Zechariah chapter 12. This glorious
gospel of Zechariah. Wonderful message of grace. Wonderful
message of the Lord. And in fact, several times in
this book we have found verses of Scripture that are directly
quoted in the New Testament by the Lord or by incident, whatever
it would be. And we've noticed that also here
in this chapter. or the previous chapter about
what is the value of a good shepherd. And to those without Christ,
30 pieces of silver. Just the value of a slave. Nothing. No value. No importance. But to the believer, He is altogether
lovely. Altogether lovely. Here in the
book of Zechariah chapter 12, I'd like to read three verses
of scripture. Number, verse 3, verse 4, and
verse 5. And I know that that is paring
it down so much. But I would really encourage
you to read this chapter, the 12th chapter of the book of Zechariah. I'd encourage you to read the
entire book of Zechariah. Every once in a while I'll just
get online and have someone read it to me. They pronounce the
names apparently correctly. So that's a good thing to do.
We were intended to hear the word of God. God intended it
to be read out loud and so we could hear it. Well, here we
go. In the book of Zechariah chapter
12, as we continue this study, verse 3. And in that day will
I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. All that burden themselves with
it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be
gathered together against it. Now, the message that we have
in this verse of scripture is brought out by one of the translations
it shares with us. It says, On that day I'll make Jerusalem
like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger.
So we have so often in the history of Israel, in the history of
Judah, we have nations come up against them as a picture and
a type and a shadow of how God protects the church. Here we
have this brought out again in this chapter, we're finding that
the God of glory is going to protect his church. He has put
a hedge about the church, he has protective Protection about
the church and when they come up, even though it looks like
they'll be successful They're turned away and it's just as
if they had Drank too much and then in verse 4 in that day saith
the Lord I will smite every horse with astonishment and his rider
with madness and I'll open my eyes upon the house of Judah
and will smite every horse of the people with blindness verse
5 and And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, the
inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of
hosts their God. Let's look at this passage of
scripture for just a little bit. It's a wonderful thing to find
out that the Lord God Almighty is protecting his people all
the time. Whatever happens to his people
has not only been permitted, but has been purposed. I think
about our brother Lance down there. Whatever happened to him,
not only did God permit it, but he purposed that to take place.
Now, far be it from us to ever figure out the whys of God's
purpose. The apostle Paul, while he was
in prison, shares with us when they found fault with him. If
he had preached the gospel or had been better or different,
he wouldn't be there. And he simply said, this fell
out for the furtherance of the gospel. So we just don't know
the outcome of that. I remember my dear friend, Brother
Rupert Reibenbach was in the hospital for so long, and they
found out that he was a preacher. And before they'd let him leave,
They call together a congregation of the nurses and other people
in there and he preached the gospel to them. We just don't
know how things happen. So, what a statement. Everything we're trusting in,
all of our strength shall be stopped, as it says here in this
verse three. Or verse four, it says, I will
smite every horse. Do you remember what it says
in Psalm 20 and verse seven? Turn over there with me. And
I know you'll recognize this immediately, but in the book
of the Psalms, it's brought out here in Psalm 20, a wonderful
statement that God is protecting his people But he says, don't
do this. Some, verse 7 of Psalm 20, some
trust in chariots, and some in horses. Now when we put that
into today's language, we have all kinds of things that we before
the Lord brought the gospel to us we're trusting. We see our
family, our friends, trusting things that have no value to
them. They look like they're strong,
but in the long run, they are not. A horse will die. Egypt will change to be another
country. It says here in this passage
of scripture, in Psalm 20 and verse 7, some trust in chariots
and some in horses. And the Lord shares over here
in the book of Zechariah, I'm going to take care of all the
horses. I'll take care of everything." And we follow the life of Saul
of Tarsus, and he had so many chariots, and he had so many
horses that he was dependent upon. And yet, when the Lord
saved him, he counted all of those things as refuse, as dung.
Goes on to tell us, but we will remember the name of the Lord
our God. We'll remember Jehovah Elohim. We'll remember the God of power.
