The restoration and compunction of God's people foretold. 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 Jeru salem. 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 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. LECTURE 1453. The edifying application of unfulfilled prophecy. "The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel" is here introduced, with an awakening description of the Lord, as the Idolatry is to be put away. 1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. : 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: The Shepherd will be smitten. 5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried : they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. LECTURE 1454. The effects of the persecution of the early Christians, We know that when Christ died on the cross, then was there "a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness." This proves, that the expression, "In that day," refers to the times of the Gospel. But it leaves us still uncertain as to what particular period of the Gospel dispensation is here intended. For hitherto that fountain has been opened in vain to a large portion of the Jews. And it may be, that the thing here meant is the opening of their hearts by faith, whereby that fountain, long since open to others, shall be no more closed to them by their own perversity. And certainly it is not easy to point out any past period of time, in which the Jews have displayed a zeal, at once against idolatry and against false prophets, such as is here described; when even a man's parents shall thrust him through when he prophesieth," and when those who have been marked with scars, in honour of idol gods, shall be anxious to give such an account of their wounds, as may prove that they are not guilty of idolatry. All this however may relate to the abhorrence of idolatry and of lying divination implanted in the Christian church, and to the hateful light in which these practices are placed by the spirit of the Gospel. And may be also designed to foreshew, that even where idolatry is practised, as it has been, and still is, to a very great extent, among professors of the Gospel, still they who practise it are ashamed of it, and tax their ingenuity for excuses and distinctions, whereby to prove that though they bow down to images, and pray to saints and angels, they are not justly called idolaters. The next prophecy has been applied by our blessed Lord to his own case. For thus He told his disciples when they went out together to the mount of Olives, before He was betrayed; ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." Matt. 26. 31. Here then we are evidently taken to the time of Christ's suffering in man's behalf; and we are led to observe, that his blood shed on the cross is the fountain opened for the cleansing of the sins of all men. Nor must we fail to remark the language, in which the Lord of hosts speaks of the Shepherd who is to be smitten. Which language, having been appropriated by our blessed Lord unto Himself, suggests to us most forcibly the notion of communion between persons in the Godhead; and that, in connexion with the death of Christ. But this is a mystery so deep, and to our understandings so unfathomable, that we do wisely never to go one step herein beyond the express letter of God's word; content to receive that which we are not able to explain, and where we cannot in the least comprehend still humbly and wholly to adore. The remainder of the chapter seems to refer to the dreadful persecutions to which the early Christians were subjected for several generations. "Two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein." The two parts that died may mean those multitudes who shrunk from martyrdom, denied the faith they had professed, and by thus saving their lives lost them. The third part is that which was tried and refined in the fire of persecution, assayed, and proved to be true gold. These when brought before rulers and kings, still boldly said, "The Lord is my God." And when they called on his name He heard them. And before all the world He has declared to their honour, "It is my people." Man might be permitted to slay them. But God has made their blood the means of multiplying the number of believers; their constancy and faithfulness convincing the beholders, silencing the accusers, and constraining their judges from the least to the greatest, even up to the monarch on his throne, to cast away their idols, and join with them in saying, "The Lord is my God." The restoration of God's people in Jerusalem. 1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark : 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. 11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. LECTURE 1455. Of caution in interpreting unfulfilled prophecy. In a series of prophecies so comprehensive as these of Zechariah, it is reasonable to expect that some must relate to events yet future. And this appears to be altogether the case with this concluding chapter. In comparing it with other passages in prophetic Scripture, it affords additional ground for an opinion generally prevalent, that some great manifestation of divine power will yet be vouchsafed by God, in the cause of his ancient people. For it may be considered as signifying, that the Jews will again be put in possession of Judea and Jerusalem, that there they will be assailed by a wicked confederacy of the nations of the earth, from whom |