Week 3, Saturday December 17
Zechariah 8:9-17
“Advent. Time in the gym.”
Vs 13b, “I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
In this passage, God instructs Zechariah to proclaim to the Israelites, “Let your hands be strong.” Zechariah’s prophecy comes toward the very end of the Babylonian exile and is aimed at the Israelites who had gone into captivity and those who had not. Zechariah was appointed to bring them God’s words of encouragement and confidence that God would be right beside them as they worked toward the restoration of Jerusalem.
God has come to rescue and restore them yet another time. In this message, the Lord issues words of promise, “ I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days.” Meaning He previously sent them into exile because of their failure to worship and follow Him only. Good news to those who heard these words? You bet!
In this new season, God is promising peace, abundance, and restoration. But they still have the “heavy lifting” to do. Hence the exhortation for courage and strength.
They would need physical strength for the labor ahead, but can we interpret God’s words about strength to apply to their spiritual lives as well? They will need spiritual strength to ward off or fight against the temptations that would surely lie ahead “as before.”
Spiritual strength is beneficial for building relationships with God and sustaining right living.
God sent the prophets to the Israelites for instruction and “training.” Zechariah is doing some serious coaching in this passage. 2000 years ago, God sent Jesus as our Savior. Jesus did all the serious lifting through His death and resurrection; He rescued us from death!
Today, in listening to Zechariah we are reminded of God’s love and mercy toward His children. The exhortation to be courageous and strong reminds us that there are very real spiritual enemies of this world whose purpose is to break us down and drive us from the living God. In his letter to the Ephesians (6:10), Paul declares, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God.” Through the blood of Jesus, we are able to stand strong because of the firm foundation established and reinforced through God’s promise.
What can we learn during this season of Advent on how to build these spiritual muscles? Think about a young, tender girl who was called upon to bare God’s Son. Mary exemplifies a life of strength, courage, hope, and perseverance. We can only find the courage, obtain the strength, and run with perseverance the race by committing to regular spiritual workouts of bible study, prayer, fasting, worship, and time in our communities of faith. Week 3 is our time for remembering the Mother of our Lord and Savior. And I think Mary can serve as our spiritual coach in a manner much the same as Zechariah. Amen!