Reading from Monday, December 27

Gettin close, son.

Reading for December 27
Zechariah 10:1-11:17
OK. Chapters ten and eleven couldn't be further from each other with regards to content. Chapter ten is about as hopeful as any chapter in the Bible as God begins speaking of the forgiveness he will give to his people.

⁶ “I will strengthen Judah
   and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
   because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
   I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God
   and I will answer them.

What a rapturous image. Especially for the readers of the time - remember this was written (I think) during the Jews exile when Babylon had come in and destroyed Jerusalem and rousted the Jews from their homeland, and enslaving those who were left behind. According to the scripture, God was solely responsible for this occurring and the Jews likely believed this to be 100% true. Now to hear that God has had a change of heart, that he is going to be compassionate, that it will be as if he "had not rejected them", must have been like water in a desert.

Chapter eleven starts with an image of Jesus that quickly turns sour.

⁷ So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. ⁸ In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

OK so far. Jesus helped the oppressed and embarrassed the oppressors - no problem there. But then...

  The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them ⁹ and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.”
 ¹⁰ Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. ¹¹ It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD.

Uh oh...that doesn't sound like Jesus at all. But then we have this to make it even more confusing...

 ¹² I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
 ¹³ And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD.

Thirty pieces of silver is the same price that Judas was paid to betray Jesus, and then he bought the "potters field" with the money. And subsequently killed himself on said field. So could this text be from the point of view of Judas? Interesting...



Revelation 18:1-24
Now we seem to be getting some clarification. It appears that the plagues that were dished out were meant for Babylon - the nation which destroyed Jerusalem and enslaved the Jews.

 ⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say:   

 “‘Come out of [Babylon], my people,’^[b]
   so that you will not share in her sins,
   so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
⁵ for her sins are piled up to heaven,
   and God has remembered her crimes.
⁶ Give back to her as she has given;
   pay her back double for what she has done.
   Pour her a double portion from her own cup.

Right? Doesn't that sound like God is trying to rescue the believers from the destruction beset upon B-Lon? The question now is - does this still mean strictly Babylon, or is it symbolic for the most powerful nation of the time which oppresses Israel or God's people? Uh oh...

Psalm 146:1-10
Yeah! Re-remember? Remember God is good! Honestly, its a real blessing to have the Psalms to read back to back with Revelation.

⁶ He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
   the sea, and everything in them—
   he remains faithful forever.
⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed
   and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
 ⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
   the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the foreigner
   and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
   but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Proverbs 30:33

³³ For as churning cream produces butter,
   and as twisting the nose produces blood,
   so stirring up anger produces strife.” 

Take that, political media crazies.