The Message Remix (281 page)

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Authors: Eugene H. Peterson

BOOK: The Message Remix
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Quiet, everyone! Shh! Silence before GOD. Something’s afoot in his holy house. He’s on the move!
Fourth Vision: Joshua’s New Clothes
 
003
Next the Messenger-Angel showed me the high priest Joshua. He was standing before GOD’s Angel where the Accuser showed up to accuse him. Then GOD said to the Accuser, “I, GOD, rebuke you, Accuser! I rebuke you and choose Jerusalem. Surprise! Everything is going up in flames, but I reach in and pull out Jerusalem!”
4 Joshua, standing before the angel, was dressed in dirty clothes. The angel spoke to his attendants, “Get him out of those filthy clothes,” and then said to Joshua, “Look, I’ve stripped you of your sin and dressed you up in clean clothes.”
5 I spoke up and said, “How about a clean new turban for his head also?” And they did it—put a clean new turban on his head. Then they finished dressing him, with GOD’s Angel looking on.
7 GOD’s Angel then charged Joshua, “Orders from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies: ‘If you live the way I tell you and remain obedient in my service, then you’ll make the decisions around here and oversee my affairs. And all my attendants standing here will be at your service.
9 “ ‘Careful, High Priest Joshua—both you and your friends sitting here with you, for your friends are in on this, too! Here’s what I’m doing next: I’m introducing my servant Branch. And note this: This stone that I’m placing before Joshua, a single stone with seven eyes’—Decree of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies—‘I’ll engrave with these words: “I’ll strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day.”
0 “ ‘At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another’s porches.’ ”
Fifth Vision: A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees
 
004
The Messenger-Angel again called me to attention. It was like being wakened out of deep sleep.
He said, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top. Seven lamps, each with seven spouts, are set on the bowl. And there are two olive trees, one on either side of the bowl.”
Then I asked the Messenger-Angel, “What does this mean, sir?”
The Messenger-Angel said, “Can’t you tell?”
“No, sir,” I said.
Then he said, “This is GOD’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you’re nothing but a molehill. He’ll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!’ ”
After that, the Word of GOD came to me: “Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!”
Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, “The seven lamps are the eyes of GOD probing the dark corners of the world like searchlights.”
“And the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand?” I asked. “What’s the meaning of them? And while you’re at it, the two branches of the olive trees that feed oil to the lamps—what do they mean?”
He said, “You haven’t figured that out?”
I said, “No, sir.”
He said, “These are the two who stand beside the Master of the whole earth and supply golden lamp oil worldwide.”
Sixth Vision: The Flying Book
 
005
I looked up again and saw—surprise!—a book on the wing! A book flying!
The Messenger-Angel said to me, “What do you see now?”
I said, “I see a book flying, a huge book—thirty feet long and fifteen wide!”
He told me, “This book is the verdict going out worldwide against thieves and liars. The first half of the book disposes of everyone who steals; the second half takes care of everyone who lies. I launched it”—Decree of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies—“and so it will fly into the house of every thief and every liar. It will land in each house and tear it down, timbers and stones.”
Seventh Vision: A Woman in a Basket
 
The Messenger-Angel appeared and said, “Look up. Tell me what you see.”
I said, “What in the world is that?”
He said, “This is a bushel basket on a journey. It holds the sin of everyone, everywhere.”
Then the lid made of lead was removed from the basket—and there was a woman sitting in it!
He said, “This is Miss Wicked.” He pushed her back down into the basket and clamped the lead lid over her.
Then I looked up and to my surprise saw two women flying. On outstretched wings they airlifted the bushel basket into the sky.
I said to the Messenger-Angel, “Where are they taking the bushel basket?”
He said, “East to the land of Shinar. They will build a garage to house it. When it’s finished, the basket will be stored there.”
Eighth Vision: Four Chariots
 
006
Once again I looked up—another strange sight! Four chariots charging out from between two mountains. The mountains were bronze.
The first chariot was drawn by red horses, the second chariot by black horses, the third chariot by white horses, and the fourth chariot by dappled horses. All the horses were powerful.
I asked the Messenger-Angel, “Sir, what’s the meaning here?”
The angel answered, “These are the four winds of heaven, which originate with the Master of the whole earth. The black horses are headed north with the white ones right after them. The dappled horses are headed south.” The powerful horses galloped out, bursting with energy, eager to patrol through the earth. The Messenger-Angel commanded: “On your way! Survey the earth!” and they were off in every direction.
Then he called to me and said, “Look at them go! The ones going north are conveying a sense of my Spirit, serene and secure. No more trouble from that direction.”
A Man Named Branch
 
Then this Message from GOD came to me: “Take up a collection from the exiles. Target Heldai, Tobiah, and Jedaiah. They’ve just arrived from Babylon. You’ll find them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Collect silver and gold from them and fashion crowns. Place one on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and give him this message:
“ ‘A Message from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. Be alert. We have a man here whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of GOD. Yes, he’s the one. He’ll build the Temple of GOD. Then he’ll assume the role of royalty, take his place on the throne and rule—a priest sitting on the throne!—showing that king and priest can coexist in harmony.’
“The other crown will be in the Temple of GOD as a symbol of royalty, under the custodial care of Helem, Tobiah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah.
“People will come from faraway places to pitch in and rebuild the Temple of GOD. This will confirm that GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies did, in fact, send me to you. All this follows as you put your minds to a life of responsive obedience to the voice of your GOD.”
“You’re Interested in Religion, I’m Interested in People”
 
007
On the fourth day of the ninth month, in the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, GOD’s Message again came to Zechariah.
The town of Bethel had sent a delegation headed by Sarezer and Regem-Melech to pray for GOD’s blessing and to confer with the priests of the Temple of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, and also with the prophets. They posed this question: “Should we plan for a day of mourning and abstinence next August, the seventieth anniversary of Jerusalem’s fall, as we have been doing all these years?”
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies gave me this Message for them, for all the people and for the priests: “When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in people.
“There’s nothing new to say on the subject. Don’t you still have the message of the earlier prophets from the time when Jerusalem was still a thriving, bustling city and the outlying countryside, the Negev and Shephelah, was populated? [This is the message that GOD gave Zechariah.] Well, the message hasn’t changed. GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:
 
“‘Treat one another justly.
Love your neighbors.
Be compassionate with each other.
Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.
Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’
“But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears. They steeled themselves against GOD’s revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. And GOD became angry, really angry, because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn’t listen to a word he said.
“So [this is what GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies said] if they won’t listen to me, I won’t listen to them. I scattered them to the four winds. They ended up strangers wherever they were. Their ‘promised land’ became a vacant lot—weeds and tin cans and thistles. Not a sign of life. They turned a dreamland into a wasteland.”
Rebuilding the Temple
 
008
And then these Messages from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies:
A Message from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies:
 
“I am zealous for Zion—I
care
!
I’m angry about Zion—I’m
involved
!”
 
GOD’s Message:
“I’ve come back to Zion,
I’ve moved back to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem’s new names will be Truth City,
and Mountain of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,
and Mount Holiness.”
 
A Message from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies:
“Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.”

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