A Day is Coming...

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

A day is coming...

If there is anything we can be sure of upon reading the last chapter of the oracles of Zecharia, it is this statement above.

He announces this with his opening words, and will then continue to, well basically, just about beat us over the head with it, over and over and over and over again. By the end of this chapter, we will have heard the word "day" at least a dozen times, and the phrase "And on that day" - ביום ההוא - seven times.

(Remember the time we said that "seven" is a magic number, and if something is repeated seven times, then it is a sure sign that we're dealing with something important? (See A Kingmaker is Born: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/263443?lang=bi). Well, the same applies here!)

So what is this big "Day" that is upon us? Let's just start out by looking at Zecharia's opening declaration; (WARNING; graphic and sensitive content ahead here.)

Right off the bat, we are thrown into a scene of the pillage-and-plunder of beloved Jerusalem. Robert Alter notes how Zecharia's lens starts off wide, then continuously hones in as things become increasingly worse. First the fall of the city, then plundering, then Jerusalem's very women being taken.

But as bad as things appear... sorry to say that they are even worse if we understand a bit of context.

You might recall when we spoke at length about Zecharia in the Branch of David limmud (https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/244292?lang=bi). His time-and-place was Jerusalem after the return from exile, when the Judeans are in a state of rebuilding! But what Zechariah is describing here is the worst of nightmares; something they had already suffered through at the hands of Babylon, 70 years ago!

Is this to say that the Judeans, after enduring a miserable destruction-and-exile, are only redeemed and brought back to Judea only to experience the same thing all over again???

What ever happened to all the assurances from the Herald of Zion of a renewed and reconciled relationship, and living happily-ever-after!

Well don't despair just yet; To repeat something that I brought up only a week ago when we learned about Yoel (remember those annoying and pesky locusts?)... If you're reading the oracles of our ancient Israelite or Judean prophets and things seem to just get worse, and worse, and worse... just keep reading! If the chips are down, there is most definitely more to the story.

And in this case, we only need to go one line further to where the pivot begins:

When Judeah looks like she is down and out for the count and beyond any hope of salvation; YHWH-Almighty himself arrives, sallying forth to fight for his people.

And it's not enough for YHWH to show up and fight; No, he has to make an appearance, showing up in such dramatic fashion so as the whole of the cosmos will stop and look; Such that everyone will see what happens when Judea, YHWH's precious people, are trampled upon.

Look at how Zecharia goes on to describe this moment:

below: Do you see Zechariah looking on in the left? Who might that be next to him?

What a description! Natural cataclysms upending both the earth below and the heavens above, what with earthquakes and weird celestial phenomena. And how about that line where he says YHWH is not only coming alone, but will bring all the holy beings with him!

What Zecharia is describing here is called theophany, and it refers to when YHWH decides to show up somewhere amongst humankind, and the ancient Judeans and Israelites usually described such appearances as being accompanied by such awe-evoking events as booming thunder and earthquakes.

Here is one of my personal favorite examples of this:

How incredible is this image? Of a humble Israelite in trouble, calling out to his god in distress, YHWH hearing from the Temple, and then tilting the very heavens as he comes down, riding in the clouds on the wings of cherubs, letting loose lightning-arrows upon the prayer's enemies.

For the Israelites and Judeans, their conviction in YHWH as a mighty warrior-figure who would fight for them, defend them, sally forth before them in battle, was one of the most important roles YHWH could fill. After all, the Israelites and Judeans were surrounded by hostile kingdoms and empires on all sides, and were constantly having to go to war to defend their cities, their homes and families. In the ancient near east, a god who was not capable of or willing to successfully wage war for his people was not worthy of worship.

And in this arena, our Israelite and Judean ancestors believed that YHWH proved himself time and time again.

The most concise statement throughout the writings in the TaNaKh which expresses this confidence comes from the Song of the Sea, sung daily in traditional Jewish prayer-spaces:

There are a couple of other things from Zechariah's description above that I want to touch upon.

There's much to say about the earthquake from the days of King Uzziah. Take a look at how Amos, one of the four great 8th-century prophets, and most likely the oldest prophet to have his own oracles in our TaNaKh, opens up his works:

Notice the reference to King Uzziah, placing us in the same time period that Zechariah is referencing. Whoever added in this superscription for us does not elaborate any more on this earthquake; but that's exactly the point. He didn't need to.

This earthquake was so memorable that all he had to say was "the earthquake," and he could assume that as long as Amos's words would be read, everyone in the audience would know exactly what he was talking about.

Here is a description from The Scientific and Scriptural Impact of Amos' Earthquake by Steven Austin, PhD:

This magnitude 8 event of 750 B.C. appears to be the largest yet documented on the Dead Sea transform fault zone during the last four millennia. The Dead Sea transform fault likely ruptured along more than 400 kilometers as the ground shook violently for over 90 seconds! The urban panic created by this earthquake would have been legendary.

...

