The player is loading ...
Nov. 2, 2021
God Saves His People and His Plan (Walk Thru the Bible Week 40)
The temple has been rebuilt but Jerusalem is still in ruins. Yet, Zechariah is given visions of a day when Jerusalem is the center of world attention and the nations will come up to worship the Lord there. At the same time, God is using a courageous, young Queen Esther to save the Jewish people from extinction. God’s promise to bring the Messiah through them can still be fulfilled.
This episode complements the daily readings from our Walk Thru the Bible reading plan for November 1-7, covering Zechariah 9-14; Esther; Malachi; Ezra 7-10.
Show Links:
Sign up for our Israel Tour Interest List - https://icejusa.org/outofzion-tour
Walk Thru the Bible 4th Quarter Reading Plan – https://icejusa.org/walkthrubible
The Daily Bible - https://www.icejusa.org/dailybible
https://www.instagram.com/outofzion_icej/
https://www.facebook.com/susanmichaelicej/about/
Sign up for emails about upcoming shows: http://www.outofzionshow.com
More info on Susan: https://www.icejusa.org/susans-blog
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,200
Welcome to Walk Through the Bible, Susan Michael's 12-month journey through the most exciting
2
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,700
book on the planet.
3
00:00:07,700 --> 00:00:10,720
It will transform your life one page at a time.
4
00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:15,160
Be sure to subscribe for future episodes that will ignite your faith and bring your Bible
5
00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:16,160
to life.
6
00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,200
Now, let's join our host, Susan Michael.
7
00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,480
Hey there and welcome back.
8
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,040
This is Walk Through the Bible Week 40.
9
00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,880
We are making such great progress.
10
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:38,480
This week we are reading in the Daily Bible what are the dates of October 1-7 or pages
11
00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:43,240
of 1266-1296.
12
00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:50,600
Now we are really beginning now our wrap up to the end of the Old Testament.
13
00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,720
That's how far we've come so I really want to congratulate you on that.
14
00:00:54,720 --> 00:01:01,760
And this week we are going to deal with two truly amazing parts of Scripture.
15
00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:06,200
So I'm so excited to get to talk about this today.
16
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:07,440
But first let's review.
17
00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:14,800
So last week we had our prophets Haguei and Zechariah prophesying to the people, keeping
18
00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:21,520
them encouraged and keeping them focused for the rebuilding of the temple.
19
00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:28,880
And so this week now I want to look back at the prophets Zechariah starting with chapters
20
00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,560
9 through the end of the book 14.
21
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:39,120
So the first part of the book we dealt with more of these eight visions that he had and
22
00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:44,280
dealing with sort of the here and the now and encouraging the people and bringing them
23
00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:45,920
assurance.
24
00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,120
Now here for this week chapters 9-14.
25
00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:57,640
He has some futuristic prophecies that are really quite astounding I have to say.
26
00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:03,240
And of course there was some futuristic also in the first part of the book and here in
27
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:09,080
this last part there is a little bit of the here and now so I don't want to say it's
28
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,200
totally.
29
00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:19,960
But moving forward here we enter into some really amazing prophetic sections of the Bible.
30
00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:27,680
And I turn to these many, many times and in conversations with people because I believe
31
00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:36,080
these chapters just describe so perfectly events that are beginning to happen now and
32
00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,040
will be happening in the near future.
33
00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:44,760
So starting with chapter 9 I'm going to start with verse 9 through 13 talking about the
34
00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:54,560
coming of Zion's king and says, Rejoice greatly daughter of Zion, shout daughter of Jerusalem,
35
00:02:54,560 --> 00:03:02,880
see your king comes to you righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a cult the
36
00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:04,880
foal of a donkey.
37
00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,960
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem and the
38
00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:16,040
battle bow will be broken and he will proclaim peace to the nations.
39
00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:24,080
His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
40
00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:33,160
Wow this is amazing so rejoice you know your king comes righteous and victorious but lowly
41
00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,080
and riding on a donkey.
42
00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:42,680
This is the part about the coming king and the Messiah that everyone tended to stumble
43
00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:52,920
over because either they were looking for that victorious king or the lowly, I have
44
00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,080
to say that the lowly then just passed right by them.
45
00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:02,880
And of course we know that in the New Testament Jesus did ride that donkey into Jerusalem
46
00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:08,160
and many saw it as a fulfillment of this scripture right here.
47
00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:15,400
And so he says that you know I, God here will take away the instruments of war because
48
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,720
he is going to bring peace.
49
00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,840
He is going to proclaim peace to the nations.
50
00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:27,720
And listen to this, his rule is going to extend not from the river to the sea which is the
51
00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:33,320
land of Israel, the Jordan River to the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, no no no.
52
00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:41,920
His rule is going to extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
53
00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:49,080
Clearly this passage of scripture is describing the coming Messiah.
54
00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:56,080
Then in verse 14 that the Lord will appear, then the Lord will appear over them, his arrow
55
00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:01,840
will flash like lightning, the sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet, he will march in the
56
00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:08,520
storms of the south and the Lord Almighty will shield them.
57
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:15,240
Going on down then here to verse 16, the Lord their God will save his people on that day
58
00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:23,680
as a shepherd saves his flock and they will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.
59
00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,920
How attractive and beautiful they will be.
60
00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,040
I love that verse.
61
00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:35,640
But then in Zechariah 10, and it talks about how the Lord is going to, how the Lord is
62
00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:43,360
upset with the shepherds who have mistreated his people and he is going to care.
63
00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,640
He's going to come as a shepherd for his people.
64
00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:52,920
So here in chapter 10 verse 3, my anger burns against the shepherds and I will punish the
65
00:05:52,920 --> 00:06:00,560
leaders for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah and make them
66
00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,680
like a proud horse in battle.
67
00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:11,920
From Judah will come the cornerstone and we know who that cornerstone is who comes.
68
00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:19,160
Then going down to verse 11, it gives a picture of the shepherds and the flocks and he's
69
00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:24,400
denouncing the worthless shepherds and then starting here actually in verse 12, I told
70
00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:30,240
them, if you think it best, give me my pay but if not keep it.
