Page:Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah (Baron, David).djvu/262



In measure this has already been the case, for all the great blessings which have come to the world have come to it through the seed of Abraham; " for of them," to quote another, " according to the flesh Christ came, Who is over all God blessed for ever: of them were the apostles and evangelists, of them every writer of God's Word; of them those who carried the gospel throughout the whole world." But, so far, the blessing which has come through Israel to the world has been only partial, and has extended only to individuals; but when Israel as a nation is " saved in Jehovah with an everlasting salvation," and their hearts are set aflame with love to the long-rejected Messiah and zeal for His cause, then " the receiving of them " shall indeed be " as life from the dead " to the whole world, and the great Messianic blessings shall universally be spread by them throughout the whole earth. In Abraham and his seed which includes Christ and Israel shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And it is God's faithfulness and the steadfastness of His purpose which form the grounds for our hope of His certain fulfilment of His promises. This is brought out in vers. 14 and 15: "For thus saith the Lord of hosts: As I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not; so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not."

The remnant of Israel to whom Zechariah spoke knew from their own experience that Jehovah is faithful yes, faithful in carrying out His threatenings as well as in ful filling His promises; for when, after repeated warnings, their fathers continued in their impenitent provocations of Him through their many sins, the " evil " which He foreannounced that He would do unto them came. They may, therefore, be assured that when He announces to them through the prophet that His thoughts toward them now are " thoughts of peace and not of evil," and that His purpose " in these days " is " to do good unto Jerusalem