Zechariah 13

John Waddey Commentary On Zechariah 13 CHAPTER XIII Idolatry Cut OffZec_13:1-6“ In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1). “ In that day” links this to the events of the twelfth chapter. It is Messiah’ s day. They had pierced God’ s Son, but now they realize the enormity of their sin. Having duly repented thereof, they now cry out for mercy and pardon. The prophet looks unto the distant future and sees the means of their cleansing. “ A fountain,” a never ending source of water, busting forth from the ground. “ The term is never used of cisterns or stagnant pools” (Laetsch). This fountain was not for thirst but for sin and uncleanness.

Ezekiel saw a similar vision of healing waters that would cleanse the earth and give life and health to all they touched (Ezekiel 47:1-12). This fountain shall be opened, i.e. accessible to all men everywhere. In no way would it be restricted. In the words of Christ, “ he that will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). The word fountain describes a place “ dug out” which suggests that it was of easy access. This fountain “ shall never be closed.” The Hebrew words mean not only “ shall be opened” but “ shall remain open” (David Baron).

The idea of a stream of water for sin and uncleanness looks back to the Levitical ordinances for its meaning. When the Levites were consecrated to their office, “ water of expiation” was sprinkled upon them (Numbers 8:7). For a ceremonially unclean person, the priest would take the ashes of the sin offering and running water and sprinkle it upon him for cleaning (Numbers 19:17-18).

The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Messiah, who by his blood, shed on Calvary, is able to cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). “ The blood of Jesus his son cleanseth us from all sins” (1 John 1:7). In John 7:37-39, Jesus promised to give living water to all who come to him. The salvation his shed blood made possible was commissioned to be taken to every creature in all the world (Mark 16:15-16). The cleansing fountain was opened once, for all men and all times, at Calvary. The price has already been paid, but each individual must come and appropriate the benefits with himself (1 Timothy 4:10).

The cleansing of the fountain would be open to “ the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” This mention of royalty and commoners means that all could be cleansed thereby.

“ And it shall come to pass In that day, saith Jehovah of host, that I will cut ofT the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zechariah 13:2). “ In that day” dates this, with all the other events of this oracle, in Messiah’ s day. Idols will be cut off not in all the earth, but in Messiah’ s kingdom (1 John 5:21). This perennial curse of the Hebrews would forever be cast out of Messiah’ s domain. Jehovah promises to cut off or destroy, not only the idols, but the very names thereof. Joshua had warned Israel not to “ make mention of the name of their gods” (Joshua 23:7).

The prophets to be driven out are the false prophets that had plagued Israel for generations. That it is false prophets he has in mind, is seen in their linkage with idols, the unclean spirit and the following example of a false prophet. (So understand Baron, Keil, Pusey etc.). With the gift of “ discerning of spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:10), the early Christians could “ prove the spirits (or the prophets), whether they are of God.” That enabled them to detect false teachers and reject them (1 John 4:1). “ The unclean spirit” is the spirit that encouraged false prophets in their evil work. (See 1 Kings 22:22-23, Revelation 16:13-14).

“ And it shall come to pass that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth”(Zechariah 13:3). He illustrates the righteous zeal of God’ s people in Messiah’ s day by the parent’ s response to their son who is a false prophet. Moses had specified that even if a member of immediate family enticed them to strange gods, they should not pity or spare him, but “ thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death…” (Deuteronomy 13:6-9). We would not expect a literal enforcement of this in Messiah’ s kingdom it merely illustrates his point about the abhorrence of idolatry in that day.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive; but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a herdsman from my youth” (Zechariah 13:4-5). In that coming day when Messiah would be pierced and the fountain for cleansing opened, false prophets would be ashamed to set themselves forward. Their lying predictions had failed to materialize. They were discredited. The hairy mantle refers to the rough, coarse cloak that Elijah the prophet wore (1 Kings 19:13; 2 Kings 1:8, see footnote). John the Baptist wore such a garment (Matthew 3:4).

Evidently it had come to be a recognizable uniform for at least some of the prophets. So discredited would be the false prophets that they would deny any connection with the business, claiming instead to be farmers or even, a lowly, herdsmen.