71
00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:37,880
So they paid me 30 pieces of silver and the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter, the
72
00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,880
handsome price at which they valued me.
73
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:47,480
So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.
74
00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:51,080
Whoa, what an amazing scripture.
75
00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:57,200
Of course, those of us that know the story of Jesus and how that Judas betrayed him for
76
00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:07,200
a price of 30 shekels of silver and then Judas threw the silver back at the priest and the
77
00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:13,480
Sanhedrin and so they took it and they bought the potter's field with it.
78
00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:21,040
And here in this scripture in Zechariah written hundreds of years earlier, he's describing
79
00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:30,960
here how that these unrighteous shepherds set a price on his head of 30 shekels and
80
00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:38,000
the Lord said, throw it to the potter, this handsome price that they valued me.
81
00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:45,560
So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.
82
00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:52,640
So in Matthew 27, verses three through nine, it tells the story of Judas and it says here,
83
00:07:52,640 --> 00:08:00,000
when Judas who had betrayed him saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse
84
00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:05,680
and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.
85
00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:11,280
I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood.
86
00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:12,360
What is that to us?
87
00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:16,560
They replied, that's your responsibility.
88
00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:21,120
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.
89
00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,960
Then he went away and hanged himself.
90
00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:28,760
The chief priests picked up the coins and said it's against the law to put this into
91
00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,560
the treasury since it's blood money.
92
00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:39,320
So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.
93
00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:44,640
That is why it has been called the field of blood to this day.
94
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:50,200
Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled.
95
00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:56,160
They took the 30 pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they
96
00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:01,640
used them to buy the potter's field as the Lord commanded me.
97
00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:12,120
So both Jeremiah and Zechariah had seen this day when 30 pieces of silver would be paid
98
00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,960
for the life of the Messiah.
99
00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,560
Wow, it's really astounding.
100
00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:23,440
And then moving ahead in Zechariah to Zechariah 12.
101
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:29,360
And this talks about a day where the nations are going to come up against Jerusalem.
102
00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:36,640
And it says on that day, this is Zechariah 12.9, on that day I will set out to destroy
103
00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,720
all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
104
00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:47,800
And then continuing on an amazing section of scripture here.
105
00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:53,560
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit
106
00:09:53,560 --> 00:09:56,120
of grace and supplication.
107
00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:03,200
They will look on me, the one whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one
108
00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:12,400
mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
109
00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:19,280
On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Haydad Rimon
110
00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,040
in the plain of Megiddo.
111
00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:28,520
This is describing a day where the Lord is going to pour out his Holy Spirit upon the
112
00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:36,400
house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a spirit of grace and supplication.
113
00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:44,880
This is all a part of the same scripture where the Lord comes to save his people, to defend
114
00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,640
them against the nations.
115
00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:52,120
And it says here that he is going to pour out his Spirit upon him and they are going
116
00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:58,880
to look upon him, the one whom they pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns
117
00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,280
for an only child.
118
00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:10,360
And then in chapter 13, Zechariah goes on, and he sees a day of a great cleansing, the
119
00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:16,440
same day that I believe Ezekiel saw, and the same day that Jeremiah saw.
120
00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,400
It's a day of cleansing of the people.
121
00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,160
Let's read about it here.
122
00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:28,560
So 13 verse 1 says, On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the
123
00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:35,680
inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
124
00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:42,560
And then in chapter 14, Zechariah goes on, A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when
125
00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:47,280
your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
126
00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:53,240
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it.
127
00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:59,040
And the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as he fights on a day of battle.
128
00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:04,880
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the Mount
129
00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:11,160
of Olives will be split into from east to west, forming a great valley with half of
130
00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,880
the mountain moving north and half moving south.
131
00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:20,160
You will flee by my mountain valley for it will extend to a zeal.
132
00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:26,480
And you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
133
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:31,480
Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him.
134
00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:38,080
I'm just going to stop here and say, you know, when Zechariah was prophesying this,
135
00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,400
I just want you to picture this.
136
00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,880
Jerusalem is still rubble.
137
00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:51,000
They've just finished rebuilding the temple and it's nothing compared to the previous temple.
138
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,400
Jerusalem is still just rubble.
139
00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:59,400
We're going to read next week about how that Nehemiah has to come help try to build up
140
00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,040
the city.
141
00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:07,320
And yet Zechariah is seeing this amazing day when the nations are going to come against
142
00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:08,320
Jerusalem.
143
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,760
Why would they come against a city that's already been destroyed?
144
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:19,320
This little bitty city, because he was looking into the future day when the city is going
145
00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:23,720
to take the center stage of world attention.
146
00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,560
And for sure, we're living in that day.
147
00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:32,400
For 2000 years, Jerusalem has been nothing.
148
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:39,160
But now in the last 75 years, the Jewish people are back in Jerusalem.
149
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:43,040
They're back in their land since 1967.
150
00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,960
Jerusalem is being under Israeli sovereignty.
151
00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:54,440
And once it is now the center of world attention, and you can see how that nations actually
152
00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,080
would come up against Jerusalem.
153
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,080
Why?
154
00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:04,920
Because the nations are always led by jealousy, by evil intent, and by hatred.
155
00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:09,520
And so, yes, it could very well happen.
156
00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,600
And here it describes, but that the Lord is going to come.
157
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:19,200
And on that day, his feet are going to stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem.
158
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:23,760
We've been talking about this Mount of Olives in the last few weeks.
159
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,680
And this is the angels, when they saw Jesus ascend from the Mount of Olives, they said,
160
00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:36,040
He will return just as He ascended, and He will return, according here to Zechariah,
161
00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:37,280
to the Mount of Olives.
162
00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:42,520
And when his feet stand on that mountain, there's going to be an earthquake like in
163
00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:44,080
the days of Uzziah.
164
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:52,160
Well, you know, it's just been in the news this year in 2021 that they have found the
165
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:58,960
archaeological evidence of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah in Jerusalem.
166
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:04,800
They'd already found evidence of it in other parts of Israel, but they hadn't found evidence
167
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,320
in Jerusalem itself.