The one that overcomes all, the one that protects the church,
the one that puts to derision all these strong horses that
come up against him. I'll never forget watching the
Kentucky Derby one time and the one that was supposed to win
broke its leg. And people just went, ah, millions
of dollars fell right there. So trusting in horses and trusting
in chariots. Another place that I want to
take us to is over here in the book of Isaiah, when it tells
us about what people will do, what they will trust. And the
Lord says, trust me, trust me, I'll do you good. Trust me, trust
me, I'll forgive your sins. And yet we can't do that, we're
incapable of doing that, and it tells us here in the book
of Isaiah chapter 31, as the Lord shares with us there in
that passage of scripture in the book of Zechariah, that I
will bring to derision these horses. I will cause blindness
to come upon them. He has power over man and beast. He created all. and all things
work after the counsel of his own purpose and will. They are
there for his purpose. And here, as we read in Isaiah
31 and verse 1, woe to them that go down to Egypt for help. We're
so prone to do that in religion. What was down, what was it, nine
or ten different gods that those different plagues came out against? Those things that they would
worship and yet without Christ we worship almost the same kinds
of things, lifeless things. We worship our own will which
is lifeless. It says, woe to them that go
down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses and trust in chariots
because they are many, and in horsemen because they're very
strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither
seek the Lord. It's just contrary to our nature
to seek the Lord, but thanks be unto God that he causes us
to see the blindness of those ways, as we found over there
in the book of Zechariah. Follow me for just a couple of
other verses Back in the Psalms, if you would, back in Psalms,
there in Psalm 75. In Psalm 75, we find the Lord
speaks again through His Word. The Word is what He shares with
us. Psalm 75 and verse 5, the Scripture
says, Lift not up your horn on high, and speak not with a stiff
neck. For promotion cometh neither
from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but the God. But God is the judge. He putteth
down one, and setteth up another. What he did for Saul of Tarsus,
it was completely contrary to what Saul of Tarsus believed.
It was illogical to him, what God requires. And it's illogical
to us. But our logic is so human, and
it falters and fails. And then, going just a little
bit further in this path, let's go to the book of Proverbs for
just a moment. Proverbs 21. Proverbs 21 and
verse 31, as he shares with us again, instructions. The horse
is prepared against the day of battle. Proverbs chapter 21,
verse 31. The horse is prepared against the day of battle. We're
going to put our trust in it. We're going to put our trust
in this great machine. We're going to put our trust
in this great religion. We're going to put our trust
in all of these things. And it says here, the horse is
prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. So our safety is not dependent
upon those things that we're trusting in. And so it is, as
the Lord spoke through the prophet Zechariah, there in the book
of Zechariah, Chapter 12, we find him say these words about
the horses that were going to come against the church. The
things that have been so pronounced in the religious world, so promising
in the religious world that will overcome anything. And yet, we
find here that the Lord shares with us in that verse of scripture,
In that day, saith the Lord, I'll smite every horse with astonishment. And his rider with madness how
the Lord works his work of grace, how he turns us upside down. In fact, he shares the disciples
were told, you've turned the world upside down. You've made
it so contrary to the way that we appreciate it. So this is
the Lord and the Lord's doing, and it's going to accomplish
his purpose. Every strength that natural man has is a great weakness
to God. It's just so weak. We have this
great strength. We're going to trust in horses
or pictures of what that horse represents. We're going to trust
in that sort of thing. We're going to trust in going
down to Egypt. We're going to go get our help
in Egypt. Nothing but idolatry there. And yet the Lord says,
I'm your help. And we find out that as He gives
us the faith to believe Him, He gives us all strength and
power to protect us against all these enemies that we're so prone
to follow. He had the children of Israel
march around an impregnable town. Remember what we find when they
came into the land and there was a city called Jericho? It
just looked like this to the natural man, this is foolishness.
And I think that the people that were inside of Jericho said,
what is going on here? This is not going to accomplish
anything. We have our walls so thick. And yet the Lord brought
his power against that horse, his power against that Egypt,
that power against that great wall, and it fell down. March around the city. March
around the city. That's all they were called on
to do. And then blow those trumpets.
