One Day, They Will Look and Believe

Scripture: And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10

Observation: Zechariah is predicting a future day when the nation of Israel will be given a gift—the gift of the Holy Spirit who enables faith so that when they look to Christ in faith, they will be moved to mourning and repentance (pleas for mercy).

Application: We are going through Acts as a church and seeing the growing rejection of the second offer of Jesus Christ by Israel. The first offer, in the gospels, ended in the rejection of Christ to the point of death. The second offer, in Acts, is moving towards the end of national rejection of Christ as the Messiah, and the death of many followers. My heart breaks as I read Acts and see the grace and patience of God who re-offers the kingdom and still finds rejection. This passage in Zechariah reminds me that rejection will not last forever. That one day, Israel will see what they have been blind to for so long—Christ crucified, and when they see him, the Spirit will move them to faith, finally.
Sometimes I look at people and think they are beyond God. They have rejected Christ over and over, and I am quick to dust off my feet and get moving. But if God can change the heart of a nation, he can change the heart of a man.

Prayer: God, thank you for keeping your promises to your people, even when they do not keep their promises to you. Thank you for your love for Israel, and how you keep reaching out. Give me guidance today in knowing when to keep offering the kingdom, and when to move on. Thank you for reminding me that no matter how attractive the offer, the Spirit has to be involved for people to see Christ and be moved to repentance.