168
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,040
They just found it this year.
169
00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:14,240
So there is going to be this mighty earthquake, and the mountain is going to split.
170
00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,320
So let's continue our reading, verse 6.
171
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:23,360
On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty or darkness.
172
00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:30,360
It will be a unique day, a day known only to the Lord, with no distinction between day
173
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:31,680
and night.
174
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,520
When evening comes, there will be light.
175
00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:40,440
And on that day, living water will flow out of Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead
176
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,880
Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea.
177
00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:52,720
And summer and in winter, the Lord will be king over the whole earth.
178
00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:59,600
On that day there will be one Lord and His name, the only name.
179
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:09,360
Now this is astounding because the living waters Jesus stood in the temple and he proclaimed
180
00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:15,320
that anyone who is thirsty come to me because you will have living waters.
181
00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:17,960
And he is the source of living waters.
182
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:25,480
And when he comes and establishes his kingdom on earth, it will be from there in Jerusalem.
183
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:31,200
And it will go from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
184
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:37,000
And His name, His only name, will be over the earth.
185
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:44,200
And then in verse 16, then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem
186
00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:52,360
will go up year after year to worship the king, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate
187
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,680
the Feast of Tabernacles.
188
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:02,960
So we are already celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles year after year there in Jerusalem,
189
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:08,400
not in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, but in preparation for it.
190
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:13,960
And we are preparing the nations for this day when they will come up to Jerusalem and
191
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:17,680
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
192
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:24,440
It will be a magnificent day and the Prophet Zechariah saw it in detail like none of the
193
00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,080
other prophets saw it.
194
00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:32,920
But in our days as we see events on the earth lining up, I can see it lining up just exactly
195
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:37,440
as Zechariah saw it.
196
00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:42,480
So enjoy the reading of Zechariah 9 through 14.
197
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,280
Let it soak in.
198
00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:48,400
It is so very exciting.
199
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,800
Now I promised you that we are going to read a second part of the scriptures that is equally
200
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:57,080
as exciting and that is the book of Esther.
201
00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:01,440
You know the book, we all love the story of a queen, right?
202
00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,800
But we love the story of Queen Esther.
203
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,760
Esther was actually a Jewish orphan.
204
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:13,360
Her Jewish name was Hadassah and she had been raised by her cousin Mordecai.
205
00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:21,280
We know the story how that the king becomes very unhappy with Queen Vashti.
206
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:32,480
So he wants to have a new queen and so Mordecai gets Hadassah entered into the contest and
207
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:37,440
she goes through all the preparations and then she has the favor of the king and she
208
00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:40,640
becomes Queen Esther.
209
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,360
We know the story.
210
00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:50,800
Well, then it goes on and the king's consort, Haman, who was full of himself and expected
211
00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:56,880
everyone to bow down to him and give honor and the Jewish people couldn't bow down to
212
00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:57,880
man.
213
00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:59,840
They're forbidden to do that.
214
00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:07,880
And so he came to hate the Jewish people and he decided to get rid of them.
215
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:09,440
That's how much he hated them.
216
00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:16,320
And so, you know, I just, I see the story of Esther as the beginning of the story of
217
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:21,520
antisemitism that has continued on from generation to generation.
218
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:27,720
And I know that we've had many stories already of kingdoms that came and they overtook the
219
00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,160
Jews and they destroyed it all.
220
00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:34,520
But they weren't really stories of antisemitism.
221
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:41,080
They were stories of the ancient kingdoms and that you had to worship the gods of that
222
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:42,560
kingdom.
223
00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:51,160
And so the Jews couldn't bow down and worship these gods or they weren't supposed to.
224
00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:58,240
And I don't see that as the beginning of antisemitism, the way I see it here in the story of Haman.
225
00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:06,360
Haman came to hate the Jews because they didn't bow down to him and give him the kind of honor
226
00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:07,840
that he was looking for.
227
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:16,440
And so he comes up with this plot to have the Jews of the Persian Empire killed.
228
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,840
And he gets the king to pass this decree.
229
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:24,120
And once the king has made a decree, it's done.
230
00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:25,840
There's nothing you can do.
231
00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,680
You cannot rescind a decree that has gone out from the king.
232
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:38,480
So Hadassah has to go before the king asking for this to be rectified.
233
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:44,520
And so the only thing that the king can do in the end is to do another decree that says
234
00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,600
the Jews are allowed to defend themselves.
235
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,400
And that's how they were saved, was through self-defense.
236
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:57,320
That's a very interesting twist to the story, I think.
237
00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:04,960
Now a couple of things I want to point out to you is number one that Haman was a descendant
238
00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,000
of the Amalekites.
239
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,720
It says he was an aggagite.
240
00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:15,920
And if you remember the story back in the wilderness when the Jews were delivered from
241
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:22,520
Egypt, the very first people to attack them in the desert were the Amalekites.
242
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:31,120
And so the Lord decreed, declared, the Lord declared that he was going to wipe out the
243
00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:32,120
Amalekites.
244
00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:34,240
He was going to bring them to an end.
245
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:39,920
But it said there was an interesting verse there that the Lord would fight the Amalekites
246
00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:41,720
from generation to generation.
247
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,840
And that's in Exodus 17.
248
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,960
Let me read to you verses 15 and 16.
249
00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:53,080
Moses built an altar and called it, the Lord is my banner.
250
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:59,800
And he said, because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at
251
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:06,440
war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.
252
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:13,800
And so here we have Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, come up with this decree to
253
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,880
kill the Jews of the Persian Empire.
254
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:25,640
Now the other thing I want you to know is that right there in Esther chapter 1 verse
255
00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:36,720
1, it says that at the time of this king that the Persian Empire stretched all the way from
256
00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:41,160
India in the east to Ethiopia in the west.
257
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,320
Now I want you to think about this for a minute.
258
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,000
This is how big the Persian Empire was.
259
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:58,320
It was all the way from India, which included Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey,
260
00:22:58,320 --> 00:22:59,480
all of the Middle East.
261
00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:10,120
Of course today, what is Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel into Egypt, Libya up to Ethiopia.