Blow those trumpets. Remember, he had one of the judges
cut down the number of men that he had. And he said, you still
have too many. In the book of Judges chapter
7, would you turn there with me? As we follow Gideon. Judges
chapter 7. The Lord is going to demonstrate
that it is He that does the work. It is He that performs the miracle. It is He that raises people from
the dead. It is He that makes the gospel
effectual. It is He that does all that is
required and necessary to save his people from their sins. In
the book of Judges chapter 7, beginning with verse 1, Then
Jerubbabel, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with
him, rose up early and pitched beside the well of Herod, so
that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them,
by the hill of Morah, in the valley. And the Lord said unto
Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many." When I first
heard that as a kid, I thought, that seems strange. We want all
the men we can get. We want the biggest army that
we can possibly put in the field. And yet it says here, the people
that are with you, this is God said to Gideon, the people that
are with you are too many. for me to give the Midianites
into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me,
saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." That's what's brought out
over there in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1, that no man glorieth
in themselves, but everybody glories in the Lord. Now therefore
go to proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever
is fearful and afraid, Let him return and depart early from
the Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people
20 and 2,000, and there remained 10,000. 22,000 leave because
of fear. 10,000 remain. And then we find the Lord saying this. I'm going to take care of you
by messing with their horses. I'm going to do it. That's what
he says to Zion. That's what he says to the church.
Don't trust in these things. Don't trust in the means that
have come down. Don't trust in invitations. Don't trust in mercy or mourners
benches. Don't trust in long songs of
invitation. Don't trust in those things.
Those are nothing more than horses that I'm going to blind. Trust
the Lord with salvation. Now it struck me there three
times the Lord when He healed people. He took them aside, and
that's what he has to do with us. He has to take us aside,
and he does it by himself. Well, here it says, there's too
many, the Lord said unto Gideon, the people are yet too many.
Bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee
there, and it shall be that whom I send to thee, this shall go
up with thee, and the same shall go with thee, of whomsoever I
send to thee, this shall not go with thee, the same shall
not go with thee. Isn't that wonderful how the
Lord sorts it out? Didn't leave it to Gideon. Gideon's
gonna be like Samuel. The man was tall, dark, strong. He said, this is the king, this
is the king. Man looketh on the outward appearance,
God looks on the heart. And he says, so he brought the
people unto the water. Now there's 10,000 people coming
down to the stream. And the Lord said unto Gideon,
every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue as a dog,
lappeth him shalt thou set by himself. Likewise, every one
that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them
that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred
men. But all the rest of the people
bowed down upon their knee and drank the water. And the Lord
said unto Gideon, By the 300, 9,700 are paired out by this
incident. Gideon didn't figure out how
to do this. The Lord gave him the instructions on how to do
that. Some reached down and got water and went like this, and
some got their faces right down in the water. I'll never forget,
we were irrigating a field one time, my mother and I were, and
I was thirsty and I got down and started sucking water up
just right out of it. She said, that's right out of
the Bible. Goes on to say, and the Lord said in verse seven
to Gideon, by the 300 men that lapped, will I save you and deliver
the Midianites into thy hand? and let all the other people
go, every man into his place." And so the Lord sifted them out.
We find this continuously throughout the scriptures. You know, it's
interesting that the Lord shared with Nicodemus, are you a master
of Israel and you don't know these things? What's he saying
to him? He's simply saying this, haven't
you read in the scriptures that none of those battles were by
the Lord? I mean by the people, they're all won by the Lord.
That's the way we're saved, it's not by us, it's by the Lord.
So as we go through the Old Testament scriptures, we find that the
Lord was always in charge. I will give you the city, I will
give you the battle, I will do this. And so he takes what apparently
is going to be victorious and blinds them, just like he said
about those horses, and throws the riders onto the ground. We
find in 1 Samuel chapter 17, when we read about David and
Goliath, five smooth stones and one struck that giant in the
forehead, just a simple It wasn't a .50 caliber or a 9mm. It was
just a stone. The Scriptures go on. The Lord
has consistently shown it is by His work and by His strength.
In Zechariah, we were there some time ago in chapter 4 and verse
6, it says, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith
the Lord. This is what He's been consistently
telling the people under the ministry of Zechariah. Not by
strength, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord. And
he's just looking at that same thing one more time. I will blind
the horses and unseat the riders. Anybody that is dependent upon
those will find themselves in bad shape. The message of Exodus,
we read in Exodus chapter 14 and verse 14. The Lord shall
fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. As they came
up to the Red Sea, stand still and see the salvation of the
Lord. Time and time again in the Old
Testament, we continuously see this. And Jonah summed it all
up. Salvation is of the Lord. It's not by our might, nor by
our power, but by His Spirit, saith the Lord. Salvation belongs
to the Lord, and He dispenses it as He sees fit to those He
has loved with an everlasting love. In the book of Deuteronomy,
would you turn there with me? Back to the book of Deuteronomy.
