9The Lord will be king over t...

9The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. - P148

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. There will be one Lord, and Hisname will be the only name. The land will become a plain, and Jerusalem willbe raised and inhabited, never again to be destroyed. Its enemies will suffera plague. Panic will cause them to turn on each other. Judah will collect thewealth of the nations, lobi - P149

From the beginning of time, there have been kings who vied for power, seeking the worship of man. Today, we are also surrounded by idols such as financial wealth, political power, and ever-changing technology that threaten to lord over our lives. Yet, one day, all will be exposed as utterly inadequate substitutes to the true Lord and King. - P150

All disputes will be settled, and all nations at peace as all recognize God as king over the whole earth. His name will be fully entrenched as the name above all names. Therefore, let us give to Him the worship that He is due each day. Let us surrender to Him anew, asking Him to be king over all areas of our lives including our hearts, values, and relationships.
- P150

Not only will God take His place as the one true Lord, but He will alsomake clear that we are His people. The whole land will be turned into a flatplain, but Jerusalem will be raised up, exalted in both place andpurpose.
- P150

God‘s people will remain as secure as the covenant that God has madewith us, signed by the blood of Jesus and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Mean-while, those that conspire against God‘s people will face judgment for theiractions.  - P150

We rest secure without any fear because we know that God is incontrol. We are in awe of His sovereignly orchestrated plan. May we liveheartily for Him, knowing our assured status as His blessed children. - P150

Dear Lord, You are the one true King. Help me to fight against the counterfeit gods in my life so that I may worship You alone. May I joyfully obey Your commands as I live in constant awe of the truth that I am a child of God. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P151

1A day of the Lord is coming,...

1A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

2I 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.

3Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.

4On 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.

- P144

5You 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.

- P145

A day of the Lord is coming when He will gather all the nations against Jerusa-lem. The city will be captured, and half the population exiled. Then the Lordwill go out and fight. His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, splitting it intwo. A valley will form, by which the people will flee. - P145

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. - P146

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. - P146

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. - P146

These verses appear to foretell the new heaven and new earth while alsocalling to mind the beginning of creation. On a unique day that is knownonly to God, there will be no distinction between day and night, and theland will be teeming with living water - P146

. As God‘s people, we have a perfecteternal hope knowing that, one day, we will dwell forever in a land without
blemish.  - P146

Because of Jesus‘ death and resurrection, we know that we willdelight in the new Eden without end. Therefore, we can endure presentsuffering in this life as we eagerly await future glory. The hope of futureheaven empowers us to live faithfully in this present life. - P146

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. - P147

1˝On that day a fountain will...

1"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. - P140

8In the whole land," declares the Lord, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it.

9This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’"

- P141

A fountain will be opened to cleanse the people from sin and impurity. Idolsand false prophets will be removed from the land. A prophet will be woundedin his own home. The Lord‘s sword will strike the shepherd, and the sheep willbe scattered. A remnant will be refined and call on the Lord. - P141

After speaking about a man who will be pierced and killed, God promises to cleanse His people from their sins and impurity, and this is accomplished through the work of Jesus. God also promises to remove idols and false prophets from the land; they will no longer be remembered. This promise continues to be fulfilled for His people today. - P142

When we worship Christ and consider Him to be the ultimate source of truth, idols and false prophecies no longer hold their appeal. Promises of health, wealth, and personal glory can be tempting at times, but let us reject these false gods and refuse to remember them. - P142

Let us focus our worship on the true God who cleanses and purifies us. - P142

The passage continues to use the metaphor of shepherd and sheep. WhenGod‘s shepherd is struck down, the people will scatter. Most will abandonGod, but a smaller remnant will be refined and tested. They will call onthe Lord, and He will answer them. God will acknowledge them as Hispeople, and they will be committed to worshiping Him. Periods of testingand refinement can be a challenging and even painful process.  - P142

However,
like refined silver and gold, we become a purer version of ourselves. Let usnot resist this process but embrace the sanctification of becoming more likeJesus. May we remain faithful and endure with perseverance just as Jesusendured and persevered out of His faithfulness to us. - P142

We can respond to our spiritual uncleanliness just as we might respondto mold. We can ignore our habitual sins and let them grow. Or we cancover up our sins, pretending to ourselves and others that they do not exist.
However, just like mold, sin continues to grow in the darkness. We maytry to fix our sins by ourselves, but a wicked heart thrives under a lack ofaccountability. Let us instead seek what truly makes us clean by calling forhelp from our Savior Jesus Christ. With prayer, God‘s Word, and the helpof God‘s people, we can be restored to a healthy state once again. - P143

Dear Lord, You are the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. Just as sheep respond to their shepherd’s voice, may I be attentive to You and follow You wherever You lead me. In Your name I pray, amen. - P143

9On that day I will set out t...

