when the challenges occur

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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when the challenges occur

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Nehemiah 4:1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He ridiculed the Jews
Nehemiah 4:2 before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria, and said, “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”
Nehemiah 4:3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall!”
Nehemiah 4:4 Listen, our God, because we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.
Nehemiah 4:5 Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, because they have angered the builders.
Nehemiah 4:6 So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working.
Nehemiah 4:7 When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious.
Nehemiah 4:8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion.
Nehemiah 4:9 So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.
Nehemiah 4:10 In Judah, it was said: The strength of the laborer fails, since there is so much rubble. We will never be able to rebuild the wall.
Nehemiah 4:11 And our enemies said, “They won’t realize it until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.”
Nehemiah 4:12 When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, “Everywhere you turn, they attack us.”
Nehemiah 4:13 So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
Nehemiah 4:14 After I inspected, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.”
Nehemiah 4:15 When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.
Nehemiah 4:16 From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah,
Nehemiah 4:17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
Nehemiah 4:18 Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the trumpeter was beside me.
Nehemiah 4:19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall.
Nehemiah 4:20 Wherever you hear the trumpet sound, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”
Nehemiah 4:21 So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out.
Nehemiah 4:22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”
Nehemiah 4:23 And I, my brothers, my servants, and the men of the guard with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing.

when the challenges occur

It was not easy doing the right thing. The builders had every reason to abandon the mission, and every enticement to return to the way things were. The threat of attack reduced by half the amount of people who could be dedicated to the work, while the other half had to stand guard, and hold the extra weapons. Those who were building had to work with one hand, and carry a weapon with the other. Dare to do anything for the LORD, and you will find difficulty.

LORD, give us the courage to stay true to our commitments when the challenges occur.

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better than excuses

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Yury Kim on Pexels.com

better than excuses

Nehemiah 3:1-32

Nehemiah 3:1 The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests began rebuilding the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated it.
Nehemiah 3:2 The men of Jericho built next to Eliashib, and next to them Zaccur son of Imri built.
Nehemiah 3:3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They built it with beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Nehemiah 3:4 Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Beside them Meshullam son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:5 Beside them the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not lift a finger to help their supervisors.
Nehemiah 3:6 Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They built it with beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Nehemiah 3:7 Next to them the repairs were done by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the jurisdiction of the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River.
Nehemiah 3:8 After him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, the goldsmith, made repairs, and next to him Hananiah son of the perfumer made repairs. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Nehemiah 3:9 Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:10 After them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house. Next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab made repairs to another section, as well as to the Tower of the Ovens.
Nehemiah 3:12 Beside him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs– he and his daughters.
Nehemiah 3:13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired five hundred yards of the wall to the Dung Gate.
Nehemiah 3:14 Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Nehemiah 3:15 Shallun son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and roofed it. Then he installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made repairs to the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the city of David.
Nehemiah 3:16 After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Warriors.
Nehemiah 3:17 Next to him the Levites made repairs under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.
Nehemiah 3:18 After him their fellow Levites made repairs under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah.
Nehemiah 3:19 Next to him Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, made repairs to another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the Angle.
Nehemiah 3:20 After him Baruch son of Zabbai diligently repaired another section, from the Angle to the door of the house of the high priest Eliashib.
Nehemiah 3:21 Beside him Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs to another section, from the door of Eliashib’s house to the end of his house.
Nehemiah 3:22 And next to him the priests from the surrounding area made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. Beside them Azariah son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
Nehemiah 3:24 After him Binnui son of Henadad made repairs to another section, from the house of Azariah to the Angle and the corner.
Nehemiah 3:25 Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the Angle and tower that juts out from the king’s upper palace, by the courtyard of the guard. Beside him Pedaiah son of Parosh
Nehemiah 3:26 and the temple servants living on Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the tower that juts out.
Nehemiah 3:27 Next to him the Tekoites made repairs to another section from a point opposite the great tower that juts out, as far as the wall of Ophel.
Nehemiah 3:28 Each of the priests made repairs above the Horse Gate, each opposite his own house.
Nehemiah 3:29 After them Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. And beside him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, guard of the East Gate, made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:30 Next to him Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph made repairs to another section. After them Meshullam son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his room.
Nehemiah 3:31 Next to him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs to the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the upstairs room on the corner.
Nehemiah 3:32 The goldsmiths and merchants made repairs between the upstairs room on the corner and the Sheep Gate.

better than excuses

This list of those who repaired and rebuilt the city walls tells of some who refused to follow Nehemiah’s lead. Maybe they thought they had good excuses. It also tells of Shallum, whose daughters stepped up and worked toward completion of the task as well. It was a community project, and there could have been many excuses for not being involved in it. Commitment is always better than excuses.

