Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: Promises Of The Law

Something is Going to Get a Hold on You

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-06-19

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver preaches from Zechariah 1:1-6, warning that God's Word will inevitably take hold of every person—either in judgment or in blessing. He recalls the controversy God had with Israel's rebellious fathers, reissues God's offer of reconciliation through repentance, restates the counsel not to imitate the fathers' disobedience, and reveals that God's words overtook the fathers just as He promised. The sermon emphasizes that sin provokes God, but His Word endures forever, and no one can outrun His declared purposes.

[John Weaver] Zechariah chapter 1. You might as well mark it because we will look at a number of other passages a little bit later. But this is the text from which I will be preaching today. Zechariah 1 verses 1 through 6. The title of the message is, Something will get a hold on you. And I think you will understand shortly. Look in Zechariah 1 verse 1. In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me, said the Lord.

[John Weaver] Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants, the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us." Remember, if you would, the title of the message is, Something Will Get a Hold on You. Have you ever tried to grab a hold of something, only to discover that when you grabbed it, you had been grabbed yourself? That is, something had taken a hold on you.

[John Weaver] I'm sure that everyone in here remembers the old Jerry Clower story about the fellows who were coon hunting and they thought they had the coon treed and one man decided to climb the tree and deal with the coon and he got up there and discovered there was not a coon up there but it was a lynx which is a souped up bobcat and of course the lynx jumped on the man the man was trying to fight it off and and the man up the tree kept telling his buddy down there shoot us shoot shoot And the man said, I can't. I might hit you. Finally, the guy up the tree shouted, just shoot up here amongst us. One of us has got to have some relief.

[John Weaver] So obviously, something did have a hold on him and he could not let go. Years ago, when we were teenagers, my cousin Ned Day and one of our very best friends, Gene Waller, went cooning for fish.

[John Weaver] Now, today they called it noodling. We always called it cooning. So in preparation, and the reason we called it cooning was because of raccoons, when they would dip their paws down in the water and feel under rocks and things like that to catch crawfish. So we always called it cooning. But in preparation to doing that, we would find a little puddle of water in a creek somewhere where it was nearly dry. And we would, of course, have our shoes off, have our pants rolled up, above our knees and we would get into that little puddle of water and just walk all over, stirring up all the mud that we could stir up and making the water thick with mud, which of course then forced the

[John Weaver] fish to come up to the top for air. At that particular time, you could either scoop them up with a net or reach down and pick them up with your hands. And as boys, we never used a net, we just always caught the fish with our hands. Well, Ned and Gene were doing that, and they had the little pool of water all sufficiently muddied up, and Ned saw the back of a huge catfish. And he said, oh Gene, look what I've got, and he reached down and he grabbed the back of what he thought was a big black catfish.

[John Weaver] When he came up, he had a very angry, an extremely large moccasin. Thankfully, he had caught the snake right behind the head. And as Ned was holding the snake, the snake very slowly began to wrap its body around Ned's arm. Ned kept hollering to Gene, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it. And Gene kept saying, I can't shoot it until you put it down. And of course Ned couldn't put it down. And so Gene had to come up and help unravel the snake from around his arm. And finally, when Ned did let go and throw the snake down, there was no reason to shoot it. Because he had literally choked the life out of that snake.

[John Weaver] He had grabbed hold of something and something had grabbed hold on him. and he just could not let go.

[John Weaver] Now Zechariah tells us about something that is far more powerful and far greater than a lynx or a moccasin. It's something that will grab hold of men and they cannot let go of it and it certainly will not let them go. They will not be able to shake it off, they will not be able to put it down and they will not be able to escape. Now Zechariah was a colleague of Haggai and both of them worked together for the building of the second temple.

[John Weaver] You'll find that in Ezra 5 in verse 1. Zechariah began to prophesy sometime after Haggai. However, he continued longer, soared higher in visions and revelations, he wrote more, he prophesied more, and especially concerning Christ than Haggai had done. His ministry was very practical, And He begins by giving us a central truth in chapter 1 that must be understood and must be applied. So if you look in verse 1, He establishes divine authority by expressly stating that the word of the Lord came to Him. He said, In the eighth month and the second year of Darius came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet saying. So He says the word of the Lord comes, came to Him. So he not only establishes his prophetic authority, he also gives us some of his ancestry because he refers to himself as Zechariah the son of Berechiah. Now, there are many scholars that believe that this is the very Zechariah the son of Berechiah that was slain between the temple and the altar probably many years after the rebuilding of the temple.

[John Weaver] Our Lord refers to Him, if you would hold Zechariah 1, but look in Matthew 23, and notice verse 35, Matthew 23 and verse 35, and we read this, Matthew 23 and verse 35, and talking to the Jews, our Lord said this, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barakias whom you slew between the temple and the altar. So many scholars say that this Zachariah that wrote the book of Zachariah is the one that our Savior referred to. We know that Zachariah was a prophet and we know that he did indeed speak the word of the Lord.

[John Weaver] Prophets were not very popular people. Because people do not by nature wish to hear that they are wicked sinners and under the judgment of God. Neither do they like to be reminded of their sins. And especially even their past sins. And Zechariah here begins his ministry by reminding the people of God's controversy with them and their constant and consistent rebellion against God. So if you look in Zechariah chapter 1, we're going to begin today with verse 2, and you're going to see the controversy recalled.

[John Weaver] He says, the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. The controversy, recall, the word controversy is a very good word and it illustrates the ongoing disobedience and rebellion of Israel. The word controversy is used to designate a quarrel, a strife, a bone of contention, and a dispute. And the God of heaven did indeed have a bone of contention with his disobedient and rebellious people. Let me show you how the word is actually used in Scripture.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Zechariah, but turn right back, if you would, to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Hosea chapter 4 and verse 1. You remember now, he said, the Lord had been sore displeased with your father. So here's this controversy. So Hosea 4 and verse 1, Hosea says it like this. Watch carefully. Hosea 4 verse 1. Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." And then he goes on, but notice if you would, he calls this a controversy. It is a dispute. It is a problem that God has with the children of Israel. Then if you look in Hosea chapter 12, and notice if you would please, verse 2. Hosea 12 and verse 2. God says it again very clearly. The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, according to his doings will he recompense him.

[John Weaver] So the Lord hath a controversy with Judah. And let me just read to you the book of Micah chapter 6 and verse 2. Listen carefully. God says, Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy and you strong foundations of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel." So over and over, the Bible says that God had a controversy. God had a bone of contention.

[John Weaver] He had a dispute with them. He had a quarrel with them. Why? Because of their sin and their rebellion. And ultimately, it will be the righteous judgment of God that ends that quarrel, that ends that dispute, and ends that controversy. For the Bible says, in Isaiah 34 and verse 8, listen carefully. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. So obviously then, when there is no repentance on the part of God's people, the controversy will be resolved by God's judgment. Now, if you look back in Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 2, he says this.

[John Weaver] The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. So here's this controversy. And by the way, Zechariah is talking about everything that happened from Israel as they were called out of Egypt. So all of this is being brought to mind. And when God says the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers, the Hebrew is very emphatic. And it literally means this. He has been displeased with a displeasure. or he's been displeased with a very grievous displeasure. That is, he's vehemently displeased. It is no common displeasure.

[John Weaver] It's something that arouses a righteous anger. Let me give you just one little quote. Listen to what John Calvin said upon verse 2. He said, Zechariah mentions here to his own people a signal evidence of God's wrath which ought to justly to have smitten all of them with terror. He does not then speak here of a thing unknown, but reminds them seriously to consider how terrible is God's vengeance.

[John Weaver] As a proof of this, their fathers had been deprived of their perpetual inheritance. They had suffered many degradations and had also been harassed and oppressed by tyrants. In short, they had been nearly sunk in the lowest depths. Since then God has so severely dealt with their fathers, listen, the prophet bids them to know that God ought to be feared lest they should grow wanton and indulge themselves in their usual manner but they might from the heart repent and not provoke God's wrath of which the fathers had such a severe experience.

[John Weaver] And so that is true. That's exactly what Zechariah is doing. He is warning them that if you do not repent, if you don't change your ways, you're basically going to end up like your fathers.

[John Weaver] Now let me just show you what a sore displeasure is. I want you to hold Zechariah, but turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 29. Deuteronomy 29, and let's begin reading there with verse 27. Deuteronomy 29, And look at verse 27. You want to find out what a sore displeasure is? Here it is. Deuteronomy 29 verse 27. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the Lord rooted them out of this land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day. Wow. God rooted them out in anger and in wrath and in great indignation. If you would turn right over to Deuteronomy 32 and look at verse 22, just trying to show you what this sore displeasure is. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 22, look what God says to the people. Here is a very sore displeasure. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 22, God says, For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundation of the mountains."

[John Weaver] So a fire is kindled in his anger, he said, and shall burn into the lowest hell. We should not antagonize, we should not wish to antagonize or displease in anger the sovereign, omnipotent, majestic, eternal, immutable, and righteous judge of all the earth. Do you realize that Moses asked this simple question in Psalm 90 verse 11? He said to God, who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so with thy wrath. Who knoweth the power of thine anger?

[John Weaver] And so when Zechariah says, the Lord had been so displeased with your father. Zechariah reminds the people of the past and he is warning them of the present. He is saying, in essence, if you continue as your fathers, you're going to meet the same displeasure of God as your fathers met. So the prophet here refers to the severity of God's punishment, which the fathers had been visited, in order that they might understand that God does not play around with sin.

