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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon

By Ekombe Hau -
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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Every time a new year comes close, something in me start feeling that weird mix of excitement and heaviness. Maybe you know the feeling too—like you’re standing at this invisible doorway. One foot in the old year (the stuff you want to forget but somehow still sticks to you like stubborn glue), and the other foot stepping into something you still can’t see clearly. And sometimes you’re hopeful, sometimes you’re scared, sometimes you’re… well, both at the same time. I was thinking about all that while reading some Scriptures again, and honestly, it hit me harder this year. Maybe because life been kinda loud lately, or maybe because I’m tired of pretending everything always makes sense. But the Bible does this thing, right? It sneaks into the parts of your heart you thought you cleaned up, and suddenly you realize God is trying to talk to you again. Even if it feels like you weren’t exactly listening. S...
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Zechariah Chapter 12 – God’s Defense and the Coming Day of Mourning

By Ekombe Hau -

 

Zechariah Chapter 12 – God’s Defense and the Coming Day of Mourning


Photo by Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash

Zechariah chapter 12 is one of those passages where prophecy feels both heavy and hopeful at the same time. It’s like a window cracked open just enough for us to peek into the future God’s got planned for His people. This chapter speaks about Jerusalem, God’s defense, and this mysterious day when Israel will mourn — but not in despair, rather in repentance and deep awakening.

If you’ve been following along the earlier chapters of Zechariah, you’ll notice a shift here. Before, the prophet was delivering visions and encouraging messages about the temple rebuilding and God’s future blessings. But here, the language gets more direct and end-times oriented. We’re looking far ahead, beyond the immediate days of Zechariah, into a time when the nations are gathered against Jerusalem, and God steps in like the ultimate warrior.

Verse 1 – The Weighty Word of the Lord

“The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him…”

The chapter starts with something heavy — “the burden of the word of the Lord.” When the Bible uses “burden” here, it’s not about being overworked or stressed like we think of today. It means a weighty prophecy, something serious, something that can’t just be shrugged off.

And right off, God introduces Himself in a way that demands attention:

  • He stretched out the heavens.

  • He founded the earth.

  • He formed the spirit of man.

This isn’t just a poetic intro. It’s a reminder of His absolute authority. When God is about to declare what will happen to nations and to His chosen city, He starts by saying: “Remember who’s talking to you — the Creator of everything.”

This already sets the tone. If He can stretch the heavens like a curtain and shape a human spirit out of nothing, He can surely handle armies gathering against Jerusalem.

Verses 2–3 – Jerusalem, a Cup and a Rock

“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples… On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples…”

The imagery here is striking. Jerusalem becomes a “cup of staggering” — like a drink that knocks you dizzy. The nations who try to mess with Jerusalem will drink from it and stumble. Then it switches imagery: a heavy stone. Anyone who tries to lift it will hurt themselves.

The message is crystal: the nations that come against God’s city are going to regret it. They will find themselves overwhelmed and broken in the attempt.

We’ve seen history repeat this pattern. Empires rise and think they can control Jerusalem — Babylon, Rome, Crusaders, Ottomans, you name it — and yet the city remains. The point here is not just history, though. This is also a prophetic glimpse into a future siege where the nations gather, and God Himself intervenes.

Verses 4–5 – Confusion to the Enemy, Courage to God’s People

“On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness…”

Ancient warfare depended heavily on horses and cavalry. So, God saying He’ll strike the horses with panic means He’s disrupting the very strength of the attacking armies. It’s not just soldiers losing their nerve — even their war machinery gets confused.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Judah will see what’s happening and say, “The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.” It’s almost like they’re suddenly reminded, “Oh wait, we’ve got the Almighty on our side.”

This is the turning point where God’s people start to recognize where their real help comes from. Not political alliances, not sheer numbers, but from the Lord.

Verses 6–9 – The Fiery Strength of Judah

“On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood…”

God flips the balance of power. The clans of Judah, who looked weak before, become like a burning pot surrounded by dry wood — unstoppable and consuming. Jerusalem will remain in her place, secure.

Verse 8 is beautiful: “The weakest among them shall be like David.” That’s a huge upgrade. David wasn’t just a warrior — he was God’s chosen king, fearless and victorious. Imagine even the frailest in Jerusalem having that kind of courage and strength.

Then, verse 9 closes this section with God saying He will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. This is divine defense at the highest level.

Verses 10–14 – The Spirit of Grace and the Great Mourning

Now we reach one of the most profound prophetic moments in the Old Testament.

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him…”

This verse gives us chills because it’s a direct prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus. Notice the detail:

  • God says they will look on “Me” — indicating that it’s God Himself speaking.

  • Then it says “on him whom they have pierced” — a clear reference to crucifixion.

The people will one day realize that the One they rejected and pierced was their Savior all along. And when that realization hits, it won’t be a shallow “oops.” It will be deep mourning, like the grief for losing an only son.

This mourning spreads across the land — families, leaders, everyone — each weeping apart, as the passage details from verse 12 to 14. It’s a picture of personal and national repentance.

Why This Chapter Hits So Deep

Zechariah 12 hits us because it’s not just about God fighting battles for His people — it’s about God winning their hearts. The military victory is huge, but the spiritual victory is even bigger.

In this future day, Jerusalem will not only be saved from destruction, but Israel will finally see their Messiah for who He really is. That’s why the mourning is so intense — it’s the realization of centuries of missed truth, the heartbreak of recognizing the One they longed for was there, and they turned Him away.

Bringing It Home for Us Today

We might not be living in ancient Jerusalem or facing literal siege, but the truths here still speak to our lives:

  1. God defends His people. No matter how overwhelming the enemy looks, He knows how to flip the situation.

  2. Prideful nations (or individuals) who try to oppose God’s plan will always end up hurt.

  3. Repentance is powerful and personal. There’s something sacred about coming to God in tears, realizing we’ve resisted Him, and finally surrendering.

This chapter also reminds us that prophecy isn’t just about scary events — it’s about hope. God’s endgame is not destruction for His people, but restoration.

If you imagine standing on a Jerusalem rooftop when all this happens, you’d see chaos in the enemy camps, courage rising in the streets, and tears flowing down faces as hearts break in repentance. It’s a strange mix — joy because God is saving the city, and sorrow because they’re finally seeing the truth they missed.

That’s the tension of Zechariah chapter 12 — the collision of God’s justice, mercy, and truth all in one prophetic scene.

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