262
00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:18,760
It took in Turkey up in the north, crossed the sea into what is Europe today.
263
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,240
That's how big the Persian Empire was.
264
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:27,840
So think for me for a minute, if they had succeeded in killing all the Jews of the Persian
265
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:32,120
Empire, that's all the Jews.
266
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:38,600
This was a threat, an existential threat to the Jewish people forever.
267
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,720
That's why God intervened.
268
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:47,120
That's why what Queen Esther did was so important.
269
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:51,360
God was saving his people as he had promised to do.
270
00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:56,160
But the whole plan of God was on the line here.
271
00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:01,160
If Haman had succeeded in wiping out the Jewish people, that was it.
272
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:03,520
God's plan was over.
273
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:05,160
He had chosen this people.
274
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:11,080
He had made promises and declarations of how he was going to use this people and the descendants
275
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,880
of King David.
276
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,560
That would have been all over.
277
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,680
500 years later, there would have been no Jewish people back in the land.
278
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:26,680
There would have been no Jewish Joseph and Mary to give birth to Jesus and to raise Jesus.
279
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:32,120
There would have been no temple to take Jesus to for a circumcision or when he was 12 years
280
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:33,120
old.
281
00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:35,520
But that would have been there.
282
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,880
It would have been all over.
283
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:43,760
This is why the book of Esther is so important.
284
00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:51,160
And this is why the Jewish people celebrate the story of Esther every year and the celebration
285
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,040
is called Purim.
286
00:24:55,040 --> 00:25:00,120
Maybe we should all be celebrating Purim along with them, don't you think?
287
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:07,400
Okay, this week we're also reading from the prophet of Malachi.
288
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:14,040
And Malachi is speaking to Israel as external oppositions to the building of the temple come
289
00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,480
and go.
290
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:22,120
But there is moral and religious decline and discouragement.
291
00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:27,480
And they're kind of looking for, well, where are the fulfillment of these prophecies that
292
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:28,960
have been spoken over us?
293
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:34,120
What about these prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah or Zechariah?
294
00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:37,240
I mean, the people are getting discouraged.
295
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:42,600
It's hard work rebuilding Jerusalem, rebuilding the temple.
296
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:43,960
It's really hard work.
297
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:48,800
And so Malachi starts with God's love for his people.
298
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:53,520
And then he speaks about the sins of the priest and the people.
299
00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:59,200
But then he ends the book with encouragement about the coming messenger who's going to
300
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,480
come and prepare the way.
301
00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:09,400
And so in chapter four, verse five and six, Malachi ends with this, see, I will send the
302
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:15,520
prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
303
00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,680
He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children
304
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,440
to their parents.
305
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:26,480
Or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
306
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,120
Now that's how the book ends.
307
00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:35,720
And what the prophet Malachi is saying here is that Elijah will come, the spirit of Elijah
308
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:39,400
will come to bring restoration.
309
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,440
It's all about relationship.
310
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:48,280
And as the people's relationship is restored to the Lord, it's restored within their families,
311
00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:52,960
within their society as they live in obedience with the Lord.
312
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:59,040
And if the Lord comes and he doesn't find obedience, then it says here that there would
313
00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,040
be destruction.
314
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:09,800
So Malachi is giving his people instruction and correction, but at the same time with
315
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:11,840
a ray of hope.
316
00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:17,800
Well, now that we have gone through the inspiring visions of Zechariah and we've heard the
317
00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:23,800
wonderful story of the rescue of the Jewish people in the Book of Esther, let's return
318
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,560
to our storyline before we close out today.
319
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:34,480
So we've previously been reading about the first return of the exiles under Zerubbabel.
320
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,400
We read about that in Ezra 1 through 6.
321
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:44,320
And those exiles actually completed the rebuilding of the temple.
322
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:50,640
And roughly 60 years after the temple was completed is when we have the story that begins
323
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,480
in Ezra 7 through the end of the book.
324
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,400
And that is the return of a second group of exiles led by Ezra.
325
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:06,400
Now the temple was up and running and the high priest Joshua was Ezra's cousin.
326
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:13,240
And Ezra had a love for the law and the Word of God, and he wanted to bring spiritual revival
327
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:14,400
to the people.
328
00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:18,760
He wanted to bring back obedience to the law.
329
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,440
And that's really what his emphasis was.
330
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:23,880
And he gets back to the land.
331
00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,280
He brings about 40,000 exiles with him.
332
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:28,720
And what does he find?
333
00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:30,720
Intermarriage.
334
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:35,880
They have all been intermarrying with pagan women from the nations and people surrounding
335
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,320
the area.
336
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:44,800
And Ezra is so upset because he knows it was intermarriage that brought sin into the camp
337
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:49,360
to begin with and really that caused its downfall.
338
00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:53,120
Beginning with Solomon and all the way through their history.
339
00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,480
And he was so distraught over this.
340
00:28:55,480 --> 00:29:01,720
So one of the men in the camp said, well, let's force them to divorce.
341
00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:06,520
And so they gather all the men and they have a registry of them.
342
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:11,040
And these men willfully leave their wives and their children.
343
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:16,480
Now we may be appalled by this story.
344
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:24,200
And it's interesting that in the book of Malachi, which is probably written by Ezra, that's
345
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,440
the rabbinic tradition is it was Ezra that wrote Malachi.
346
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,720
In there God says he hates divorce.
347
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:37,960
But he's talking about divorce caused by unfaithfulness in Malachi.
348
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:44,720
So I think that the prophet Ezra wanted or needed saw the need to clarify here that divorce
349
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,160
is not good.
350
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,400
It's not acceptable.
351
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:54,680
But in this case, it was for the survival of the Jewish people in the land.
352
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,040
So interesting little story there.
353
00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:04,200
And sorry to end our week together on that note, but that ends our story for this week.
354
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:11,240
And so enjoy the reading of Zechariah and Esther this week.
355
00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:13,360
I'll see you back here next week.
356
00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:15,720
And until then, God bless.
357
00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:23,360
Hey, I invite you to join me on an 11 week trip through the pages of the New Testament.