[John Weaver] All those who despise His word shall be punished. Here's what you and I are to learn. We're to learn and we must learn that sin provokes God. It provokes God to anger. It angers Him. It displeases Him. Sin is a challenge and a dare to God to do His worst. Sin is worse than saying to God, I double dog dare you. No, no, no. Sin is more than that. Literally a spitting in the face of God. And sin is a denial of God as the chief good. What sin does is simply says this, God, you're insufficient to supply my needs. You're insufficient to satisfy me. I must have this sin. I must violate your law in order to appease and satisfy me. And so sin then is an affront to God because it's an insult to God. And sin creates a controversy.

[John Weaver] which we cannot possibly win. And I, for one, do not wish to be an individual that challenges the Son of God. So, he gives you here the controversy recall. Look in verse 3 in Zechariah chapter 1. Here is the conciliation reissued. The conciliation reissued in verse 3. Therefore say thou to them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Amazingly, the offended God of heaven offers reconciliation.

[John Weaver] You need to stop and think about this amazing offer. God is the one that has been sinned against. He is the one that has been rejected and cast off. Yet in grace and in mercy, he offers to be reconciled to a sinful and disobedient people only if they will repent and turn to Him.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what Zechariah is giving us very clearly. He is speaking of God's vengeance. That's why he said, the Lord has been so displeased with your father. He's speaking of God's vengeance and he says, now is the opportunity for you to turn to Him. Because God is offering reconciliation. If you will turn to Him with your heart, then God will turn to you. The old adage, fools by adversity become wise.

[John Weaver] What he is saying is, you may have been a fool, but if you will stop and look what has happened to all of your fathers in past history, it ought to teach you something. It ought to make you become a wise individual. And the lesson to be learned is very simple. cannot sin against God and escape His righteous judgment. So it's very plain. If you do not wish to be chastised, do not sin and rebel against Him.

[John Weaver] Let me show you how wickedly the people did exactly that. I want you to hold Zechariah 1, but turn back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah. Notice Jeremiah chapter 2. And we will begin reading there with verse 11, Jeremiah 2 verse 11. It's amazing how these people had sinned against God and yet God still offers reconciliation. Jeremiah chapter 2, notice verse 11. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 11. How the nation changed their gods which are yet no gods. But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.

[John Weaver] Be astonished, O you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. God says this people is a very obtuse Stupid people. They changed the true and the living God for no God. For an idol. And they left the fountain of living water and hewed them out a broken cistern that could hold no water. If you'll skip down to verse 32 in Jeremiah chapter 2, notice what God says. He asks them questions.

[John Weaver] Can a maid forget her ornaments? Or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." People only forsook God. They forgot God. In the book of Malachi chapter 3 and verse 7, the book right after Zechariah, look what God says in Malachi 3 and verse 7. Remember now, He's been sore displeased with the Father. Look what He's telling them. Malachi 3 verse 7. Even from the days of your fathers, you've gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them.

[John Weaver] Return unto me, and I will return unto you, said the Lord of Hosts. But you said, wherein shall we return? God is continually offering reconciliation, and the people are continually refusing to be reconciled. Do you understand that we cannot enjoy The favor of God, even when God kindly offers to be reconciled, except we repent from the heart. Sin is a turning away from God. Repentance is a turning to God. That's why in James 4 and verse 8, God says this, Draw nigh to God, you sinners, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In other words, you repent, God will turn to you. It is not enough for you and I to turn from sin, we must turn to God as He commands. It is not enough to be separated from sin, we must be separated to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. So, go back to Zechariah chapter 1 and look at verse 4.

[John Weaver] Here you have the counsel restated. The counsel restated. Not only do you have the controversy recalled and the conciliation reissued, now you have the counsel restated. Look in verse 4, where he says, You know, this just hits me.

[John Weaver] right between the eyes. What an example of fatherhood. If you want to understand what it means to be a failure as a father, look at verse 4 again. Be not as your fathers. It is true that each of us are sinners and it is true that each of us have failed. But if you really want to know what it means to be a failure as a father, you need to understand verse 4. We've failed in many ways as fathers, but if we fail to repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we have failed totally and completely. If we have failed to listen to, to hear, and to heed, and obey the Word of God, then we have failed totally and completely. We have failed as fathers by not setting a proper example. That's why he says, be not as your fathers. I want you to hold Zechariah chapter 1.

[John Weaver] Let me show you something. Go back to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. And look if you would, please. Daniel, Joel, Hosea it is. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Hosea chapter 4. Let me show you something. Most of us can quote this verse. But look what he says. Be not as your fathers. There is not a father alive, probably, that does not want their children to honor and obey him. But have you ever stopped to think, if we want our children to honor and obey us, why do we dishonor and disobey our Heavenly Father? I want you to see from the Scripture why there are so many rebellious children in the land. Look at Hosea 4 and verse 6. God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Everybody can quote that part of this verse. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, seeing thou shalt be no priest to me, seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

[John Weaver] Did you hear what he said? Seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of Hosea four in verse six is known as the lex talionis. That is the law of retribution. What are our children? They are an expression of our wills. We wanted them. We desired them. We had them. Do you know what God's law is? God's law is an expression of His will. And here's what God is saying. If we disobey and dishonor His law, which is an expression of His will for our lives, then He will dishonor and forget our children, which are an expression of our wills. Thus you have perfect retribution.

[John Weaver] The punishment fits the crime. Over and over, God warned the fathers, but no one listened. The question is, are you listening? I want you to hold Zechariah 1. I want you to see this from the scripture. Turn back If you would, first of all, the 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel, look in chapter 12 and verse 15. 1st Samuel 12, verse 15. Look what he says. 1st Samuel 12, verse 15.

[John Weaver] But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandments of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you as it was against your fathers." What did God say? If you act like your fathers, then the hand of the Lord is going to be against you as it was your fathers. Turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. Turn right over to 2 Chronicles. Chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. 2 Chronicles 30 and verse 7. Now it says, Be not as your fathers. 2 Chronicles 30, look at verse 7 and 8. He says it again. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as you see. Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you."

[John Weaver] Now he says, don't be like your fathers. If you would turn right on over to Jeremiah chapter 11. Jeremiah chapter 11 and look at verses 7 and 8. Jeremiah 11 and verses 7 and 8. Remember, here's the counsel. Be not as your fathers. Jeremiah 11 verse 7. The word of God says, for I earnestly protested under your fathers in the day that have brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even in this day, rising early and protesting, saying, obey my voice.

[John Weaver] Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart. Therefore, I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do. And they did them not. Be not as your fathers. May I just quote John 6 and verse 49? You know what our Lord said. Our Lord asked a question of the people there. Here's what He said. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.

[John Weaver] So the statement really poses two questions. Where are they? And what happened to them? Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they're dead. Do you remember when Stephen was stoned to death? In Acts 7 verse 51, he looked at those people who were stoning him and he said, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did, so do you. So the counsel that Zechariah gives is be not as your fathers. Don't be disobedient, don't be hard-hearted, Don't be stiff-necked. Don't be rebellious. Don't be self-willed. Don't be determined to have your own way. When one chooses his will over the will of God, he chooses death and destruction. So what Zachariah is saying is, don't destroy yourself the way your fathers did. And the counsel that Zachariah is giving needs to be repeated over and over today because in essence that's exactly what is happening in our land. The people are destroying themselves exactly the way the fathers did because they refused to listen to God.

[John Weaver] Look at verse 5 in Zechariah chapter 1. The caution required. Verse 5. Your fathers Where are they and the prophets? Do they live forever? The caution required. Look what he says after he says in verse four, be not as your fathers and whom the former prophets have cried. And now he says in verse five, your fathers, where are they? The abrupt solemnity of the question seems to imply an unexpected close of life, which cuts short.

[John Weaver] their hopes, their plans, their dreams, and their promises to themselves. You see, individuals who think that they can sin against God and get away with it are basically just deceiving themselves. One may promise himself all kind of pleasure and all kind of prosperity, but those promises are worthless and useless and fruitless because they do not include God and His righteous vengeance. You remember that passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 3 where it is said, for when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape. When they promise themselves peace and safety, then sudden destruction So the caution required is that you better make sure that you don't end up as the fathers. Do not think that if you commit the same sins that somehow you will escape. You will not.

[John Weaver] When I was in college in Greenville, South Carolina, I think I've told you this, but I'm going to say it again right now. Out of all the banks that were robbed, not one bank robber ever got past the city limits. Always caught before they ever got out of the city limits. And yet banks were robbed repeatedly over and over and over and over. You know why? Because every robber thinks that the one before him was stupid and he made a stupid mistake and he got caught, but he's smart, he will never ever get caught.

[John Weaver] This is the same thing here. When someone thinks that we can commit the same sins that our fathers committed, but somehow we're going to escape, somehow we're going to get by. But look at this question. Your fathers, where are they? Where are your disobedient fathers? Are they not buried in a strange land? Did they not die of awful and horrible diseases? Were they not consumed with the famine and the sword as was prophesied against them? Where are the fathers?

[John Weaver] The answer is this, they're dead, judged and gone. That's where they are. What did their rebellion gain them? What did their self-will accomplish? Their own death and destruction. It's kind of like the question our Lord asked in Matthew 16 in verse 26, when he said, for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

[John Weaver] So if we're not cautious, we're going to end up on the wrong end of the stick. You say, what are you talking about? Micah 6 in verse 9, where the word of God says, hear ye the rod. and Him who hath appointed it." Now, I want you to look back at verse 5. The first part is very simple. Your fathers, where are they? They're judged, dead, and gone.