9On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

10"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

11On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

- P137

The Lord speaks a prophecy concerning Israel. He will make Jerusalem a cupthat sends the surrounding peoples reeling. The city will become an immov-able rock. The Lord will strike nations with panic and protect the people ofJudah. He will pour a spirit of grace over them and they will mourn the onethey have pierced.  - P137

God reveals that all the nations of the earth will one day gather against Jerusalem, but His people will be an immovable rock, impervious to any who try to destroy it. The phrase "on that day" is repeated several times, emphasizing the significance of the war and the inevitability that it will indeed take place. While the exact date is unknown, what is certain is God’s ultimate victory over the enemies of His people. - P138

In our own lives, we may experience difficulties that make us eager for a day of victory. We may face crippling physical, relational, and emotional struggles, but as we hold on to the victory of the cross, we are assured that, one day, we will be victorious over all because of Christ. - P138

Zechariah continues with a shocking development in his prophecy. A spiritof grace and supplication will be upon the house of David and the inhab-itants of Jerusalem, but a man will be pierced and killed, causing grief andmourning that will be as painful as mourning for an only child.  - P138

Unexpectedly, God shares that the person being pierced will be Himself. Throughthispassage, we continue to see the faithfulness of God as, many years later,
this prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is mourned for a time, but wenow celebrate and worship Him because He has claimed victory over deathfor us.  - P138

Let us recognize the faithfulness and triumph of Jesus and live fullydevoted to Him. - P138

From a Christian perspective, God is certainly our future, but He is alsomost certainly our present. When Jesus promises eternal life, He meansit not only in quantity of time but also in quality of relationship. We arecommitted in faithfulness to Him forever. We also acknowledge that thereis hope. We hope for a better future. Though we may experience sufferingnow, we look to Jesus, who experienced extreme suffering and death for usand remember that His victory on the cross gives us hope. We look forwardto a future with Him.
- P139

The comedian shared about self-confidence coming not from self-affirmations but from demonstrating to the world that we are who we say we are.
This is what Jesus has done. He claimed to be the Son of God and provedthis to the world with His death and resurrection. Let us continue to becommitted to Him and look to Him as our ultimate hope. - P139

Heavenly Father, from the beginning, You have demonstrated Your faithfulness to fulfill Your words to Your people. I honor, worship, and celebrate You for all You have done so that Your people could be assured of victory in You. In Your Son’s name I pray, amen. - P139

16For I am going to raise up ...

16For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

17"Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!"

- P133

Lebanon‘s cedars are destroyed. Shepherds wail and lions roar. Zechariahenacts a shepherd‘s role, tending to the flock marked for slaughter with twostaffs called Favor and Union. The people reject the shepherd so he breaks thetwo staffs. Zechariah then portrays a foolish shepherd who does not care forthe flock, because God will raise a leader who will care nothing for the people. - P131

Zechariah uses a metaphor of shepherds and sheep to describe Judah‘s sinsand God‘s wrathful response to those sins. Because the leaders of Judahmistreat and oppress the people, they face God‘s judgment for their actions.
However, the people themselves are ungrateful and even detest God. Boththe shepherds and the flock reject the God who cares for them all.  - P134

As aresult, the sheep are left with a worthless, foolish shepherd who does notcare for the sheep and deserts the flock. We see God‘s divine justice on fulldisplay as the people face the consequences of their unfaithfulness. The twostaffs of Favor and Union are also broken, symbolizing the broken promisesand relationships that result when God‘s people despise Him and allow sinand selfishness to overtake their lives. - P134

Dear Jesus, thank you for being the Good Shepherd. Help us reflect Yourcaring love as a family.  - P134

Keep us from being foolish shepherds and protect usfrom being led astray. In Your name, amen.
- P134