Zech. 12:11-14

11 In that day [yowm] shall there be a great [gadal] mourning [micepd] in Jerusalem [Yaruwshalaim], as the mourning [micepd] of Hadadrimmon [Hadadrimmown] in the valley [biq`ah] of Megiddon [Magiddown ].

12 And the land ['erets] shall mourn [caphad], every [mishpachah] family [mishpachah] apart [bad]; the family [mishpachah] of the house [bayith] of David [David] apart, and their wives ['ishshah] apart; the family [mishpachah] of the house [bayith] of Nathan [Nathan] apart, and their wives ['ishshah] apart;

13 The family [mishpachah] of the house [bayith] of Levi [Leviy] apart, and their wives ['ishshah] apart; the family [mishpachah] of Shimei [Shim`iy] apart, and their wives ['ishshah] apart;

14 All the families [mishpachah] that remain [sha'ar], every family [mishpachah] apart, and their wives ['ishshah] apart. KJV-Interlinear

11 In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. NASB

We are studying the Tribulation, and specifically the very end of the Tribulation, as the battle of Armageddon is getting underway. From Revelation 19 we have re-directed our study to Ezekiel 38, Daniel 11, and now we are in Zechariah 12. We still have Zechariah 13 and 14, then back to Ezekiel 39, and then Isaiah 63, before we can get back to Revelation.

In 2 Kings 23 and 2 Chronicles 35, Pharaoh Necho killed Josiah in a battle in the valley of Megiddon. His death was the end of a reign that had the promise of a spiritual revival in the nation, and was mourned as a great loss.

But, the real loss here was Josiah s zeal based on emotion and not on sound doctrine.

Josiah had a long reign as King. He lived through the pressure brought on by the Assyrians, and at a time when the Assyrians were in their decline from power.

Josiah brought back some semblance of the Mosaic Law, in an attempt to restore the proper use of the Temple, and revive the nation spiritually. But Josiah was a mere man, and the time for that revival was not to be. Though Josiah s name means, Yahweh supports him, Gods support requires a prerequisite of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and finally faith in ones soul.

Josiah knew of the many stories of Israel s past, and he presumed that he could simply be brash and charge into the heat of a battle, and because God was on his side, he would end up the winner.

Not so. Emotion does not think, and was never intended to be the driving force of thought, for ones life. Emotions proper place is in the function of response to the world around us. We respond to smells, or beauty, or sound, or things we feel or taste. And that, is the proper place for emotion.

Where we get into trouble, is when we react to life, by getting angry, frustrated, being fearful, worrying, hating, and such things, and then we act based on those feelings. Those kinds of decisions and actions usually get us into trouble.

The power of Assyria was weakening, and Pharaoh-Necho of Egypt, who was ambitious to secure control of Mesopotamia, started on the campaign to defeat Assyria.

Josiah, whose reforming zeal had already achieved some success in Northern Israel, flirted with inordinate dreams of invincibility in Gods name. Josiah started out with a little army to do battle with the Egyptians. In the first engagement he was killed.

The spiritual revival that could have ignited the Israelites back into their national status, fizzled and they eventually fell to Babylon. Emotions never carry the weight of responsibility or even courage. Emotions are a poor substitute for rational thinking. Emotions do not have the sustaining power of wisdom.

As a result, the nation was eventually overrun, and then there were agonizing tears of suffering and mourning.

The references to the house of David, the house of Nathan, the prophet not David s son, the house of Levi, and the family of Shimei, all cover the leadership of Israel, the prophets or messengers from God, the priests, and finally the musicians. Shimei is the reference to the musicians who were part of the Levitical musical group serving in the Temple.

Certainly, when one has proper leadership, which is based on doctrine received from God, and properly taught by qualified teachers, then there is spiritual growth, maturity, orientation to reality and that produces music in ones soul.

However, if doctrine is not properly taught nor properly learned, if emotion is utilized as a replacement or substituted for the criteria for the spiritual life, then all of these things fail, and that leaves misery and great mourning.

Women grieve differently than do men. In ancient times, it was the men who died and the women who were left behind to fend for themselves, or to be taken up as slaves or play things, for other conquering men.

And so, we have a stern warning from God, directed specifically to those defenders of Judah and Jerusalem, and a stern warning to each one of us. Do not get cocky regarding your place in God. God will deliver, but on His terms, not yours. Do not jump up and run directly into the enemy fire, yelling and screaming, and expecting them to run away. Spontaneous zeal will bring your life to an end, just as Josiah s did in that very first attack. And, Josiah tried to hide his identity, but a random arrow still found its way to him.

Instead, use prudent thinking, and wisdom to guide your actions. Keep your head down, shoot, and keep on the move when facing an enemy with superior numbers.

We all face the enemy of this world. God is there to help us out, but we need to use common sense when making decisions in our life. Doctrine teaches those common sense principles. There are many things in life that you can do yourself, certainly, but when you reach your limit, then God will take over and do the additional things that are necessary. God will do those things, which you cannot do.

Thus, we are to be responsible in life, and not irresponsible, and trust God to pick up the slack in our behalf.

If the defenders of Jerusalem were emotional, God is going to save us no matter what we do, then they would all die. Many of them most likely will die for this very reason, otherwise this specific warning would not be necessary.

Likewise, as we saw yesterday, the principle of the loss of the first born, resulting in the loss of ones name, legacy, tradition, inheritance, and so forth, would apply.

In other words, far too much is a stake, so don t be a fool in life and don t throw away your entire eternal future. Avoid all of the holy roller stuff, and pursue the less emotional, and less exciting, reading, listening, and studying habits that are proven learning approaches to understanding and wisdom.

Feeling good, singing songs, group hugs, listening to stirring messages, watching emotional movies, or other mechanisms for gaining emotional highs, will not advance your spiritual growth.

Learning Bible doctrine will.

Use emotion as an appreciation response to your growth, not the means of it.

Now is the time to post a prayer.