358
00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:29,840
Follow along with me as we hear the story of Jesus, the apostles, their writings, and
359
00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:34,240
that final great vision of John of the return of Jesus.
360
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:39,920
You will understand the story of the New Testament and that it's still going on today
361
00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:41,960
and you have a part in it.
362
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:49,000
So sign up today at theoutofzeionshow.com, request your New Testament reading guide,
363
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,960
and I can't wait to get started.
364
00:30:50,960 --> 00:31:11,920
I'll see you then.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,200
Welcome to Walk Through the Bible, Susan Michael's 12-month journey through the most exciting
2
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,700
book on the planet.
3
00:00:07,700 --> 00:00:10,720
It will transform your life one page at a time.
4
00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:15,160
Be sure to subscribe for future episodes that will ignite your faith and bring your Bible
5
00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:16,160
to life.
6
00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,200
Now, let's join our host, Susan Michael.
7
00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,480
Hey there and welcome back.
8
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,040
This is Walk Through the Bible Week 40.
9
00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,880
We are making such great progress.
10
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:38,480
This week we are reading in the Daily Bible what are the dates of October 1-7 or pages
11
00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:43,240
of 1266-1296.
12
00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:50,600
Now we are really beginning now our wrap up to the end of the Old Testament.
13
00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,720
That's how far we've come so I really want to congratulate you on that.
14
00:00:54,720 --> 00:01:01,760
And this week we are going to deal with two truly amazing parts of Scripture.
15
00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:06,200
So I'm so excited to get to talk about this today.
16
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:07,440
But first let's review.
17
00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:14,800
So last week we had our prophets Haguei and Zechariah prophesying to the people, keeping
18
00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:21,520
them encouraged and keeping them focused for the rebuilding of the temple.
19
00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:28,880
And so this week now I want to look back at the prophets Zechariah starting with chapters
20
00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,560
9 through the end of the book 14.
21
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:39,120
So the first part of the book we dealt with more of these eight visions that he had and
22
00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:44,280
dealing with sort of the here and the now and encouraging the people and bringing them
23
00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:45,920
assurance.
24
00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,120
Now here for this week chapters 9-14.
25
00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:57,640
He has some futuristic prophecies that are really quite astounding I have to say.
26
00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:03,240
And of course there was some futuristic also in the first part of the book and here in
27
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:09,080
this last part there is a little bit of the here and now so I don't want to say it's
28
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,200
totally.
29
00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:19,960
But moving forward here we enter into some really amazing prophetic sections of the Bible.
30
00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:27,680
And I turn to these many, many times and in conversations with people because I believe
31
00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:36,080
these chapters just describe so perfectly events that are beginning to happen now and
32
00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,040
will be happening in the near future.
33
00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:44,760
So starting with chapter 9 I'm going to start with verse 9 through 13 talking about the
34
00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:54,560
coming of Zion's king and says, Rejoice greatly daughter of Zion, shout daughter of Jerusalem,
35
00:02:54,560 --> 00:03:02,880
see your king comes to you righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a cult the
36
00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:04,880
foal of a donkey.
37
00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,960
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem and the
38
00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:16,040
battle bow will be broken and he will proclaim peace to the nations.
39
00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:24,080
His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
40
00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:33,160
Wow this is amazing so rejoice you know your king comes righteous and victorious but lowly
41
00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,080
and riding on a donkey.
42
00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:42,680
This is the part about the coming king and the Messiah that everyone tended to stumble
43
00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:52,920
over because either they were looking for that victorious king or the lowly, I have
44
00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,080
to say that the lowly then just passed right by them.
45
00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:02,880
And of course we know that in the New Testament Jesus did ride that donkey into Jerusalem
46
00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:08,160
and many saw it as a fulfillment of this scripture right here.
47
00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:15,400
And so he says that you know I, God here will take away the instruments of war because
48
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,720
he is going to bring peace.
49
00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,840
He is going to proclaim peace to the nations.
50
00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:27,720
And listen to this, his rule is going to extend not from the river to the sea which is the
51
00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:33,320
land of Israel, the Jordan River to the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, no no no.
52
00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:41,920
His rule is going to extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
53
00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:49,080
Clearly this passage of scripture is describing the coming Messiah.
54
00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:56,080
Then in verse 14 that the Lord will appear, then the Lord will appear over them, his arrow
55
00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:01,840
will flash like lightning, the sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet, he will march in the
56
00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:08,520
storms of the south and the Lord Almighty will shield them.
57
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:15,240
Going on down then here to verse 16, the Lord their God will save his people on that day
58
00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:23,680
as a shepherd saves his flock and they will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.
59
00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,920
How attractive and beautiful they will be.
60
00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,040
I love that verse.
61
00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:35,640
But then in Zechariah 10, and it talks about how the Lord is going to, how the Lord is
62
00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:43,360
upset with the shepherds who have mistreated his people and he is going to care.
63
00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,640
He's going to come as a shepherd for his people.
64
00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:52,920
So here in chapter 10 verse 3, my anger burns against the shepherds and I will punish the
65
00:05:52,920 --> 00:06:00,560
leaders for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah and make them
66
00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,680
like a proud horse in battle.
67
00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:11,920
From Judah will come the cornerstone and we know who that cornerstone is who comes.
68
00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:19,160
Then going down to verse 11, it gives a picture of the shepherds and the flocks and he's
69
00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:24,400
denouncing the worthless shepherds and then starting here actually in verse 12, I told
70
00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:30,240
them, if you think it best, give me my pay but if not keep it.
71
00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:37,880
So they paid me 30 pieces of silver and the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter, the
72
00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,880
handsome price at which they valued me.
73
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:47,480
So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.
74
00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:51,080
Whoa, what an amazing scripture.
75
00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:57,200
Of course, those of us that know the story of Jesus and how that Judas betrayed him for
76
00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:07,200
a price of 30 shekels of silver and then Judas threw the silver back at the priest and the
77
00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:13,480
Sanhedrin and so they took it and they bought the potter's field with it.