[John Weaver] But then He asks, and the prophets, do they live forever? How do we deal with that question? Basically, there are three ways to interpret that question. Could be more, but three that I can see that would basically fit the context. The first one is this. Some scholars read this question and your profits. Do they live forever? The emphasis then would be upon your profits. which would refer them to the false prophets to which the people embraced and believe their teaching. You remember that passage in Jeremiah 5 in verse 31 where God said the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so. The people always embraced the false prophets. They hated the true prophets I want you to see something. Hold Zachariah, but turn back in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 28. Let me show you that there were indeed false prophets. And certainly God judged those false prophets. So Jeremiah chapter 28 beginning there with verse 15. Hananiah was one such false prophet.

[John Weaver] Look what happens to him. Jeremiah 28, beginning there of verse 15. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth. This year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. if you would turn right over to Jeremiah 29 and verse 32. Here's Shemaiah, another false prophet. Jeremiah 29 verse 32, Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehilimite and his seed. He shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good thing that I will do for my people, saith the LORD, because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD. When you look at Zechariah 1 and verse 5, your fathers, where are they?

[John Weaver] And your prophets, do they live forever? He could be referring to the false prophets. I think that is an alright interpretation, but I don't think it really fits the context. So, how do we explain it? Well, secondly, We could look at verse 5, your father swear they and the prophets that they live forever. We may also consider that the prophets mentioned here are indeed the true prophets of God. And those were the ones that God sent and they faithfully proclaim his word. In this sense of the word, Zechariah would be saying that the prophets too who had ministered to them passed away Some of them naturally, some of them by martyr's death. Many of them did not see their own words fulfilled, yet they knew that their words were of God. So it could be just saying that prophets die just like everyone else.

[John Weaver] But here's the one that I believe that is accurate and dead on, especially in light of the context. And the third interpretation is closely connected with the second interpretation. because the third interpretation allows indeed that the prophets were indeed the prophets of the Lord. And what Zechariah is saying, he is admitting the fact that yes, these prophets died as well. However, what he is saying is this, their teaching has not perished.

[John Weaver] God's word through them is still functioning. Their predictions remain. The events which have taken place according to those predictions Prove that God sent them. Men may die, but God's Word never dies. And so, Zechariah could be saying, your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? No, they don't live forever. But, the words that they preach, the words that they taught are still true, and they still live forever. This very fact that Zechariah is proclaiming here should justly terrify the people to whom Zechariah was preaching. Why? Because obviously, if that word took care of their fathers, that same word will take care of them. Here is the truth. You cannot escape the Word of God. You cannot escape the Word of God. You will either bow to the Word of God in salvation, or you will bow to it in condemnation, but you will bow to the Word of God. And what Zechariah is saying, you better beware, lest you share the fate of your fathers. The Bible says in Psalm 119 in verse 89, Forever, O Lord, is thy word settled in the heavens.

[John Weaver] In 1 Peter 1 in verse 25, he said, But the Word of the Lord endureth forever. So, the Word of God, is still here. The prophets may have died but their predictions, their prophecy, their teaching, their truth was still alive and well for they were preaching God's Word and God's Word does not die.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look at verse 6 because everything I've preached up to this point what's to get you to verse 6. And you remember the title of this message, something will get a hold on you. And as I pointed out in the introduction, sometimes you've heard the old adage, he's got a tiger by the tail. Can't do anything with him, can't turn loose. God's Word is far more powerful than any tiger, or any moccasin or any lynx. Here in verse 6 is the capture reveal, look at it. God says, but my words and my statutes which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers?

[John Weaver] And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. I believe that verse 6 contextually verifies the third interpretation that I gave you, verse 5, that it does indeed refer to the Lord's prophets. Yes, they died, but their words did not die. The word that they preached was very much alive. The death of the prophets did not nullify the threatenings, the warnings, the punishments, or the promises of their preaching. Everything that happened to the fathers happened according to the prediction of the prophets and the people were obliged to acknowledge this. And yet in spite of that, they would not turn from their wicked ways. Now look at the latter part of verse 6. In fact, let's just read verse 6 again.

[John Weaver] To me, this is absolutely astounding. But My words and My statutes which I commended My servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? Now watch. And they, that is the fathers, return. Here's their confession. Here's their acknowledgement. Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us. We heard what He said and we didn't repent.

[John Weaver] And now God has done with us exactly what He said He would do. In other words, something got a hold of them and they could not get loose. So God is asking, did not My words take hold of your fathers? It's kind of like the enemy who is pursuing a man or a group of men. When the enemy overtakes them, the enemy then destroys them and spoils their goods. And that's what God asks.

[John Weaver] Did not my word overtake you? Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 28. I would encourage you to mark this passage. Cause we'll probably come back there just in a little bit. But look in Deuteronomy 28, first of all, at verse 15. Deuteronomy 28, first of all at verse 15. Look what God says. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." Now, when you read the rest of the chapter, you get all these curses that will come upon you and will overtake you. Go to verse 45. Look what he says. Moreover, all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed. Because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee. What?

[John Weaver] Look in verse 45 again,"...over all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed." The word overtake that is not only mentioned in Deuteronomy 28, but it's also mentioned in Zechariah 1 and verse 6. Did they not take hold of your fathers? The word overtake or take hold on means to catch. It means to lay hold on. It means to take hold upon and to fall upon.

[John Weaver] In other words, here's the picture that God is trying to give us. Here is someone or some group of men or even some nation that is sinning against God and rebelling against God. And they're running down the road as fast and as furiously as they can, trying to outrun the curse and the judgment of God. God said, My curse shall outrun you, it will overtake you, it will knock you down, it will fall upon you, and you can't stop it. That's why I said in verse 6, But My words and My statutes, which I commanded in My service to the prophets, Did they not take hold of your fathers? They got a hold of them. They got a hold of them.

[John Weaver] You know what the Bible says? Let me just quote it. Isaiah 14 verse 24. Listen. The Lord has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. As I have purposed, so shall it stand. Whatever God purposes is going to come to pass. Whatever God says is going to come to pass. In Lamentations 2 and verse 17, you remember Jeremiah watched Jerusalem being destroyed. And in Lamentations 2 and verse 17, here's what Jeremiah wrote. The Lord hath done that which he hath devised, he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old, he hath thrown down, he hath not pitted, he hath caused the enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries. What? The Lord hath done that which he devised, he hath fulfilled his word which he commanded in the days of old. In other words, Jeremiah, as he watched Jerusalem destroyed, said God is doing exactly what he told he was going to do. The Word got a hold of them.

[John Weaver] You know, I could look at James and say, Boy, I'm going to whip you and mash you in the floor and make a greasy spot out of you. That might be big talk and that might be empty talk to a big fella. For my part. But if God said that to him, it would not be empty. You see what I'm saying? Man can talk big, and man can say a lot of things, but he can't always produce. But what God says, and when God speaks, it's not an empty threat, it's not an empty punishment that God proclaims. God fulfills that which He says He's going to do. So God does not give utterance to words of none effect. When God speaks, He executes whatever He declares.

[John Weaver] Did they not take hold upon you? And then the fathers had to turn around and say, God said He would do, that's exactly what He did. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. God's Word is not an adversary to any, but such as are adversaries to themselves. If you want to sin against God and disobey His Word, then His Word will become an adversary to you. The Word of God does not condemn any, but those that are assuredly condemned of the Lord.

[John Weaver] And here's what a lot of people do not understand. In the day of judgment, our Lord tells us what is going to condemn men. John 12 and verse 48, listen carefully, our Lord said, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word that I've spoken shall judge him in the last day." The word of God is going to get a hold of some folks.

[John Weaver] And it'll either end in salvation or damnation. But the Word of God will get a hold and it will not turn loose. Here's a warning for our day and age, for our posterity. You cannot outrun God. The second application is this. We need not fear false prophets. However, we must fear the Lord. There are so many false prophets today. Just like there were in Jeremiah's time. But Jeremiah 23 and verse 28 says this, Our Lord said, The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. And he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? What did He say? The false prophets are nothing but chaff. And that false prophet's words are nothing compared to the Word of God. So the warning in Zechariah is, something will get a hold of you one way or the other.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to Deuteronomy 28. Here's my last application. And this is what. I'm extremely thankful for. Watch carefully, Deuteronomy 28, and let's read verses 1 and 2. God said, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments, which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth, And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God." Just like you cannot outrun God's curses, you cannot outrun God's blessings. God says, if you obey me, my blessings are going to come upon you.

[John Weaver] They will chase you down, they will knock you down, they will fall all over you. and you can't stop them. I'm so thankful that that is equally true. I'm so thankful that the blessings of God are just as real and just as true as the punishments of God. But that word, either in blessing or in cursing, is going to take hold. And you can't Shake it loose. God said His Word will overtake you.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We acknowledge Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. We acknowledge, Lord, the severity of Your punishments and the graciousness of Your promises. Father, we do want Thy Word, but we want it in obedience. and in submission. Help us, Lord, to live for Thee. Give us grace, Lord, to obey and to bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Something is Going to Get a Hold on You

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	JubetVo0YYA
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: Promises Of The Law
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-06-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 042: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: God's Answer to America's Problems — Chapter 21
Source Timed Segments	69

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Something Will Get a Hold on You

Weaver introduces the theme with humorous stories of a lynx and a snake grabbing hold of men, illustrating that something more powerful—God's Word—will take hold and not let go.

