Zechariah
Zechariah 13
Chapter XIII · Vol. III, pp. 1499–1500
1 The fountain of purgation for Jerusalem. 2 The extirpation of idolatry and false prophecy. 7 The death of Christ, and the saving of a third part after a severe trial.
1 In thata day there shall be a bfountain 1opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for 2uncleanness.
a Is.4.1. ch.12.3,4,6,8,9,11.
b He.9.14. Jn.1.29; 4.10,14; 15.3; 13.8; 19.34. Ep.5.25-27. 1 Jn.1.7. Re.1.5,6; 7.13,14. Tit.2.5-7. Is.1.18. Eze.36.25,29; xlvii.
1 A fountain opened—is usually interpreted of the blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all sin, 1 Jn.1.7. He.9.13,14, and of the water of purification, Nu.19.9. But it seems more agreeable to Scripture, to understand it of the Word and Spirit of God: the one uttered and the other administered by Christ. See Jn.4.10,14. Je.2.13. Re.21.6.—C.
2 Heb. separation for uncleanness.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will ccut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the dprophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
c Ho.2.16,17; 14.8. Mi.5.12-14, with Ex.23.13. Ps.10.4. Is.2.18,20.
d Lu.11.20. Mi.3.11. Zep.3.4. 2 Pe.2.1,2. 1 Jn.4.1-3. Re.16.13. 1 Ki.22.22.
3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet eprophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: gand his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
e 1 Ki.22.6,13. Je.23.25-27,32. Eze.xiii. 1 Ti.5.1-3. Re.16.13; 19.20.
g De.13.6-10; 18.20. Ex.32.27,28. Re.19.20.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets hshall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment3 to deceive:4
5 But he shall say, iI am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
6 And one shall say unto him, What are jthese wounds5 in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was kwounded in the house of my friends.
j 1 Ki.18.28. Re.13.16.
5 What are these wounds? Are they not evidences that you are a prophet, and a prophet of Baal? 1 Ki.18.28. The answer is not a deception, but a confession. 'They are the wounds of reproof, rebuke, & conviction, with which I was smitten in the house of my truest and best friends.'—C.
7 Awake,l O sword, against nmy shepherd, and against the man that is omy fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: psmite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon qthe little ones.
l Is.53.10. Ps.89.38. Ac.2.23; 4.28. Ps.xxii. lxix. Is.liii. Mat.xxvi. xxvii. Jn.xviii. xix.
n ch.11.4-7. Is.40.11. Eze.34.23. He.13.20. 1 Pe.5.4.
o Jn.10.30; 14.10,11. Phi.2.6.
p Mat.26.31,56. Mar.14.27. Jn.16.32. Lu.21.24. ch.11.8,9.
q Mat.18.10,11,14. Jn.18.8. 1 Co.1.26,27. Ja.2.5. ch.11.7,11. Lu.19.10. Ep.1.7.
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, rtwo parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the sthird shall be left therein.
r Mat.3.12; 21.41,44; 22.7; 23.35-38; 24.21. Lu.19.43,44; 21.20-24. ch.14.1,2. De.28.49-68. Mal.4.1-3.
s Ro.11.5.
9 Andt I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: uthey shall call on my name, and I will hear them: vI will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
A.M. cir. 3504. B.C. cir. 500.
t Is.1.27; 48.10. Eze.20.35-38. Mal.3.2,3. Job 23.10. 1 Pe.1.6,7.
u ch.12.10; 10.6. Is.65.24. Ho.2.21. Joel 2.32. Ps.50.15; 91.15.
v ch.10.6. Ho.1.10; 2.23; 14.4-8. ch.8.8. Le.26.12. Je.30.22; 31.33. Eze.11.20; 36.28; 37.27, with ch.11.10. Ho.1.9; 2.23. Ps.144.15. Jn.20.23.
Notes
Ver. 2-6. Such shall be the zeal for extirpating idolatry and false teachers, that many of these, ashamed of their impostures, shall lay aside the pretences and habits of prophets, and shall apply themselves to common labours; and shall pretend that the marks of idols, in their hands, or the corrections which they have received for their attempting to deceive, were obtained by some other means, and for some other miscarriages. 7-9. The tremendous sufferings of the Messiah, God in human nature, the chief Shepherd and Governor of the church, while his disciples are scattered from him, shall quickly issue in marvellous favours to them and other Jews of the poorer sort; for though, in their destruction by the Romans, the far greater part shall, on account of their obstinacy in rejecting him, be utterly destroyed or reduced to misery, yet a remnant in that age, and especially in the coming period, shall through much tribulation, be turned to, claimed by, and openly avow the promised Messiah.
Ver. 2. I will cut off the names of the idols, &c. The idols of Israel they have long forsaken, but have adopted in their stead that covetousness which is idolatry; the idols of heathen Greece and Rome have been abandoned for an imperfect and perverted Christianity, which, both in the Greek and Latin, or Eastern and Western churches, sets up and worships the images of the Virgin Mary, of saints, and angels, Re.9.20,21; all which God will utterly cast out at the downfall of mystical Babylon. C.
Ver. 3. Shall yet prophesy. Shall persevere to prophesy falsely, unwarned by God's judgments. C.
Ver. 9. Third part. The nation was divided immediately before and after the death of Christ the Shepherd into three parts—Pharisees, Sadducees, and Christians. The two former were utterly cut off, either by death or captivity; the third part remained, saved at Pella when Jerusalem was destroyed, and preserved in the mass of the Roman empire till they had leavened the whole. C.
Reflections.—Full forgiveness and reformation are closely connected with true faith and gospel repentance. Nor is any guilt or stain so deep, but Jesus, freely offered in the gospel, by his blood, his Spirit, and work, can effectually wash it out. Yea, nothing more effectually dislodges idols, devils, and impostors, than the plain and powerful exhibition and application of a crucified Christ, as made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.—Thrice happy is it when all ranks, in their respective callings, concur to promote reformation, and to extirpate false worship and delusion; and when regular censures and punishments make false teachers sensible and ashamed of their sin, and return to their duty. But how infinitely glorious is our Redeemer! Tremendous were the sufferings which he endured from his Father's just judgment for our sin. And his death effectually issues in mercy, even to his deserters, betrayers, and murderers. By the most fearful calamities God often promotes the purification and happiness of earnest believers and the establishment of his gospel and church in the world. And it is God's apprehending of us by his grace that makes us apprehend him by faith, and seek him by fervent prayer.