78
00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:21,040
And here in this scripture in Zechariah written hundreds of years earlier, he's describing
79
00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:30,960
here how that these unrighteous shepherds set a price on his head of 30 shekels and
80
00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:38,000
the Lord said, throw it to the potter, this handsome price that they valued me.
81
00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:45,560
So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.
82
00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:52,640
So in Matthew 27, verses three through nine, it tells the story of Judas and it says here,
83
00:07:52,640 --> 00:08:00,000
when Judas who had betrayed him saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse
84
00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:05,680
and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.
85
00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:11,280
I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood.
86
00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:12,360
What is that to us?
87
00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:16,560
They replied, that's your responsibility.
88
00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:21,120
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.
89
00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,960
Then he went away and hanged himself.
90
00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:28,760
The chief priests picked up the coins and said it's against the law to put this into
91
00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,560
the treasury since it's blood money.
92
00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:39,320
So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.
93
00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:44,640
That is why it has been called the field of blood to this day.
94
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:50,200
Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled.
95
00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:56,160
They took the 30 pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they
96
00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:01,640
used them to buy the potter's field as the Lord commanded me.
97
00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:12,120
So both Jeremiah and Zechariah had seen this day when 30 pieces of silver would be paid
98
00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,960
for the life of the Messiah.
99
00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,560
Wow, it's really astounding.
100
00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:23,440
And then moving ahead in Zechariah to Zechariah 12.
101
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:29,360
And this talks about a day where the nations are going to come up against Jerusalem.
102
00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:36,640
And it says on that day, this is Zechariah 12.9, on that day I will set out to destroy
103
00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,720
all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
104
00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:47,800
And then continuing on an amazing section of scripture here.
105
00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:53,560
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit
106
00:09:53,560 --> 00:09:56,120
of grace and supplication.
107
00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:03,200
They will look on me, the one whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one
108
00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:12,400
mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
109
00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:19,280
On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Haydad Rimon
110
00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,040
in the plain of Megiddo.
111
00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:28,520
This is describing a day where the Lord is going to pour out his Holy Spirit upon the
112
00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:36,400
house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a spirit of grace and supplication.
113
00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:44,880
This is all a part of the same scripture where the Lord comes to save his people, to defend
114
00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,640
them against the nations.
115
00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:52,120
And it says here that he is going to pour out his Spirit upon him and they are going
116
00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:58,880
to look upon him, the one whom they pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns
117
00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,280
for an only child.
118
00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:10,360
And then in chapter 13, Zechariah goes on, and he sees a day of a great cleansing, the
119
00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:16,440
same day that I believe Ezekiel saw, and the same day that Jeremiah saw.
120
00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,400
It's a day of cleansing of the people.
121
00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,160
Let's read about it here.
122
00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:28,560
So 13 verse 1 says, On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the
123
00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:35,680
inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
124
00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:42,560
And then in chapter 14, Zechariah goes on, A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when
125
00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:47,280
your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
126
00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:53,240
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it.
127
00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:59,040
And the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as he fights on a day of battle.
128
00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:04,880
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the Mount
129
00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:11,160
of Olives will be split into from east to west, forming a great valley with half of
130
00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,880
the mountain moving north and half moving south.
131
00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:20,160
You will flee by my mountain valley for it will extend to a zeal.
132
00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:26,480
And you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
133
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:31,480
Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him.
134
00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:38,080
I'm just going to stop here and say, you know, when Zechariah was prophesying this,
135
00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,400
I just want you to picture this.
136
00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,880
Jerusalem is still rubble.
137
00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:51,000
They've just finished rebuilding the temple and it's nothing compared to the previous temple.
138
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,400
Jerusalem is still just rubble.
139
00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:59,400
We're going to read next week about how that Nehemiah has to come help try to build up
140
00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,040
the city.
141
00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:07,320
And yet Zechariah is seeing this amazing day when the nations are going to come against
142
00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:08,320
Jerusalem.
143
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,760
Why would they come against a city that's already been destroyed?
144
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:19,320
This little bitty city, because he was looking into the future day when the city is going
145
00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:23,720
to take the center stage of world attention.
146
00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,560
And for sure, we're living in that day.
147
00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:32,400
For 2000 years, Jerusalem has been nothing.
148
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:39,160
But now in the last 75 years, the Jewish people are back in Jerusalem.
149
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:43,040
They're back in their land since 1967.
150
00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,960
Jerusalem is being under Israeli sovereignty.
151
00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:54,440
And once it is now the center of world attention, and you can see how that nations actually
152
00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,080
would come up against Jerusalem.
153
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,080
Why?
154
00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:04,920
Because the nations are always led by jealousy, by evil intent, and by hatred.
155
00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:09,520
And so, yes, it could very well happen.
156
00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,600
And here it describes, but that the Lord is going to come.
157
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:19,200
And on that day, his feet are going to stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem.
158
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:23,760
We've been talking about this Mount of Olives in the last few weeks.
159
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,680
And this is the angels, when they saw Jesus ascend from the Mount of Olives, they said,
160
00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:36,040
He will return just as He ascended, and He will return, according here to Zechariah,
161
00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:37,280
to the Mount of Olives.
162
00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:42,520
And when his feet stand on that mountain, there's going to be an earthquake like in
163
00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:44,080
the days of Uzziah.
164
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:52,160
Well, you know, it's just been in the news this year in 2021 that they have found the
165
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:58,960
archaeological evidence of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah in Jerusalem.
166
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:04,800
They'd already found evidence of it in other parts of Israel, but they hadn't found evidence
167
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,320
in Jerusalem itself.
168
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,040
They just found it this year.
169
00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:14,240
So there is going to be this mighty earthquake, and the mountain is going to split.
170
00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,320
So let's continue our reading, verse 6.
171
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:23,360
On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty or darkness.
172
00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:30,360
It will be a unique day, a day known only to the Lord, with no distinction between day
173
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:31,680
and night.
174
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,520
When evening comes, there will be light.
175
00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:40,440
And on that day, living water will flow out of Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead
176
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,880
Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea.
177
00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:52,720
And summer and in winter, the Lord will be king over the whole earth.
