In this portion of scripture God is letting the Jews know what is ahead for them in the last day. There is a message in here for us too, a practical instruction to help us along. God is the God of the Jews, but he is also God of the Gentiles. We’ve been included also. There are many Christian Jews worldwide. The truth expressed here is “count me in.” Many people turn away from the Lord, but people are still being saved.
Zechariah 8: 19Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace. 20Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
I’m thankful there are people going to heaven, and I’m glad I can go too. You can go! God’s promise to the Jews is coming to pass in a Christian sense now as Jews are being saved. The United States used to be the world’s leading Christian nation. Other nations are now seeing a turning to the Lord much more than we see in the USA. Not all Russians are atheists. Not all Chinese and Japanese are Buddhists. Not all Indians are Hindus. Christianity didn’t start in America; it came here. We have certainly helped put it all over the world. In spite of the devil’s efforts to put down the gospel and the exaltation of Jesus as Savior, the good news still goes out. Souls are still being saved. Somewhere today a soul will also be saved.
I’m so glad to be counted in. Jesus had me in his plan and on his mind when he was on the cross. You were also included. He thought of us long before we thought of him. Verse 14 tells us that the thoughts on the mind of God were to punish us and rightly so. Sin brings a deserving punishment. For everyone who accepts Jesus as Savior, God thinks different thoughts toward them, thoughts of grace and peace. Verse 15 offers us encouragement. Jesus thought to do well to his people. He told them not to fear. Be strong.
Those who don’t know the Lord enjoy the fire that warms us because they know us. Regardless of what people think, they need us. We are the media by which the lost can be reached for the Lord. People were blessed wherever the children of Israel were. The same goes for us. This dark world is a little less dark because of the Christians who live in it. Don’t be afraid to live for God. Let your hands be strong. Love truth and peace. As long as we stick with the truth of the gospel, there will be joy and gladness. There is a lot to work against us, but God has included us in his plan. He intends to bless us while the devil intends to bring us misery and destroy us. God stepped on the battlefield for us, and that field is as good a place as any to keep on praying. This is the time to seek the Lord.
Let us go. Don’t count on someone else to be revived for you. If I say “I will go also” and you say “I will go also” then we can all say together “let us go.” It takes all of us to be an “us.” Tell Jesus to count you in. We’ll get somewhere serving the Lord together. Verse 23 tells us thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. The principle of this verse is a lesson for us. The supreme accomplishment in life is for someone to go to heaven with us. Having also gone with God, having also been counted with the saints, lost people can come to know the Lord through us. They can see God is with us and want what we have.
Can the lost see Jesus in you? Does what they see make them want to go also. Do they want to be counted in because of something you did or said? Now is the time to diligently seek the Lord. Jesus is headed in the right direction and can take us that way too if we let him count us in. You want to be part of that number, and you can be. Then be sure that others see God is with you and want to go with you to heaven.
Count me in! What about you?
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 