7-27-19 Today in the Word

Zechariah: Return to the Lord
THERE IS A FOUNTAIN
Saturday, July 27, 2019 | Zechariah 13:1–9

Buckingham Fountain, located in Chicago’s Grant Park, is made of pink Georgia marble and contains a million and a half gallons of water. From April to October, the fountain shoots 14,000 gallons of water 120 feet into the air.
When God pours out His Spirit of grace and supplication on the remnant of Israel, there will be a fountain of cleansing for the house of David and the city of Jerusalem (v. 1). Those who embrace Jesus as Messiah will turn from sin and idolatry (vv. 2–5).
The transformation described in these verses points to a new order that is ushered in when Jesus claims His throne and reigns in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it will not come without suffering. The time leading up to Christ’s return will be one of great suffering (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 7:14). Zechariah predicts that two-thirds of those who reside in the land of Palestine will perish (Zech. 13:8–9).
The term fountain (v. 1) could also be translated as spring. Jesus used the same imagery when he spoke to the woman at the well. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst,” He told her. “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14).
The fountain of forgiveness that Jesus provides is a fountain of blood because Jesus cleansed our sins when He shed His blood on the cross (Heb. 9:14). Zechariah connects this fountain of cleansing to the suffering of Christ in verse 7 where he predicts Christ’s death. Jesus quoted this verse to His disciples on the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:31). The hymn writer was right to say, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.”
APPLY THE WORD
There is no substitute for the blood of Christ. There is no gospel without the resurrection of Christ, and there would be no salvation without His blood (1 Peter 1:19). “It is not enough to preach the resurrection, for it is principally by Christ’s death that we are saved,” John Stott observes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more