September 12, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“As for you, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” (Zechariah 9.11-12)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Once again, I ask myself not about “Where was I then?” but “Where am I now?” God continues to work in what are “mysterious ways” to me. They certainly are not mysterious to God. Isn’t it strange how most, if not all of us, identify with the works of God from the “me” perspective? When Columbus decided to test the hypothesis that the world was indeed round, he saw beyond “himself,” the world as most everyone understood or defined it geographically to be flat. For Columbus, the earth was not the center of the universe and the sun did not revolve around it any more than he was the most important man alive. We define what seems beyond our understanding but that which occurs within our experience as supernatural and miraculous. It is quite possible that we are operating with a limited perspective of what is normal and natural. To operate from such a perspective tosses us into the ring of then what is unnormal and unnatural. To borrow from today’s guided scripture reflection (9.11), we might consider such a place as a “waterless pit.” Before I reflect on this, allow me to clarify the initial observation in this way. I still am amazed how trusting God to show Himself to me in His word allows this journey to coincide with the “days of my life.” Today’s example, or this week’s example, would be the events of September 11, 2001, and how I have been brought by a decision to study and reflect upon the work of Zechariah the prophet to the literal Zechariah 9.11 (and today 9.12). There is a purpose here. My questions are then: “Why am I here (date and verse) now?” and “What is it that I am supposed to learn being led here by God through His Holy Spirit and my faithfulness to share biblical reflections with others?” There are no accidents in the Kingdom of God…nor anywhere else I would say. Everything happens for a reason and with a purpose. The reason and purpose depends upon our perspective of ourselves and God. To understand them better and gain from them what we can requires us to align ourselves with the One who has invited us on this journey. We must trust the process! In order to begin to unravel this “mystery,” I have to first look at the elements in these two verses. From there I can associate events in the world at this time with them and gain perspective through them. After that I can glean next steps and commit myself to where the “Good Shepherd” desires to show me green pastures and still waters to restore my soul. The intention is to share it with you for the same reason. Let’s consider then the following elements.

9.11a “Blood of My covenant with you.” Again, we are returned to a recurrent theme in our covenant understanding of having faith in God and believing with Him His good will for our lives. God established His covenant of restoration with mercy and grace on what I would call “the eighth day.” The “eighth day” designation for me refers to the Tempting of Eve (and Adam) in the Garden by the Serpent who is Satan, the cast out of heaven- Lucifer. By God’s “clothing” of Adam and Eve in the skins of lambs, He covered their shame and overcame their argument of blame. They now had only themselves to blame as they stood before God. They still could stand before God even after “the Fall,” just not in their “original” state of innocence. Still, the fact remained that because of the acceptance of countermanding God as an acceptable thing to do, death did come into the Garden. It was the death of an innocent, or several innocents, to provide “garments of skin” to clothe them. (Genesis 3.21) In the place of “shame and blame,” they were given the right of “claim.” The claim was “God has done this for us so that we might live, this is the price of knowing good and evil.” Of course, the pattern was established then by sin and by mercy that “a life for a life” was the means of spiritual justice. Sacrifices were to be offered in remembrance of the innocent who knew no sin which was slain so that those who knew of their sin would not die but have everlasting life. With Christ, the ultimate “lamb who comes to take away the debt of sin in the world,” the ultimate sacrifice has been made. We, as followers of Christ, do not sacrifice the lives of others to celebrate our liberation from sin but instead become living sacrifices ourselves being willing to lay down our own lives for the sake of others. (Romans 12.1) It is because of this “blood” covenant made by God with us that He is forever committed to leading us not into temptation but to deliver us from evil. [A far cry from those who decided to take the lives of others in order to justify the life of hate they embrace as “holy and righteous” as we see in all “9/11s.”]

9.11b “Free your prisoners from the waterless pit.” The easiest images to help explain this allusion are in Genesis 37.24 and Jeremiah 38.6-9. But, they are not stand alones. In Genesis, the reference is to when Joseph’s brothers kidnapped him and threw him in a “waterless” pit until they could sell him into slavery in Egypt. Jeremiah reflects on his own time in a waterless pit into which he was thrown by those who could not fathom the prophecy from God he delivered. The image is clear of judgment and exile into which others are placed in order to protect the accusers’ own lives which are under the same judgment. David wrote of desert places in his “on the run” exile as King Saul sought to capture David and take his life. Jesus left the Jordan River following His baptismal anointing and entered the deserted places to the east where He was sorely tempted fasting without bread and water for forty days. The images are unmistakable in their message of deliverance by God’s Hand. Those who put their trust in the word of God found His mercy and provision present and their opportunities to serve confirmed. Going back to Joseph’s declaration to his brothers years later “What was intended for harm has been repurposed for good by God.” [Is this not the attitude and altitude of our own spirit as we trust in the Lord for our meaning and purpose in all situations placed before us or those in which we place ourselves?]

9.12a “Prisoners of hope return to your fortress.” More appropriately translated to “prisoners with hope” or “prisoners who are in hope,” we can hear the voice of scripture directing those who are seeking God for deliverance and provision. In Psalm 33, “We put our hope in God, for we shall yet again praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Indeed, for those who had been in exile for up to seventy years in Babylon, the hope of returning to their stronghold of faith, Jerusalem, was great. For others, their hope had waned. In so doing, they had begun to forsake their faithfulness to the covenant way of life, the life of righteousness. They had compromised their faith with a sense of “settledness” which came because Israel was so far away. It was quite possible that their faith hadn’t been that strong to begin with in Jerusalem itself. It was quite possible that they had been born in exile and without “seeing” the Temple and the city to experience the fullness of what it meant to be in the city of God, their hope waned, their steadfastness could not endure. Yet, the Messianic hope prevailed. The word would come to those who were in darkness concerning the “way, the truth and the life” which would be a light to all nations. [It is the “light of hope” which we are to become in a world that chases after reflections of light. Where do they think the light comes from? It is does not come from the darkness itself in any of its manifestations.]

9.12b “I will restore to you twice as much [a double portion].” In all of this which God has promised to do because He is in covenant relationship with His people, there is a sense of overflow. The connotation of “double portion” does not mean two scoops instead of one when there should have been two or more in the beginning. It alludes to an abundance which “fills my cup to overflowing.” Reflecting on the parable of building bigger barns saying, “build it and they will come,” we see the truth of “we are building because they came.” As the people return, they will experience the abundance of joy, peace and prosperity. Remember the first report back to Moses of the “Promised Land” flowing with milk and honey and produce of an overwhelming nature. Yes, the enemy were giants, but the promised land was more than they could have imagined. Hearing that what they would experience in their return for what they had missed would exceed even their remembrance would be inspiring. Remember how we looked back at things from the days of our youth? That school slide we thought was gigantic wasn’t quite so big in our mature years. This would not be the case for what God was promising. In fact, it would be the opposite. They would feel small again like grasshoppers easily crushed underfoot which they had feared. Now it was nothing to fear as it was the blessing of God which increased and the enemy of God which decreased. [I think of the tower in NYC which replaced the Trade Towers destroyed in the air attack as it looms taller. But, I urge caution as the images invoked speak not of God’s restoration but our own. We dare not put ourselves into positions of vulnerability through an exaggerated sense of pride, worth and nationalism. Our blessing comes from putting our hope in God and not on our own understanding.]

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit in order that others be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind so we would know we are Your people and You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.