Here in the book of Deuteronomy, in chapter 3, verse 22, the Scriptures
share this about our God. Ye shall not fear them. Now sometimes it's just hard
to follow that advice. Deuteronomy 3, verse 22. Ye shall
not fear them. For the Lord your God, He will
fight for you. You know I have to remember that
every time I visit with a young man? The battle's not mine. It's the Lord's. You shall not
fear them, for the Lord your God, He will fight for you. Only
the Lord can reveal the gospel to someone. Only the Lord can
raise someone from the spiritual dead. Only the Lord can break
all of those gods and goddesses that we hung on to. Only the
Lord can take all the things that we depended upon and put
them aside, blind them, make them useless, and show us that
the Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God. He shares in the 20th
chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. Turn there with me. In chapter
20 of the book of Deuteronomy, the same principle. And they're
getting closer and closer to the time they're going to go
into the Promised Land. The instructions are always the same. In fact,
the only time that the children of Israel went up against the
people there, and God says, don't go, they went up anyway. They
dropped like flies because of their unbelief. This is even
before they got over there. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter
20 and verse 4, the scripture says, For the Lord your God is
He that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies
and save you. Everything that we depend upon. I rejoice every time I hear 1
Thessalonians chapter 1 read or read it. How God saved His people there. And it was not by them, but it
was the Lord. And it says, and you turned from
worshiping dumb idols to the Lord. I blinded them all. I put them aside. I took care
of them. Joshua was told one man shall
cause a thousand to flee. He's just sharing with us, I
am God and beside me there is none else. I will take care of
Jerusalem. I'll take care of Zion. I'll
take care of Judah. I'll take care of my people.
I am over them and will rule over them. And then it tells
us there in Zechariah chapter 12, verse four, part B. It's the only way I can look
at this. I remember this from having Sunday school lessons
taught me. There was always part A, B, C, and D of the verse.
Well, I think this is a legitimate division here because it tells
us in Zechariah chapter 12, verse 4, the middle part of that verse. Something about God. And I will
open my eyes upon the house of Judah. The Lord will open his
eyes. Now the Lord doesn't sleep. The
Lord is not like we are. That's the mistake we often make.
And that's the thing that he brought up. I'm not like you
are. You think I'm like you are, but I'm not like you are. I don't
need sleep. But here in this verse of scripture,
it gives us the impression that sometimes we think God's not
paying attention. Sometimes we think that God's
not Awake to our issues or problems God is a way gone, but he is
not and he shares with us here in this verse of scripture I'll
open my eyes into the house of Judah. I'll turn my attention
to the house of Judah I'll turn my attention to the church in
the psalm psalm 121 Turn there with me and we find a wonderful
lesson here about our God the great God of heaven Jehovah God
Jehovah Elohim The Lord of Hosts, Psalm 121. The moment we think that he's
asleep, we think that he's not paying any attention. He says,
I'll wake him to this. You may think I'm not paying
attention, but here in Psalm 121, verse 3. He will not suffer
thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is the shade upon thy
right hand. He that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep. We don't have to worry about
that problem. Even though in our mind's eye
sometimes we think he's not paying attention. How could these things
happen? No. How? God, how in the world
could you let a chainsaw get loose on my favorite missionary?
But he wasn't asleep. This will work out for his eternal
purpose. Whatever the outcome, it will
work out for his eternal purpose. And then it tells us in Psalm
127, Psalm 127, I remember an old preacher, he
was going to leave his house for a while, and I said, aren't
you concerned in your neighborhood? And he just said, except the
Lord build a house, they that build it labor in vain. Except
the Lord keep the city, they that watch it, watch it in vain.
