Author Archives: gonelikeashadowatevening

Abiding, Bible, Joy, Rejoicing, Return, Scripture

SHOUT FOR JOY

ZECHARIAH 2:10

“‘Shout for joy and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,’ declares the LORD.”

I can get excited about a lot of things, can’t you? I can yell and scream for my favorite team. I can shout for joy at the announcement of the birth of a grandbaby. I can even shout for joy during worship. Shouting for joy usually is associated with the arrival of something – a person, good news. What are you shouting for joy about?

The Lord tells the people it is time to shout for joy and rejoice? Why? Because He is coming! Wow! Can you imagine the smiles on the faces of these weary children of Israel? The great Jehovah is coming into their midst. He is returning to dwell among them. What a shout must have gone up at this news from Zechariah!

APPLICATION

Isaiah 12:6 says almost the same thing. “Shout and cry aloud for joy, O inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.” This wasn’t a new announcement – one that the people had not heard before, but it had been a while. In Albert Barnes’ commentary of Zechariah, he says this about this verse. “The source of joy is a fresh coming of God, a coming, whereby He should dwell abidingly among them: truly what is this, but the Incarnation? As John saith, ‘The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us.’”

You know how sweet it is to dwell in His presence. There is just something special about getting up close and personal with the God of the universe. As a believer, He dwells in you in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 6:19. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

I am not my own. My body, my soul, my spirit all belong to Him. When God indwells you, He indwells all of you. No more hidden passageways. No more closets closed off to Him. He demands access to all of you. And when we surrender our all, the joy erupts. We can’t help but to shout for joy. Are you shouting for joy today?

There’ll be joy in the morning on that day!

Standard
Advocate, Angels, Bible, Caregiver, Comfort, Cowardice, Fear, Hand, Protection, Scripture

THE WAVE OF HIS HAND

ZECHARIAH 2:9

“For behold, I am going to wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me.”

I have known several young ladies who were beauty queens. My high school sweetheart was Miss Pelham. So was my sister. They both went on to compete in the Miss Georgia contest. One thing you have to practice as a beauty contestant is your hand wave. When you are riding in parades and such, you are expected to wave like a beauty queen. Don’t ask me how to do it because I have no clue, lol.

The angel who was delivering this message now switches to the first person. As God’s messenger, he will wave his hand over their enemies and defeat them. Look at that again. All he has to do is wave his hand. Wow! Now that is power. That is all it took – a wave of his hand, as God’s messenger. His power wasn’t his power. It was God’s. He pointed to that. “Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me.

APPLICATION

In Job 27:11, Job tells his friends this. “I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.” God’s hand represented God’s way of dealing with the wicked. His method of operation is evident in His hands. God will deal with the evil forces of this world one day. We just have wait and watch.

So why do we cower in fear? All God has to do is wave His hand at those who try to defeat us. We are under His protection. We are His children. God tells us over and over in His Word to not be afraid. Yet we doubt His abilities. Now, if you asked someone if they believed God could do all these things, you would get an affirmative answer. Their behaviors, however, tell a different story.

My hands have been used to protect, soothe, comfort, wipe away tears and hold someone dear. God does the same with His hands toward us. If someone was attacking one of my loved ones, I would use my hands to defend them the best that I could. If we, as humans, will do that, don’t you think our heavenly will do that and so much more?

You’ve got the whole world in Your hands.

Standard
Bible, Eyes, Fellowship, Looking, Love, Radiance, Reflection, Scripture

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

ZECHARIAH 2:8

“For the LORD of armies says this: ‘After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.’”

You have heard, I am sure, lots of moms or dads say that their child was the apple of their eye. What does that mean? Well, I googled it. Here’s what I found. “The phrase comes from a Hebrew expression that literally means ‘little man of the eye. ‘ It refers to the tiny reflection of yourself that you can see in other people’s pupils. To be the apple of someone’s eye clearly means that you are being focused on and watched closely by that person.”

That certainly applies to today’s verse. Israel was the apple of God’s eye. He was focused on theme. He was watching them closely. So, if anyone touched them, they were touching God as well. We know what that means. If the enemies of Israel touched her, they were going to receive the full wrath of God. What a promise Zechariah was delivering to an exile weary people.