Zechariah chapter 1. You might as well mark it because we will look at a number of other passages a little bit later. But this is the text from which I will be preaching today. Zechariah 1 verses 1 through 6. The title of the message is, Something Will Get a Hold on You. And I think you will understand shortly. Look in Zechariah 1 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 1:1-6

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me,

said the Lord.

Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants, the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us." Remember, if you would, the title of the message is, Something Will Get a Hold on You. Have you ever tried to grab a hold of something, only to discover that when you grabbed it, you had been grabbed yourself? That is, something had taken a hold on you. I'm sure that everyone in here remembers the old Jerry Clower story about the fellows who were coon hunting and they thought they had the coon treed and one man decided to climb the tree and deal with the coon and he got up there and discovered there was not a coon up there but it was a lynx which is a souped up bobcat and of course the lynx jumped on the man the man was trying to fight it off and the man up the tree kept telling his buddy down there shoot us shoot shoot And the man said, I can't. I might hit you. Finally, the guy up the tree shouted, just shoot up here amongst us. One of us has got to have some relief.

So obviously, something did have a hold on him and he could not let go. Years ago, when we were teenagers, my cousin Ned Day and one of our very best friends, Gene Waller, went cooning for fish. Now, today they called it noodling. We always called it cooning. So in preparation, and the reason we called it cooning was because of raccoons, when they would dip their paws down in the water and feel under rocks and things like that to catch crawfish. So we always called it cooning. But in preparation to doing that, we would find a little puddle of water in a creek somewhere where it was nearly dry. And we would, of course, have our shoes off, have our pants rolled up, above our knees and we would get into that little puddle of water and just walk all over, stirring up all the mud that we could stir up and making the water thick with mud, which of course then forced the

fish to come up to the top for air. At that particular time, you could either scoop them up with a net or reach down and pick them up with your hands. And as boys, we never used a net, we just always caught the fish with our hands. Well, Ned and Gene were doing that, and they had the little pool of water all sufficiently muddied up, and Ned saw the back of a huge catfish. And he said, oh Gene, look what I've got, and he reached down and he grabbed the back of what he thought was a big black catfish.

When he came up, he had a very angry, an extremely large moccasin. Thankfully, he had caught the snake right behind the head. And as Ned was holding the snake, the snake very slowly began to wrap its body around Ned's arm. Ned kept hollering to Gene, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it. And Gene kept saying, I can't shoot it until you put it down. And of course Ned couldn't put it down. And so Gene had to come up and help unravel the snake from around his arm. And finally, when Ned did let go and throw the snake down, there was no reason to shoot it. Because he had literally choked the life out of that snake.

He had grabbed hold of something and something had grabbed hold on him. and he just could not let go. Now Zechariah tells us about something that is far more powerful and far greater than a lynx or a moccasin. It's something that will grab hold of men and they cannot let go of it and it certainly will not let them go. They will not be able to shake it off, they will not be able to put it down and they will not be able to escape. Now Zechariah was a colleague of Haggai and both of them worked together for the building of the second temple.

The Controversy Recalled (Zechariah 1:2)

God was sore displeased with the fathers because of their sin and rebellion, creating a controversy that could only be resolved by judgment or repentance.

He says, the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. The controversy, recall, the word controversy is a very good word and it illustrates the ongoing disobedience and rebellion of Israel. The word controversy is used to designate a quarrel, a strife, a bone of contention, and a dispute. And the God of heaven did indeed have a bone of contention with his disobedient and rebellious people. Let me show you how the word is actually used in Scripture. I want you to hold Zechariah, but turn right back, if you would, to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Hosea chapter 4 and verse 1. You remember now, he said, the Lord had been sore displeased with your father. So here's this controversy. So Hosea 4 and verse 1, Hosea says it like this. Watch carefully. Hosea 4 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 4:1

Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."

And then he goes on, but notice if you would, he calls this a controversy. It is a dispute. It is a problem that God has with the children of Israel. Then if you look in Hosea chapter 12, and notice if you would please, verse 2. Hosea 12 and verse 2. God says it again very clearly. The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, according to his doings will he recompense him.

So the Lord hath a controversy with Judah. And let me just read to you the book of Micah chapter 6 and verse 2. Listen carefully. God says, Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy and you strong foundations of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 34:8

" So over and over, the Bible says that God had a controversy. God had a bone of contention. He had a dispute with them. He had a quarrel with them. Why? Because of their sin and their rebellion. And ultimately, it will be the righteous judgment of God that ends that quarrel, that ends that dispute, and ends that controversy. For the Bible says, in Isaiah 34 and verse 8, listen carefully. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. So obviously then, when there is no repentance on the part of God's people, the controversy will be resolved by God's judgment. Now, if you look back in Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 2, he says this.

The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. So here's this controversy. And by the way, Zechariah is talking about everything that happened from Israel as they were called out of Egypt. So all of this is being brought to mind. And when God says the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers, the Hebrew is very emphatic. And it literally means this. He has been displeased with a displeasure. or he's been displeased with a very grievous displeasure. That is, he's vehemently displeased. It is no common displeasure.

It's something that arouses a righteous anger. Let me give you just one little quote. Listen to what John Calvin said upon verse 2. He said, Zechariah mentions here to his own people a signal evidence of God's wrath which ought to justly to have smitten all of them with terror. He does not then speak here of a thing unknown, but reminds them seriously to consider how terrible is God's vengeance. As a proof of this, their fathers had been deprived of their perpetual inheritance. They had suffered many degradations and had also been harassed and oppressed by tyrants. In short, they had been nearly sunk in the lowest depths. Since then God has so severely dealt with their fathers, listen, the prophet bids them to know that God ought to be feared lest they should grow wanton and indulge themselves in their usual manner but they might from the heart repent and not provoke God's wrath of which the fathers had such a severe experience.

And so that is true. That's exactly what Zechariah is doing. He is warning them that if you do not repent, if you don't change your ways, you're basically going to end up like your fathers. Now let me just show you what a sore displeasure is. I want you to hold Zechariah, but turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 29. Deuteronomy 29, and let's begin reading there with verse 27. Deuteronomy 29, And look at verse 27. You want to find out what a sore displeasure is? Here it is. Deuteronomy 29 verse 27.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 29:27

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the

Lord rooted them out of this land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day. Wow. God rooted them out in anger and in wrath and in great indignation. If you would turn right over to Deuteronomy 32 and look at verse 22, just trying to show you what this sore displeasure is. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 22, look what God says to the people. Here is a very sore displeasure. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 22, God says, For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundation of the mountains."

So a fire is kindled in his anger, he said, and shall burn into the lowest hell. We should not antagonize, we should not wish to antagonize or displease in anger the sovereign, omnipotent, majestic, eternal, immutable, and righteous judge of all the earth. Do you realize that Moses asked this simple question in Psalm 90 verse 11? He said to God,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 90:11

who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so with thy wrath. Who knoweth the power of thine anger?

And so when Zechariah says, the Lord had been so displeased with your father. Zechariah reminds the people of the past and he is warning them of the present. He is saying, in essence, if you continue as your fathers, you're going to meet the same displeasure of God as your fathers met. So the prophet here refers to the severity of God's punishment, which the fathers had been visited, in order that they might understand that God does not play around with sin.

The Conciliation Reissued (Zechariah 1:3)

Despite being the offended party, God offers reconciliation if the people will turn to Him, demonstrating His grace and mercy.

which we cannot possibly win. And I, for one, do not wish to be an individual that challenges the Son of God. So, he gives you here the controversy recall. Look in verse 3 in Zechariah chapter 1. Here is the conciliation reissued. The conciliation reissued in verse 3. Therefore say thou to them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Amazingly, the offended God of heaven offers reconciliation.

You need to stop and think about this amazing offer. God is the one that has been sinned against. He is the one that has been rejected and cast off. Yet in grace and in mercy, he offers to be reconciled to a sinful and disobedient people only if they will repent and turn to Him.

Now, here's what Zechariah is giving us very clearly. He is speaking of God's vengeance. That's why he said, the Lord has been so displeased with your father. He's speaking of God's vengeance and he says, now is the opportunity for you to turn to Him. Because God is offering reconciliation. If you will turn to Him with your heart, then God will turn to you. The old adage, fools by adversity become wise.

What he is saying is, you may have been a fool, but if you will stop and look what has happened to all of your fathers in past history, it ought to teach you something. It ought to make you become a wise individual. And the lesson to be learned is very simple. cannot sin against God and escape His righteous judgment. So it's very plain. If you do not wish to be chastised, do not sin and rebel against Him. Let me show you how wickedly the people did exactly that. I want you to hold Zechariah 1, but turn back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah. Notice Jeremiah chapter 2. And we will begin reading there with verse 11, Jeremiah 2 verse 11. It's amazing how these people had sinned against God and yet God still offers reconciliation. Jeremiah chapter 2, notice verse 11. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 11. How the nation changed their gods which are yet no gods. But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.

Be astonished, O you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. God says this people is a very obtuse Stupid people. They changed the true and the living God for no God. For an idol. And they left the fountain of living water and hewed them out a broken cistern that could hold no water. If you'll skip down to verse 32 in Jeremiah chapter 2, notice what God says. He asks them questions.

