GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
ZECHARIAH 13:8-9
8 In the whole land, declares the LORD,
two thirds will be cut off and perish,
and one third will be left alive.
9 And I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them the way silver is refined,
and test them the way gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
In Zechariah’s time, the idea of a remnant, a small group of people left over from some disaster, was very much on everyone’s mind. When Zechariah first began to prophesy, the first captives had returned, but more were on their way. Soon after the prophecy before us, Ezra (and later, Nehemiah) would appear with groups of returning exiles. The remnant of the captivity was growing, but it was still a small group. They very much understood the prophet’s words when he said that “one third will be left alive,” and that this remaining third of the people would be refined like gold or silver.
Refining precious metals is hot work. It means stoking a very hot fire with a bellows. These fires would burn hardwoods for fuel (oak, maple, ash, birch, or fruit trees). Silver is generally refined from lead ore. Gold is often found in a pure form (nuggets) within veins of quartz or gravel. The minerals are placed in a crucible (clay container) and heated. Impurities show up as floating black globs or foam that can be skimmed away, leaving the refined metal. The Lord called for refined, purified gold and silver for the ornamentation of the temple (1 Chronicles 28:18; 29:4). This was a symbol of the purity he demands of all who approach him: “Among those who approach me I will show myself to be holy” (Leviticus 10:3). “Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
For a person, this sort of refining would be the tests and trials of life, where God permits troubles to come in order to give us opportunities to turn to him and strengthen our faith and our trust, especially when sickness or accidents come, and at other times. Job said, “My life ebbs away, days of suffering grip me. Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest. But in his great power, God becomes like clothing to me” (Job 30:16-18).
For the whole nation, this kind of refining came when Israel passed through the fire of Egypt, and then Assyria, and then Babylon. They had been refined, purified: “I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). “You, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:10-12).
Let’s remember the beginning of this passage: “two thirds will be cut off… one third will be left.” This is the effect of the gospel on human hearts: “Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Those who are cut off are not cut off on account of God’s preferences, but because they reject Christ. The cross of Christ offends the world, and many, perhaps most, turn away. “How,” they wonder, “can a man condemned to die, put to death so very long ago, mean anything to me?” And one or another of them might ask, “My great-great-grandfather was shot in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Why not worship him, a man who gave his life for freedom?” Well, your great-great-grandfather wasn’t the sinless Son of God. He didn’t fulfill every prophecy about the Messiah. He did not atone for your sins. And he didn’t rise from the dead. Jesus did. More than five hundred people saw him all at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:6), even Peter, who had denied him, saw him.
The Lord keeps calling, and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). Many refuse: “All their kings fall, and none of them calls on me” (Hosea 7:7), but a remnant bears his name (Amos 9:12). Where do you and I fit into this passage? We have heard the Master call, we have trusted in him. We have sinned and deserve his wrath, but he has called us to repentance and searched for us as we strayed (Luke 15:4). We are part of the small third who were tested. He rejoiced when we repented; for this was the great moment of our rescue, when he said: “They are my people!” and we said, “He is the Lord our God!” David said: “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:3). Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, and be saved.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Zechariah 13:8-9 Tested