APPLICATION

I decided to see where else that phrase “apple of my eye” was used in Scripture. I found three other locations. The first is in   Psalm 17:8. “Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” Another was in Deuteronomy 32:10. “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling wasteland of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.” And the third is in Proverbs 7:2. “Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.”

Those first two are how God sees us – as the apple of His eye. If you are a child of the King, that is a given. But the third is referring to how we see God’s Word. We should have it as the apple of our eyes. We should watch it closely. We should focus on it. And Who is the Word? Jesus. Jesus should be able to see Himself in our eyes.

How close are you to the Lord today? We know He sees us as the apple of His eye, but are you seeing Jesus that way? Is He the apple of your eye. Come closer. Let Him look intently into your eyes. He wants to see Himself in you. Come closer. Come closer still. Now then – there’s that reflection He is looking for. And now you can see yourself in His eyes. You are the apple of His eye.

I shall look closely at You, O Lord. I want to see Jesus as the apple of my eye.

Standard
Uncategorized

GET SLIPPERY

ZECHARIAH 2:7

“‘You, Zion! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.’”

Have you ever watched a greased pig chase at a county or state fair? They will slick up the little pigs with some type of oil and then have people (usually children) get in the pen and try to catch one. Those little pigs just slip right out of their hands. They wiggle and squeal and slide away. It is really hilarious to watch. The winner, of course, is the one who can catch the pig and bring it to the one in charge.

Zion, the name by which the children of Israel was called, is being told to escape from Babylon. Danger is approaching. The Lord God is about to deliver judgment on Babylon for the way they have treated them during their exile. The Hebrew word for “escape” literally means to slip away yourself. They needed to decide. They couldn’t stay there.

APPLICATION

I don’t know why but the words to the song by Paul Simon keep going through my mind. “Slip Slidin’ Away” says this in the chorus. “Slip slidin’ away, Slip slidin’ away, You know the nearer your destination the more you’re slip slidin’ away.” Call me weird but things just pop in my head sometimes, especially song lyrics.

We are slip slidin’ away. We, as believers, have escaped the clutches of Satan and are headed toward Jesus. We had to make that decision to slide away. Satan was not going to release us willingly. But the blood of Jesus breaks every chain that binds us. He set us free by His sacrifice so that we could slip slide away, right into His arms.

Unfortunately, some of us are like those greased pigs. Once we are in our Savior’s arms, we wiggle and squirm. We want our “freedom” again to do as we wish. We have to remember that we are safe in His arms. He only wants to comfort and protect us. Will you stop wiggling and allow Jesus to caress you and love you?  

Help me to rest in Your all-powerful hands, O God. I know You will protect and shield me.

Standard
Bible, Captivity, Freedom, Running, Scripture

YOU HAD BETTER RUN TO GOD

ZECHARIAH 2:6

“‘You there! Flee from the land of the north,’ declares the LORD, ‘because I have spread you out like the four winds of the heavens,’ declares the LORD.”

Have you ever been told, “Run and run hard”? When I was a little boy my brother and I used to love to go to my Grandma Carter’s farm because we could roam that place and find all sorts of things to do. We loved to climb over in the pasture with the cows (that was a no-no, but we did it anyway). We would get as close to them as we could and then we would throw rocks at them. All is well until…you hit the bull. He didn’t like that. We would get chased by him and have to dive under the fence to escape. I can still hear my brother Tim yelling, “Run, Carl, Run!!”

The Lord God is delivering His message through the angel to Zechariah, but it is meant for all those still in Babylon. He says, “Run! Get back home! I’ve got a place for you here where you can spread out and be safe.” In fact, the sentence begins with a double yell. He cries out “Hoy, Hoy” just to get their attention. In other words, “Hey you there, you better listen up.”

APPLICATION

Isaiah tells the people a very similar message in Isaiah 48:20. “Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with the sound of joyful shouting, proclaim this, send it out to the end of the earth; Say, ‘The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob.’” You have to understand something. For some of the captives, all they had ever known was Babylon. The thought of leaving, even a captivity, was frightening. It took some urging.

Is that you? You know you are being held captive by your sins. You know you need to leave what you are doing, but you are afraid to step out. Listen! Hoy! The God who is calling you is waiting for you. He has a better place for you. He would not call you out of the sin you are in to place you in a worse place. He is all about drawing us near to Him.

