Zechariah 14:16-21 says...



Today's verses are Zechariah 14:16-21.  We finish the book of Zechariah today and next week we will take a break to look further at prayer and its importance.

v.16 - Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

Sometimes to make sense of passages like we are experiencing in the book of Zechariah is to attach it to a view of future events.  The 1000 year reign of Christ, called the Millennium, will have those who believe in Christ and those who do not, those left that went against Jerusalem.  During this time there will be festivals and journeys to Jerusalem to worship the Lord of hosts.  This will be a requirement of all those in this 1000 year reign of Christ.  

v.17-19 - And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.  If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.  This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

Disobedience is possible in this time of Christ's reign.  Disobedience will be meet with consequences.  The God directed events like the plaques of Egypt during the time of the Exodus will be seen during this time to those who do not obey God.  This statement is said three times to emphasis the importance of what is being said.  The worship of God is going to be required and the emphasis of the Feast of Booths is to acknowledge God's deliverance and provision.  

v.20, 21 - In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO THE LORD."  And the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the bowls before the altar.  Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them.  And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day.

Even on the bells of the horses will be recognition of God.  The ordinary cooking pots in the kitchens across the country will be as sacred as the bowls before the altar in the temple.  There is going to be an erasing of what is secular and what is sacred.  All will be sacred during that time.  The term Canaanite represents those who are vile against God.  When the Israelites came to the Promise Land it was full of Canaanites who had no respect or fear of God.  This term transferred over to anyone who held that position.  There will be a day when the time of the reign of Christ is over that there will be only those who honor God in the presence of God.  Everything will point to God.

Zechariah was telling us about "that day" and everything being sacred but what about "this day" for those of us who follow Christ?  Is everything that you have sacred?  Is there no division between secular and sacred in your life?  Whatever you do, do unto the Lord.  Your job is sacred because you are serving in a way that honors Him.  Your speech is sacred because you are speaking in a way that honors Him.  Your entertainment is sacred because you are viewing what honors Him.  You get the point.  When we divide out in our lives what is directly God related and what is not then we are giving ourselves permission to not honor God.  At that point we are on dangerous ground to be tempted to sin because we are holding something in our hands that we are telling God is not His.  We are singing, "I surrender almost all, I surrender almost all, Almost all to Jesus I surrender, I surrender almost all."  Let us pray.

"Lord, thank You for another book of the Bible and Zechariah's focus on the coming of You the first time and the second time.  Help us to heed Your warnings out of love that calls us to be those who worship You with and in all areas of our lives.  May our eyes be placed on what is to come with an action of using what we have today to honor You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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