I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     Zechariah prophesies that the day will come when God will pour out His Spirit upon the people of Judah and Jerusalem. On that day, they will mourn for the One they have pierced, they will grieve bitterly. As a result, they will be cleansed of their sins. God will erase idol worship throughout the land and false prophets will be removed from the land. No one will claim the ability of divination any longer. Those who had previously practiced it will reject the practice and be ashamed that they had once practiced such sinfulness.
     God is going to put His people through fire in order to refine them like silver and purify them like gold. When He is done He will say, “These are my people.” They will reply, “The Lord is our God.” Will you be one of those people?

     With the fall of “Babylon” a great crowd will praise God for His greatness and salvation. They will sing about how He brought justice against those who had murdered His servants. They will sing for the joy of being invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb as He marries the bride who had prepared herself for Him. Then a rider on a white horse will ride forth to wage war against the beast and the kings who gathered with him. They had gathered to bring down the prostitute and then to make war against God Himself. The rider, whose name is Faithful and True, will be accompanied by the armies of heaven, but He will be victorious of the kings of the earth and those who had worshiped the beast without the aid of His armies. He will strike down all who had given themselves over to evil. This passage is a reminder that everyone will be held accountable for their actions. It may seem that some people are getting away with their evil behavior, but God will hold them accountable and force them to pay the price for their mistreatment of others.

     God will heal the brokenhearted and bandage their wounds. This is a reminder that we do not claim to be perfect. No, we have all been wounded, but God will bandage our wounds and offer us healing. God does not desire those who claim to be strong and able to stand up against whatever the world can throw at them. He calls us to acknowledge our pain and turn to Him for healing. Those who fear Him and put their hope in His love will experience healing. He does not take pleasure in those who rely on their own strength and/or wealth. Let us turn to Him for healing and trust in His love.

     The proverb writer warns against spending one’s strength (or, possibly, wealth) on various women. He does not come out and say it, but instead a man should find one woman who will strengthen them and help them be a better person. He goes on to say that rulers should not indulge themselves in alcohol because it may distort their judgment and cause them to deny the oppressed of their rights. Rather alcohol should be left for those who are in pain or suffering, in order to help them forget their misery.