In today’s inspiring episode, we delve into Zechariah chapter 2, exploring its profound messages of hope and divine assurance. We listen to Brian Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of Salem Communications, as he reads this pivotal Scripture. Allen J. Huth offers reflections from his personal Bible reading journals, providing insights into the historical context and symbolic meanings of Zechariah’s vision. Listeners are encouraged with the promise that Jerusalem shall prosper again and that God Himself will be a wall of fire around it. The episode also highlights the repeated call for God’s people to return and rebuild, underscoring
00:12:52 Transformative Power of Reading the Bible
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today we are in Zechariah chapter 2. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Brian Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of Salem Communications, as he reads the 13 verses of Zechariah 2.
SPEAKER 03 :
The book of Zechariah, chapter 2. And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then I said, Where are you going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length. And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward. And another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, Run, say to that young man, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst. Up, up, flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. Up, escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me, to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. Behold, I will shake my hands over them and they will become plunder for those who serve them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves in the Lord in that day and shall be my people.” and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you, and the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.
SPEAKER 02 :
In my journal in 1991, remember I read the first nine chapters of Zechariah in one day. I referred to a couple of verses here in chapter 2. I’ll share them with you. Verse 5, For I will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst. And verse 10, For behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst. In 2001, I read Zechariah chapters 1 through 3 on the same day. I didn’t write anything about chapter 2. In 2011, I read the first three chapters of Zechariah on the same day, and I only wrote one phrase concerning chapter 2. I wrote, The apple of his eye, referring to verse 8. As we look into chapter 2, let’s remember the time frame of what’s going on here. Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem and taken the people off in captivity to Babylon. But Nehemiah has come back and Ezra has come back to rebuild the walls and rebuild the temple. And Zechariah is the prophet of that era. In verse 4 it says, So here is a promise from Zechariah that Jerusalem will once again be inhabited after the captivity in Babylon. He’s also saying a multitude of people will come back to Jerusalem. He says Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. So Jerusalem is going to be prosperous once again. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst. So God is saying, though the city is in rubbles right now, the wall has been torn down and destroyed, that God himself will be the fire, the wall around the city of Jerusalem. That’s encouraging. That’s what Zechariah is doing to the people. He’s encouraging them. In verse 6, he says, “…up, up, flee from the land of the north.” What’s he referring to? He’s referring to those remaining in Babylon. He’s saying, come back to Jerusalem because I’m going to judge Babylon. Verse 7 tells us so. It says, up, escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. So, Zechariah is painting the picture that Jerusalem is going to be inhabited, God is going to protect it, and those in captivity should return to the holy city. And then, did you know the phrase, the apple of his eye, is in the Bible? Yeah, it’s right here in verse 8. God refers to the apple of his eye. He says, “…for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.” My English Standard Version Study Bio footnote says this about the apple of his eye. That is the pupil, one of the most sensitive parts of the anatomy. That’s what God is saying. He’s saying, for he who touches you touches the apple of my eye. Babylon has destroyed his people and he is going to take vengeance on Babylon. In verse 10, he says, Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst. Again, powerful and encouraging words from the prophet Zechariah. Verse 12 continues this encouragement. And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the Holy Land and will again choose Jerusalem. Hallelujah! The Lord is going to choose Jerusalem once again. What an encouragement to the Jewish people. The chapter finishes with this awesome verse, verse 13. Can you see it? God on His throne has roused Himself up. to hear the cry of the people of Israel once again and restore the nation and the city of Jerusalem. Do you need some encouragement today? I hope you got it out of chapter 2 of Zechariah. Sure, those people had been down and out. The city had been destroyed. The people had been sent into captivity. But God is coming back. And that may be the case in your own life. Maybe you’re down. Maybe you’ve been destroyed. Maybe you’ve got to pick yourself back up. But God is saying, if you do, he’s coming back. He will dwell in your midst. He will be a wall of fire around you once again. He will rouse himself up from his holy dwelling for you. Hallelujah, Lord. Thank you for this encouragement. But then, Lord, you remind us as we come to you in prayer, be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, and you deserve our honor, our respect, our praise. Thank you for never, never, never giving up on me. In chapter 1, we remember you said, return to me and I will return to you. In chapter 2, you tell us you will return with power and might. You did so in the days of Zechariah. You will do so again in our day. As we become silent before you, return to us in power and glory. Hallelujah. Amen. You are listening to ADDBIBLE, audio daily devotions from the Ezra Project. To learn more about the Ezra Project and ADDBIBLE, visit EzraProject.net. On our website, you will find ways to support this ministry. You know these recordings do not come for free. Others have given generously so that you can be listening to AADDBIBLE. Maybe you’re benefiting. Maybe you’re being blessed. And the Lord is speaking into your heart saying, you too could become part of those who support this ministry financially. Visit EzraProject.net to learn how. Or call 303-369-8001. Visit our website or call us today. Become not only a listener, but a partner with ADDBIBLE and the Ezra Project. Thank you. Thank you for listening to AADDBIBLE. Though the Bible can be read at the speed I’m speaking in about 78 hours, surveys show we don’t read it. How many of you have ever read the Bible cover to cover? How many have tried and failed? I want to encourage you to try it again. I want to share with you what I call the Triple I Doctrine and some powerful reasons to stay in your Bible daily. I begin with a verse from 2 Peter 1.21. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. That’s how we got the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved holy men of God to write it, all of it. Because He did, we can now look at the Triple I Doctrine, the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. But what do these terms mean? Inspired means God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. What does infallible mean? It means no potential or ability to err. Totally reliable. It cannot contradict itself. And Hebrews 6.18 says it is impossible for God to lie. And the last one is inerrant. What does that mean? It means it’s technically correct. It’s free from falsehood and deceit. Wholly true. It’s doctrine. It’s history. It’s science. It’s geography. And Matthew 5.18 says, And Revelation 22.18 and 19 say, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. So the triple I doctrine is reason enough to be in God’s word each day. But in case you need more encouragement, here are three more thoughts. First, improve your spiritual maturity. According to Barna Research, of the seven dimensions in which Americans were asked to rate their faith maturity, Bible knowledge ranked dead last. So if you want to improve your spiritual maturity, stay in God’s Word daily. Number two is develop a dynamic relationship with God. Dr. Woodrow Kroll, former president of Back to the Bible, wrote a book called Taking Back the Good Book. He said, When people tire of reading the Bible, it’s because they read it for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. They read the Bible to gain knowledge, store facts, or pick up a few principles to live by. When you see the Bible as a means to a dynamic relationship with God, you can’t get enough of it because you can’t get enough of Him. And the third thought is to be transformed. Don’t read the Bible to be informed. Read it to be transformed. And I’m going to share a fun little story with you about being transformed by the Word of God. It’s about an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early, sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old, worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, Papa, I try to read the Bible, just like you, but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do? The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water. The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, You’ll have to move a little faster next time and send him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, I don’t want a bucket of water. I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough. And he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather, the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he says, “‘See, Papa, it’s useless.’ So you think it’s useless, the old man said. Look at the basket. The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time, he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, But when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. So read the Bible so you can improve your spiritual maturity, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed, not informed. The Bible came to us from the Holy Spirit, directed by holy men of God. The triple I doctrine reminds us it’s inspired, God-breathed, infallible, without error, and inerrant, technically correct, and wholly true. Read it to grow spiritually, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed.
