I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 11-14.

    Usually when I read the various shepherd metaphors in the Bible I clearly understand why the writer is using that particular metaphor. However, today I do not really understand why Zechariah is using the metaphor of a shepherd and sheep. For that matter I am not sure I understand the message which Zechariah is conveying, but I will write what I see the message as being. Zechariah seems to me to be saying that everyone is seeking to satisfy their desires, no one is seeking to promote the good of everyone. The various leaders were merely in it for themselves. The “buyers” sought to consume the sheep. The “sellers” sought to profit from the sheep. Even the shepherds, whose job it was to care for the sheep, sought only their own interest and did not care for the sheep. The sheep themselves were out to take advantage of each other and expressed disdain for the only shepherd who tried to lead them to their best interest.

    Zechariah finishes his writing with prophecies of God’s redemption of the people of Israel. When that day comes, God will not use the elites to bring about victory. Victory will begin with the common man. God will do this to show that the “elites” are not better than the common man. All are on common ground as the people of God. When Zechariah wrote these prophecies he believed them to be about the Jewish people, and that may indeed be the case. However, there are elements here, and in other similar Old Testament prophecies, which suggest that these prophecies apply to all who choose to worship and obey God. In either case, a key part of this prophecy is that those too whom it applies mourn for the One “whom they have pierced.” This is a clear reference to Jesus and His death. One thing it also makes clear is that part of salvation is accepting our share in the guilt of His suffering and death. Recognizing our guilt is a requisite step in receiving the cleansing from sin and impurity which God offers us.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 7-10.

    A couple of years after his first vision some of the returned Exiles came to Zechariah and asked if they should continue to hold a ceremony of mourning for the destroyed Temple now that rebuilding had begun. Zechariah’s response was that they were not, and had not been, fasting for God, but for themselves. The same thing was true of their feasts and celebrations. While Zechariah was chastising them, I do not think he was telling them they had been doing wrong in doing this. It is not enough to hold the ceremonies of worshiping God…for that matter the ceremonies are for us. But if we want to truly worship God, there are other things we need to do, things which these ceremonies are supposed to remind us to do. Zechariah gives us a list which pretty much sums up what God wants from us: “Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.” A little later Zechariah gives us another similar list of things God requires of us: “Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. 17 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth.” If we do these things, we will not be far off no matter what else we do.

    I usually avoid writing about applying the passages I am reading to current political issues, but this is one where some well meaning people use this passage to support their position without having looked at all of the ways in which it applies. The phrase “Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor” (and other similar passage from elsewhere in the Bible) is brought up from time to time in the discussion about illegal immigration in the United States. It is appropriate for Christians to consider this passage when they think about how they deal with immigrants. The argument is usually made that deporting illegal immigrants is oppressing the foreigner. There is some merit to this argument, although I do not think that I agree. What is generally overlooked by those who make that argument is the degree to which illegal immigrants are routinely oppressed in this country. Those who employ illegal immigrants often pay them substandard wages and otherwise treat them badly. The evidence I have seen suggests that lax enforcement of immigration laws does not alleviate this abuse, but actually makes it worse. One of things that many of those who make the argument I am speaking against typically overlook is that many of their allies in the campaign for lax enforcement of immigration laws are also campaigning against allowing more immigrants to enter the country legally. This issue is a difficult one for me as a Christian, because I do believe that we need to be caring for the poor and downtrodden and illegal immigrants are among the poorest in this country. On the other hand, I also believe that failing to enforce the law leads to injustice, which as a Christian I also oppose. This is one of the reasons that I believe that as a Christian I cannot be involved in politics.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6.

    Zechariah’s first vision involves four horsemen. These are not the same four horsemen as those mentioned in the Book of Revelation (although I suspect that Zechariah’s description of them influenced John’s description of his four horsemen). These four horsemen appear later in this passage as the drivers of four chariots. It is interesting that of the four horsemen (and later of the four chariots) only three went out on patrol while the fourth waited their report. The message of both of these visions, four horsemen and four chariots, was that God was angry with the other nations of the earth because their actions against Israel exceeded the punishment which He intended. I struggle with reconciling this statement here with my belief that God controls how things turn out. I intended to write a bit about how I understand this, but realized that it is too complicated to explain in this daily post. The best I can do in this forum is to say that it has to do with the difference between how we treat groups and how we treat individuals. The passage also makes it clear that those who overstep God’s intended punishment of the Jewish people will suffer for their actions.

    Zechariah prophesied that the day would come when so many people wished to live in Jerusalem that they would not all fit within the walls. In that day many people would join themselves to the Lord and God would count them as His people, just as He does the descendants of Jacob. If you look at Jerusalem today you will see that it extends well beyond the area which was within the walls of Jerusalem when this was written, and there are not walls around the city. You could argue that the various barriers and checkpoints which the government of Israel have set up are the equivalent of a wall. God tells us that the situation which Zechariah is prophesying will not come about through force or strength. It will happen by the Spirit of God. This is something we need to remember in every endeavor we undertake. If what we are doing is according to God’s will we will not accomplish it by force or by strength, only by the Spirit of God.