18. The Nations Attack Israel

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Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church

Adult Sunday School
1 July 2018

THE NATIONS ATTACK ISRAEL

Zechariah 12:1-14 (KJV)

1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall bemy strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his onlyson, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (Zech. 12:1-14 KJV)

(1) THE SECOND ORACLE

1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. (Zech. 12:1 KJV)

12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts: 14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate. (Zech. 7:12-14 KJV)

“For thus saith the Lord of hosts… he that toucheth Israel toucheth the apple of His eye.”

The first oracle deals with the rejection of the good Shepherd. The second oracle (Zech. 12-14) deals with the divine purging where Israel herself will be sifted and purified in her final struggle with the nations and will be transformed into a holy, priestly nation at the Second Coming of Christ. The day will come when there will be a national repentance of the nation of Israel. Messiah will physically deliver Israel from their enemies. This oracle is called “the burden of the word of the Lord for Israel.”

The earth was the focal point in the Lord’s creation of the universe (“stretching forth of the heavens”) and man was the focal point in the Lord’s creation of the earth. A brother once went to the mortuary as part of his police training to see a human body with the flesh removed to expose the internal organs. He testified that he was awed by the sight because he saw exquisite beauty in the design of the human body and he gratefully remembered his Creator. The rebellion of man against his Creator is leading to a climactic confrontation with his Creator. Unrest and chaos proliferate in this world as a result of man’s fallen nature. We can observe a further focus of God on His covenant people Israel. Surely God’s people want to know the end from the beginning. These last three chapters delineates the beginning of the end – great suffering and great deliverance for Israel.

The hardness of man’s heart is like an adamant stone. Israel, the chosen of God, was so hardened to reject their Messiah that God has to put them through the fiery furnace to melt the hardness of their heart. Israel was scattered to the four corners of the earth. Yet, we see God’s gracious and merciful hand sustaining the nation even as a thread. Is our heart so hardened that we cannot see the gracious hand of God drawing us back to Him in our afflictions? His love will not let us go when we belong to Him! We may wander from Him but He will draw us back!

The Lord will not forsake His own. Thank You, Lord, for the comfort from Your Word.

(2) THE NATIONS ATTACK JERUSALEM

2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

Psalm 27:1 <A Psalm of David.> The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Ps. 27:1-14 KJV)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation… the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

The signal is given in verse 2,

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.” The nations of the earth will lay siege on Jerusalem. The “cup of trembling” is an “intoxicating cup.” The Gentile nations who attacked Jerusalem will drink the wrath of God and stagger at the confusion.

Since Israel’s independence in 1948, she had to fight many wars to maintain her sovereignty. This will continue until the final war (Zech. 12:2-9). In June 1973, General Shazli wrote in the introduction to a pamphlet distributed to all Egyptian soldiers, “My sons, officers and men. The Jews have gone beyond all limits in arrogance. We, the sons of Egypt are determined to throw them back, to sweep through their positions, killing and destroying them, to cleanse the shame of the defeat of 1967, and to regain our honor and pride. Kill them whenever you find them, and beware lest they pretend to surrender to you so that they can overcome and kill you in a foul manner. Kill them. Do not pity them. And do not show them mercy.”

Shortly after midday on Saturday 6 October 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a concerted military attack against Israel. The day which they chose for the attack was the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a day of prayer and fasting. Israel lost 2378 soldiers in the battle between 6 and 24 October 1973.

Golda Meir, Israel’s then leader said, “We will win because we must live. Our neighbours are fighting not for their lives, nor for their sovereignty, they are fighting to destroy us. We will not be destroyed. We dare not be destroyed. Therefore, the spirit of our men on the front, the spirit of our people in every home, in every city, in every village, is a spirit of a people that hates war but knows that in order to live it must win the war that has been forced upon it.”

God put in the heart of Israel the will to live! Lord, help me not to succumb to the afflictions of life.

(3) THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM

3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. (Rev. 16:5 KJV)

“Jesus said, ‘Behold, I come as a thief.’”

“In that day” is used 17 times in these last three chapters referring to the day of the Messiah. It is not as His first advent in humiliation but in glory to save His own people Israel from her enemies and to establish His Millennial rule on earth. The nations of the earth will invade Jerusalem and humiliate God’s people Israel. The city of Jerusalem is like a crushing stone that brings severe injury to those who would attempt to remove it from its place. This is an account of that final siege of Jerusalem.