LORD, give us the wisdom to be involved in what you are doing.

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repair the gaps

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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repair the gaps

Nehemiah 2:1-20

Nehemiah 2:1 During the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
Nehemiah 2:2, the king asked me, “Why are you sad when you aren’t sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” I was extremely afraid
Nehemiah 2:3 and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city of my ancestors’ graves lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Nehemiah 2:4 The king asked me, “What is your request?” So, I prayed to the God of the sky
Nehemiah 2:5 and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.”
Nehemiah 2:6 The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So, I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me.
Nehemiah 2:7 I also said to the king: “If it pleases the king, let me have letters written to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
Nehemiah 2:8 And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” The king granted my requests, because the gracious hand of my God was on me.
Nehemiah 2:9 I went to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent officers of the infantry and cavalry with me.
Nehemiah 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard that someone had come to pursue the prosperity of the Israelites, they were greatly displeased.
Nehemiah 2:11 After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
Nehemiah 2:12 I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the one I was riding.
Nehemiah 2:13 I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
Nehemiah 2:14 I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but farther down it became too narrow for my animal to go through.
Nehemiah 2:15 So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered through the Valley Gate and returned.
Nehemiah 2:16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not yet told the Jews, priests, nobles, officials, or the rest of those who would be doing the work.
Nehemiah 2:17 So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
Nehemiah 2:18 I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me. They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work.
Nehemiah 2:19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they ridiculed and despised us, and said, “What is this you’re doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Nehemiah 2:20 I gave them this reply, “The God of the sky is the one who will grant us success. We, his servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”

repair the gaps

God’s hand was in the work, the people wanted to do the work, and God strengthened their hands for the work. Yet, there was opposition. Such will always be the case when we want to restore what has been destroyed. The Adversary wants the church to exist, but always in a broken-down defenseless state. He fears the people of God when they dare to repair the gaps.

LORD, prepare us for the opposition that will happen when we dare to restore a broken people through the gospel.

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courage to obey

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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courage to obey

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa,
Nehemiah 1:2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile.
Nehemiah 1:3 They said, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”
Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for several days, fasting and praying before the God of the sky.
Nehemiah 1:5 I said, Yahveh, the God of the sky, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands,
Nehemiah 1:6 let your ears be attentive and your eyes be open to hear your servant’s prayer that I am now praying to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned.
Nehemiah 1:7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses.
Nehemiah 1:8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.
Nehemiah 1:9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest sky, I will gather them from there and bring them to where I chose to have my name dwell.”
Nehemiah 1:10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand.
Nehemiah 1:11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.

courage to obey

Reading this text is like witnessing one of those rare moments when a person realizes that he has a chance to be more than just an observer. Nehemiah had the opportunity to play a significant role in what God was going to do, but it would cost him his security and anonymity. His burden for his people and for the city of Jerusalem moved him to gamble.

LORD, give us courage to do what we see needs to be done, whatever the cost.

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a unique day

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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a unique day

Zechariah 14:1-21

Zechariah 14:1 Notice that a day belonging to Yahveh is coming when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your presence.
Zechariah 14:2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.
Zechariah 14:3 Then Yahveh will go out to fight against those nations as he fights on a day of battle.
Zechariah 14:4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a massive valley so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
Zechariah 14:5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then Yahveh, my God, will come and all the holy ones with him.
Zechariah 14:6 On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish.
Zechariah 14:7 It will be a unique day known only to Yahveh, without day or night, but there will be light in the evening.
Zechariah 14:8 On that day, living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter.
Zechariah 14:9 On that day Yahveh will become King over the whole land – Yahveh alone, and his name alone.
Zechariah 14:10 All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But Jerusalem will be raised up and sit on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
Zechariah 14:11 People will live there, and never again will there be a curse of complete destruction. So, Jerusalem will live in security.
Zechariah 14:12 This will be the plague with which Yahveh strikes all the people who have warred against Jerusalem: their skin will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Zechariah 14:13 On that day a great panic from Yahveh will be among them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.
Zechariah 14:14 Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the surrounding nations’ wealth will be collected: gold, silver, and abundant clothing.
Zechariah 14:15 The same plague as the previous one will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.
Zechariah 14:16 Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, Yahveh of Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.
Zechariah 14:17 Should any of the families of the land not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahveh of Armies, rain will not fall on them.
Zechariah 14:18 And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague Yahveh inflicts on the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.
Zechariah 14:19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.
Zechariah 14:20 On that day, the words Holy to Yahveh will be on the horses’ bells. The pots in the house of Yahveh will be like the sprinkling basins before the altar.
Zechariah 14:21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to Yahveh of Armies. All who sacrifice will come and use the pots to cook in. And on that day, a Canaanite will no longer be in the house of Yahveh of Armies.

a unique day

Sometimes the “day of the LORD” does not refer to Christ’s coming, but some other event. The phrase could be rendered “when Yahveh strikes.” But this final prophecy of Zechariah can refer to no other time. All the nations have been gathered against Jerusalem to battle, a battle the New Testament calls Armageddon. At first, Jerusalem will seem to be lost.

