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9 Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. 10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. 11 They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. 12 I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,” declares the Lord. ~ Zechariah 10:9-12
Today we return to our study of Zechariah 10 where God has defined Himself as the cornerstone, the tent pet and the battle sword who will accomplish the victory over Israel's enemies at the final battle of Armageddon.
In v.9 of today's text we read, "Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return."
The word "scatter" is both negative and positive. It is negative because God has to use it in order to capture our wayward hearts. And, who likes pain? Being scattered is also positive because through it we are positioned to be a blessing to others. The most important thing God does for any of us is to reveal Himself to us. Sadly, most often, it takes pain to position us to that place that we can see Him most profoundly, with our hearts.
In v.10-11 of today's text we read, "10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. 11 They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away."
The language Zechariah uses here in our text is very reminiscent of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt when God opened the Red Sea. Just as God opened up the Red Sea and later on the Jordan River, Israel passed through on dry ground into their new land. God had promised to remove every physical obstacle, and once again, He brought the people of Israel back into their promised homeland.
And, during the Tribulation, Israel will come back into the land from all over the world. And their hearts will be turned toward the Lord, and they will remember Him though they will be in far off lands. God will bring them back because He will have redeemed them.
In Isaiah 54:1 we read, "'Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,' says the Lord."
Here, Isaiah is referencing the millennial kingdom of Christ. The barren will flourish, and the primary means by which God will draw Israel to Himself will be pain. This sort of pain, barrenness or brokenness is unwanted, however, it makes us yearn for that which is substantive. I have discovered that when I hit rock bottom, I do so, so that I will discover that He is the rock at the bottom. To really see God with our hearts, we must be stripped of our independence to the point that we embrace our utter dependence upon Him.
In v.12 of today's text we read, "I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,” declares the Lord."
During the Tribulation, Israel will experience total and complete spiritual revival on the heels of their greatest persecution. In the name of Yahweh, that covenant name of God, Israel will be transformed and they will learn how to love the Lord. Israel will be sealed by the Holy Spirit, and they will enter into His millennial kingdom with hearts that will have been tuned to Him. And, all of their conduct, all of their language will be permeated with the glory and honor of God.
At Christ's first coming, Israel was called to "repent, for the kingdom of God was at hand." Their King was in their midst and He was ready to save His people from their sin. The hope of the nations had come to tabernacle with His people. The incarnate Son came to visit and redeem His people. Israel's Kinsman-Redeemer had come to earth to bring His people a knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sin.
But Israel refused to embrace the brokenness that ushers the heart to the place to be vulnerable with the Lord. Israel would not recognize Him as the only begotten Son of God who takes away the sin of the world. Had they, as a nation, turned to Christ for salvation on that first day of Pentecost, the prophecy of Joel would have been completely fulfilled.
However, the continued unbelief of the nation of Israel dictated that they be set aside for a season. The end-times prophecy of Joel is yet to be fully and finally fulfilled, but one day soon the time of Jacob's trouble will begin the process of the people of Israel coming into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. This will be the point of the Tribulation, that Israel will out of their misery, cry out to the Lord and He will hear their cry, and they will be saved.
