TEXT:
[6] “I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
[7] Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD.
[8] “I will whistle for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as many as they were before.
[9] Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries they shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.
[10] I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
till there is no room for them.
[11] He shall pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea,
and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
[12] I will make them strong in the LORD,
and they shall walk in his name,”
declares the LORD.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Discuss how the Holy Spirit provides his people with strength. Are there any instances in your life where you’ve experienced the power of the Holy Spirit?
How does the gospel lead to joy? Have there been any instances in your life where you’ve experienced true joy in Christ?
As we walk through this life, how does the truth that one day the LORD will bring us “home” give us hope?
SERMON MANUSCRIPT
As you were to work through the Old Testament, you will often find shadows and portraits of Jesus, instances that reflect, resemble, and point to what Jesus came to accomplish on behalf of his people on the cross.
As we will see in a moment, one example would be the deliverance of God's people in Egypt. In these verses, we find the LORD, through Zechariah, fixing the gaze of God's people ahead to a time when his people will experience a second exodus, a time when he will deliver and redeem his people as he did in Egypt.
In Genesis 15, as God's entering into a covenant with Abraham, he promised Abraham four things:
his offspring would outnumber the stars (v.5)
the land before him belonged to him and his offspring (v.18-20),
his offspring would become sojourners in a foreign land where they would be afflicted for four hundred years (v.13),
after four hundred years of affliction, God would lead his people back to their rightful land (vs.14-16).
Fast forward to Genesis 37, and we're introduced to Joseph, the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac; Isaac was the son of Abraham. Jacob loved Joseph deeply (more than all his other sons). And, one day, Joseph had a dream that he would reign over his older brothers and that they would bow down before him.
This didn't sit right with the brothers, making them more jealous than they already were of Joseph. And their jealous hatred caused them to want to kill Joseph.
But, as they were pursuing their brother's assassination, one of the brothers, Judah, spoke up. He said, "Instead of killing him, why don't we sell him into slavery?"
All of the brothers agreed, and they sold Joseph as a slave to Egypt.
Through a wild tale of events, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a dream that no one could interpret except Joseph. Joseph interpreted the dream, telling Pharaoh that Egypt would experience seven good years of plenty and seven years of severe famine. Therefore, Egypt should steward the seven years of plenty well to prepare for the seven years of famine.
Following the interpretation of this dream, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to a place of prominent power in Egypt.
When the years of plenty ended, the famine took over the land. And the famine was so severe that it took over the entire world, which led people from all different nations to come to Egypt to buy grain. During this time, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to get help. Through this process, Joseph was able to show grace and forgiveness to his brothers. He was able to provide for his family back home, leading him to say, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." In other words, God had a good plan for his covenantal people whenever Joseph was sold into slavery.
Fast forward again, and you find Joseph's family (God's people) moved to Egypt. In Egypt, they grew and multiplied greatly. Things were going well for them. But, over the years, a new king arose in Egypt who didn't know Joseph, leading to him beginning to oppress the people of God in Egypt (just like God had promised). After 400 years of oppression, God hears the cry of his people, and he sets them free from captivity, leading them back to the land he once promised to Abraham.
Through this story, we find God's people had become scattered among the nation of Egypt. They were oppressed for an extended period of time in Egypt. God delivered his people from oppression in Egypt. And he miraculously led them home to the land he had once promised.
As we will see today, this story sits as the foundation of the promises of Zechariah here. In these verses, God says that another exodus is coming where God's people will be freed from captivity and brought home to walk with him in his name. God is telling his people that what happened in the past points to what will happen in the future.
As we work through this passage today, we will find ourselves standing between two realities—a reality that we partake in now and a reality that will take place in the future. And to tease out these two realities, I want to address two interpretations of these verses quickly.
Interpretation one is that these verses describe a future saving of the nation Israel. Romans 11 explains how a partial hardening has come upon Israel so that the gospel could go forth into the world (the other nations), allowing the Gentiles to be grafted into God's holy nation. Those who hold to this interpretation would say that a "partial hardening" indicates that this hardening of Israel will one day be lifted, allowing all of Israel to see the truth of the gospel and believe/trust in Jesus. Therefore, this camp would say that this verse describes what will occur whenever this partial hardening is lifted, which means that these verses have not yet been fulfilled. They're something we look ahead to one day. Israel will be saved and restored one day, and God's people will be brought home.
Interpretation two would be that these verses describe something occurring now and apply directly to the church today. The book of Galatians teaches us that if we (Gentiles) are in Christ, then we are now sons of Abraham, sons of promise. If we are sons of Abraham, we are a part of God's holy nation. Through faith, we have been grafted into God's family, and we are now a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. Therefore, these verses would describe the salvation that we are experiencing in Christ today. The latter interpretation is the primary lens through which I want us to view these verses today. As we work our way through these verses, I'll seek to apply the application to both views. But, we will spend most of our time drawing application from this latter view.
So, let's dive in.
"[6] I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
[7] Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD."
HOPE FOR THE WEARY
Here we have two houses being blessed by God, the house of Judah and the house of Joseph. Judah and Joseph were brothers; they were both sons of Jacob. Joseph was the brother sold into slavery in Egypt, and Judah was one of the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery. When all the brothers wanted to kill Joseph, Judah recommended selling him instead.
Most commentators believe these two men represent God's northern and southern kingdoms. In other words, the LORD here addresses all of Israel, the total people of God. He will soon bless all his people (not some) with strength and salvation.
In these two verses, we see God promise to do three things: strengthen, save, and bring back his people who were scattered. To be strengthened implies weakness. To be saved implies trouble and despair. To be brought back implies being far off. God will make strong a people who are weak, deliver a people in despair, and draw near a people who were far off. So, the hope for their future resides not in themselves but in the LORD.