“ And one shall say unto him what, are these wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). Although the man would deny he is a false prophet, people would notice wounds on his body and inquire about them. The prophets of Baal would gash themselves until the blood gushed out as they called upon their god in their frenzied ceremonies (1 Kings 18:28). In a vain attempt to avoid the consequences of the truth, the false prophet offers the feeble excuse that he was wounded in the house of his friends. Friends do not so wound their guest.

The Shepherd StruckZec_13:7-9“ Awake O sword, against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow saith Jehovah of hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones” (Zechariah 13:7). Turning from the false prophets, he considers again God’ s good shepherd and the Hebrew nation. The sword is personified and spoken to in poetic fashion. The sword is an emblem of bloodshed and death (Compare Jeremiah 47:6). The sword falls upon “ my shepherd” saith Jehovah. This clearly takes us back to the good shepherd of Zec 11:4-14.

Jesus claimed to be “ the good shepherd” (John 10:14). First, God calls him “ my shepherd” to set him in contrast with the human shepherds who had done so great disservice to the nation. Ezekiel uses similar terms in condemning Israel’ s sinful shepherds and predicts a day when God will raise up the shepherd of David’ s lineage (Ezekiel 34:1-24). God further identifies his shepherd as “ the man that is my fellow.” The good shepherd is a man, yet he is God’ s fellow or “ brother,” meaning “ the nearest one” (Baron). Only in Jesus, the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us, do we, find such a person. In John 10, Jesus not only claimed to be the good shepherd but he also claimed that he “ and the Father are one” (10:30).

The Jews correctly understood him to claim godhood (John 10:33). Paul argued that in heaven, Jesus existed “ in the form of God,” “ on an equality with God,” but emptied himself “ taking the form of a servant being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).

“ Smite the shepherd” is spoken to the sword. This kind of figurative language is called an “ Apostrophe.” This is when a speaker “ addresses some absent person or thing…an inanimate object…” (Word Quest). The sword stands as an instrument for killing but it is not a prediction of how Messiah would be killed. God is said to order the smiting yet we know that the Jews and Pilate did the foul deed (Matthew 27:20 Matthew 27:22 Matthew 27:26). Peter explained to the Jews on Pentecost, Jesus, “ being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless man did crucify and slay…“ (Acts 2:23). Providentially, God used the violence of those wicked men to accomplish his divine purposes. In the words of David, “ Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee” (Psalms 76:10). The fulfillment of these lines is not in doubt, for Jesus cited these very words as he went out to the Mount of Olives on the night of his arrest (Matthew 26:31). In Zechariah’ s book, the sheep scattered are the Jewish nation. (See Zechariah 11:4­6). Following their rejection of Messiah, the scattering of the Hebrews was done by the Romans in the final Jewish war. Jesus specifically applies it to the scattering of his disciples upon his arrest (Mark 14:27-28). This is one of many cases of a prophecy having a dual application.

“ I will turn my hand upon the little ones.” Commentators have given two opposite meanings to these words. Some see them as a promise that God will “ turn” his hand of judgement away from his righteous remnant. Thus they are words of encouragement that after the scattering, he will gather the righteous remnant unto himself. Others, following the rendering of the NIV, “ I will turn my hand against the little ones,” take it to mean that none of the Hebrews will escape the coming judgment. The context, specifically the following verses, favor the first interpretation.

“ Yet one third will be left in it This third 1 will bring into the fire; 1 will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name; and 1 will answer them; I will say, They are my people…” (Zechariah 13:8-9). This was realized when the gospel of salvation was sent forth to the Jews and the Greeks (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:24). We see the first fruits of that gathering on Pentecost when three thousand Jews, with penitent hearts, gladly received his word were baptized in the name of Jesus and added to the church (Acts 2:41-47).

“ And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part into the fire and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name and 1 will hear them; 1 will say it is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God” (Zechariah 13:8-9). Here he describes the scattering and destruction of the Jewish people and the remnant that will be saved. Two-thirds destroyed and one third saved should not be taken as the actual number. We have a synechdoche where the definite stands for an indefinite number.

The idea of a small remnant of faithful servants being saved is frequently used in scripture. (See Isaiah 17:6, Jeremiah 23:3, Micah 2:12). The remnant is described by Paul in his letter to the Romans. “ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh.” He proceeds to say, “ He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart” (Romans 2:28-29). In Galatians he says “ if ye are Christ’ s then are ye Abraham’ s seed, heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).

