Zechariah 9, James 3

(Zechariah 9)

Verse 3 and 4: “Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. “But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.”
Once again we are reminded of that which we build on our own. The result: temporary. Tyre had amassed so many riches that the prophet compared the amounts to the amount of dust and dirt in the world). Interesting word picture, not fertile soil or lush pasture, but dust and dirt. And when it is gone, it will disappear in the shadow of God’s true glory and possession. I think both literally and figuratively. Either way, it will be taken away, destroyed, and consumed. Temporary. I think this morning about the temporary things in my life. It would be interesting to make a list of the things that are temporary verses eternal that consume my time. I have to confess, I think one side of that list would be much larger than the other.
Verse 8 gives us this reminder of the strength and eternity of the coming Christ: “But I will defend my house against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch.”
Father, we take hold of this promise. We thank you that it was fulfilled through Christ. Give us the strength and perspective to live knowing that we are under this Word today. Forgive us where when we do not.

(James 3)

Not many verses scare me as much as James 3:1 “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Obviously as a teacher of God’s Word, I know I must not mishandle it. There is so much at stake in presenting God in a different or wrong light, painting an improper image of Christ, leading others to live lives as outlined by our interpretation, or even our perspective of eternity. We have to be careful not to do what many teachers do, project our opinion of scripture as the truth of scripture.

While this is certainly the most quoted or reflected on scripture in James 3, I’m not so sure that it captures the heart of the entire scripture. The focus is more so on recognizing the power of our words. James draws two comparisons (1) in building up and (2) in tearing down. We have to realize how quickly the tongue can destroy relationships, testimonies, credibility, and trust.

But why does he do this? He tells us directly, we CANNOT tame our tongue. Verse 8 says that directly. That is not our biggest battle. Our battle should be in begging God to change our heart. This is a sad truth, the words that come out of our mouth that are painful, sarcastic (ouch), mean, destructive, prejudice, malicious, joking (there is some truth in each joke) are not a temporary loss of control or discipline, it’s a reflection of what is within. Scripture says that directly as well in verse 12 as he is describing why we cannot tame the tongue, “My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

In the name of “keeping it real” sometimes we say things that we shouldn’t. There are times I’ve said things that could be construed as off base, but the person I’m saying it to, “knows my heart”. While sometimes, that is true, I’m convicted this morning that many times that this is not just “discernment”, it’s a shadow of something that still needs to be changed in my heart. However small that might be (or big) that’s where I need to start.

God, help us to see the fruit in our lives, whether it’s words out of our mouth, or actual deeds of service as evidence of faith. Help us God to not be defensive where we need work, help us not to judge one another through that struggle, and may our transparency bring unity and glory to you. Father, purify our hearts, that fresh water may come out of a heart that once was a salt spring.