worthless shepherd

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

20250421

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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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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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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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the fast that really matters

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the fast that really matters

Zechariah 7:1-14

Zechariah 7:1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of Yahveh came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev.
Zechariah 7:2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to plead for Yahveh’s favor
Zechariah 7:3 by asking the priests who were at the house of Yahveh of Armies as well as the prophets, “Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years?”
Zechariah 7:4 Then the word of Yahveh of Armies came to me:
Zechariah 7:5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and passionately demonstrated sorrow in the fifth and in the seventh months for these seventy years, did you really fast for me?
Zechariah 7:6 When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?
Zechariah 7:7 Aren’t these the words that Yahveh proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was lived in and secure, along with its surrounding cities, and when the southern region and the Judean foothills were lived in?”
Zechariah 7:8 The word of Yahveh came to Zechariah:
Zechariah 7:9 “Yahveh of Armies says this: ‘Make fair decisions. Show faithful love and compassion to one another.
Zechariah 7:10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the resident alien or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’
Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.
Zechariah 7:12 They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that Yahveh of Armies had sent by his Breath through the earlier prophets. Therefore, intense anger came from Yahveh of Armies.
Zechariah 7:13 Just as he had called, and they would not listen, so when they called, I would not listen, says Yahveh of Armies.
Zechariah 7:14 I scattered them with a windstorm over all the nations that had not known them, and the land was left desolate behind them, with no one coming or going. They turned a pleasant land into a desolation.”

the fast that really matters

Chislev was the month designated for fasting, to remember the destruction of Jerusalem. Now that the temple was being rebuilt, some of the people requested that the fast be discontinued. Zechariah’s answer from the LORD was that the fast that really matters is a change of heart, resulting in a change of life. If that does not happen, it does not matter if there is a physical temple or not. God wants his spiritual temple in the land. We are it.

LORD, turn us into people who demonstrate your kindness and mercy and justice to others. Soften our diamond-hard hearts.

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He’s making things right

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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He’s making things right

Zechariah 6:1-15

Zechariah 6:1 I looked up again and noticed four chariots between two mountains. The mountains were made of bronze.
Zechariah 6:2 The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses,
Zechariah 6:3 the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot spotted horses — all strong horses.
Zechariah 6:4 So I asked the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
Zechariah 6:5 The angel told me, “These are the four winds of the sky going out after presenting themselves to Yahveh of the whole land.
Zechariah 6:6 The one with the black horses is going to the land of the north, the white horses are going after them, but the spotted horses are going to the land of the south.”
Zechariah 6:7 As the strong horses went out, they wanted to patrol the land, and Yahveh said, “Go, patrol the land.” So, they patrolled the land.
Zechariah 6:8 Then he summoned me saying, “See, those going to the land of the north have pacified my Breath in the northern land.”
Zechariah 6:9 The word of Yahveh came to me:
Zechariah 6:10 “Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
Zechariah 6:11 Take silver and gold, make a crown, and place it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
Zechariah 6:12 You are to tell him: This is what Yahveh of Armies says: Notice a man named Branch; he will branch out from his place and build Yahveh’s temple.
Zechariah 6:13 Yes, he will build Yahveh’s temple, be clothed in splendor, sit on his throne, and rule. There will also be a priest on his throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between them.
Zechariah 6:14 The crown will reside in Yahveh’s temple as a memorial to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen, son of Zephaniah.
Zechariah 6:15 People who are far off will come and build YahvehY’s temple, and you will know that Yahveh of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen when you fully obey Yahveh your God.”

He’s making things right

The final apocalyptic vision of Zechariah is similar to the first. Only, the four horses are now attached to chariots. They no longer spy out the lands surrounding Jerusalem, but patrol it as weapons of warfare and protection. The tide has turned, and now power is coming from Israel, and creating rest for it. The Branch is coming. His precursor stands already, Joshua ben Jehozadak. He will serve with the prince to restore the people. Both these sections cry out: good things are coming, trust God.

LORD, give us the courage and insight to trust you to make things right.

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drive sin away

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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drive sin away

Zechariah 5:1-11

Zechariah 5:1 I looked up again and noticed a flying scroll.
Zechariah 5:2 “What do you see?” he asked me. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.”
Zechariah 5:3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land, for everyone who is a thief, contrary to what is written on one side, has gone unpunished, and everyone who swears falsely, contrary to what is written on the other side, has gone unpunished.
Zechariah 5:4 I will send it out,” – this is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies – “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by my name. It will stay inside his house and destroy it along with its timbers and stones.”
Zechariah 5:5 Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Look up and see what this is that is approaching.”
Zechariah 5:6 So I asked, “What is it?” He responded, “It’s a measuring basket that is approaching.” And he continued, “This is their iniquity in all the land.”
Zechariah 5:7 Then I noticed as a lead cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.
Zechariah 5:8 “This is Wickedness,” he said. He shoved her down into the basket and pushed the lead weight over its opening.
Zechariah 5:9 Then I looked up and saw two women approaching with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between the land and the sky.
Zechariah 5:10 So I asked the angel speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?”
Zechariah 5:11 “To build a shrine for it in the land of Shinar,” he told me. “When that is ready, the basket will be placed on its pedestal.”

drive sin away

These two visions show what the LORD is going to do to rid the land of sin. He is going to curse the houses of the thief and the one who swears falsely for personal gain. Since they both sinned for personal gain, what they gained will be taken away. Their houses will be cleaned out.