The remnant saved will still be refined as precious metal in the fire. Ezekiel uses similar imagery. (See Ezekiel 5:1-4 Ezekiel 5:11-12). The refinement by fire would be to purify and save rather than destroy them. Peter wrote to early Christians “ ye have been put to grief in manifold trials that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…proved by fire…” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

“ They shall call on God’ s name” because they love and trust him and the Lord will acknowledge them as his. These words echo the promise made in Hosea 2:23 “ …I will say unto them that were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” In Messiah’ s reign “ whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Zechariah Chapter Thirteen Verse 1 The Christian dispensation continues to be the focus of the revelation in this brief chapter. This is indicated by the triple recurrence of “in that day” (Zechariah 13:1-2 Zechariah 13:4), by Peter’s indication that part of the chapter applies to Christians (Zechariah 13:9), and by Jesus’ own identification of himself with the smitten Shepherd (Zechariah 13:7). Part of Zec 13:5-6 are difficult of interpretation. Zechariah 13:1“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.““In that day …” in the times of the blessed Messiah. “A fountain opened … for sin and for uncleanness …” This is the fountain of the blood of Christ, the only fountain in all history that ever afforded cleansing from sin and uncleanness. That fountain may also be understood as the fountain of living water (John 7:37). “To the house of David … inhabitants of Jerusalem …” These expressions denote the “true Israel of God” in the times of the New Covenant; and, although that Israel is by no means restricted to racial Jews, or literal descendants of Abraham, neither is any one of them (or any other person) excluded: “And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will (Whosoever will), let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Robinson titled this chapter: “A remnant of Israel (shall be) purified, refined, and saved."[1] It is a gross error to suppose that the “cleansing” here is primarily a reference to the procurement of “ritual purity for the people of Jerusalem."[2] The text indicates that the cleansing is from sin. “This was a cleansing unknown in the pre-Christian era."[3] Of course, there were a number of Old Testament prophecies looking forward to the forgiveness of sins in the days of Christ. Jeremiah 31:31-35; Ezekiel 36:25; and Zechariah 3:4 Zechariah 3:9, where Joshua the High Priest received clean linen clothes, are among such prophecies. Of particular interest is Ezekiel 36:25 - “And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.” Keil explained this thus: “By this water we have to understand not only grace in general, but the spiritual sprinkling-water, which is prepared through the sacrificial death of Christ, through the blood that he shed for sin, and which is sprinkled upon us for the cleansing away of sin in the gracious waters of baptism."[4]As for the fantasy that “sprinkling” of any kind is visible in Zechariah 13:1, it must be declared that: although sprinkling of water and the ashes of a red heifer were a legitimate ritual under the law of Moses, there is no “sprinkling of water” connected in any way with Christianity, certainly not in Christian baptism, which is not and never was a “sprinkling,” but an immersion. There is a “sprinkling of the blood of Christ” (Hebrews 10:22), a sprinkling not of water and not of our bodies, but as the passage says, “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Thus “in that day,” when the fountain for sin is opened, hearts are sprinkled with the blood of Christ, and bodies are washed with pure water. Sprinkling water on “bodies” is nowhere mentioned as a Christian ordinance. We are a bit surprised that several commentators gave lip service to this old, discredited and worn-out argument for sprinkling as a form of baptism. “Cleansing for sin and uncleanness …” Ah, here is the crying need of all men. What a glory of Christianity is inherent in such a promise as this! In all of the history of the universe, there is no such thing as the forgiveness of sins, until one comes to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. No forgiveness of sins was available for the angels who kept not their first estate; no forgiveness has ever been seen in the operation of God’s natural laws (gravity, etc.); nature exhibits no such thing as forgiveness; and, even under the law of Moses, there was a remembrance made of sin, “every year.” The unique glory of the Christian faith is that it embraces “the fountain opened for sin.” “Sin and uncleanness …” “These two terms together comprise all guilt and pollution."[5] As Gill said, “An entire volume could be written identifying this fountain' as the blood of Christ."[6]Verse 2 "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land."In the days of Christianity, idol worship shall be destroyed, and the system of false prophets associated, of old, with idol temples will disappear. The exact and universal fulfillment of this occurred much earlier, but it was confirmed and formalized in the Edict of Theodosius (389 A.D.) which closed all pagan temples, proscribed and outlawed the pagan priests, and sealed with royal authority the victory that Christ had already won over paganism. We do not consider the "idol worship" found in apostate portions of Christianity any denial of the universal victory. Where are the names, temples, and glory of the pantheon of pagan gods and goddesses ? Long, long ago, they ceased. "The prophets ..." "The false prophets are meant,"[7] and these only, as indicated by their association in this verse with idols and the unclean spirit. We must resist the inclination of some to associate the true prophets of God with the "cutting off" here. True, there would come a period, after the New Testament was given, when prophecies would be "done away" (<a href="/bible/parallel/1CO/13/8" class="green-link">1 Corinthians 13:8</a>), but that is definitely not in view here. All of the prophets of the new dispensation, along with the apostles, would lay the foundations in Christ of the Church of the New Covenant (<a href="/bible/parallel/EPH/2/10" class="green-link">Ephesians 2:10</a>), long afterward from the times of Zechariah. Verse 3 "And it shall come to pass that, when they shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.""They shall yet prophesy ..." No stretch of imagination can apply this to God's true prophets; for it is categorically stated here the prophets under consideration were those who spoke "lies." The utmost detestation of the false prophet is indicated here by the fact that his own family are represented as hating him and actually putting him to death. Of course, there is no commandment in this for parents to execute their own sinful children; but rather the lesson is that, "We must hate and forsake our nearest relatives when they come in competition with our duty to God (<a href="/bible/parallel/LUK/14/26" class="green-link">Luke 14:26</a>)."