For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”
And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Comment: Yesterday’s devotional ended with just a flagpole on Mount Zion – Jerusalem deserted by the wilful disobedience of the people of God! Today ends up with the situation very different! When God heals He heals well! In the first paragraph we are forced to think about ‘Who is the Teacher, who is mentioned?’ The Bible often has more meanings than just one. Many prophets were sent to the Israelis by God. Could it mean one or even the succession of prophetic teachers? Could it mean the Messiah? – I think so and that He is the Prime One meant! Could it mean it the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised would come and lead His followers into all truth? Could it mean all of the above? But obviously the role of the Teacher is to lead to worship of Jehovah alone, as all idols are destroyed! The second portion ends up with the complete healing of the destruction of Jerusalem which had occurred under God’s orders. ‘In the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.‘ This portion deals with the physical side of God’s restoration work! Israel compared to much of the MiddleEast is very productive at the present time, but the glorious description of what the land is to be like, seems to me to what is promised only when God finally roots out all evil and Jesus is the established Teacher after He returns and delivers both the final judgement and complete healing!
Rev 22: 1-3 – Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
Prayer: Lord help us, Your Followers, to trust that You are completely able to carry out all of Your promises and Predictions!
As I read it! 