After the gigantic earthquake, no Hebrew prophet could predict a divine visitation in judgment without alluding to an earthquake.

from The Scientific and Scriptural Impact of Amos' Earthquake, Steven Austin, PhD., 2010 : https://www.icr.org/article/scientific-scriptural-impact-amos-earthquake/

And in our case, here Zechariah is, over two centuries later, still referring to is as "the earthquake" and using it as a point of reference for the power of YHWH!

below: Note the possible epicenter of Amos's earthquake all the way to the north.

For more references to earthquakes in prophetic oracles and Israelite narrative, see the page titled FHJC Isaiah Series - The Earthquake found at this link:

https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/262041.9?lang=bi&with=Sheets&lang2=en

I now want to revisit Zechariah's statement above, that when YHWH arrives, it will be with all of his holy ones, sharing a couple verses which should help us paint a picture of what this means.

Firstly; note how one of YHWH's most popular epithets throughout the literature in the TaNaKh is YHWH-of-Legions, or יהוה צבאות . The first time we encounter this word - legions - is actually as early as the conclusion of the first creation narrative in Genesis:

The effect of using this word here, tsewa'ot, is to suggest the idea that all of the created realm makes up YHWH's army, that everything in the natural world from man to beast to plant to animal, is meant to stand at YHWH's beck and call, ready to do his will. To rebel against YHWH is to pick a fight with the cosmos.

In fact, look at how Deborah, the incredible pre-monarchic heroine-prophetess, poetically depicts one of the ancient Isrealite-Canaanite wars:

It almost seems unfair; The fearsome Canaanite commander Sisera thought he was leading his forces against the Israelites, but finds himself facing off not against flesh-and-blood, but against the very stars of heaven and the raging brooks on earth.

An ancient Israelite poet described the vastness of YHWH's forces thusly:

As Zechariah's oracle continues, we see how the battle will then play out, with YHWH's weapon being a kind of plague that will quickly spread throughout Jerusalem's enemies.

We'll come back to this plague in a moment. But first; if you're at least 25 years old, chances are you have been privileged enough to see the original Indiana Jones classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark. And if so, if there's one scene that you would remember forever, it was probably the moment when the Ark of the Covenant is found and opened up.

Here it is below; but WARNING, it is a scene of nightmares, not for the faint of heart.

As it turns out, Director Steven Spielberg probably knew his Scripture. For now let's turn back to that plague mentioned above, to see what Zecahariah says the enemies of Jerusalem have to look forward to:

Yikes.

On that note, let's finally turn to where Zechariah becomes not so grim.

One major highlight in Zechariah's oracle which we can't skip over is what ends up happening with all of those enemies who, for some reason, end up surviving this major day of reckoning:

On the surface, this is quite strange. For what's the reason that Israel was commanded in the Festival of Booths to begin with? Leviticus answers explicitly:

It is to preserve and continue to cherish the memory that YHWH took our ancestors out from Egyptian slavery, and that we were then sheltered for 40 years in the desert!

Note how the above command even emphasizes that this is a law for ezrach

b'Israel, the "citizens" of Israel.

So the question is begged; Why would YHWH now broaden the Festival of Booths to include all of those nations who tried to make war? YHWH didn't free them from Egypt and accompany them for 40 years; It was Israel! What relevance do they have to this particular pilgrimage festival???

Personally, I think this hearkens back to another oracle of Zechariah's, one several chapters back, and which very well might be one of the most beautiful chapters in all of TaNaKh, up there even with some of the very best we read from the Herald of Zion.

I recommend you read this whole chapter, but here we'll only look at one small part:

What we learn from Zechariah is that a time will come when YHWH's presence and favor will shine so powerfully on Israel that others will see, and will yearn - will thirst, to be a part of it.

Can you imagine this image? Judeans making their way to Jerusalem during the fall, with their tools to build their booths in one hand, their 4 species in another, provisions on their backs; And as they pass by town after town, people pouring out of their homes begging to be included; And then the city of Jerusalem will become a symphony of brotherhood and unity, with peoples of many colors and cultures and origins, all joining together in fellowship, rendering praise to YHWH!

And as Zechariah foretells:

Here's a question that's on my mind personally, and I'll invite you to ponder as well, in light of Zechariah's vision above;

Should we, as the descendants of our beloved Israelites and Judeans of yore, be active in spreading the word of YHWH beyond our prayer-spaces and communities to those who do not know of him, or are not in relationship with him? After all, if having YHWH in our lives brings us meaning and fulfillment, is a source of strength and comfort; is it not kindness to try to share this, somehow, with others?

Based on this chapter, my inclination is to say yes; For YHWH's intention, here at least, seems to be for him to be sovereign to the whole world, not just over Israel. If so, how can we play our small part to contributing to YHWH's will?

Here's an idea that you might appreciate starting with; People are oftentimes asked "How are you?" This is a WONDERFUL invitation to call upon the name of YHWH! One can either answer with gratitude for being well, or else a prayer for things to get better.

"I'm great! YHWH-Almighty has been kind to me."

Or alternatively;

"I'm unwell, may YHWH-Almighty help me through this."

Maybe, every once in a while, such a response will open up a conversation of trust and faith in YHWH that will be fruitful and worthwhile for everyone involved.