Monday Reflection – November 30, 2020

God’s Promises for His Precious People

Thus said the Lord of hosts: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye. Zechariah 2:8 What blessed promises are contained in Scripture for the people of God! Promises for every season and time. The book of Zechariah contains some of God’s precious promises to his chosen people. They are likely to be far more effective because they are spoken to people in exile and bondage. Zechariah 2 begins with the call to return to the Promised Land, depicted by an angelic being with a measuring line. He measures to see the width and length of Jerusalem. Apparently, Jerusalem was measured to make sure that it is large enough for the multitudes God would bring to it, though at the time there seemed to be too few people for the city. God promises that Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, as the crowds would overflow the walls of the city. In light of the absence of the protective walls, God promises protection, not from Hawkeye or King Alarm, not from the dons and donettes, not from alarm systems and security cameras. God promises that he will be a wall of fire all around Jerusalem. There is absolutely not a better protection than that.Based on this promise by God, the exiles are exhorted to leave Babylon and return home. In Zechariah’s day few of those who were carried to captivity in the Babylonian Empire returned to the Promised Land when they were allowed to. However, the Lord summoned His people to return back to their land. Sadly, most of the exiles were comfortable in Babylon and refused to endure the challenge to build a work of God. It is relevant to note that throughout the Bible Babylon is used as an idea as well as a literal city. If Jerusalem carried the idea of “God’s city” then Babylon carries the idea of the “city of the world”. Zechariah’s call to come out of Babylon therefore, is both literal and figurative. No wonder we sing “Leave Babylon, leave Babylon, leave Babylon and come…”The protection God promises was not just for the city, but more so for His precious people. He pledges destruction for the enemies, for “Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye.” The phrase “apple of His eye” is used to describe something precious, easily injured, and demanding protection. Charles Spurgeon says that the pupil of the eye is the most tender part of the most tender organ, and very fitly describes the inexpressible tenderness of God’s love.God’s people are dear to Him and He promises to protect, shield and defend us. Our God always provides a way out. Yet He puts us through the process, like a slow-cooker and not a microwave oven, to shape us into what He desires us to be. As we go through the God-directed processes of life, let’s stay focused and faithful and cling to His precious promises. Amen.Jermaine Gibson