The final verse of Zechariah says that all the cooking pots will be holy to the Lord and that all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. When I think of cooking pots (which is not that often), I think about all the good food that comes out of them. I also think about the people who don’t have a pot to cook in. They may have some food to eat, but how much better would it taste if they could put it in a pot and make some gumbo! Not only does a cooking pot make things taste better, but it also helps you feed a lot more people.
Here’s the deal about the cooking pots in Zecharia 14:21. They are made available to anyone who brings their sacrifice to the Lord. So, if you want a pot to cook in, then you need to bring your sacrifice to the Lord. That’s not all, though. This verse says that those who bring their sacrifice to the Lord must take the cooking pot. What good is it if something is made available to you, but you don’t take it? It may as well not be available if you don’t take it. After we bring our sacrifice to the Lord, we must reach out and take what He makes available to us. We’re still not finished with this verse, though. After you’ve brought your sacrifice to the Lord and taken what He has made available, you then need to use what He gave you for the purpose it was meant for. The last part of this verse says that the people took the pots and cooked in them. It doesn’t say they took the pots and bathed in them. They used what they were given for the purpose it was given. When the Lord blesses you, use what He gives you for the reason He gave it. All things are given for His glory and pleasure. Whatever blessing comes to you must pass through you to honor the Lord. It’s a matter of recognizing that everything belongs to the Lord and without Him we would have nothing.
So, bring your sacrifice to the Lord, take what He makes available to you, and use what He gives you for the reason He gave it. If you don’t know why He gave it, just fall back on 1 Corinthians 10:31. No matter what you do with what He gives you, do it all for the glory of God. Take a look around at the blessings in your life. What’s cooking in your pot?
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Zechariah 10:3 says that the Lord will make me like a battle horse. War horses were highly valued because they were fierce, fearless, and greatly feared in battle. They were well trained, but without a rider to master them they were dangerous to both sides during the battle. A well-trained war horse with a masterful rider was a mighty force that could turn the battle and bring the victory.
If I am being made like a battle horse, then I need to be well trained in the ways of the Lord and I need to submit to Him as my Master. Without the Lord to lead and guide me, I become dangerous to everyone. If I try to win the battle on my own, I may end up doing more damage than good. But, under His leadership and guidance I become fierce, fearless, and greatly feared by the enemy. Being well-trained in the Lord and serving under His authority makes me highly valuable and capable of turning the battle for the Lord. Giddy-up!
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In the ninth chapter of Zechariah, we are compared to a warrior’s sword, a bowl filled for offering a sacrifice on the altar, and a jewel in the crown of a king.
It’s interesting that crown comes after the battle and the sacrifice. It seems that we must first go through the battle and offer a sacrifice to the Lord before we see the crown. We battle, we sacrifice, we prosper.
I also see Jesus in each element of this progresssion. Jesus is the Warrior who carries us through the battle (see A Warrior’s Sword page). Jesus is the altar on which we offer our sacrifice. And Jesus is the King in whose crown we are a jewel. Like everything else in life, it all begins and ends with Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end.
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