Can a maid forget her ornaments? Or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." People only forsook God. They forgot God. In the book of Malachi chapter 3 and verse 7, the book right after Zechariah, look what God says in Malachi 3 and verse 7. Remember now, He's been sore displeased with the Father. Look what He's telling them. Malachi 3 verse 7. Even from the days of your fathers, you've gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them.

Return unto me, and I will return unto you, said the Lord of Hosts. But you said, wherein shall we return? God is continually offering reconciliation, and the people are continually refusing to be reconciled. Do you understand that we cannot enjoy The favor of God, even when God kindly offers to be reconciled, except we repent from the heart. Sin is a turning away from God. Repentance is a turning to God. That's why in James 4 and verse 8, God says this, Draw nigh to God, you sinners, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In other words, you repent, God will turn to you. It is not enough for you and I to turn from sin, we must turn to God as He commands. It is not enough to be separated from sin, we must be separated to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. So, go back to Zechariah chapter 1 and look at verse 4.

Here you have the counsel restated. The counsel restated. Not only do you have the controversy recalled and the conciliation reissued, now you have the counsel restated. Look in verse 4, where he says, You know, this just hits me.

The Counsel Restated (Zechariah 1:4)

The people are warned not to be like their fathers who refused to hear and obey God's Word, highlighting the failure of fatherhood when fathers do not repent and set a godly example.

right between the eyes. What an example of fatherhood. If you want to understand what it means to be a failure as a father, look at verse 4 again. Be not as your fathers. It is true that each of us are sinners and it is true that each of us have failed. But if you really want to know what it means to be a failure as a father, you need to understand verse 4. We've failed in many ways as fathers, but if we fail to repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we have failed totally and completely. If we have failed to listen to, to hear, and to heed, and obey the Word of God, then we have failed totally and completely. We have failed as fathers by not setting a proper example. That's why he says, be not as your fathers. I want you to hold Zechariah chapter 1.

Let me show you something. Go back to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. And look if you would, please. Daniel, Joel, Hosea it is. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Hosea chapter 4. Let me show you something. Most of us can quote this verse. But look what he says. Be not as your fathers. There is not a father alive, probably, that does not want their children to honor and obey him. But have you ever stopped to think, if we want our children to honor and obey us, why do we dishonor and disobey our Heavenly Father? I want you to see from the Scripture why there are so many rebellious children in the land. Look at Hosea 4 and verse 6. God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Everybody can quote that part of this verse. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, seeing thou shalt be no priest to me, seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Did you hear what he said? Seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Now, the truth of Hosea four in verse six is known as the lex talionis. That is the law of retribution. What are our children? They are an expression of our wills. We wanted them. We desired them. We had them. Do you know what God's law is? God's law is an expression of His will. And here's what God is saying. If we disobey and dishonor His law, which is an expression of His will for our lives, then He will dishonor and forget our children, which are an expression of our wills. Thus you have perfect retribution.

The punishment fits the crime. Over and over, God warned the fathers, but no one listened. The question is, are you listening? I want you to hold Zechariah 1. I want you to see this from the scripture. Turn back If you would, first of all, the 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel, look in chapter 12 and verse 15. 1st Samuel 12, verse 15. Look what he says. 1st Samuel 12, verse 15.

But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandments of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you as it was against your fathers." What did God say? If you act like your fathers, then the hand of the Lord is going to be against you as it was your fathers. Turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. Turn right over to 2 Chronicles. Chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. 2 Chronicles 30 and verse 7. Now it says, Be not as your fathers. 2 Chronicles 30, look at verse 7 and 8. He says it again. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as you see. Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you."

Now he says, don't be like your fathers. If you would turn right on over to Jeremiah chapter 11. Jeremiah chapter 11 and look at verses 7 and 8. Jeremiah 11 and verses 7 and 8. Remember, here's the counsel. Be not as your fathers. Jeremiah 11 verse 7. The word of God says, for I earnestly protested under your fathers in the day that have brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even in this day, rising early and protesting, saying, obey my voice.

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart. Therefore, I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do. And they did them not. Be not as your fathers. May I just quote John 6 and verse 49? You know what our Lord said. Our Lord asked a question of the people there. Here's what He said. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.

So the statement really poses two questions. Where are they? And what happened to them? Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they're dead. Do you remember when Stephen was stoned to death? In Acts 7 verse 51, he looked at those people who were stoning him and he said, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did, so do you. So the counsel that Zechariah gives is be not as your fathers. Don't be disobedient, don't be hard-hearted, Don't be stiff-necked. Don't be rebellious. Don't be self-willed. Don't be determined to have your own way. When one chooses his will over the will of God, he chooses death and destruction. So what Zachariah is saying is, don't destroy yourself the way your fathers did. And the counsel that Zachariah is giving needs to be repeated over and over today because in essence that's exactly what is happening in our land. The people are destroying themselves exactly the way the fathers did because they refused to listen to God.

The Caution Required (Zechariah 1:5)

The abrupt question 'Your fathers, where are they?' reminds that the disobedient fathers are dead and judged, and the prophets' words live on, proving God's Word endures.

Look at verse 5 in Zechariah chapter 1. The caution required. Verse 5. Your fathers Where are they and the prophets? Do they live forever? The caution required. Look what he says after he says in verse four, be not as your fathers and whom the former prophets have cried. And now he says in verse five, your fathers, where are they? The abrupt solemnity of the question seems to imply an unexpected close of life, which cuts short.

their hopes, their plans, their dreams, and their promises to themselves. You see, individuals who think that they can sin against God and get away with it are basically just deceiving themselves. One may promise himself all kind of pleasure and all kind of prosperity, but those promises are worthless and useless and fruitless because they do not include God and His righteous vengeance. You remember that passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 3 where it is said, for when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape. When they promise themselves peace and safety, then sudden destruction So the caution required is that you better make sure that you don't end up as the fathers. Do not think that if you commit the same sins that somehow you will escape. You will not.

When I was in college in Greenville, South Carolina, I think I've told you this, but I'm going to say it again right now. Out of all the banks that were robbed, not one bank robber ever got past the city limits. Always caught before they ever got out of the city limits. And yet banks were robbed repeatedly over and over and over and over. You know why? Because every robber thinks that the one before him was stupid and he made a stupid mistake and he got caught, but he's smart, he will never ever get caught. This is the same thing here. When someone thinks that we can commit the same sins that our fathers committed, but somehow we're going to escape, somehow we're going to get by. But look at this question. Your fathers, where are they? Where are your disobedient fathers? Are they not buried in a strange land? Did they not die of awful and horrible diseases? Were they not consumed with the famine and the sword as was prophesied against them? Where are the fathers?

The answer is this, they're dead, judged and gone. That's where they are. What did their rebellion gain them? What did their self-will accomplish? Their own death and destruction. It's kind of like the question our Lord asked in Matthew 16 in verse 26, when he said, for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

So if we're not cautious, we're going to end up on the wrong end of the stick. You say, what are you talking about? Micah 6 in verse 9, where the word of God says, hear ye the rod. and Him who hath appointed it." Now, I want you to look back at verse 5. The first part is very simple. Your fathers, where are they? They're judged, dead, and gone.

But then He asks, and the prophets, do they live forever? How do we deal with that question? Basically, there are three ways to interpret that question. Could be more, but three that I can see that would basically fit the context. The first one is this. Some scholars read this question and your profits. Do they live forever? The emphasis then would be upon your profits. which would refer them to the false prophets to which the people embraced and believe their teaching. You remember that passage in Jeremiah 5 in verse 31 where God said the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so. The people always embraced the false prophets. They hated the true prophets I want you to see something. Hold Zachariah, but turn back in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 28. Let me show you that there were indeed false prophets. And certainly God judged those false prophets. So Jeremiah chapter 28 beginning there with verse 15. Hananiah was one such false prophet.

Look what happens to him. Jeremiah 28, beginning there of verse 15. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth. This year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. if you would turn right over to Jeremiah 29 and verse 32. Here's Shemaiah, another false prophet. Jeremiah 29 verse 32, Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehilimite and his seed. He shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good thing that I will do for my people, saith the LORD, because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD. When you look at Zechariah 1 and verse 5, your fathers, where are they?

And your prophets, do they live forever? He could be referring to the false prophets. I think that is an alright interpretation, but I don't think it really fits the context. So, how do we explain it? Well, secondly, We could look at verse 5, your father swear they and the prophets that they live forever. We may also consider that the prophets mentioned here are indeed the true prophets of God. And those were the ones that God sent and they faithfully proclaim his word. In this sense of the word, Zechariah would be saying that the prophets too who had ministered to them passed away Some of them naturally, some of them by martyr's death. Many of them did not see their own words fulfilled, yet they knew that their words were of God. So it could be just saying that prophets die just like everyone else.

But here's the one that I believe that is accurate and dead on, especially in light of the context. And the third interpretation is closely connected with the second interpretation. because the third interpretation allows indeed that the prophets were indeed the prophets of the Lord. And what Zechariah is saying, he is admitting the fact that yes, these prophets died as well. However, what he is saying is this, their teaching has not perished. God's word through them is still functioning. Their predictions remain. The events which have taken place according to those predictions Prove that God sent them. Men may die, but God's Word never dies. And so, Zechariah could be saying, your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? No, they don't live forever. But, the words that they preach, the words that they taught are still true, and they still live forever. This very fact that Zechariah is proclaiming here should justly terrify the people to whom Zechariah was preaching. Why? Because obviously, if that word took care of their fathers, that same word will take care of them. Here is the truth. You cannot escape the Word of God. You cannot escape the Word of God. You will either bow to the Word of God in salvation, or you will bow to it in condemnation, but you will bow to the Word of God. And what Zechariah is saying, you better beware, lest you share the fate of your fathers. The Bible says in Psalm 119 in verse 89, Forever, O Lord, is thy word settled in the heavens.