[8] What is taught here is that, "Merciless extermination should be the fate of all such deceivers."[9] "These are actually men in the service of God's enemy, a foreign spirit, who would lead people to a false and unclean worship."[10]Verse 4 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive."This merely describes the utter banishment of pagan priests from any credibility in the days of the Messiah. The whole institution of the false prophets of paganism shall become so unpopular that all who were found connected with it would be despised and made ashamed. We must reject absolutely the notion of Smith and others who would include the prophets of Jehovah as objects of this prophecy. "It is not merely false prophecy, but prophecy in general."[11] He "proved" this by stating that, "Amos refused to call himself a prophet";[12] but, of course, that is merely an example of one false interpretation being used to bolster another false interpretation. Amos did not refuse to call himself a prophet, affirming in the most uncertain words that God indeed gave him the message to Israel. He did say inAmos 7:14: "I was not a prophet; neither was I a prophet's son ..."; but what he was saying is not that, "I am not a prophet," but that I WAS not a prophet at the time I was called to the prophetic office. (See full comment on this in our series, Commentary on the Minor Prophets, vol. 1, p. 203.) In New Testament times, Agabus and others were true prophets of God; their word was trusted; and this shows that Zechariah was not here prophesying the cessation of true prophecy. That was a prophecy, which in time, Paul would declare in <a href="/bible/parallel/1CO/13/8" class="green-link">1 Corinthians 13:8</a>; and that apostle indicated that such a cessation was yet future from his own times. It is regrettable that Keil and others following him must be held in error on this particular interpretation, despite their usual dependability. Verse 5 "But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth."We construe this verse as an elaboration of the discomfiture of the false prophets, resulting in their shame, and even in denial (as here) of any connection with the discredited and rejected institution of the pagan prophets. Such a position had once been a lucrative and respected calling, but no longer. When forced out of the temples, they would pretend that they had never been associated with them. Verse 6 "And one shall say unto him, What are those wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."(1) There are two ways of interpreting this verse, and we simply do not know which is correct. We shall note the interpretation first which is popular with current expositors. These understand the verse as a further extension of the thought of <a href="/bible/parallel/ZEC/13/5" class="green-link">Zec 13:5</a>, which is supported by the use of the first clause with its pronoun referring to the false prophet. The picture is that of a former pagan priest who is questioned by those seeking to expose him by calling attention to the "wounds" between his arms, usually understood to be the markings of self-inflicted cuts incurred in the service of pagan deities (See <a href="/bible/parallel/1KI/18/28" class="green-link">1 Kings 18:28</a>). The former pagan priest denies even that evidence by answering that he had received such wounds "in the house of my friends," an answer, which by any understanding of it must be counted evasive. "This answer also is nothing more than an evasion."[13] This is by far the most natural and the easiest explanation of this difficult passage. But some see in the expression, "I was wounded in the house of my friends" a prophecy of our Lord. (2) The understanding of this place as a prophecy of Jesus requires that the "wounds" be understood, as did Keil: "The expression between the hands’ can hardly be understood in any other way than as relating to the palms of the hands."[14] This interpretation also requires that the connection with verse five be denied, which is strongly done by Unger who alleged that it is independent of it. “The supposition that this verse is inseparably connected to Zechariah 13:2-5, and therefore still has the false prophet in mind, flagrantly ignores the context."[15] Some scholars even allege that Christ had a connection with the “false prophet” in this section, because the Pharisees put him to death as a “deceiver,” or false prophet, but we simply cannot accept that. If there indeed was a prophecy of Christ in the reply of this former pagan priest who said, “I was wounded in the house of my friends,” it would have to be in the same category as the prophecy of the false high priest of Israel in John 11:52-54. Of course, Jesus was “wounded” in the house of those who “should have been” his friends; and he even referred to Judas as, “Friend,” when the traitor approached to plant the betrayal kiss upon his cheek, but, to this point, we have never found a New Testament reference referring this passage to Jesus Christ. Such a New Testament reference is what the advocates of this interpretation need to establish the place as an authentic prediction concerning Jesus. Verse 7 “Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.