Wall of Fire!

Zechariah 2

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, October 9.

Have you ever wondered why the returning remnant of Israel focused on rebuilding the temple before the walls of Jerusalem? The walls had been torn down by the Babylonians, but was the breach of the city walls their real downfall? Where did the security of Jerusalem truly come from? The vision of Zechariah 2:1-5 gives us the answer:

Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.” And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, and said to him, “Run, speak to that young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. ‘For I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

The safety of the city, just like the security of any soul, is brought about by the glory of God being inside of it. Restoring right worship to the temple of God was the priority of the remnant, more so than any number of military fortifications because God’s glory is “a wall of fire” around His people. The downfall of Jerusalem was a foregone conclusion after the glory of God departed from it, as described in Ezekiel 10:18, “Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.” Zechariah’s visions brought hope to the returning remnant of Israel, reminding them of their priorities of work and motivating them to rebuild the temple in the face of frustration and opposition.

Seize the moment and ask God to be a wall of fire around your life by inviting the Holy Spirit to bring God’s glory into your jar of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7-18).

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

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