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"I scattered them with a whirlwind"

Text: Zechariah 7:14

THE HISTORY OF A REBELLIOUS NATION

The history of ancient Israel is one that is described sadly in the following text.

“‘Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear,
so they called out and I would not listen,’ says the LORD of hosts.
‘But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known.
Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned;
for they made the pleasant land desolate.'”
Zechariah 7:13-14

1. Reciprocal action

a) God called out to Israel. But the nation refused to listen.

b) The nation called out to God. God’s word to them: “I would not listen”.

2. Learning from history

a) “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known”

i) The northern kingdom Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC.

Millions were scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire.

ii) The southern kingdom Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

Millions were scattered even further afield by the Babylonians.

b) The land of Israel

i) The land was desolate.

ii) No one passed through.

iii) No one returned.

iv) The country could no longer be called “a pleasant land”.

v) The land was appropriately described as “desolate”.

3. Would the keeping of ritualistic practices help the country in any significant way?

a) The answer was an obvious “No!”

b) Blessings would return to the land if the people obeyed the word of the LORD.