“Here we are on solid ground. Christ said to the apostles on the occasion of his Passion: “All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27). It is the proximity of this certain prophecy of Christ toZechariah 13:6, above, which lends some credibility to the understanding of a prophecy of our Lord there; also, there is the oft-repeated indication that this entire section is Messianic. “Awake, O sword …” Pre-eminently, the sword was a symbol of the Roman Empire, indicating that Christ would be put to death by that power. This also shows that it was by God’s design, at his instigation, and with his full consent that the dark scenes of Calvary occurred. Peter spoke of it thus: “Him (Christ), being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hands of lawless men did crucify and slay” (Acts 2:23). The fact that God indeed put Christ to death for all men, that they might be saved is clear throughout the Bible. It is inherent in John 3:16, in the declaration that God “set him forth” to be the propitiation (Romans 3:25), that the Almighty “Laid upon him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6), etc., etc. It is also plain in this verse, where the commandment of God is, “Smite the Shepherd.” Such a profound truth, however, did not and could not absolve wicked participants in the crucifixion of their rightful blame. “Against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow …” The word here rendered “man that is my fellow” “implies one united to another by the possession of common nature, rights, and privileges. God could speak only of One … that is, of him who could say, I and the Father are one.'"[16]"My Shepherd ..." is a phrase added to forbid any confusion of this Person with the evil shepherd ofZechariah 11:16. "These additional words are given to distinguish my shepherd’ from `that shepherd.’"[17]Despite such a precaution, however, the critics have proceeded to move these verses under the passage about the false shepherd in Zechariah 11:16 f, in their violent Scissors and Paste job on this prophecy, with the evident purpose of identifying Christ as a “false shepherd.” Gailey, for example, wrote: “This verse continues the theme of Zec 11:17! A sword is called to strike the shepherd. Is the victim the worthless shepherd of Zec 11:17? … appropriately, Jesus applied the reference to himself![18]Rarely does even the most violent criticism of the word of God reach the level of that seen in Gailey’s statement above. “My shepherd …” Of course, “The shepherd of Jehovah whom the sword is to strike is no other than the Messiah, who is also identified with Jehovah in Zechariah 12:10."[19] “There is no stronger statement in the Old Testament regarding the unimpeachable deity of Israel’s Messiah, the Son of God."[20]“And I will turn my hand upon the little ones …” “This indicated his gathering the little ones together and His protecting the weak."[21] This gathering of the “scattered” first took place when Christ gathered and regrouped the Twelve before assigning to them the Great Commission. “And the sheep shall be scattered …” The first application of this, as indicated by Jesus’ quotation, regarded his immediate disciples, the apostles; but there was also a greater dimension of the same truth. Christ was the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd of Israel; and the loss of Christ as their Shepherd condemned all the flock of Israel (secular) to the prolonged, worldwide scattering which took place soon after his crucifixion, and which is still visible in the separated families of the old Israel all over the world; nor has the state of Israel (1948) made much difference in this; there are still more Jews in New York than in Jerusalem. Verse 8 “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.“Baldwin and others have supposed that this refers to the killing of two thirds of the Jewish population, as at the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans; and, of course, that literally occurred; but “in that day” appears to focus the prophecy upon what will take place in God’s spiritual Israel throughout history. If so, it is but a way of saying what Jesus said: “Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it” (Matthew 7:13). This usage of “one third” is also seen in Revelation 6. Inherent in the teaching of this verse is the fact that the company of the redeemed is but a “remnant,” certainly nothing approaching a majority of the people. “This third part represents the faithful among the Jews and the Christian Church gathered out of the nations."[22] As Christ said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Verse 9 “And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.“There is no better comment on this anywhere than in the writings of the apostle Peter who made this a description of the tribulations that shall test the Christians: “Now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). Inherent in this is the necessity that every Christian’s faith be tested through tribulations. “It must needs be that offences come” (Matthew 18:7); and, “Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), etc. The faithful understanding of this principle is a source of countless blessings to the child of God. Whenever sorrows are multiplied and “fiery trials” of the most violent and vicious kind descend upon him, he will remember that God is merely testing, finding out, if he really “believes” or not! And what is the result of the “refining” process? It is stated in the concluding clauses: They will say Jehovah is my God; and God will say, It is my people! Wherever that relationship exists, the “end and all” of living in this world has been accomplished. Bible Study Questions From Zechariah Chapter Thirteen1) What will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in that day? (Zechariah 13:1) 2) What three things will be cut off from the land in that day? (Zechariah 13:2) 3) What will the parents say to the son who continues to prophesy? 4) What shall they do to him? (Zechariah 13:3) 5) What will be the prophet’ s attitude toward his vision? (Zechariah 13:4) 6) How will the prophet explain his wounds? (Zechariah 13:6) 7) Who is the shepherd of verse seven? 8) To what does this prophesy refer? (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27) 9) What appears to be the purpose of the “ third part” being brought through the fire? (Zechariah 13:9) 10) What will be the end result of this refining? (Zechariah 13:9)