The history of the siege of Jerusalem can be traced to 925 B.C. by Egyptian Pharaoh Shishaq and the Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. by Sennacherib. In 597 B.C. the siege was by Nebuchadrezzar II, which crushed a rebellion in the Kingdom of Judah and resulted in the deportation of King Jehoiachin to Babylon. Then in 587 B.C. by Nebuchadrezzar II, who fought Pharaoh Apries’s attempt to invade Judah. It ended in the destruction of the city and First Temple, and the exile of prominent citizens to Babylon. In A.D. 70, the Roman General Titus led a siege that resulted in the destruction of Herod’s Temple. In A.D. 614, Shahrbaraz (Sassanid general) captured the city from the Byzantines. In A.D. 637, Umar captured the city from the Byzantine Empire. In A.D. 1099, by the crusaders, as part of the First Crusade. In A.D. 1187, by Saladin, resulting in the recapture of the city by the Muslims. In A.D. 1244, by the Khwarezmians, again resulting in the recapture of the city from the Christians, to whom it had been returned by treaty. The Battle of Jerusalem in 1917 involved the capture of the city in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I by British and Commonwealth forces. Then in 1948, during the Arab-Israeli War, Israel now occupies Jerusalem.

In that day, the Lord will defend Jerusalem. Lord, help me to see the nearness of Your Coming.

(4) DELIVERANCE AND CONVERSION

4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 5And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Rev. 3:7 KJV)

“Behold he cometh with clouds and they also which pierced him.”

The Lord shall cause a plague to arise that brings overwhelming blindness, madness and bewilderment to Israel’s enemies (v 4, Deut. 28:28). Israel will have the opportunity to devour their incapacitated enemy“like a torch of fire in a sheaf.” The leaders of Judah were much encouraged by the manifestation of God’s power to deliver His people (v 5-6). Deliverance would come first to the “tents of Judah,” signifying the Jews in rural districts. God honoured the less privileged than those living in Jerusalem by saving them first. The “glory of the house of David” refers to David’s descendents who share the honour of his name and“the inhabitants of Jerusalem” share in the glorious reputation of Jerusalem. This is the same principle of humility that Paul applied to dealings within the Body of Christ (v 7, 1 Cor 12:22-25). The weakest inhabitants will be given great honour that day (v 8). God will cause Jerusalem to triumph by destroying“all the nations” that come against His city (v 9).

Then there will come a time of Israel’s spiritual renewal by the outpour of the “Spirit of grace and of supplication (prayer)” when Messiah will be revealed in His Second Advent as Apostle John saw in Revelation 3:7. The effectual working of the Holy Spirit leads to conviction and repentance of all Israelites in bitterness, grief and mourning for their sins as they acknowledge the Messiah Jesus whom they crucified. He has returned in glory to deliver and save them to the amazement of the humbled nations. The royal (David, Nathan – 2 Sam 5:14) and priestly (Levi, Shimei – Num 3:18, 21) families are singled out to represent all the nations for all will mourn regardless of office, status or position. It is the prayer and joy of every Christian to see the conversion of the hard- hearted when the gospel is being preached. May the Lord grant a revival in our homes where the worship of God is upheld daily by the whole family.

The family that prays together stays together. Lord, be gracious to the souls of my loved ones.

(5) THE MARKS OF TRUE REPENTANCE

10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

Psalm 51:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.> Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. (Ps. 51:1-19 KJV)

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

It is a momentous time in the history of Israel when they would acknowledge the Messiah whom they have “pierced” (Jn 19:34). The spirit of grace and supplication will be poured upon Israel so that their eyes are opened to behold Jesus, and to recognize the fearful national crime which they have committed to their own sorrow and hurt. The intensity of bitterness of sorrow and grief is described as one that“mourneth for his only son.” The godly sorrow of Israel will not be in vain. The repentant will be restored. It is a momentous time in our life when we realize our estranged condition away from God and truly come in repentance and contrition of heart.

The repentance of Israel will be universal and yet individual (v 11- 14). “The mourning of Hadadrimmon”is a description of the national mourning over the pious young king Josiah slain by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kgs 23:29-30, 2 Chron 35:20-27). In that great mourning for Josiah, the prophet Jeremiah took part. Men and women of Israel sang songs of lamentation to express grief, sorrow and mourning.

When Nathan the prophet was sent by God to rebuke David for his sin of adultery, David immediately repented with contrition of heart. A direct consequence was that the baby born out of this adulterous relationship with Bathsheba died. Sin causes shame. But there is a way back with God for every repentant sinner is David’s testimony. Psalm 51:12-13 is a description of how mourning turned to joy, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” God’s gracious dealing with Israel is the same way that He will

deal with every backslidden child of His. The realization, that sudden dawning of our heinous rebellion against our God, that causes the repentant sinner to mourn and beg for forgiveness is pleasing in God’s sight.

All true repentance arises from a sight of a dying Saviour, Jesus who has died for us. Save me, Lord, from self-destruction.