But then, The Messiah will reverse his ascension of old, landing on the Mount of Olives. He is accompanied by his angelic armies. They are there to do battle against the enemies of Israel, and to conquer the opposing nations, restoring peace to Jerusalem, and installing the Messiah as king over all the earth. From then on, all of the families of the earth will keep the festival of Shelters, celebrating the presence of God, because He will be here.

LORD, thank you for your coming kingdom. Give us the wisdom to celebrate your presence and live by your word now.

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mourning day

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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mourning day

Zechariah 12:1-13:9

Zechariah 12:1 A pronouncement: The word of Yahveh concerning Israel. A declaration of Yahveh, who stretched out the sky, laid the foundation of the land and formed the breath of man within him.
Zechariah 12:2 “Notice, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering for the people surrounding the city. The siege against Jerusalem also involved Judah.
Zechariah 12:3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the land gather against her.
Zechariah 12:4 On that day” – this is Yahveh’s declaration – “I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. I will watch the house of Judah but strike all the horses of the nations with blindness.
Zechariah 12:5 Then each of Judah’s leaders will think to himself: Those who live in Jerusalem are my strength through Yahveh of Armies, their God.
Zechariah 12:6 On that day, I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and the left, while Jerusalem continues to be lived in on its site.
Zechariah 12:7 Yahveh will save the tents of Judah first so that the glory of David’s house and those who live in Jerusalem may not be greater than that of Judah.
Zechariah 12:8 On that day, Yahveh will defend those who live in Jerusalem so that on that day, the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahveh, before them.
Zechariah 12:9 I will set out to destroy all the nations against Jerusalem on that day.
Zechariah 12:10 “Then I will pour out a wind of grace and prayer on the house of David and those living in Jerusalem, and they will look at me whom they pierced. They will passionately demonstrate sorrow for him as one passionately demonstrates sorrow for an only child and weep bitterly for him as one weeps for a firstborn.
Zechariah 12:11 On that day, the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
Zechariah 12:12 The land will passionately demonstrate sorrow, every family by itself: the family of David’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Nathan’s house by itself and their women by themselves;
Zechariah 12:13 the family of Levi’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself and their women by themselves;
Zechariah 12:14 all the remaining families, every family by itself, and their women by themselves.
Zechariah 13:1: “On that day, a fountain will be opened for the house of David and those living in Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.
Zechariah 13:2 On that day” – this is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies – “I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the unclean breath from the land.
Zechariah 13:3 If a man still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will tell him: You cannot remain alive because you have spoken a lie in the name of Yahveh. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.
Zechariah 13:4 On that day, every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a hairy cloak to deceive.
Zechariah 13:5 He will say: I am not a prophet; I work the land, for a man purchased me as a servant since my youth.
Zechariah 13:6 If someone asks him: What are these wounds on your chest? He will answer I received the wounds in my friend’s house.
Zechariah 13:7 Sword, awake against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate– this is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.
Zechariah 13:8 In the whole land—this is Yahveh’s declaration—two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will remain.
Zechariah 13:9 I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are my people, and they will say: Yahveh is our God.”

mourning day

Embedded within this prophecy of restoration is a prophecy of spiritual revival – a cleansing of idolatry and sin from Judah and Jerusalem. It starts on the day the whole people are scattered when their shepherd is struck and killed. The people of all Judah will be in Jerusalem when they look on the LORD himself, whom they have pierced. Their resulting grief will bring a spirit of repentance and humility, wiping centuries of pride from their hearts. Idols and false prophets disappear from many. Yet, there will still be enough rejection to warrant a further cleansing. The LORD will again turn his hand against the whole land, and two-thirds will perish. The remnant will be tested, refined in the fire. They will call upon his name, identifying themselves as the LORD’s people.

LORD, give us a vision of remembrance of Christ crucified, so that we turn from our idolatry and dishonesty and cling to you alone.

