this subjection, will result in freedom. If it is an ungodly subjection then it will result in enslavement. For instance, commitment in marriage actually results in freedom. Supremely, commitment to Christ results in true freedom.

4:12

Paul has had some very severe things to say to them, but in the next few verses a deep affection also comes out. Paul became like them, ie he acted like a Gentile in the sense of being perfectly happy to mix with them. This is again why the Peter-Paul eating argument was so important. Part of the reason for Paul reminding them of this was to remind them that he ate with them as equals. They had clear evidence that Paul regarded them as equal. Now he calls on them to become like him, to follow his example. “You have not injured me at all”. His opponents may have claimed that the Galatians had offended Paul in some way. He assures them that this is not the case.

Zechariah 11:9-11 - I will not be your shepherd

11:9

Very severe words are then uttered. “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die”. We focus a lot on the compassion of Jesus, but we also need to remember that Jesus is the judge. When here on earth Jesus also had severe words to say at times. It is clear from the whole of Scripture that there comes a point where chances run out and God says enough is enough, and people get what they want! If they want a world without God, then a world without God they shall have, along with all the consequences. We should note that absolutely terrible things did indeed happen during the siege of Jerusalem.

11:10,11

The judgement may start with Israel, the house of God, but extends to all the nations. Here God breaks the staff called favour, signifying the breaking of the covenant with the nations. However, it is possible that “all the peoples” or “all the nations” refers to the all the Jews scattered in many nations. Zechariah gave a dramatic illustration of the breaking of the covenant. “The sheep traders knew it was the word of the Lord” (ESV) is rather strange. NIV and NKJV have the “oppressed of the flock” or “poor of the flock”. If this latter translation is accepted then it is more understandable, and they knew that God recognised the injustice that they suffered and was taking action. “Sheep traders” is following the Greek version.

Galatians 4:7-9 - Why do you want to be a slave?

4:7

The Judaisers teaching encouraged the Galatians to see themselves as slaves, though they would probably not say that. Any teaching that does that is a wrong teaching. We are no longer slaves but sons. It is vital that we see ourselves aright. As since are sons, we are also heirs. And it is God who has made us heirs. This sonship is a result of God’s doing, not our doing, and He has decided that the route to sonship is faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way.

4:8

“Formerly when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.” Man thinks that by rebelling against God, by rejecting God, that he sets himself free, when in reality he actually becomes a slave. it is only when we know God that we are truly free. We may reject God’s ways on sexual morality, but the outcome will be enslavement and misery. We may seek to be autonomous, but we are not. All the so-called freedom that atheism offers is illusory.

4:9

The Galatians did know God. Paul then immediately reverses the emphasis, saying we are known by God. Any view of anything which puts man first is mistaken, God is the source of all things. Do we need to believe in Christ? Of course we do, we must choose to follow Christ, but Jesus then reminds us that “we did not choose Him, but He chose us”. Everything begins with God. In choosing to be circumcised, or to otherwise follow the Law, the Galatians might have thought that they were choosing a good thing, a godly thing. In reality they were choosing to be enslaved all over again. What a foolish thing to do! Life without God, life enslaved to sin, is weak and miserable. Why on earth would anyone want to turn back to such a life?

Zechariah 11:6-8 - Shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter

11:6

This is a very severe verse, and see that it is directed at the people of the land. Everyone will be given into the hands of their neighbours and of the king, ie of the rulers. There is a large extent to which we see this coming true in the west. There is greater enmity between people groups, especially with identity politics. And rulers are becoming increasingly intrusive in our lives. In some other countries things are much, much worse, with violence between peoples, and violent oppression. We might think that God is being unfair here, but it is true to large degree that we get the leaders we deserve. We all need to take responsibility for ourselves.

