the house of David

January 25, 2018

The great individual mourning period (Zech 12:11-12:14)

“On that day,

The mourning in Jerusalem

Will be as great

As the mourning

For Hadad-rimmon

In the plain of Megiddo.

The land shall mourn.

Each family shall mourn

By itself,

The family of the house of David

Shall mourn by itself.

Their wives shall mourn

By themselves.

The family of the house of Nathan

Shall mourn by itself.

Their wives shall mourn

By themselves.

The family of the house of Levi

Shall mourn by itself.

Their wives shall mourn

By themselves.

The family of the Shimeites

Shall mourn by itself.

Their wives shall mourn

By themselves.

All the families that are left,

Shall mourn,

Each by itself.

Their wives shall mourn

By themselves.”

There would be great mourning in Jerusalem, but it would not be a communal mourning.  Each family and group would mourn separately.  Even their wives would also mourn separately from their husbands.  This great grieving in the city itself would be just like the mourning for the local fertility idol god of Hadad-rimmon in the Megiddo area.  It may also be a reference to the death of the religious reforming King Josiah of Judah (640-609 BCE) in Megiddo.  Each family would mourn by itself.  Thus, the house of David, the house of Nathan, the house of Levi, and the house of the Shimeites would grieve separately by themselves with their wives by themselves.  Nathan was the son of David, while Shimei was the grandson of Levi and the son of Gershon.  All these groups had separate families.  The segregated wives of these individual families all had separate mourning activities.

January 24, 2018

The glory for Jerusalem and Judah (Zech 12:7-12:7)

“Yahweh will give victory

To the tents of Judah first.

Thus,

The glory

Of the house of David,

With the glory

Of the inhabitants of Jerusalem

May not be exalted

Over that of Judah.”

Yahweh was going to give victory to the people of Judah first.  Glory was to come to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem.  However, their glory would not exceed that of Judah.

December 18, 2016

Serve God and the king (Jer 30:9-30:9)

“But they shall serve Yahweh,

Their God.

They shall serve David,

Their king,

Whom I will raise up for them.”

Yahweh said that they had to serve him. They also had to serve David the king. As King David was dead, there would be someone from the house of David who would be raised up to be king in this future time.

November 25, 2016

The destructive fire for the house of Judah (Jer 21:11-21:12)

“To the house

Of the king of Judah

Say.

‘Hear the word of Yahweh!

O house of David!

Thus says Yahweh.

‘Execute justice in the morning!

Deliver from the hand

Of the oppressor

Anyone who has been robbed!

Otherwise my wrath

Will go forth

Like fire.

It will burn

With no one to quench it,

Because of your evil doings.’”

Having talked about the fire destruction of Jerusalem, Yahweh turned to the house of Judah, the house of David. They were to execute justice every morning. They were to help the oppressed, especially those who had been robbed. If they did not, they too would have a fire without end descend upon them because of their evil ways.