October 17, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives; the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives; the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives.” (Zechariah 12.11-14)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

It is called by some “The Place of Battles” and has known many in its history dating back to the Third Millennium B.C. Abraham would have known of this city when he entered into Canaan (i.e. The Promised Land) from Haran in the late Second Millennium where he settled for a time in the hill country. We do not know of any conflicts (either by Biblical account or historical account) between the people of Megiddo and Abraham. Abraham’s first encounter recorded with the people of the region is the King-Priest Melchizedek at Salem. (The name of this city would change under Abraham’s influence to Ur-Salem in reference to where Abraham had begun his journey in the Ur of the Chaldees. The name itself would be of composite meaning “light-peace, or shalom.“) The significance of this may well rest the understanding of religious and political capitals of the then known world. Salem to the south and Megiddo to the north, Babylon to the east and Egypt to the west would have created the boundaries of what may have been seen then as “The Promised Land.” The heart of it, of course, would be Jerusalem. Still, as nations warred against nations, Megiddo would be a crossroads for centuries and millennium with vying powers. The ultimate battle, as we know it from The Revelation given to John, is set for that famed area called Har-Megiddo or Armageddon. Between those times, there were two famed battles which involved two Israelite kings, David and Josiah (there were a number of Jewish kings associated with battles at Megiddo.) Megiddo is sometimes associated with the “Northern Kingdom,” the land of the Ten (of Twelve) Tribes of Jacob Israel. The Northern Kingdom itself would bear the name of Israel as the Southern Kingdom was called Judea, after Judah. We know David for many things, the least of which is not the beginning of the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. David was known for uniting the two kingdoms as one for what has been called “The Golden Age” of Israel. The victory at Megiddo was key in this reunification effort. It is important that we remember King David at this point because his name is mentioned in Zechariah 12.11-14. We hear of King David, Nathan the Prophet, Levi the Temple attendant and Shimei the High Priest in this particular text. We hear of them in a season of mourning. What might that mourning be? One consideration is when the son born to Bathsheba and David became ill and died. David lamented and so all Israel would have lamented. With little question, the time of year for this lament may well have been around Passover in the Spring. Of course, the story of David and Bathsheba centers around a similar time (see 2 Samuel 11.)

However, nowhere in that story do we hear of Hadad Rimmon which is also mentioned in today’s text for reflection. The name itself provides an insight to the beliefs of those who lived in the region of Megiddo. It refers to a combination of names of two Syrian gods and thus a reference to idol worship in the eyes of Jews. The thought was that the death of the king called by these names created such mourning that the region would flood. Of course, this happened in the Spring and brought needed rains for the Spring planting as was common the region. We also know that this was a place where a number of Jewish kings of the Northern Kingdom died. The most famous being Josiah who had started the Deuteronomic Reform of the Temple in the 8th Century B.C. Megiddo is the place where King Josiah was killed in battle against Pharaoh Neco. Neco was headed to Carchemish to do battle there but not with Israel. Instead, God had told him to specifically not do battle with Israel. Israel, at the time, was in the season of Passover. It was the first Passover celebrated with such fervor, it is reported, since the completion of the temple under Solomon’s reign. All the clans of Israel and all the officials of the court and temple were gathered in this ceremonious restoration of the Grand Pageant of Passover. The King, the Prophets, the Levites, the Priests, the Elders and representatives of all the nations were present. However, when word came that Neco had come into the land of Israel by way of the sea headed to Carchemish, Josiah took offense. Against wise counsel, he led his army to meet Neco at Megiddo/Hadid Rimmon and do battle. Neco sent word to him that God had spoken to him to not do battle with Israel. Josiah, in spite of the warning from God through Neco, attacked the Egyptian forces and was killed himself. What a contradiction was presented in those events as the king who hailed the renewed golden age of Israel and the Temple with the Deuteronomic Reform and putting things “right with God,” was disobedient to the Word of God which was then given to him. Strange the flip of events from Moses and Pharaoh, as God warned Pharaoh through Moses, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened against God and Moses. Was Josiah’s heart hardened as well with such “religiosity” and zeal for the Temple and his prominent leadership role in it? Or was he so swept up in the legalism of the restoration and that Neco wasn’t participating or responding to it? Regardless, the theme of weeping, Passover and deliverance is captured across three centuries of leadership and then projected forward.

What can we anticipate then as we read this text from Zechariah concerning the coming Messianic Kingdom? The most important thing that we can literally take from this is the sovereignty of God challenges the world view: spiritually and physically. The people of the world to whom the Messiah will be presented will respond to the gift. They will receive it gladly and be willing to sacrifice the things of this world for it. They will receive it begrudgingly and seek to compromise their lives to accommodate wants and needs. They will reject it in apathy because it is easier to stay the same than to facilitate the necessary change. The will reject it intentionally because they refuse to change and value self above all others. Essentially, weeping will be involved at some point in all four scenarios. Not only that, but the question of life beginning, ending and beginning again will always be a part of each of those scenarios (which the Springtime reference is all about.) Additionally, every part of the community’s identity and the various factions of the community will be involved in the decision on how to deal with the gift. Ultimately, there will be a final countdown and a final decision at which point there is no more decision-making. We will have made our “bed and already begun to lie in it.” This is the future image which is now the Armageddon awaiting our arrival. How shall we deal with it depends on our preparation for that event and the consequences of that time and place when it comes to pass. And it will come to pass!

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.