In 1 Peter 1 in verse 25, he said, But the Word of the Lord endureth forever. So, the Word of God, is still here. The prophets may have died but their predictions, their prophecy, their teaching, their truth was still alive and well for they were preaching God's Word and God's Word does not die.

The Capture Revealed (Zechariah 1:6)

God's words and statutes took hold of the fathers, overtaking them in judgment exactly as prophesied, demonstrating that God's Word is inescapable.

Now I want you to look at verse 6 because everything I've preached up to this point what's to get you to verse 6. And you remember the title of this message, something will get a hold on you. And as I pointed out in the introduction, sometimes you've heard the old adage, he's got a tiger by the tail. Can't do anything with him, can't turn loose. God's Word is far more powerful than any tiger, or any moccasin or any lynx. Here in verse 6 is the capture reveal, look at it. God says, but my words and my statutes which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers?

And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. I believe that verse 6 contextually verifies the third interpretation that I gave you, verse 5, that it does indeed refer to the Lord's prophets. Yes, they died, but their words did not die. The word that they preached was very much alive. The death of the prophets did not nullify the threatenings, the warnings, the punishments, or the promises of their preaching. Everything that happened to the fathers happened according to the prediction of the prophets and the people were obliged to acknowledge this. And yet in spite of that, they would not turn from their wicked ways. Now look at the latter part of verse 6. In fact, let's just read verse 6 again.

To me, this is absolutely astounding. But My words and My statutes which I commended My servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? Now watch. And they, that is the fathers, return. Here's their confession. Here's their acknowledgement. Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us. We heard what He said and we didn't repent.

And now God has done with us exactly what He said He would do. In other words, something got a hold of them and they could not get loose. So God is asking, did not My words take hold of your fathers? It's kind of like the enemy who is pursuing a man or a group of men. When the enemy overtakes them, the enemy then destroys them and spoils their goods. And that's what God asks. Did not my word overtake you? Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 28. I would encourage you to mark this passage. Cause we'll probably come back there just in a little bit. But look in Deuteronomy 28, first of all, at verse 15. Deuteronomy 28, first of all at verse 15. Look what God says. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." Now, when you read the rest of the chapter, you get all these curses that will come upon you and will overtake you. Go to verse 45. Look what he says. Moreover, all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed. Because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee. What?

Look in verse 45 again, "...over all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed." The word overtake that is not only mentioned in Deuteronomy 28, but it's also mentioned in Zechariah 1 and verse 6. Did they not take hold of your fathers? The word overtake or take hold on means to catch. It means to lay hold on. It means to take hold upon and to fall upon. In other words, here's the picture that God is trying to give us. Here is someone or some group of men or even some nation that is sinning against God and rebelling against God. And they're running down the road as fast and as furiously as they can, trying to outrun the curse and the judgment of God. God said, My curse shall outrun you, it will overtake you, it will knock you down, it will fall upon you, and you can't stop it. That's why I said in verse 6, But My words and My statutes, which I commanded in My service to the prophets, Did they not take hold of your fathers? They got a hold of them. They got a hold of them.

You know what the Bible says? Let me just quote it. Isaiah 14 verse 24. Listen. The Lord has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. As I have purposed, so shall it stand. Whatever God purposes is going to come to pass. Whatever God says is going to come to pass. In Lamentations 2 and verse 17, you remember Jeremiah watched Jerusalem being destroyed. And in Lamentations 2 and verse 17, here's what Jeremiah wrote. The Lord hath done that which he hath devised, he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old, he hath thrown down, he hath not pitted, he hath caused the enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries. What? The Lord hath done that which he devised, he hath fulfilled his word which he commanded in the days of old. In other words, Jeremiah, as he watched Jerusalem destroyed, said God is doing exactly what he told he was going to do. The Word got a hold of them.

You know, I could look at James and say, Boy, I'm going to whip you and mash you in the floor and make a greasy spot out of you. That might be big talk and that might be empty talk to a big fella. For my part. But if God said that to him, it would not be empty. You see what I'm saying? Man can talk big, and man can say a lot of things, but he can't always produce. But what God says, and when God speaks, it's not an empty threat, it's not an empty punishment that God proclaims. God fulfills that which He says He's going to do. So God does not give utterance to words of none effect. When God speaks, He executes whatever He declares.

Applications: Blessings Also Overtake the Obedient

Just as curses overtake the disobedient, blessings overtake those who obey God (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). God's Word will take hold either in salvation or condemnation.

Did they not take hold upon you? And then the fathers had to turn around and say, God said He would do, that's exactly what He did. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. God's Word is not an adversary to any, but such as are adversaries to themselves. If you want to sin against God and disobey His Word, then His Word will become an adversary to you. The Word of God does not condemn any, but those that are assuredly condemned of the Lord.

And here's what a lot of people do not understand. In the day of judgment, our Lord tells us what is going to condemn men. John 12 and verse 48, listen carefully, our Lord said, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word that I've spoken shall judge him in the last day." The word of God is going to get a hold of some folks. And it'll either end in salvation or damnation. But the Word of God will get a hold and it will not turn loose. Here's a warning for our day and age, for our posterity. You cannot outrun God. The second application is this. We need not fear false prophets. However, we must fear the Lord. There are so many false prophets today. Just like there were in Jeremiah's time. But Jeremiah 23 and verse 28 says this, Our Lord said, The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. And he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? What did He say? The false prophets are nothing but chaff. And that false prophet's words are nothing compared to the Word of God. So the warning in Zechariah is, something will get a hold of you one way or the other.

Now, I want you to go back to Deuteronomy 28. Here's my last application. And this is what. I'm extremely thankful for. Watch carefully, Deuteronomy 28, and let's read verses 1 and 2. God said, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments, which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth, And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God." Just like you cannot outrun God's curses, you cannot outrun God's blessings. God says, if you obey me, my blessings are going to come upon you.

They will chase you down, they will knock you down, they will fall all over you. and you can't stop them. I'm so thankful that that is equally true. I'm so thankful that the blessings of God are just as real and just as true as the punishments of God. But that word, either in blessing or in cursing, is going to take hold. And you can't Shake it loose. God said His Word will overtake you. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We acknowledge Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. We acknowledge, Lord, the severity of Your punishments and the graciousness of Your promises. Father, we do want Thy Word, but we want it in obedience. and in submission. Help us, Lord, to live for Thee. Give us grace, Lord, to obey and to bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Inescapable Power of God's Word

Summary: God's Word will inevitably take hold of every person, either in judgment or blessing, and no one can outrun or escape it.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God's Word is far more powerful than any tiger, or any moccasin or any lynx... did they not take hold of your fathers?' (Zechariah 1:6).

Sin Provokes God's Righteous Displeasure

Summary: Sin is a direct affront to God, provoking His anger and creating a controversy that demands resolution.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Sin provokes God. It provokes God to anger. It angers Him. It displeases Him. Sin is a challenge and a dare to God to do His worst.'

Repentance as the Condition for Reconciliation

Summary: God graciously offers reconciliation to sinners, but only on the condition of genuine repentance and turning to Him.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God is the one that has been sinned against... Yet in grace and in mercy, he offers to be reconciled to a sinful and disobedient people only if they will repent and turn to Him.'

The Failure of Disobedient Fatherhood

Summary: Fathers who fail to repent and obey God set a destructive example for their children, leading to generational judgment.

Evidence: Weaver comments on Zechariah 1:4, 'If you really want to know what it means to be a failure as a father, you need to understand verse 4... if we fail to repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we have failed totally and completely.'

The Enduring Nature of God's Word

Summary: Though prophets die, God's Word never perishes; it remains active and will be fulfilled exactly as declared.

Evidence: Weaver interprets Zechariah 1:5, 'Men may die, but God's Word never dies... the words that they preach, the words that they taught are still true, and they still live forever.'

The Certainty of Divine Retribution

Summary: God's judgments are not empty threats; He executes exactly what He declares, and His Word overtakes sinners like a pursuing enemy.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 28:45, 'all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed.'

Key Arguments

God's Word is an active force that takes hold of people

Summary: The central argument is that God's words and statutes, spoken through the prophets, actively overtook the disobedient fathers, proving that divine declarations are not passive but dynamically accomplish their purpose.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes Zechariah 1:6, 'But my words and my statutes... did they not take hold of your fathers?' and explains the Hebrew meaning of 'take hold' as to catch, lay hold on, and fall upon.

Sin creates an unwinnable controversy with God

Summary: Sin is not merely a mistake but a personal offense against God that initiates a dispute or quarrel which can only end in judgment unless there is repentance.

Evidence: Weaver defines 'controversy' from Hosea 4:1 and 12:2 as a quarrel, strife, or bone of contention, and states, 'sin creates a controversy which we cannot possibly win.'

Repentance is the only way to avert judgment

Summary: God's offer of reconciliation in Zechariah 1:3 is conditioned upon turning to Him; without repentance, the controversy will be resolved by God's vengeance.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you will turn to Him with your heart, then God will turn to you... when there is no repentance on the part of God's people, the controversy will be resolved by God's judgment.'

The example of the fathers serves as a warning

Summary: The history of Israel's fathers demonstrates that disobedience leads to destruction, and the command 'be not as your fathers' is a call to learn from their fate rather than repeat it.

