| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| @December 24, 2023 | ESV (2016) | ESV Prophets Plan 2023 |
Pericopes
- The Lord Will Give Salvation
- Him Whom They Have Pierced
Notes/Application
Zechariah announces an oracle concerning Israel from the God of all creation who “stretched out the heavens”, “founded the earth” and “formed the spirit of man within him” (Zech. 12:1). The LORD would make Jerusalem a “cup of staggering” (Zech. 12:2) to the nations. Jerusalem had previous drunk the cup of God’s wrath, but it will now be the nations’ turn to drink it. God will strike every horse of the nations with panic and blindness and the clans of Judah will attribute their strength to the LORD. Judah will be a “blazing pot in the midst of wood” (Zech. 12:6), devouring the trees (kings) with fire. On that day, the feeblest of Jerusalem “shall be like David” (Zech. 12:8), a complete reversal from God forsaking His people (Zech. 11:9-10). The people will look on God, the One “whom they have pierced” (Zech. 12:10) and “mourn for him”, an indication of Jesus’ crucifixion as indicated in John 19:37. All the families of Judah left will mourn, from the royal “family of the house of David” (Zech. 12:12) and everyone else.
The bitter mourning over “him whom they have pierced” in Zech. 12:10 is striking. Important to note is the wording, the “when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced”. God is speaking and He links the “on me” to the “on him” that is pierced, again making a clear statement of Jesus’ deity. Going to the original Hebrew, you can see that this is no translational artifact. There is “upon me” (God), “whom” (the bridge) and “they have pierced” (Jesus). It could not be more clear.
I don’t know how one can read this and not sit in stammering amazement. Hundreds of years prior to Jesus walking the earth, it was prophesied that God would be pierced and that great mourning would be felt among those who did it. Let it be without question that Jesus is God; born as sinless man, pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities so that by His wounds we would be healed.
Scripture Journal Notes
Commentaries & Resources Used
- ESV Study Bible. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008)
- Faithlife Study Bible (Lexham Press, 2016)
- Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson, 2016)
- CSB Study Bible Notes (Holman Bible Publishers, 2017)
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Guardian Press, 1976)
- The Bible: A Reader’s Guide (Sterling Publishing, 2011)
- The Infographic Bible (Zondervan, 2018)
- ESV Digital Scripture Journal (Crossway, 2019)