Zechariah 13:1

Zechariah 13:1. That dap means the day designated in Zechariah 12:10 when “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.” This is one of the most precious prophecies in the Bible because it predicts the “ Fountain, filled with blood, drawn from Emanuel’ s veins.” It refers to the flow of blood that came from the pierced side of Christ, and poured down upon the ground to satisfy the wrath of God against sin, and made it possible for Him to save mankind from sin and its consequences.

Zechariah 13:2

Zechariah 13:2, Idolatry will have been banished from ancient Israel by the captivity. Then, passing on to the first part of the age under Christ, the prophet makes another weighty prediction. When the new and final religious system has been fully established, all special and miraculous means will no longer be necessary and hence they will all cease to be used. That is why the prediction is that the (inspired) prophet and the unclean spirits shall pass out of the land. Casting devils out of men required miraculous power, but when the need for miracles ceased to exist there was no longer any occasion for the people to be afflicted with devils.

Zechariah 13:3

Zechariah 13:3. After the age of miracles has passed it will be false for anyone to claim to have the power of superal prophesying. If some person does so he will be regarded as an impostor and will be opposed even by his parents who have learned better.

Zechariah 13:4

Zechariah 13:4. Not wear a rouarment to deceive. Prophets of the miraculous times wore a special garb, and this means that those who would im¬pose upon others will be forced to shed these garments.

Zechariah 13:5

Zechariah 13:5. This verse is virtually the same as the preceding one.

Zechariah 13:6

Zechariah 13:6. The subject becomes more specific and pertains to Christ personally. The wounds are those made in His hands and feet. In the house of my friends refers to Judas who was one of the apostles and who caused Jesus to be betrayed.

Zechariah 13:7

Zechariah 13:7. Smite the shepherd, etc. refers to Jesus who was to be attacked and leave his disciples in a discouraged and scattered condition. He cited this saying and so applied, it to himself in Matthew 26:31.

Zechariah 13:8-9

Zechariah 13:8-9, The numerical terms are used figuratively, and the meaning is that more people will reject Christ than will accept him and conform to the Gospel.