Evidence: Weaver cites multiple passages (1 Samuel 12:15, 2 Chronicles 30:7-8, Jeremiah 11:7-8) where God warns against imitating the fathers' rebellion.

God's blessings are as certain as His curses

Summary: Just as curses overtake the disobedient, blessings overtake the obedient (Deuteronomy 28:1-2), showing that God's Word works both ways with equal certainty.

Evidence: Weaver reads Deuteronomy 28:1-2 and states, 'Just like you cannot outrun God's curses, you cannot outrun God's blessings... they will chase you down, they will knock you down, they will fall all over you.'

Scripture References

Zechariah 1:1-6

Context: The primary text of the sermon, introducing the prophecy and the theme of God's Word taking hold.

Ezra 5:1

Context: Mentioned to establish Zechariah as a colleague of Haggai in the rebuilding of the temple.

Matthew 23:35

Context: Cited to suggest that Zechariah son of Berechiah may be the prophet slain between the temple and altar.

Hosea 4:1

Context: Used to define 'controversy' as a dispute God has with His people because of lack of truth, mercy, and knowledge.

Hosea 12:2

Context: Further illustration of God's controversy with Judah, leading to punishment according to their ways.

Micah 6:2

Context: Quoted to show God's controversy with His people and His pleading with Israel.

Isaiah 34:8

Context: Referenced to show that the controversy of Zion will be resolved by the day of the Lord's vengeance.

Deuteronomy 29:27

Context: Illustrates the sore displeasure of God, rooting out the people in anger and wrath.

Deuteronomy 32:22

Context: Describes God's anger as a fire burning to the lowest hell, consuming the earth.

Psalm 90:11

Context: Quoted to emphasize the terrifying power of God's anger.

Jeremiah 2:11-13

Context: Shows Israel's wickedness in forsaking God, the fountain of living waters, for broken cisterns.

Jeremiah 2:32

Context: Highlights how Israel forgot God days without number.

Malachi 3:7

Context: God's call to return to Him, with the people's response 'wherein shall we return?'

James 4:8

Context: Encourages drawing near to God with cleansed hands and purified hearts.

Hosea 4:6

Context: Explains the lex talionis: because fathers forgot God's law, God will forget their children.

1 Samuel 12:15

Context: Warns that if they rebel, the hand of the Lord will be against them as it was against their fathers.

2 Chronicles 30:7-8

Context: Commands not to be stiff-necked like the fathers, but to yield to the Lord.

Jeremiah 11:7-8

Context: God's earnest protest to the fathers to obey His voice, which they refused.

John 6:49

Context: Jesus' statement that the fathers ate manna and are dead, underscoring their mortality.

Acts 7:51

Context: Stephen's accusation that the Jews resist the Holy Spirit as their fathers did.

Historical References

Jerry Clower story about coon hunting and a lynx

Context: Illustration of something grabbing hold of a man who couldn't let go, introducing the sermon theme.

Personal story of Ned Day and Gene Waller cooning for fish and catching a moccasin

Context: Another illustration of grabbing hold of something that then grabs hold of you, leading into the biblical message.

Zechariah as colleague of Haggai in building the second temple

Context: Historical context for Zechariah's ministry and prophecy.

Zechariah son of Berechiah possibly slain between temple and altar

Context: Reference to Matthew 23:35 and scholarly opinion on the prophet's martyrdom.

John Calvin's commentary on Zechariah 1:2

Context: Quoted to emphasize the terror of God's vengeance as a signal evidence of wrath.

Bank robbers in Greenville, South Carolina, always caught before leaving city limits

Context: Illustration of sinners thinking they can escape judgment when others did not.

Important Quotes

The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

Significance: The opening statement of the controversy, emphasizing God's intense displeasure with sin.

Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Significance: The central call to repentance and God's gracious offer of reconciliation.

Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me, said the Lord.

Significance: The counsel restated, warning against imitating the disobedience of previous generations.

Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

Significance: The abrupt question highlighting the mortality of the fathers and the enduring nature of the prophets' words.

But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers?

Significance: The key verse showing that God's Word actively overtook and seized the disobedient.

Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

Significance: The fathers' confession that God's judgment was exactly as He had declared.

Sin provokes God. It provokes God to anger. It angers Him. It displeases Him. Sin is a challenge and a dare to God to do His worst.

Significance: A strong statement on the nature of sin as an affront to God.

Men may die, but God's Word never dies.

Significance: Summarizes the enduring power and authority of Scripture.

Discussion Questions

In what ways does sin create a 'controversy' between us and God, and how does that controversy get resolved?

Context: Weaver defines controversy as a quarrel or dispute God has with sinners, resolved either by repentance or judgment.

Why is it significant that God, the offended party, is the one who offers reconciliation? What does this teach us about His character?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that God offers to be reconciled despite being sinned against, showing grace and mercy.

How does the command 'be not as your fathers' apply to fathers today, and what are the consequences of failing to set a godly example?

Context: Weaver discusses the failure of fatherhood when fathers do not repent and obey God, affecting their children.

What does it mean that God's Word 'took hold' of the fathers, and how should that reality affect our attitude toward Scripture?

Context: Weaver explains the Hebrew meaning of 'take hold' as catching and overtaking, showing the active power of God's Word.

How can we be sure that God's blessings will overtake us just as certainly as His curses? What is required of us?

Context: Weaver points to Deuteronomy 28:1-2 as the promise that blessings chase down the obedient.

Why do people often think they can escape the consequences of sin when others did not? How does the sermon address this self-deception?

Context: Weaver uses the bank robber illustration to show that sinners falsely believe they are smarter than those who were caught.

Applications

Repent and turn to God to receive reconciliation

Summary: Weaver urges that we must repent from the heart and turn to God, who graciously offers to be reconciled to sinners.

Evidence: He states, 'if you will turn to Him with your heart, then God will turn to you' and 'it is not enough for you and I to turn from sin, we must turn to God as He commands.'

Do not imitate the disobedience of previous generations

Summary: The sermon applies the warning 'be not as your fathers' by calling listeners to avoid the hard-hearted, rebellious patterns of those who rejected God's Word.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Don't be disobedient, don't be hard-hearted, Don't be stiff-necked. Don't be rebellious. Don't be self-willed.'

Fear God's Word and do not presume upon His grace

Summary: Weaver warns that we cannot outrun God's judgment and must not think we can sin without consequences.

Evidence: He cautions, 'Do not think that if you commit the same sins that somehow you will escape. You will not.'

Obey God's Word to experience His overtaking blessings

Summary: The sermon concludes with the application that just as curses overtake the disobedient, blessings overtake those who hearken diligently to God's voice.

Evidence: Weaver reads Deuteronomy 28:1-2 and says, 'if you obey me, my blessings are going to come upon you. They will chase you down.'

Set a godly example as fathers and leaders

Summary: Weaver applies the text to fathers, urging them to repent and obey God so as not to lead their children into destruction.

Evidence: He states, 'if we fail to repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we have failed totally and completely' as fathers.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:43:20Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:30:19Z