So that's just the way our Psalm 127, except the Lord build a
house. And you know that's the church
too, we just turned that to the church. Well, we think of it
physically, yes, that's true, thank you, Lord. But the building
of a church, except the Lord build the church, they labor
in vain that build it. All our work is in vain unless
he build the church. And then it says, except the
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. So as he
said, I'll be paying attention to what's going on with Judah. I'll notice what's going on with
Judah. I'll not lose sight of this. I'm right there paying
attention, directing everything. And let's look at another place
over here in Zechariah 2 and verse 5. Zechariah 2 and verse
5. The same ministry of the Lord
is brought up here in this powerful way. Though it seems like that
I'm not, I am. I am paying attention. I am directing the path. I am
doing my will, and I will protect my people. I will save the people
that I intended to save. I will blind the horses. I will
throw the riders. I'll do all my pleasure. And
as it brings out here in Zechariah chapter 2 and verse 5, it says,
for I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round
about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. The Lord's
speaking about the church again. Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there will I be in the midst of them. Here
we have, and will be the glory in the midst of her. But besides
that, I'm on the outside, protecting it. So don't think that I've
fallen asleep. I neither slumber nor sleep.
I take care of my church, I take care of my own, I protect them,
I watch over them, and everything that happened has been directed
by the Almighty God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, a
statement is made about a garden over here. In 1 Corinthians 3,
we find this statement, the apostle Paul was led to write, 1 Corinthians
3 verse 4, what's it say here? For while one saith, I am of Paul, Another, I am of Apollos. Are ye not carnal? Who then is
Paul? And who is Apollos? But ministers
by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I
have planted Apollos watered. What's that mean? Paul came through
and preached the gospel. Another preacher came through
and preached the gospel. I have planted a polis water,
but God gave the increase. So neither is he that planteth
anything. Now Brother Wayne and I were
talking while I was gone of how much a pastor is a servant and
how we're all servants. We're servants. We're ministers. And in fact, it brings it out
here. It says, so then neither is he that planteth anything,
neither he that watereth. We're just nobodies trying to
tell everybody about somebody who could save anybody. I like
Scott Richardson's. He probably copied it from somebody
though. So neither is he that planteth anything, neither is
he that watereth But here is the value, but God that giveth
the increase. And so it is with that great
picture that the Lord gives us there in the book of Zechariah.
I'll watch over my city. I'll take care of it. It may
not look like I'm doing my job, but God is always on His throne,
and He's always doing His work and he's always ministering as
he purposed to do that and Then if we'll turn just for a moment
back to the book of Zechariah to the last phrase of that Zechariah
chapter 12 and verse 4 Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 4 notice
the last phrase of that the Lord said in the first part I will
smite every horse with astonishment and his rider with madness and
The Lord is able to do. He's able to unseat us, if you
please, from our high horse. He's able to deal with that which
we have trusted in for our strength. I will open my eyes upon the
house of Judah. I have my eye upon it. They're
as if they are the apple of my eye. I have my eye upon them,
and I'll not leave them. I need a sleeper slumber, take
it to the bank. And then it says here in the
last part, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. Only God's strength, strength
honors God. Only God's strength honors God. Our strength doesn't honor God.
If we're depending upon our strength, we're not honoring God. But only
His strength honors God. Us trusting self or others will
be a death now. And it will be dealt with. I
will do this. He will not share His glory with
anyone or anything. He never asks us. to tell Him
what we've done for Jesus. We're to tell Him what He's done
for us. Trust the Lord. And so, Zechariah,
a preacher of righteousness many hundreds of years ago in a very
perilous time for the people of God that had moved back to
Jerusalem and Judah from Babylonian captivity, He said, trust the
Lord. I'm on my throne. I will not
go to sleep on you. I'll protect you. Those strong
horses come up against you. I'll defeat them. And so as all
the things come up, the Lord said, I'll protect you from them.
Every strange doctrine I'll protect you from everything So the Lord
has promised this to his church and it tells us there then in
verse 5 and we'll not get to this tonight We'll start here
next time the governors of Judah shall say in their heart verse
5 the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord
of hosts their God and In that day will I make the governors
of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, like a torch
of fire in a sheath. They shall devour all people
round about on the right hand and on the left, and Jerusalem
shall be inhabited again in her place, even Jerusalem. What a
promise God has given to his people. I'll take care of all
the rest. You'll be at rest in Zion.