The Messiah’s Worshippers

The Messiah’s WorshippersZechariah 14:16-21October 15, 2023 Many years ago I took my first trip to Israel. The trip ended with several days in Jerusalem and I, like all the other visitors, was struck by the presence of armed military everywhere. In the markets, at the Wailing Wall, at the city gates, at the holy sites…it […]

The Messiah’s Victory

The Messiah’s VictoryZechariah 14:10-15September 24, 2023 One husband was complaining to his wife about their children, wondering if they would ever grow up. Saying, “Just a moment,” his wife pulled out a worn box that contained a frayed, yellowing diary — her diary from the year 1945. She read this entry from a particularly bad […]

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)Zechariah 14:6-9September 17, 2023 The coming of the Messiah (Christ) as King is one of the dominant themes in the OT: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful […]

The Messiah’s Return

The Messiah’s ReturnZechariah 14:1-5September 10, 2023 In February 1942, the American war against the Japanese in the Philippines was not going well. It was going so poorly that by March 12, 1942, President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur, who was stationed in the Philippines, to leave and relocate his command in Australia. MacArthur briefly considered […]

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work, Pt. 2

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work, Pt. 2Zechariah 13:7-9September 3, 2023 In his book, Rejoicing in Christ, Michael Reeves writes, “On the cross we are given not only the sweet salvation of God but the counterintuitive revelation of God. On the cross we see how humble, how self-giving, how perfectly generous and compassionate the living God is. […]

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work

The Messiah’s Redeeming WorkZechariah 13:1-6August 27, 2023 A few years ago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Invention Index conducted a poll, asking what five inventions Americans believed they could not live without. The answers (in reverse order) were: 5. The microwave4. The cell phone3. The personal computer2. The automobile1. The toothbrush Another survey found that the […]

God’s Salvation of Israel

God’s Salvation of IsraelZechariah 12:10-14July 30, 2023 John Piper writes about the unlikely conversion of a sinner — A great testimony to the power of the Word to beget and sustain faith is found in the story of the conversion and execution of Tokichi Ishii—a man who was hanged for murder in Tokyo in […]

God’s “I Will”

God’s “I Will”Zechariah 12:2-9July 23, 2023 In “If I Were in Charge of the World,” Judith Viorst’s popular child character Alexander opines, If I were in charge of the worldThere’d be brighter night lights,Healthier hamsters, andBasketball baskets forty-eight inches lower. If I were in charge of the worldYou wouldn’t have lonely.You wouldn’t have clean.You wouldn’t have […]

God’s Right to Speak

God’s Right to SpeakZechariah 12:1July 16, 2023 I loved my mom and learned so very much from her. She was a gift of great grace from the Lord to me. But she had one habit that I could never adopt, even though I understood it. One day I saw her reading a book that I […]

God’s Worthless Shepherd

God’s Worthless Shepherd Zechariah 11:5-17July 9, 2023 I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to know from year to year what I should and shouldn’t eat — what’s good for me and what’s bad for me? High fat? Low fat? Eggs or no eggs? Carbs or no carbs? Meat? Vegetarian? Or vegan? A […]

When the Shepherd is Rejected

When the Shepherd is RejectedZechariah 11:7-14June 25, 2023 Everything seemed to go poorly for Israel. Way back in her history after Solomon died there was political maneuvering for the kingship of Israel and it led to strife, conflict, and a divided nation. It stayed that way for centuries. There were even battles between the northern […]

God’s Compassion and the Danger of Rejecting the Shepherd

God’s Compassion and the Danger of Rejecting the ShepherdZechariah 11:1-6June 18, 2023 A few years ago, a photographer accumulated several photos of some of the most famous places in the world that he had visited. Some of you might have been to some of these places as well — do you remember them the way […]

God, Our Strength

God, Our StrengthZechariah 10:6-12June 11, 2023 Many years ago, a despondent looking Charlie Brown lamented to his friend Lucy, “I feel inferior.” Lucy hopefully responds, “Oh, you shouldn’t worry about that. Lots of people feel that way.” “What, that they’re inferior?” Charlie asks, feeling somewhat encouraged. “No — that you’re inferior.” In one of […]

The Bad Shepherds

The Bad ShepherdsZechariah 10:1-5June 4, 2023 One of the beauties of Scripture is that it takes a transcendent, infinite, unknowable God and reveals Him to us not only so that we can know Him, but that we can understand Him. One way the Bible does that is by taking things that we know and […]

God, the Faithful Shepherd-King

God, the Faithful Shepherd-KingZechariah 9:11-17May 14, 2023 I suppose most people in most nations complain about their political leaders. Ingrained in the fallenness of man is an inherent rebellion against authority. So, we don’t like kings (or presidents, or dictators, or senators, or…). We don’t want anyone ruling over us, dictating what we will do […]