God Will Bless Judah and Ephraim

1Ask rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain—

The Lord who makes the storm clouds;

And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man.

2For the teraphim speak iniquity,

And the diviners see lying visions

And tell false dreams;

They comfort in vain.

Therefore the people wander like sheep,

They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.

3“My anger is kindled against the shepherds,

And I will punish the male goats;

For the Lord of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah,

And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.

4From them will come the cornerstone,

From them the tent peg,

From them the bow of battle,

From them every ruler, all of them together.

5They will be as mighty men,

Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle;

And they will fight, for the Lord will be with them;

And the riders on horses will be put to shame.

6I will strengthen the house of Judah,

And I will save the house of Joseph,

And I will bring them back,

Because I have had compassion on them;

And they will be as though I had not rejected them,

For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.

27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

31The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

40And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” 42Many believed in Him there.

1) How does Zechariah contrast false shepherds with יהוה’s true care?

2) How does Yeshua reassure His sheep of His protection?

3) What does this teach about belonging to יהוה’s flock amid judgment?

PSALM 89

The Lord’s Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;

To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.

2For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever;

In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”

3“I have made a covenant with My chosen;

I have sworn to David My servant,

4I will establish your seed forever

And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah.

5The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;

Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

6For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?

Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord,

7A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,

And awesome above all those who are around Him?

8O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?

Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

9You rule the swelling of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

10You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;

You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;

The world and all it contains, You have founded them.

12The north and the south, You have created them;

Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

13You have a strong arm;

Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

15How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.

16In Your name they rejoice all the day,

And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

17For You are the glory of their strength,

And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

18For our shield belongs to the Lord,

And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones,

And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20I have found David My servant;

With My holy oil I have anointed him,

21With whom My hand will be established;

My arm also will strengthen him.

22The enemy will not deceive him,

Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23But I shall crush his adversaries before him,

And strike those who hate him.

24My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,

And in My name his horn will be exalted.

25I shall also set his hand on the sea

And his right hand on the rivers.

26He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

27I also shall make him My firstborn,

The highest of the kings of the earth.

Warnings and Instructions

1A man who hardens his neck after much reproof

Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

2When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,

But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

3A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad,

But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.

4The king gives stability to the land by justice,

But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.

5A man who flatters his neighbor

Is spreading a net for his steps.

6By transgression an evil man is ensnared,

But the righteous sings and rejoices.

7The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,

The wicked does not understand such concern.

8Scorners set a city aflame,

But wise men turn away anger.

9When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man,

The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

10Men of bloodshed hate the blameless,

But the upright are concerned for his life.

11A fool always loses his temper,

But a wise man holds it back.

12If a ruler pays attention to falsehood,

All his ministers become wicked.

13The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:

The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

14If a king judges the poor with truth,

His throne will be established forever.

15The rod and reproof give wisdom,

But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

16When the wicked increase, transgression increases;

But the righteous will see their fall.

17Correct your son, and he will give you comfort;

He will also delight your soul.

18Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,

But happy is he who keeps the law.

19A slave will not be instructed by words alone;

For though he understands, there will be no response.

20Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21He who pampers his slave from childhood

Will in the end find him to be a son.

22An angry man stirs up strife,

And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

23A man’s pride will bring him low,

But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

24He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life;

He hears the oath but tells nothing.

25The fear of man brings a snare,

But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.

26Many seek the ruler’s favor,

But justice for man comes from the Lord.

27An unjust man is abominable to the righteous,

And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.

Healing a Nobleman’s Son

46Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. 48So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” 49The royal official *said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50Jesus *said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. 51As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. 52So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. 54This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.