178
00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:59,600
On that day there will be one Lord and His name, the only name.
179
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:09,360
Now this is astounding because the living waters Jesus stood in the temple and he proclaimed
180
00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:15,320
that anyone who is thirsty come to me because you will have living waters.
181
00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:17,960
And he is the source of living waters.
182
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:25,480
And when he comes and establishes his kingdom on earth, it will be from there in Jerusalem.
183
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:31,200
And it will go from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
184
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:37,000
And His name, His only name, will be over the earth.
185
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:44,200
And then in verse 16, then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem
186
00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:52,360
will go up year after year to worship the king, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate
187
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,680
the Feast of Tabernacles.
188
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:02,960
So we are already celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles year after year there in Jerusalem,
189
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:08,400
not in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, but in preparation for it.
190
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:13,960
And we are preparing the nations for this day when they will come up to Jerusalem and
191
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:17,680
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
192
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:24,440
It will be a magnificent day and the Prophet Zechariah saw it in detail like none of the
193
00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,080
other prophets saw it.
194
00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:32,920
But in our days as we see events on the earth lining up, I can see it lining up just exactly
195
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:37,440
as Zechariah saw it.
196
00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:42,480
So enjoy the reading of Zechariah 9 through 14.
197
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,280
Let it soak in.
198
00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:48,400
It is so very exciting.
199
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,800
Now I promised you that we are going to read a second part of the scriptures that is equally
200
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:57,080
as exciting and that is the book of Esther.
201
00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:01,440
You know the book, we all love the story of a queen, right?
202
00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,800
But we love the story of Queen Esther.
203
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,760
Esther was actually a Jewish orphan.
204
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:13,360
Her Jewish name was Hadassah and she had been raised by her cousin Mordecai.
205
00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:21,280
We know the story how that the king becomes very unhappy with Queen Vashti.
206
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:32,480
So he wants to have a new queen and so Mordecai gets Hadassah entered into the contest and
207
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:37,440
she goes through all the preparations and then she has the favor of the king and she
208
00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:40,640
becomes Queen Esther.
209
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,360
We know the story.
210
00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:50,800
Well, then it goes on and the king's consort, Haman, who was full of himself and expected
211
00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:56,880
everyone to bow down to him and give honor and the Jewish people couldn't bow down to
212
00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:57,880
man.
213
00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:59,840
They're forbidden to do that.
214
00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:07,880
And so he came to hate the Jewish people and he decided to get rid of them.
215
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:09,440
That's how much he hated them.
216
00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:16,320
And so, you know, I just, I see the story of Esther as the beginning of the story of
217
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:21,520
antisemitism that has continued on from generation to generation.
218
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:27,720
And I know that we've had many stories already of kingdoms that came and they overtook the
219
00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,160
Jews and they destroyed it all.
220
00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:34,520
But they weren't really stories of antisemitism.
221
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:41,080
They were stories of the ancient kingdoms and that you had to worship the gods of that
222
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:42,560
kingdom.
223
00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:51,160
And so the Jews couldn't bow down and worship these gods or they weren't supposed to.
224
00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:58,240
And I don't see that as the beginning of antisemitism, the way I see it here in the story of Haman.
225
00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:06,360
Haman came to hate the Jews because they didn't bow down to him and give him the kind of honor
226
00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:07,840
that he was looking for.
227
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:16,440
And so he comes up with this plot to have the Jews of the Persian Empire killed.
228
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,840
And he gets the king to pass this decree.
229
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:24,120
And once the king has made a decree, it's done.
230
00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:25,840
There's nothing you can do.
231
00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,680
You cannot rescind a decree that has gone out from the king.
232
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:38,480
So Hadassah has to go before the king asking for this to be rectified.
233
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:44,520
And so the only thing that the king can do in the end is to do another decree that says
234
00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,600
the Jews are allowed to defend themselves.
235
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,400
And that's how they were saved, was through self-defense.
236
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:57,320
That's a very interesting twist to the story, I think.
237
00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:04,960
Now a couple of things I want to point out to you is number one that Haman was a descendant
238
00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,000
of the Amalekites.
239
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,720
It says he was an aggagite.
240
00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:15,920
And if you remember the story back in the wilderness when the Jews were delivered from
241
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:22,520
Egypt, the very first people to attack them in the desert were the Amalekites.
242
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:31,120
And so the Lord decreed, declared, the Lord declared that he was going to wipe out the
243
00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:32,120
Amalekites.
244
00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:34,240
He was going to bring them to an end.
245
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:39,920
But it said there was an interesting verse there that the Lord would fight the Amalekites
246
00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:41,720
from generation to generation.
247
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,840
And that's in Exodus 17.
248
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,960
Let me read to you verses 15 and 16.
249
00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:53,080
Moses built an altar and called it, the Lord is my banner.
250
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:59,800
And he said, because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at
251
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:06,440
war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.
252
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:13,800
And so here we have Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, come up with this decree to
253
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,880
kill the Jews of the Persian Empire.
254
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:25,640
Now the other thing I want you to know is that right there in Esther chapter 1 verse
255
00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:36,720
1, it says that at the time of this king that the Persian Empire stretched all the way from
256
00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:41,160
India in the east to Ethiopia in the west.
257
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,320
Now I want you to think about this for a minute.
258
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,000
This is how big the Persian Empire was.
259
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:58,320
It was all the way from India, which included Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey,
260
00:22:58,320 --> 00:22:59,480
all of the Middle East.
261
00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:10,120
Of course today, what is Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel into Egypt, Libya up to Ethiopia.
262
00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:18,760
It took in Turkey up in the north, crossed the sea into what is Europe today.
263
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,240
That's how big the Persian Empire was.
264
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:27,840
So think for me for a minute, if they had succeeded in killing all the Jews of the Persian
265
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:32,120
Empire, that's all the Jews.
266
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:38,600
This was a threat, an existential threat to the Jewish people forever.
267
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,720
That's why God intervened.
268
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:47,120
That's why what Queen Esther did was so important.
269
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:51,360
God was saving his people as he had promised to do.