That reminds me of James 4:8. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Do that today. Cleanse and purify. That is done by coming to Him. He is the One who cleanses. He is the One who purifies.

I run to You, O God. I know You are standing with open arms.

Standard
Bible, Fire, Glory, Protection, Scripture

FIRE AND GLORY

ZECHARIAH 2:5

“‘But I,’ declares the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire to her on all sides, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

I have never seen a huge wall of fire. The closest I have come to that is when I watched my grandmother burn off a field. She walked the edge of the field and started small fires every six or eight feet. I remember those flames moving forward and eventually connecting until there was one continuous wall of fire to watch. But that fire burned out.

What we have today in verse 5 is the Lord saying He would be the fire that would encircle Jerusalem. He would be a wall of deterrence to anyone who tried to attack. And His fire does not burn out. Not only would He be the fire, but He also would send His glory in their midst. He would dwell with them.

APPLICATION

This reminds me of the pillar of fire that the Lord sent to be with the people of Israel when they left Egypt. Exodus 13:21 says, “And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.” He led them by His fire.

God will still lead you by His fire. That fire may not look the same as it did to the Israelites. He puts a fire within us, which is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. He will burn within you and will never be extinguished. I don’t care what you do, if you are child of God, there is nothing you can do to put out that flame. You may not let it shine as it should, but it’s still there.

We are to let the flame of God light our way and point others to Jesus. If we are shining our light brightly, we will lead others to the light. People want to see. They may not even realize they are walking in darkness until you shine the light of God’s love on them. Will you be the flame that points others to Him?

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

Standard
Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Encouragement, Filled, Oveflowing, Promises, Scripture

OVERFLOWING

ZECHARIAH 2:4

“And he said to him, ‘Run, speak to that young man there, saying, “Jerusalem will be inhabited as open country because of the multitude of people and cattle within it.”’”

I remember years ago attending a church that was busting at the seams. It had to change to multiple services on Sunday and still had to bring extra chairs into the sanctuary to give everyone a seat. We needed to knock down the walls to open up the area for more seats but couldn’t. What a fun time that was. How exciting to be part of such growth.

The angel gives Zechariah a message about Jerusalem. He tells him that it is going to be so populated that there won’t be a need for walls. The people and cattle are going to spill over the whole area. After years of exile and returning to a diminished number in the land, this was exciting news. The Lord is promising to repopulate the nation to overflowing.

APPLICATION

I have this song going through my mind right now that says, “And now I’m filled to overflowing. I don’t mind the whole world knowing. Yes, I’m filled to overflowing with His soul-supplying, satisfying love.” Gary McSpadden sang that song back in 1979. I loved his music.

Doesn’t God fill us to overflowing with His love? You have been filled to overflowing with His Holy Spirit. As you study His Word, it fills your heart and mind to overflowing. Colossians 2:7 tells us that we are also overflowing with gratitude. “…having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

I personally like 2 Corinthians 1:5. In the CSV it reads, “For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” Sufferings? Really? Yes, but they are in order for us to receive His comfort so that we in turn can overflow that comfort to others. What a beautiful concept. We are allowed to suffer to receive God’s comfort so that we can comfort others who are suffering. Will you overflow today in some way?

Lord, I’m filled to overflowing. I don’t mind the whole world knowing. I’m filled to overflowing with Your soul-supplying, satisfying love

Standard
Angels, Belief, Bible, Caregiver, Inspirational, Messages, Ministry, Scripture

ANGELS, ANGELS EVERYWHERE

ZECHARIAH 2:3

“And behold, the angel who had been speaking with me was going out, and another angel was going out to meet him.”

Have you ever noticed that when you get something new, all of a sudden everywhere you look you see somebody with the same thing. They are everywhere. My wife and I are experiencing that regarding our grandchildren. We never noticed grandparents with their grandchildren out and about until we had our own grandchildren. Now, everywhere we look we see grandparents with their grandchildren.

Zechariah has seen a lot of angels already in his visions from the Lord. I don’t know how many angels Zechariah had seen before all this started, but I am willing to bet not too many. Now, they are everywhere. Some are telling him things while others are directing the other angels. We don’t know who these two angels are in today’s verse, but if they were sent by the Lord, they must have been important to listen to.