11:7,8

This seems to demonstrate the problem with the people. Zechariah himself shepherded the flock, giving special attention to the oppressed of the flock. The two staffs signify what a good shepherd would do, favour and union. The Lord desires to bestow favour on His people and to bring unity. Zechariah even got rid of the “three shepherds”, presumably three bad rulers. So we see that Zechariah was not some other worldly mystic, he received the word of God and was involved in the practical running of the country. However, the flock detested him and Zechariah grew weary. There is an obvious parallel with Jesus here. He came and showed special care to the oppressed, but in the end the people detested Him and He was crucified. God does have a special concern for the poor and the oppressed, but we can often think that because someone is oppressed they are not sinners. All are sinners, the rich, the rulers, the poor and the oppressed. The only difference between the various groups is the extent to which they have had the power to demonstrate that sinfulness. If you don’t believe me just look at situations where there has been a revolution (violent or peaceful). Very soon you find exactly the same degree evil of appearing.

Galatians 4:5,6 - Abba! Father!

4:5

Paul has already shown that no one can be made righteous by the Law. Indeed we are under a curse because of it, for it demonstrates our sinfulness and therefore makes us subject to the due penalty. Jesus came to redeem us from the Law. Now He could only do this because He was fully human, because He lived under the Law, and because He fully kept the Law. And He did this so that we might receive the adoption to sonship. We are meant to have a much richer relationship with God, the relationship of a son to the Father.

4:6

All this was not purely theoretical, but was also experiential. The Galatians had experienced the Holy Spirit. The Father had given the Holy Spirit to them, the Spirit of His Son and been sent to them, to dwell in their hearts. And the Spirit then cries out “Abba, Father”. There is a relationship between us and the Father. All the “you must be circumcised” stuff was empty of relationship. Indeed, we should beware of any teaching that is devoid of relationship, for it will be nothing more than a method. Notice also the trinitarian aspects of this verse. The Father sent the Spirit, who is the Spirit of His Son (Christ). We see in this letter (as in all of the Bible) the linking of theology/understanding and experience. The two are not opposed to each other, but work together. There was a clear and real experience of the Holy Spirit, and this is understood within a clear theological framework that explains the Bible.

Zechariah 11:1-5 - Shepherds

11:1-3 

 This passage is quite difficult to interpret. It can be seen as a taunting of the nations, or it can be seen as a literal destruction of the Syro-Palestinian land, and this seems to be the favoured interpretation. The whole message of the chapters around this is that the leaders (the shepherds) of Israel have failed her, but that the Lord Himself would become her shepherd and then salvation would come. The supreme failure of Israel’s leaders was their rejection of the Messiah when He came. Soon after that Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in AD70.

 11:4,5 

 We get a terrible picture here of the way that the shepherds had led Israel. They were supposed to lead the people in the ways of the Lord, but all they did was look after themselves, and seek their own well being. So the flock is marked for slaughter, and slaughter did indeed come. We should note that there is a twofold judgement here. The leaders are the primary guilty ones, but the people themselves will suffer as well. We all have responsibility. Many church leaders today should pay heed to these verses. We are there to lead the people in the way of the Lord, not in the way of the world.  

Galatians 4:3,4 - Enslaved to elementary principles

4:3

“elemental spiritual forces”. This phrase is problematic. It can be interpreted, as in the main text of many translations, as “elemental spiritual forces” (or something similar), or it can be interpreted, as in the margin of most translations, as “basic principles of the world”. Within the immediate context there are many ways in which “basic principles” makes more sense. The Judaisers were living as the world lives. Not in the sense of sinning away, but in the sense of how we deal with our sinfulness. The world’s way is to make rules and seek to live by them. From the world’s perspective this is sensible enough, and has some restraining value, but never deals with the core problem (our hearts). If we take the “elemental spiritual forces” line then it is saying that we were subject to spiritual forces, in slavery to sin.

4:4

The basic error of the Jews, and what was influencing the Judaisers, was to think that the Law was it. Now the Law was far from irrelevant, and is far from irrelevant. At the set time God sent His Son. Jesus coming was no minor event, the Son of God was here! Remember that the Jews considered it blasphemous for Jesus to claim to be the Son of God. They appreciated the enormity of His claim. God was acting decisively in Christ. Then we get two fundamental facts about Christ. One, He was born of a woman. He was fully human. Then He was born under the Law.