270
00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:56,160
But the whole plan of God was on the line here.
271
00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:01,160
If Haman had succeeded in wiping out the Jewish people, that was it.
272
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:03,520
God's plan was over.
273
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:05,160
He had chosen this people.
274
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:11,080
He had made promises and declarations of how he was going to use this people and the descendants
275
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,880
of King David.
276
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,560
That would have been all over.
277
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,680
500 years later, there would have been no Jewish people back in the land.
278
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:26,680
There would have been no Jewish Joseph and Mary to give birth to Jesus and to raise Jesus.
279
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:32,120
There would have been no temple to take Jesus to for a circumcision or when he was 12 years
280
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:33,120
old.
281
00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:35,520
But that would have been there.
282
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,880
It would have been all over.
283
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:43,760
This is why the book of Esther is so important.
284
00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:51,160
And this is why the Jewish people celebrate the story of Esther every year and the celebration
285
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,040
is called Purim.
286
00:24:55,040 --> 00:25:00,120
Maybe we should all be celebrating Purim along with them, don't you think?
287
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:07,400
Okay, this week we're also reading from the prophet of Malachi.
288
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:14,040
And Malachi is speaking to Israel as external oppositions to the building of the temple come
289
00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,480
and go.
290
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:22,120
But there is moral and religious decline and discouragement.
291
00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:27,480
And they're kind of looking for, well, where are the fulfillment of these prophecies that
292
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:28,960
have been spoken over us?
293
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:34,120
What about these prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah or Zechariah?
294
00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:37,240
I mean, the people are getting discouraged.
295
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:42,600
It's hard work rebuilding Jerusalem, rebuilding the temple.
296
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:43,960
It's really hard work.
297
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:48,800
And so Malachi starts with God's love for his people.
298
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:53,520
And then he speaks about the sins of the priest and the people.
299
00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:59,200
But then he ends the book with encouragement about the coming messenger who's going to
300
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,480
come and prepare the way.
301
00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:09,400
And so in chapter four, verse five and six, Malachi ends with this, see, I will send the
302
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:15,520
prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
303
00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,680
He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children
304
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,440
to their parents.
305
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:26,480
Or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
306
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,120
Now that's how the book ends.
307
00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:35,720
And what the prophet Malachi is saying here is that Elijah will come, the spirit of Elijah
308
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:39,400
will come to bring restoration.
309
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,440
It's all about relationship.
310
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:48,280
And as the people's relationship is restored to the Lord, it's restored within their families,
311
00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:52,960
within their society as they live in obedience with the Lord.
312
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:59,040
And if the Lord comes and he doesn't find obedience, then it says here that there would
313
00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,040
be destruction.
314
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:09,800
So Malachi is giving his people instruction and correction, but at the same time with
315
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:11,840
a ray of hope.
316
00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:17,800
Well, now that we have gone through the inspiring visions of Zechariah and we've heard the
317
00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:23,800
wonderful story of the rescue of the Jewish people in the Book of Esther, let's return
318
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,560
to our storyline before we close out today.
319
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:34,480
So we've previously been reading about the first return of the exiles under Zerubbabel.
320
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,400
We read about that in Ezra 1 through 6.
321
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:44,320
And those exiles actually completed the rebuilding of the temple.
322
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:50,640
And roughly 60 years after the temple was completed is when we have the story that begins
323
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,480
in Ezra 7 through the end of the book.
324
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,400
And that is the return of a second group of exiles led by Ezra.
325
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:06,400
Now the temple was up and running and the high priest Joshua was Ezra's cousin.
326
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:13,240
And Ezra had a love for the law and the Word of God, and he wanted to bring spiritual revival
327
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:14,400
to the people.
328
00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:18,760
He wanted to bring back obedience to the law.
329
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,440
And that's really what his emphasis was.
330
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:23,880
And he gets back to the land.
331
00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,280
He brings about 40,000 exiles with him.
332
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:28,720
And what does he find?
333
00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:30,720
Intermarriage.
334
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:35,880
They have all been intermarrying with pagan women from the nations and people surrounding
335
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,320
the area.
336
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:44,800
And Ezra is so upset because he knows it was intermarriage that brought sin into the camp
337
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:49,360
to begin with and really that caused its downfall.
338
00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:53,120
Beginning with Solomon and all the way through their history.
339
00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,480
And he was so distraught over this.
340
00:28:55,480 --> 00:29:01,720
So one of the men in the camp said, well, let's force them to divorce.
341
00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:06,520
And so they gather all the men and they have a registry of them.
342
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:11,040
And these men willfully leave their wives and their children.
343
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:16,480
Now we may be appalled by this story.
344
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:24,200
And it's interesting that in the book of Malachi, which is probably written by Ezra, that's
345
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,440
the rabbinic tradition is it was Ezra that wrote Malachi.
346
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,720
In there God says he hates divorce.
347
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:37,960
But he's talking about divorce caused by unfaithfulness in Malachi.
348
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:44,720
So I think that the prophet Ezra wanted or needed saw the need to clarify here that divorce
349
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,160
is not good.
350
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,400
It's not acceptable.
351
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:54,680
But in this case, it was for the survival of the Jewish people in the land.
352
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,040
So interesting little story there.
353
00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:04,200
And sorry to end our week together on that note, but that ends our story for this week.
354
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:11,240
And so enjoy the reading of Zechariah and Esther this week.
355
00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:13,360
I'll see you back here next week.
356
00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:15,720
And until then, God bless.
357
00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:23,360
Hey, I invite you to join me on an 11 week trip through the pages of the New Testament.
358
00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:29,840
Follow along with me as we hear the story of Jesus, the apostles, their writings, and
359
00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:34,240
that final great vision of John of the return of Jesus.
360
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:39,920
You will understand the story of the New Testament and that it's still going on today
361
00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:41,960
and you have a part in it.
362
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:49,000
So sign up today at theoutofzeionshow.com, request your New Testament reading guide,
363
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,960
and I can't wait to get started.
364
00:30:50,960 --> 00:31:11,920
I'll see you then.
Join the Email List
Listen On
