God’s Word for You
Zechariah 10:9b-12 the sea of troubles
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, August 19, 2022
They and their children will live and return.
10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and I will keep bringing them to the land of Gilead
and to Lebanon,
until none of them will be found missing.
In the captivity in Assyria, the people grieved, mourned, and wailed. The same was true when the Jews were taken to Babylon, and when some were forced to go down to Egypt and other places. “The children beg for bread,” they cried, “but no one gives it to them!” (Lamentations 4:4). “Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine” (Lamentations 4:9). And again: “our tormentors demanded happy songs” (Psalm 137:3).
Now the Lord comforts his people: “They and their children will live and return.” They will live and not die in the faraway places to which they have been flung. They will be taken care of, and they will have their daily bread (Luke 11:3). The Lord will provide for their needs.
Next we have another promise of spiritual return to Christ, because he says that he will bring people back, but to where? To Gilead and to Lebanon. Gilead was the farthest part of Israel to the northeast, and Lebanon was even farther away, to the northwest. There is no promise about Jerusalem here, nor Samaria, or anyplace else. Luther is right to say: “We have absolutely the same meaning and the same point at the end of Obadiah (Obadiah 1:19): ‘Those of the Negev will possess the mountains of Esau,’ etc.” Wherever people turn their hearts to Christ and worship him, there is their Promised Land. They have the gospel, the true sacraments, the forgiveness of sins, the promise of the resurrection, the power of the Holy Spirit for godly living and resisting temptation and the power of the devil, and so on and on. Their souls will be fed and cared for, so that they will say, “Why do we need to go anyplace other than this one?” “The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7). None of them will be found missing, or as some translations have it: “There will not be enough room for them.” The short, crisp poetry of the prophet can be understood both ways, but both ways are a comfort and assure us all of the overflowing and undeserved blessings of God.
11 He will pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea.
All the depths of the Nile will be dried up.
the tide of Assyria shall recede,
and the scepter will depart from Egypt.
12 I will make them strong in the LORD,
and they will walk in his name,” declares the LORD.
Verse 11 reminds us of Jesus walking on the water, not only passing through the sea of troubles like Israel marching through the Red Sea in terror (something even Hamlet contemplated ), but of the Lord commanding the sea to obey him, striking down its surging waves and breakers with his word (John 6:19; Mark 4:39). Then the places of the exile are shown to be powerless against him: Egypt’s glory was and is the Nile, but even the depths of the Nile are subject to God’s command.
The Assyrian threat vanished almost overnight when their racism proved to be their undoing. Leaving the field command of their army and other unpleasant work to foreigners like the Babylonians, the Assyrians were content to command from their thrones and velvet couches in faraway resorts such as we hear about in Habakkuk (Habakkuk 2:5, 2:9, 2:12) and commit atrocities and horrors on men (Habakkuk 2:15-16) and animals (Habakkuk 2:17), which was the result of their wicked idolatry (Habakkuk 2:18-19). But the Babylonians suddenly turned on them, sweeping over Assyria “like the wind” (Habakkuk 1:11) and God shook the earth to be rid of them (Habakkuk 3:6).
Even the captives in Egypt, a tiny group, all but forgotten except for Jeremiah’s personal plight, would be restored and blessed on account of their faith, by the mercy and compassion of God. He said: “He will wrap Egypt around himself as a shepherd wraps a cloak around himself. Then he will go away in peace, burning the temples of the Egyptian gods” (Jeremiah 43:12,13).
Again the Lord promises strength in his name, the strength that comes through faith and the study of the Word of God. Professor Deutschlander brims over with wisdom about the strength of true faith:
“The critical thing is to trust his promise in the face of the seeming impossibility. In Paul’s circumstances (Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”) and in Jesus’ mention of faith (Mark 11:22-24, “If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself…’ etc.), the matter of weak and strong faith comes into consideration: Weak faith is that faith which does not see how the promises of God apply to my specific situation, so that I am cast on the shoals of fear and doubt. Strong faith, on the other hand, perhaps contrary to human reason or evidence that I can see, simply clings to the promises of God and applies them appropriately. To the extent that faith is thus strong, joy and confidence remain even under severe straining and testing.” (Grace Abounds p. 405).
When Christ is the true object of our faith, the truth lives in us and will be with us forever. We live as true children of God: as wives submitting, husbands loving, children obeying, fathers encouraging, parents disciplining. And also as workers laboring not only when their master’s eye is on them and to win their favor, but with sincerity and godly reverence (Colossians 3:18-22). Comfort the people you love with the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the strength of the Holy Spirit. Be heroic in your faith.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.