Now, why will he do this for his people? Because they deserve it? No. Because his heart became full of mercy, pity, and compassion for his people— "I will bring them back because I have compassion on them..." This reminds us that redemption and salvation are not a result of our strength; they are a result of God's mercy. You do not possess the ability to save yourself, nor do you possess the strength within yourself to live out the Christian faith.
A child who falls out of a boat in an ocean does not save himself by silently swimming back into the boat against the current. He does not possess the strength or ability to bring himself to safety. That child's only hope is to cry out for help. His only hope is for someone to dive into the water and intervene on his behalf.
Brothers and sisters, I fear that many of us, instead of crying out for help, are trying to silently swim our way back into the boat. But the current is too strong. Strength and salvation do not come from within yourself. It comes from God, the one full of compassion. Salvation rests on the shoulders of God's mercy, not man's strength.
Is this a message that you need to be reminded of today? Do you find yourself weak this morning and in need of strength? Do you find yourself exhausted from swimming against the current? Do you find yourself lost and distant from God? God desires to draw the wanderer back to Himself. He wants to extend strength to the weak. He wants to save those in despair. So, we would do well to take Jesus' invitation to "come to him if we are weary and heavy laden so that we might find rest."
STRENGTH AND JOY
God's compassionate action on behalf of his people leads to a restored relationship with himself that is full of strength and joy.
The Christian life is one of strength. The same Spirit that resurrected Christ from the dead now resides within you and me. God has strengthened those who he has saved through the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Eph. 1:19, 3:16,20; Col. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:7; Js. 5:16; 2 Pet. 1:3).
So, it is by his strength living within us that we can be his witness throughout his world, in our city, and to the ends of the earth. Our gospel proclamation can be effective because of the Holy Spirit's power within us.
By His strength residing within us, we can find hope amid despair. The Holy Spirit gives us strength and comfort to endure hardships.
By his strength within us, we can put sin to death within us. The Holy Spirit convicts and empowers us to walk in holiness.
One of the invitations of the gospel is to come to Jesus and find strength. But, when God draws us to himself, he doesn't just give us power; he also gives us joy. In verse 7, the LORD says, "Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD." Those once plagued with despair will become glad as with wine, and their children will see it and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
The Christian life is a life of joy. Those who daily rest in the gospel are constantly met with tremendous joy. Those who rest their souls in God's gracious and redemptive work on the cross will always find a reason to rejoice in the LORD.
But look at the progression here in verse 7. The joy of the children will be impacted by God's work in their parents' lives— "Their children will see it (their parent's strength and joy that comes from a relationship with God) and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD."
Let me speak to mom and dad for a minute. In this verse, the child's joy follows the parent's joy. So, one of the best ways to disciple your children is to be a disciple yourself. Do you want your child to rejoice in the LORD? Then rejoice in the LORD yourself. Do you want your child to study the Bible? Study the Bible yourself. Do you want your child to pray? Show them how to pray. Do you want your child to worship? Show them how to worship.
In these two verses, we find God's compassion for his people leads to him saving his people, strengthening his people, and drawing them back to himself, which leads to the joyful celebration of his people. They will experience a relationship with God where he hears and answers their requests. He will strengthen them, making them like mighty warriors. He will save them, transforming their sorrow into gladness and their silence into rejoicing. He will bring them back as if He had never rejected them.
As we continue to read, the LORD says, "I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before."
A SECOND EXODUS
The word for whistle is šāraq (Shaw-rak'). It means to hiss, whistle, or pipe. In Scripture, it's often used to describe a shrilling sound of disappointment made by man. But, in this context, it's used as a distinct calling to gather his people in, like a shepherd whistling to bring his sheep back to himself.
Here we find the LORD, through Zechariah, setting up a beautiful imagery of God calling to himself a scattered people to create an abundance of people. Because they have been redeemed/delivered/set free, they will be gathered in. Although they are a remnant now, they will soon be a prominent redeemed people.
In verse 9, the LORD says, "Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return."
When you read "scattered," I want you to think of a farmer scattering and planting seeds. Like Joseph, God had scattered his chosen people among the nations, and like his children, he will soon lead them home. A day is coming when it is time to harvest the scattered seed planted in faraway countries. A second exodus is coming.
As verse 10 says, the LORD will "bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them." The LORD was planning to bring his redeemed people home. The land of oppression and sin will no longer be where they reside because the LORD is calling them home.
Verse 11 says, "He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart."
In the same way that the LORD powerfully rescued his people out of Egypt, leading them back to the promised land, he will rescue his people and lead them back to the promised land. He will "make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name."
Here's where we find ourselves today. We stand between two exoduses: a spiritual exodus and a literal exodus.
Spiritually, you and I have been redeemed. God has called you to himself, and, right now, you are safe in him. You are home in Christ. Right now, if you are in Christ, you are strong in the LORD and can walk in his name. Jesus has passed through the sea of troubles, and he has struck down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile have been dried up because of his atoning work on the cross. Because of the cross, your sins have been forgiven. Because of the cross, the debt of your sin has been nailed to the cross. Therefore, Christ has disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them.
The Christian life is a life with God, not a life distant from God. So, spiritually speaking, we have journeyed from the land of sin, despair, and oppression to the holy land of God full of life and joy. But, although we have encountered a spiritual exodus as Christians today, we also look ahead to a physical exodus that is to come. One day soon, the first heaven and the first earth will pass away, and the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And God will powerfully lead his people into this land that is promised. And it's here that God will dwell with his people for all eternity. Here, he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death will be no more.