Israel's Joy and Restoration

 

Zechariah 3:14-20

 

Israel's Joy and Restoration

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies.  The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.  On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.  The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival so that you will no longer suffer reproach.  Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors.  And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.   At that time, I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.”

 

In Psalm 22:3, it is recorded, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”  (ESV) It is an often-quoted verse used by worship leaders, it is from the King James translation of Psalm 22:3 “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.”  After looking into what others have to say on this verse, most agree that ESV is the better translation of Psalm 22:3. That does not mean God does not desire the worship of his people, for we are reminded often in the Scriptures to do so.  John 4:24, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  In that God does not look on the outward appearance of a person but on the heart, worship happens at any time we give God praise with a pure heart.

 

Now, let’s look at the rest of the story; Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies.  At the Cross, Jesus overcame death, the grave, and sin.   All the judgments against us have been taken away, and you are not under the control of sin.  That is great news, for one and all that is had by grace and faith entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

 

We still have a problem, it is called “the flesh” when a person desires to live life outside of God’s control.  It happens when we want to be the captain of our own ship, it is self-life.  What many a follower of Christ must learn is that we do have flesh, and to understand our version of the flesh, for that is where the “want creators” will attack you and me.  Who are the want creators?  Look at Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Once we allow our flesh to be in charge, we have moved out of the protective umbrella of God's Spirit, allowing the rulers of darkness to have access to our lives.

 

That is bad news, but the good news is you are God’s child, you have been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ, and all it takes to move back under the Fathers protective umbrella is to come to the Father, with a broken and contrite spirit, confessing your desire to run the show.  For the Father is always close by and His desire is to renew your fellowship.

Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings discipline. 

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice