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436 VISIONS AND PROPHECIES OF ZECHARIAH

to " stumble," you may be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and that " more " and " greater " is He that is for us, and with us, than all that can be against us. " Through God" exclaims the Psalmist, " we shall do valiantly " (or, as it might be rendered, " in God we shall form an host " however weak and few and insignificant in ourselves), for He it is that shall tread down our adversaries. 1 But to return to our chapter. While Jehovah endows the inhabitants of Jerusalem with supernatural strength so that they perform exploits, He will "seek to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem " (i.e., in martial array to attack, as the phrase in the original implies). The expression " seek to do " is always used in the Bible " of seeking to do what it is a person s set purpose to do if Ju can" Man may seek to do a thing and fail, but " woe indeed to those whom Almighty God shall seek to destroy " ; for that on which His heart is once set He will assuredly accomplish, whether it will be in blessing on His people or in vengeance on His enemies.

The Great Spiritual Crisis in Israels History

The first nine verses of the 1 2th chapter of Zechariah describe prophetically, as we have seen, Israel s great national deliverance and the destruction of the armies of / the confederated anti-Christian world-powers which shall be gathered in the final siege of Jerusalem. That will, indeed, be a great and wonderful day in their history, " an hour of triumph such as they have never known before, greater than when they quitted Egypt ; greater than when they triumphed ; over Pharaoh and his host at the Red Sea ; greater than lc when they entered the Promised Land, and the walls of \ Jericho fell down before them."

But yet there is something greater, more solemn and Tl more blessed, than mere outward deliverance and triumph, n , over their enemies that Israel is to experience on " that day," and that is God s final conquest over them. Ah! yes, Israel

1 Ps. lx. 12.