Judgment and Deliverance
Zechariah 14:1–8
📖 Scripture
1 A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness.
7 It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.
8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.
💡 Scripture Summary
A day of the Lord is coming when He will gather all the nations against Jerusalem. The city will be captured, and half the population exiled. Then the Lord will go out and fight. His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, splitting it in two. A valley will form, by which the people will flee.
📜 Memory Verse
“The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”
– Zechariah 14:9
🔎 Reflection
Power and Love (14:1–5)
The phrase, “day of the Lord,” calls to mind God’s judgment against sinners, and indeed, Jerusalem will experience a horrific time as their possessions are plundered and divided up within the city itself. All will appear hopeless. Yet, God promises that He will arrive as a divine warrior who will strike down the nations that oppose Jerusalem. He Himself will go out and fight, and in His power, He will ensure a path for His remnant to escape. In our own lives, we face the consequences when we sin against Him, but God also calls us to repent and return to Him. We can be confident, knowing that His power is also imbued with love, and we can trust Him to guide us through the difficult times.
When have you experienced God’s presence while bearing the consequences of your sin? Praise God for His power and love that work together to guide you through your life.
Our Settled Future (14:6–8)
These verses appear to foretell the new heaven and new earth while also calling to mind the beginning of creation. On a unique day that is known only to God, there will be no distinction between day and night, and the land will be teeming with living water. As God’s people, we have a perfect eternal hope knowing that, one day, we will dwell forever in a land without blemish. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know that we will delight in the new Eden without end. Therefore, we can endure present suffering in this life as we eagerly await future glory. The hope of future heaven empowers us to live faithfully in this present life.
What aspect of the new heaven and new earth are you looking forward to most? Pause and consider how you can live faithfully in the present while fixing your eyes on the hope of heaven.
💬 Today’s Inspiration
“We are now sojourning, passing through the wilderness on our way to the Promised Land, looking for that city with foundations, where the Lamb will be the lamp.”
– James M. Hamilton, Jr.
🙏 Prayer
Dear God, when I ponder Your holiness, I shudder at how much I fall short. Then, I consider Your love, and my heart is overwhelmed by Your commitment to me. Help me to remain faithful to You both in the present and the future. In Jesus’ name, amen.
🖋 Essay
Preserved Forever
I recently went to Europe for the first time in my life as my wife and I enjoyed a two-week trip to Italy. Since we moved up our flight to Rome last-minute, we had one extra unplanned day. While scouring the internet to figure out how to fill these bonus hours, I read about Pompeii and realized that it was nestled perfectly in-between the stops of our itinerary.
The entire trip was magical from start to finish. I fell in love with the history, art, architecture, views, and, of course, the food! But my favorite place was Pompeii. As you may know, Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius, killing everyone in the area. It was helpful that we had an archeologist guiding us, acting as a walking encyclopedia, but simply strolling through the remains of homes and shops from AD 79 was utterly mind-boggling. This place where utter tragedy took place almost two thousand years ago has since remained perfectly preserved!
We cannot presume that God is enacting judgment every time disasters occur, but walking through this ancient city reminded me that we are all worthy of judgment and eternal punishment for our rebellion against God. Yet, Jesus endured the Father’s wrath, suffering and dying for our sake so that we might be preserved, now and forevermore. More than the ruins of Pompeii that have remained for centuries, we know that, because of Jesus, we remain with the gift of eternal life.
Written by Bob Koo