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DECEMBER 30
“Strike the Shepherd,
December 30 And the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against
the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Zechariah 13:1–14:21
Says the LORD,
“In that day a fountain shall be opened for “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off
13 the house of David and for the inhabitants and die,
of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. But one-third shall be left in it:
“It shall be in that day,” says the LORD of I will bring the one-third through
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hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols the fire,
from the land, and they shall no longer be Will refine them as silver is refined,
remembered. I will also cause the prophets And test them as gold is tested.
and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. They will call on My name,
3 It shall come to pass that if anyone still proph- And I will answer them.
esies, then his father and mother who begot I will say, ‘This is My people’;
him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because And each one will say, ‘The LORD
you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.’ is my God.’ ”
And his father and mother who begot him
shall thrust him through when he prophesies. 14 Behold, the day of the LORD
4 “And it shall be in that day that every prophet is coming,
will be ashamed of his vision when he prophe- And your spoil will be divided in your
sies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to 2 midst.
5
deceive. But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am For I will gather all the nations to battle
a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle against Jerusalem;
6
from my youth.’ And one will say to him, The city shall be taken,
‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ The houses rifled,
Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was And the women ravished.
wounded in the house of my friends.’ Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not
7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, be cut off from the city.
Against the Man who is My
3 Then the LORD will go forth
Companion,”
Says the LORD of hosts. And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on
4
the Mount of Olives,
13:7 My Shepherd,…the Man who is My Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
Companion. God spoke of the True Shepherd, And the Mount of Olives shall be split
that mighty Man who is His intimate associate; in two,
thus He identified Christ as His coequal, affirm- From east to west,
ing the deity of Christ (John 1:1; 10:30; 14:9).
Strike the Shepherd. In 11:17,it was the worth-
less shepherd who was to be struck;now it is the
Good Shepherd (12:10) whose death was 14:3,4 His feet will stand on the Mount of
designed by God from before the foundation of Olives. To prevent the eradication of His rem-
the world (Is. 53:10; Acts 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:18–20). nant, the Lord will personally intervene to fight
sheep…scattered. Jesus applies this prophecy against the gathered nations. Just as He fought
to the disciples who defected from Him after His for His people in the past, so He will do in the
arrest (Matt.26:56;Mark 14:50),including Peter’s future as the ultimate Warrior-King. Jesus will lit-
denial (Matt. 26:33–35,69–75). the little ones. erally return to the Mount of Olives,located east
The same as the “poor of the flock” (11:7). The of the Kidron Valley,just as the angels announced
reference is to the remnant of believers,among at His Ascension (Acts 1:11).When He does,there
the Jews,who were faithful to the Messiah after will be a tremendous topographical upheaval
His crucifixion. Turning God’s hand “against” (perhaps an earthquake), a phenomenon not
them could mean they would suffer persecu- uncommon when God announces His coming in
tion, which they did (John 15:18,20; 16:2; James judgment (Mic.1:2–4;Nah.1:5;Rev.16:18–21).The
1:1),or it could be translated “upon”and refer to reaction of people is given in Revelation 6:15–17.
God’s protection of the faithful.

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