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worthless shepherd

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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worthless shepherd

Zechariah 11:1-17

Zechariah 11:1 Open your gates, Lebanon, and fire will consume your cedars.
Zechariah 11:2 Yell, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious trees are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest, has fallen!
Zechariah 11:3 Listen to the shepherds’ wail, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
Zechariah 11:4 Yahveh my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.
Zechariah 11:5 Those who buy them slaughter them but do not bear the guilt. Those who sell them say: Blessed be Yahveh because I have become rich! Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
Zechariah 11:6 Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on those who live in the land” — this is Yahveh’s declaration. “Notice, I will turn everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue it from their hand.”
Zechariah 11:7 So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the oppressed of the flock. I took two staffs, called one Favor and the other Union, and shepherded the flock.
Zechariah 11:8 In one month, I made three shepherds disappear. My throat had become impatient with them, and their throat also detested me.
Zechariah 11:9 Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die and what is disappearing disappear; let the rest devour each other’s meat.”
Zechariah 11:10: Next, I cut my staff called Favor in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples.
Zechariah 11:11 It was annulled on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock watching me knew that it was the word of Yahveh.
Zechariah 11:12 Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So, they weighed my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
Zechariah 11:13 “Throw it to the potter,” Yahveh said to me—this magnificent price I was valued by them. So, I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of Yahveh to the potter.
Zechariah 11:14 Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
Zechariah 11:15 Yahveh also said, “Take the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
Zechariah 11:16 Notice! I am about to raise a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are disappearing, seeking the lost, or healing the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the meat of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves.
Zechariah 11:17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his right eye go completely blind!”

worthless shepherd

A previous vision had predicted what things were going to be like under the Grecian empire. Now, Zechariah looks even further into the future and sees the land under the control of Rome, particularly during the time of Christ. The original three shepherds (prophet, priest and king) have been replaced by a foolish, worthless shepherd (Herod, puppet to Caesar). He has broken the covenant, and with it the two staffs (God’s favor, and Israel’s union). Eventually, the foolish shepherd abandons his job, and his severance pay is 30 pieces of silver (the exact amount paid to Judas for his betrayal). He threw the money to the potter – an image that speaks of God’s sovereign plan – which he is going to fulfill.

LORD, we are grateful that our true shepherd will never abandon us, and he will never be replaced.

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a rescuing shepherd

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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a rescuing shepherd

Zechariah 10:1-12

Zechariah 10:1 Ask Yahveh for rain in the season of spring rain. Yahveh makes the rain clouds, and he will give them showers of rain and crops in the field for everyone.
Zechariah 10:2 For the idols speak falsehood, and the diviners see illusions; they relate empty dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore, the people wander like sheep; they suffer affliction because there is no shepherd.
Zechariah 10:3 My anger burns against the shepherds, so I will punish the leaders. Yahveh of Armies has tended his flock, the house of Judah; he will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
Zechariah 10:4 The cornerstone will come from Judah. The tent peg and the battle bow and every ruler will come from them. Together
Zechariah 10:5 they will be like warriors in battle trampling down the mud of the streets. They will fight because Yahveh is with them, and they will put horsemen to shame.
Zechariah 10:6 I will strengthen Judah’s house and deliver Joseph’s house. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had never rejected them. For I am Yahveh their God, and I will answer them.
Zechariah 10:7 Ephraim will be like a warrior, and their hearts will be glad as if with wine. Their children will see it and be glad; their hearts will shriek ecstatically in Yahveh.
Zechariah 10:8 I will whistle and gather them because I have redeemed them; they will be as numerous as they once were.
Zechariah 10:9 Though I plant them among the nations, they will remember me in the distant lands; they and their children will live and return.
Zechariah 10:10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, but it will not be enough for them.
Zechariah 10:11 Yahveh will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will end.
Zechariah 10:12 I will strengthen them in Yahveh, and they will march in his name– this is Yahveh’s declaration.

a rescuing shepherd

The LORD is described as a rescuing shepherd, who takes his exiled sheep from Assyria and Egypt and brings them through the raging seas in a second exodus back to the land. Once they return, the sheep are transformed into war horses, and the new shepherds lead them to triumph in battle. Unlike the present shepherds, who are leading them to idolatry, these new shepherds will reject the household gods, who utter nonsense, and rid the land of diviners who had given empty consolation through lies and false dreams.

Oh LORD, lead us out, lead us back, lead us with your truth.

