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.