Behold, a day is coming from the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.” (vv.1-3)
The first verse of this prophetic word from Zechariah indicates that Jerusalem will lose many things of great value (spoil), but later they will be returned and divided among them. This speaks to the yet future battle of Armageddon in which nations will fight against Jerusalem, and at first will be winning. But then the Lord will arrive, to fight, conquer, and make the city safe forever (vv.2–5,10–11). He’ll stand on the Mount of Olives, which is one reason why some scholars think Christ will return to this specific place.
This illustrates how God may, as a last resort, allow great trouble into our lives as well, in order to get our attention and get our eyes back on Him. Then, just as we have seen here, the LORD arrives to fight, conquer, and make our lives safe and secure once again. He tests us to allow faith to replace doubt, along with hope and love to replace defeat and anger. And if we fail the test, He will continue the testing until we get it right. Why? Because He loves us and does not wish us to be out of His love and will for our lives.
Yes, sometimes life just doesn't seem fair. But when your feeling defeated, look up and know that He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never give you more than you can bare and will always provide a means of escape - He fights for you because He loves you! Will you not love Him?
The Truth: “One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.” (Joshua 23:10)