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your King is coming

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Cloud Vortices off Isla Socorro [Detail] by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

your King is coming

Zechariah 9:1-17

Zechariah 9:1 A pronouncement: The word of Yahveh is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place – for the eyes of humanity and all the tribes of Israel are on Yahveh –
Zechariah 9:2 and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
Zechariah 9:3 Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets.
Zechariah 9:4 Notice! Yahveh will impoverish her and cast her wealth into the sea; she herself will be consumed by fire.
Zechariah 9:5 Ashkelon will see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and will convulse in great pain, as will Ekron, for her hope will fail. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be lived in.
Zechariah 9:6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.
Zechariah 9:7 I will remove the blood from their mouths and the abhorrent things from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God, like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites.
Zechariah 9:8 I will encamp at my house as a guard, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now, I have seen with my own eyes.
Zechariah 9:9 Loudly shriek ecstatically, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Notice, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the donkey’s foal.
Zechariah 9:10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the land.
Zechariah 9:11 As for you, because of the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless cistern.
Zechariah 9:12 Return to a stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; today I declare that I will restore double to you.
Zechariah 9:13 For I will bend Judah as my bow; I will fill that bow with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece. I will make you like a warrior’s sword.
Zechariah 9:14 Then Yahveh will appear over them, and his arrow will fly like lightning. Yahveh God will sound the ram’s horn bugle and advance with the southern storms.
Zechariah 9:15 Yahveh of Armies will defend them. They will consume and conquer with sling stones; they will drink and be rowdy as if with wine. They will be as complete as the sprinkling basin, like those at the altar’s corners.
Zechariah 9:16 Yahveh their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people; for they are like jewels in a crown, sparkling over his land.
Zechariah 9:17 How lovely and beautiful! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the young women.

your King is coming

Not only will the LORD rescue his flock from the present oppressors, but the next world dominating empire that Daniel predicted (Greece: Daniel 8:21) will be overcome as well. Then, a king will arise who will speak peace to the nations. He will be righteous and have salvation. He will enter humbly, riding on a donkey. He will rule from sea to sea. The prisoners are told to return to their stronghold, because the LORD promises to restore to them double what they lost.

LORD, thank you for the promise of restoration, and the restoring king who entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

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the objective of the rescue

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Alexander Dummer on Pexels.com

the objective of the rescue

Zechariah 8:1-23

Zechariah 8:1 The word of Yahveh of Armies came:
Zechariah 8:2 Yahveh of Armies says this: “I am very ready to fight for Zion; I will fight for her with great wrath.”
Zechariah 8:3 Yahveh says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of Yahveh of Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.”
Zechariah 8:4 Yahveh of Armies says this: “Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age.
Zechariah 8:5 The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.”
Zechariah 8:6 Yahveh of Armies says this: “Though it may seem impossible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible to me?”– this is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies.
Zechariah 8:7 Yahveh of Armies says this: “Notice – I will save my people from the land of the east and the land of the west.
Zechariah 8:8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”
Zechariah 8:9 Yahveh of Armies says this: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of Yahveh of Armies.
Zechariah 8:10 For prior to those days neither man nor animal had wages. There was no safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I turned everyone against his neighbor.
Zechariah 8:11 But now, I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days” – this is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies.
Zechariah 8:12 “For they will plant in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the sky will yield its dew. I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.
Zechariah 8:13 As you have been a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Don’t be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
Zechariah 8:14 For Yahveh of Armies says this: “As I resolved to treat you badly when your fathers provoked me to anger, and I did not relent,” says Yahveh of Armies,
Zechariah 8:15 “so I have resolved again these days to do what is pleasing to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid.
Zechariah 8:16 These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another; make valid and sound decisions within your city gates.
Zechariah 8:17 Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate all this” – this is Yahveh’s declaration.
Zechariah 8:18 Then the word of Yahveh of Armies came to me:
Zechariah 8:19 Yahveh of Armies says this: “The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.”
Zechariah 8:20 Yahveh of Armies says this: “Peoples will yet come, the ones living in many cities;
Zechariah 8:21 the ones living in one city will go to another, saying: Let’s go at once to plead for Yahveh’s favor and to seek Yahveh of Armies. I am also going.
Zechariah 8:22 Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Yahveh of Armies in Jerusalem and to plead for Yahveh’s favor.”
Zechariah 8:23 Yahveh of Armies says this: “In those days, ten men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

the objective of the rescue

The LORD’s rescue of his people will bring peace and prosperity. It will be an opportunity to witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God by a display of the goodness and faithfulness of the people toward him and each other. This is the objective of the rescue the gospel offers as well. The streets of the city should be full of signs of blessing, the elderly and playing children. This image is particularly delightful in a weary, strife torn land. It speaks of a well-being that the nations will envy.

LORD, give us the wisdom to display your goodness and faithfulness – even while we wait for the fulfillment of your promises.

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