Today’s passage is Zechariah 14:1-11.
The Lord says he’ll bring all the nations to attach Jerusalem. Half the people will be exiled. Then the Lord will fight. He’ll stand on the Mount of Olives which will split with a rift running east-west through which people will escape. On the day he comes there’ll be no light, living water will flow from Jerusalem, and the Lord will rule the whole earth. Never again will Jerusalem be destroyed.
Why are half the people exiled? Why does half the water go one way?
The passage begins with plunder being divided (1), then half the city going into exile (2), the Mount of Olives is split in two (4) with half the mountain moving north and the other half south (4), and when living water flows from Jerusalem, half flows east, half west (8).
Then the Lord will be king over the whole earth, not half (9), and the whole land, not half, will become like the Arabah (10).
I’m a man of half measures.
I always want to give my all and do my best and strive for 100% effort. But I don’t.
I tell myself that it’s too hard to be whole-hearted in my work and my love for others.
The truth is that I don’t want to give 100%.
I want someone else to give me their 100%! I don’t accept others’ excuses for not following through, but I don’t look too closely at my own easy failure.
I feel like such a hypocrite in my school when I exhort and encourage struggling or lazy students to give 100% to their work or to their sport when I don’t give 100% to mine. I’m a bad example.
The only 100% in me is my sinfulness.
I don’t have to worry about sinning half-heartedly because I do it so effortlessly.
I lie and twist the truth without even having to think about it.
I procrastinate. I pretend.
I make promises but don’t keep them.
At my very best I’m only a man of half measures.
Today’s passage shows me that God knows about half measures. When I won’t look closely at my sins and won’t repent diligently, I become as dry and desolate as the Arabah.
Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. Inspire me with more effort to carry my cross. Let Simon of Cyrene be my model. Don’t let me think I have a choice in this. Give me your strength to pray deeply for others.
