When The Shepherd Calls Them Home | Zechariah 9:14-10:12 | Richard Caldwell

Scripture

• Zechariah 9:14

About this sermon

The promises that God has made regarding the future prosperity of Israel, are no different than the promises that He has made regarding the destruction of their enemies. He fulfills those promises literally. To be clear, we are talking about a FUTURE Israel, a MESSIANIC KINGDOM Israel, and therefore, a SAVED Israel. But the promises that God made to their fathers regarding a land, a kingdom, their Messiah, and their prosperity, their restoration, their witness — God assures He will bring to pass. And many of those assurances are found in the book of Zechariah. When you look at the section that describes the advance of Alexander the Great and the judgment of Syrian cities, and cities of Philistia, history makes clear that this was fulfilled in a very literal way. When you look at the section that describes a victory over Greece, history makes clear that this was fulfilled in a very literal way through the victories of the Maccabees. When you look at what God gave through Zechariah that describes the first coming of Messiah — Him making His entrance in a way that speaks of humility as well as majesty, riding in on the colt of a donkey (9:9), it was fulfilled in a very literal way. And when it speaks of a future glorious age for Israel, described in terms that Israel has never known to this day, it will be fulfilled literally. Israel’s Shepherd will come to them not just in Jerusalem riding on a colt — He will come to them to deliver, restore, strengthen, and bless when He returns from heaven. What He does for them will not be separate from what He does for all of His people in the kingdom that is coming. But what He does for gentile believers, will not keep Him from fulfilling in very specific terms what He has promised to do for Jewish believers in that future kingdom. ONCE AGAIN, WE SEE THAT FUTURE PROMISE IS TIED TO PRESENT EXHORTATIONS. WE ALSO FIND THAT PRESENT DELIVERANCES AND BLESSINGS TESTIFY OF SOMETHING EVEN GREATER COMING IN THE FUTURE. Tonight, we see how God promises that He will be Israel’s Shepherd, in His Son, and that He will do this supremely in the last days. Tonight, we begin looking at six ways that God promises to Shepherd them. I. THE SHEPHERD AS SAVIOR (vs.14-17) We reach back to verses 14-16 because this is where the shepherding theme begins to emerge. God promises to protect them, to grant them victory over their enemies, and to produce in them a renewal presented in the terms of youthful prosperity and blessing. And in verse 16 this is described as salvation, and a shepherd’s relationship over a radiant people. For a people to be described this way, it is the promise of an obedient people. Remember, their times of trouble have come because of covenant disobedience. Their repentance and faith is necessary for restoration. God will graciously produce in that people, the heart response necessary for His blessing. THAT IS SALVATION. They will experience His goodness (vs.17). They will reflect His beauty (vs.17). Their youthful radiance is described in connection with a prosperous land (vs.17). II. THE SHEPHERD AS PROVIDER (10:1) Those things are picked up in verse 1 of chapter 10. The promise of salvation, the promise of restoration and prosperity, now issues in a call to SEEK THEIR GOD AS THEIR PROVIDER. This describes the wondrous reality of answered prayer. God exhorts His people, commands His people, invites His people, to ask Him for what He has promised to give. And then He gives them what He has exhorted them to ask for. There is nothing more important for an agrarian society than RAIN. The false gods of the nations, were in many cases, god’s thought to control WEATHER. The true God, the living God, the true sovereign over the planet and over weather patterns, EXHORTS THEM TO ASK HIM! In view what God says He will bring to pass, Israel is now exhorted to ask for it. And what God is promising to give, in this case, is the flourishing of the land that was described in verse 17.

Topics

• Leadership