The Battle is Won

The oracle of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.’ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. “And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them. And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:1–9
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The Battle is Won
Evil seems to be winning. We look out upon our world and see nothing but death and destruction. Live is devalued to make it easier to kill a child in the womb. Marriage is devalued to make it easier to give in to our wanton sexual desires. God’s house has been turned into a den of thieves where the gospel of me, myself, and I are preached more often than God’s true Law and Gospel. The day is coming, declares the Lord, when the enemies of His people, represented here by Jerusalem and Judah, will be destroyed. When confronted by spiritual foes who cause us to feel weak and helpless, we must keep telling ourselves that our strength is in the One “who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth.” He will protect and save us. He has sent His Son to deliver us from the valley of sorrows. Thanks be to our almighty Father, who is our refuge and strength that He removes all fear from our hearts, and makes us confident of His ultimate victory, through His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.