APPLICATION

Did you know right now there are angels all around you? I truly believe we live in realm that embodies angels of all kinds. Unfortunately, media has portrayed angels in a way that is not exactly biblical. For example, The Bishop’s Wife had Cary Grant doing all sorts of mystical things as an angel, including decorating a Christmas tree. Angels are sent with a message. Angels are sent for a purpose.

The author of Hebrews addresses this question in Hebrews 1:14. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” We are told in Mark 1:13 that God sent angels to minister to Jesus while He was in the wilderness. Do you get the picture? Angels are among us.

One of my favorite angel verses is Hebrews 13:2. “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” You just never know if that stranger you meet might be an angel. The point is this – the Lord is watching over us. He cares for us and, if need be, will send His ministering angels to care for us.

Thank You for watching over me and sending Your messengers into my life.

Standard
Answers, Asking, Bible, God's Will, Questions, Relationships, Scripture

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

ZECHARIAH 2:2

“So I said, ‘Where are you going?’ And he said to me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.’”

What a great question! Have you ever asked that question of anyone? I remember when my kids were teenagers and they were about to head out the door, I would say, “Where are you going?” Most of the time it was to work or to a friend’s house. But I wanted to know where they were going. Why? Was I just being inquisitive? No! I had a vested interest in where they were going. I was their father and needed to know that.

Verse 2 today is the first time we see Zechariah asking the Angel of the Lord anything directly. In the other two visions in chapter 1, Zechariah converses with an angel sent to speak for the Lord. But here, Zechariah talks directly to the Angel of the Lord. He sees Him with that measuring line headed towards Jerusalem, so he wants to know His intentions. He boldly asks Him and receives an answer.

APPLICATION

When is the last time you asked the Lord anything? There are so many verses in the Word that tell us to ask. One of my favorite, memorized passages is Philippians 4:6-7. I have referred to it several times in my blog. It says, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petitions with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The verb used there for “let…be made known” is a strong verb. It’s Present tense, which means continuous action. It is also in the Middle voice, which means the subject (in this case – you) have to do the action. The Holy Spirit through Paul is saying to keep asking. Tell the Father what you need.

Boy, I’ve done that a lot. Haven’t you? A friend of mine just lost his wife to cancer this week. She had fought this for quite a while. They prayed for healing, believing God is capable. He chose to heal her a different way. He took her home. But my friend did not hesitate each day to ask the Lord for her healing. Dear friends, keep believing. Keep asking and see what the Lord will do.

Father, every day I come to You with my requests. I know you hear, and I know you answer.

Standard
Advice, Bible, Encouragement, God's Will, Judgment, Scripture

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE

ZECHARIAH 2:1

“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.”

My dad always told me to remember the most important rule about cutting anything. That was to measure twice and cut once. It’s better to take the time to measure again, just to make sure. Because once you have made that cut, there’s no going back. I have tried to remember that tip all through life. It can apply to lots of situations, not just carpentry.

This vision that starts chapter two is very similar to the once by Ezekiel. Look how similar they are. Ezekiel 40:3 gives a similar description. “So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a thread of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.” Both men (many believe to be the Lord Jesus Himself) is measuring Jerusalem, much like Nehemiah measured as they rebuilt the walls. This is a good and positive vision.

APPLICATION

Is the Lord measuring you? I believe He is constantly measuring our lives and seeing the best way to build us up in Christ. Sometimes after measuring He may cut off the undesirable parts. Ouch! Yep, but that is crucial as He builds us according to His perfect plan. We tend to want to add on things that aren’t conducive to Christ. Then the Lord come along with that measuring line and whacks it off.

As believers, it is also our job to build up our brothers. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:8, “For if I boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,…” Some of us carry around a measuring line of judgment and look for ways to tear our brother or sister down. That is not our job. Let God handle the judging. We need to concentrate on building up.

When I get my hammer and saw out, my wife cringes. She knows I can handle small jobs, but she doesn’t want me to tackle the big stuff. My carpentry skills are okay, but I am by no means a master craftsman. I need to stick to the small stuff. But I can spend more time building her up. Take some time today to build up a brother or sister in Christ. We all can do that.

Thank You, Lord, for seeing the parts of me that need cutting off and for building me into the replica of Your Son.

Standard