He is going to remove idolatry from the land, symbolized by the woman in the basket, described as wickedness herself. Many of the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites involved sexual sin, just as pornography today is this same kind of idolatry. Also, taking foreign wives often led the Israelites to apostasy. But the LORD shows here that he is not judging females in general by this singular phenomenon: the angels who deport the wicked woman are portrayed as women themselves!

LORD, clean us out, drive sin away from our houses.

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God’s Breath will do it

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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God’s Breath will do it.

Zechariah 4:1-14

Zechariah 4:1 The angel speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep.
Zechariah 4:2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see – I noticed a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top. The lampstand also has seven lamps at the top with seven spouts for each of the lamps.
Zechariah 4:3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
Zechariah 4:4 Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
Zechariah 4:5 “Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me. I said, “No, my lord.”
Zechariah 4:6 So he answered me, “This is the word of Yahveh to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Breath,’ says Yahveh of Armies.
Zechariah 4:7 ‘What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it! ‘”
Zechariah 4:8 Then the word of Yahveh came to me:
Zechariah 4:9 “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that Yahveh of Armies has sent me to you.
Zechariah 4:10 For who despises the day of small things? These seven eyes of Yahveh, which scan throughout the whole land, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
Zechariah 4:11 I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”
Zechariah 4:12 And I questioned him further, “What are the two streams of the olive trees, from which the golden oil is pouring through the two golden conduits?”
Zechariah 4:13 Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied.
Zechariah 4:14 “These are the two anointed ones,” he said, “who stand by Yahveh of the whole land.”

God’s Breath will do it.

Joshua and Zerubbabel were the two sons of new oil, the newly reestablished priesthood and the governor will work together to see to it that God’s light continues to shine. The obstacles will be removed not by the might of human ability, nor the power of human influence. God’s Spirit will do it.

LORD, when the task seems too great for us, remind us that it is your Holy Spirit who will do it.

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clothed in clean clothes

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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clothed in clean clothes

Zechariah 3:1-10

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of Yahveh, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.
Zechariah 3:2 Yahveh said to Satan: “Yahveh rebuke you, Satan! May Yahveh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.
Zechariah 3:4 So the angel of Yahveh spoke to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to him, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes.”
Zechariah 3:5 I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So, a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in garments while the angel of Yahveh stood nearby.
Zechariah 3:6 Then the angel of Yahveh charged Joshua:
Zechariah 3:7 “This is what Yahveh of Armies says: If you walk in my ways and keep my mandates, you will both rule my house and care for my courts; I will also grant you access among those standing here.
Zechariah 3:8 “Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign to notice that I am about to bring my servant, the Branch.
Zechariah 3:9 Watch the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription on it” – this is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies – “and I will take away the iniquity of this land in a single day.
Zechariah 3:10 On that day, each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree.” This is the declaration of Yahveh of Armies.

clothed in clean clothes

As soon as God decided to bring revival, Satan showed up to accuse the temple leaders of being unworthy to lead it. The LORD shows Zechariah a vision in which Joshua, the high priest, is clothed in clean clothes, to replace those which are literally covered in excrement. The LORD imputed righteousness to him, in order to make him qualified to lead others to him. That is what he does for us as well. We cheapen grace if we stop at the personal salvation. We are saved to be priests, leading people to the Branch, king Jesus.

LORD, thank you for the new clothes. Give us courage to walk in your ways and keep your charge.

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time to escape

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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time to escape

Zechariah 1:18-2:13 (JDV)

Zechariah 1:18 Then I looked up and noticed four horns.
Zechariah 1:19 So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 1:20 Then Yahveh showed me four craftsmen.
Zechariah 1:21 I asked, “What are they coming to do?” He replied, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so no one could raise his head. These craftsmen have come to terrify them, to cut off the horns of the nations that raised a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
Zechariah 2:1 I looked up and noticed a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Zechariah 2:2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.”
Zechariah 2:3 Then I noticed as the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him.
Zechariah 2:4 He said to him, “Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be lived in without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it.”
Zechariah 2:5 The declaration of Yahveh: “I myself will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it.”
Zechariah 2:6 “Listen! Listen! Flee from the land of the north”– this is Yahveh’s declaration– ” because I have scattered you like the four winds of the sky” – this is Yahveh’s declaration.
Zechariah 2:7 “Listen, Zion! Escape, you who are living with Daughter Babylon.”
Zechariah 2:8 For Yahveh of Armies says this: “In pursuit of his glory, he sent me against the nations plundering you, for whoever touches you touches the pupil of my eye.
Zechariah 2:9 You see, notice, I am raising my hand against them, and they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that Yahveh of Armies has sent me.
Zechariah 2:10 “Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, notice – because I am coming to dwell among you”– this is Yahveh’s declaration.
Zechariah 2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to Yahveh on that day and become my people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that Yahveh of Armies has sent me to you.
Zechariah 2:12 Yahveh will take possession of Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem.
Zechariah 2:13 Let everything with skin on be silent before Yahveh, for from his holy dwelling he has roused himself.”

time to escape

Those who scattered Judah will themselves be shaken, and the people will return to a city protected by the LORD himself. Those who have been living in Babylon are told to flee from that land of the north, and escape to Zion.

Where are you living today? Are you at home in the LORD’s land, or do you live in the land of Babylon? You cannot stay on that foreign soil. The LORD is about to judge it. Escape to the LORD’s protected city.

LORD, we have been living in Babylon too long. Give us the courage to escape it, before it is too late.

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