Comment: This is the end of a prophecy which has a lot to do with the coming of the Messiah, giving specific details but also, without saying so specifically, leaving us with the strong impression that He is coming twice. In this summary at the end of the prophecy which commences stating that it is a word from God, giving us a few more jigsaw pieces to fit together!
11 A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended. v11. Encourages Israel to prepare to expand their territories.
12 In that day they will come to you,
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their deeds. –V12&13 They will have many visitors from afar. The reason for their coming is not specified except that ‘the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds’, which might mean that their own territory can’t maintain them any more’!
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land;
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show them marvelous things. – v14-15. Tells the leaders of Israel to ‘shepherd’ their flock (people considered as sheep) in their beautiful land which God has provided!
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,
and they shall be in fear of you.
God’s Steadfast Love and Compassion – v16-17. In strong metaphorical descriptions this explains how their past enemies will respond to what they ‘see’ when they come to Israel.
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old. – v18-20. Without mentioning Christmas, which is the coming of the Messiah, these verses talk about the forgiveness, compassion, steadfast love, and the fulfillment of God’s promises to the ‘Ancients of Israel’s past’ which God gave to them in Genesis!
Numbers 24: 17a&19a – 17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;……And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion…!” – And History says that the ‘Star’ is ‘Jesus’!
Prayer: Please help me to think clearly and worship humbly at Christmastime this year, Father.
As I read it! 