Clean Transcript

Something is Going to Get a Hold on You

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Zechariah chapter 1. You might as well mark it because we will look at a number of other passages a little bit later. But this is the text from which I will be preaching today. Zechariah 1 verses 1 through 6. The title of the message is, Something Will Get a Hold on You. And I think you will understand shortly. Look in Zechariah 1 verse 1. In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me, said the Lord.
#1 | 0:14 to 1:20 | cleaned
Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants, the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us." Remember, if you would, the title of the message is, Something Will Get a Hold on You. Have you ever tried to grab a hold of something, only to discover that when you grabbed it, you had been grabbed yourself? That is, something had taken a hold on you.
#2 | 1:20 to 2:05 | cleaned
I'm sure that everyone in here remembers the old Jerry Clower story about the fellows who were coon hunting and they thought they had the coon treed and one man decided to climb the tree and deal with the coon and he got up there and discovered there was not a coon up there but it was a lynx which is a souped up bobcat and of course the lynx jumped on the man the man was trying to fight it off and the man up the tree kept telling his buddy down there shoot us shoot shoot And the man said, I can't. I might hit you. Finally, the guy up the tree shouted, just shoot up here amongst us. One of us has got to have some relief.
#3 | 2:06 to 2:49 | cleaned
So obviously, something did have a hold on him and he could not let go. Years ago, when we were teenagers, my cousin Ned Day and one of our very best friends, Gene Waller, went cooning for fish.
#4 | 2:50 to 3:06 | cleaned
Now, today they called it noodling. We always called it cooning. So in preparation, and the reason we called it cooning was because of raccoons, when they would dip their paws down in the water and feel under rocks and things like that to catch crawfish. So we always called it cooning. But in preparation to doing that, we would find a little puddle of water in a creek somewhere where it was nearly dry. And we would, of course, have our shoes off, have our pants rolled up, above our knees and we would get into that little puddle of water and just walk all over, stirring up all the mud that we could stir up and making the water thick with mud, which of course then forced the
#5 | 3:06 to 3:51 | cleaned
fish to come up to the top for air. At that particular time, you could either scoop them up with a net or reach down and pick them up with your hands. And as boys, we never used a net, we just always caught the fish with our hands. Well, Ned and Gene were doing that, and they had the little pool of water all sufficiently muddied up, and Ned saw the back of a huge catfish. And he said, oh Gene, look what I've got, and he reached down and he grabbed the back of what he thought was a big black catfish.
#6 | 3:51 to 4:29 | cleaned
When he came up, he had a very angry, an extremely large moccasin. Thankfully, he had caught the snake right behind the head. And as Ned was holding the snake, the snake very slowly began to wrap its body around Ned's arm. Ned kept hollering to Gene, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it. And Gene kept saying, I can't shoot it until you put it down. And of course Ned couldn't put it down. And so Gene had to come up and help unravel the snake from around his arm. And finally, when Ned did let go and throw the snake down, there was no reason to shoot it. Because he had literally choked the life out of that snake.
#7 | 4:31 to 5:24 | cleaned
He had grabbed hold of something and something had grabbed hold on him. and he just could not let go.
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Now Zechariah tells us about something that is far more powerful and far greater than a lynx or a moccasin. It's something that will grab hold of men and they cannot let go of it and it certainly will not let them go. They will not be able to shake it off, they will not be able to put it down and they will not be able to escape. Now Zechariah was a colleague of Haggai and both of them worked together for the building of the second temple.
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You'll find that in Ezra 5 in verse 1. Zechariah began to prophesy sometime after Haggai. However, he continued longer, soared higher in visions and revelations, he wrote more, he prophesied more, and especially concerning Christ than Haggai had done. His ministry was very practical, And He begins by giving us a central truth in chapter 1 that must be understood and must be applied. So if you look in verse 1, He establishes divine authority by expressly stating that the word of the Lord came to Him. He said, In the eighth month and the second year of Darius came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet saying. So He says the word of the Lord comes, came to Him. So he not only establishes his prophetic authority, he also gives us some of his ancestry because he refers to himself as Zechariah the son of Berechiah. Now, there are many scholars that believe that this is the very Zechariah the son of Berechiah that was slain between the temple and the altar probably many years after the rebuilding of the temple.
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Our Lord refers to Him, if you would hold Zechariah 1, but look in Matthew 23, and notice verse 35, Matthew 23 and verse 35, and we read this, Matthew 23 and verse 35, and talking to the Jews, our Lord said this, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barakias whom you slew between the temple and the altar. So many scholars say that this Zachariah that wrote the book of Zachariah is the one that our Savior referred to. We know that Zachariah was a prophet and we know that he did indeed speak the word of the Lord.
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Prophets were not very popular people. Because people do not by nature wish to hear that they are wicked sinners and under the judgment of God. Neither do they like to be reminded of their sins. And especially even their past sins. And Zechariah here begins his ministry by reminding the people of God's controversy with them and their constant and consistent rebellion against God. So if you look in Zechariah chapter 1, we're going to begin today with verse 2, and you're going to see the controversy recalled.
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He says, the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. The controversy, recall, the word controversy is a very good word and it illustrates the ongoing disobedience and rebellion of Israel. The word controversy is used to designate a quarrel, a strife, a bone of contention, and a dispute. And the God of heaven did indeed have a bone of contention with his disobedient and rebellious people. Let me show you how the word is actually used in Scripture.
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I want you to hold Zechariah, but turn right back, if you would, to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Hosea chapter 4 and verse 1. You remember now, he said, the Lord had been sore displeased with your father. So here's this controversy. So Hosea 4 and verse 1, Hosea says it like this. Watch carefully. Hosea 4 verse 1. Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." And then he goes on, but notice if you would, he calls this a controversy. It is a dispute. It is a problem that God has with the children of Israel. Then if you look in Hosea chapter 12, and notice if you would please, verse 2. Hosea 12 and verse 2. God says it again very clearly. The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, according to his doings will he recompense him.
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So the Lord hath a controversy with Judah. And let me just read to you the book of Micah chapter 6 and verse 2. Listen carefully. God says, Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy and you strong foundations of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel." So over and over, the Bible says that God had a controversy. God had a bone of contention.
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He had a dispute with them. He had a quarrel with them. Why? Because of their sin and their rebellion. And ultimately, it will be the righteous judgment of God that ends that quarrel, that ends that dispute, and ends that controversy. For the Bible says, in Isaiah 34 and verse 8, listen carefully. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. So obviously then, when there is no repentance on the part of God's people, the controversy will be resolved by God's judgment. Now, if you look back in Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 2, he says this.
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The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. So here's this controversy. And by the way, Zechariah is talking about everything that happened from Israel as they were called out of Egypt. So all of this is being brought to mind. And when God says the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers, the Hebrew is very emphatic. And it literally means this. He has been displeased with a displeasure. or he's been displeased with a very grievous displeasure. That is, he's vehemently displeased. It is no common displeasure.
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It's something that arouses a righteous anger. Let me give you just one little quote. Listen to what John Calvin said upon verse 2. He said, Zechariah mentions here to his own people a signal evidence of God's wrath which ought to justly to have smitten all of them with terror. He does not then speak here of a thing unknown, but reminds them seriously to consider how terrible is God's vengeance.
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As a proof of this, their fathers had been deprived of their perpetual inheritance. They had suffered many degradations and had also been harassed and oppressed by tyrants. In short, they had been nearly sunk in the lowest depths. Since then God has so severely dealt with their fathers, listen, the prophet bids them to know that God ought to be feared lest they should grow wanton and indulge themselves in their usual manner but they might from the heart repent and not provoke God's wrath of which the fathers had such a severe experience.
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And so that is true. That's exactly what Zechariah is doing. He is warning them that if you do not repent, if you don't change your ways, you're basically going to end up like your fathers.
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Now let me just show you what a sore displeasure is. I want you to hold Zechariah, but turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 29. Deuteronomy 29, and let's begin reading there with verse 27. Deuteronomy 29, And look at verse 27. You want to find out what a sore displeasure is? Here it is. Deuteronomy 29 verse 27. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the Lord rooted them out of this land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day. Wow. God rooted them out in anger and in wrath and in great indignation. If you would turn right over to Deuteronomy 32 and look at verse 22, just trying to show you what this sore displeasure is. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 22, look what God says to the people. Here is a very sore displeasure. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 22, God says, For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundation of the mountains."
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So a fire is kindled in his anger, he said, and shall burn into the lowest hell. We should not antagonize, we should not wish to antagonize or displease in anger the sovereign, omnipotent, majestic, eternal, immutable, and righteous judge of all the earth. Do you realize that Moses asked this simple question in Psalm 90 verse 11? He said to God, who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so with thy wrath. Who knoweth the power of thine anger?
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And so when Zechariah says, the Lord had been so displeased with your father. Zechariah reminds the people of the past and he is warning them of the present. He is saying, in essence, if you continue as your fathers, you're going to meet the same displeasure of God as your fathers met. So the prophet here refers to the severity of God's punishment, which the fathers had been visited, in order that they might understand that God does not play around with sin.
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All those who despise His word shall be punished. Here's what you and I are to learn. We're to learn and we must learn that sin provokes God. It provokes God to anger. It angers Him. It displeases Him. Sin is a challenge and a dare to God to do His worst. Sin is worse than saying to God, I double dog dare you. No, no, no. Sin is more than that. Literally a spitting in the face of God. And sin is a denial of God as the chief good. What sin does is simply says this, God, you're insufficient to supply my needs. You're insufficient to satisfy me. I must have this sin. I must violate your law in order to appease and satisfy me. And so sin then is an affront to God because it's an insult to God. And sin creates a controversy.
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which we cannot possibly win. And I, for one, do not wish to be an individual that challenges the Son of God. So, he gives you here the controversy recall. Look in verse 3 in Zechariah chapter 1. Here is the conciliation reissued. The conciliation reissued in verse 3. Therefore say thou to them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Amazingly, the offended God of heaven offers reconciliation.
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You need to stop and think about this amazing offer. God is the one that has been sinned against. He is the one that has been rejected and cast off. Yet in grace and in mercy, he offers to be reconciled to a sinful and disobedient people only if they will repent and turn to Him.
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Now, here's what Zechariah is giving us very clearly. He is speaking of God's vengeance. That's why he said, the Lord has been so displeased with your father. He's speaking of God's vengeance and he says, now is the opportunity for you to turn to Him. Because God is offering reconciliation. If you will turn to Him with your heart, then God will turn to you. The old adage, fools by adversity become wise.
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What he is saying is, you may have been a fool, but if you will stop and look what has happened to all of your fathers in past history, it ought to teach you something. It ought to make you become a wise individual. And the lesson to be learned is very simple. cannot sin against God and escape His righteous judgment. So it's very plain. If you do not wish to be chastised, do not sin and rebel against Him.
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Let me show you how wickedly the people did exactly that. I want you to hold Zechariah 1, but turn back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah. Notice Jeremiah chapter 2. And we will begin reading there with verse 11, Jeremiah 2 verse 11. It's amazing how these people had sinned against God and yet God still offers reconciliation. Jeremiah chapter 2, notice verse 11. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 11. How the nation changed their gods which are yet no gods. But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.
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Be astonished, O you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. God says this people is a very obtuse Stupid people. They changed the true and the living God for no God. For an idol. And they left the fountain of living water and hewed them out a broken cistern that could hold no water. If you'll skip down to verse 32 in Jeremiah chapter 2, notice what God says. He asks them questions.
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Can a maid forget her ornaments? Or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." People only forsook God. They forgot God. In the book of Malachi chapter 3 and verse 7, the book right after Zechariah, look what God says in Malachi 3 and verse 7. Remember now, He's been sore displeased with the Father. Look what He's telling them. Malachi 3 verse 7. Even from the days of your fathers, you've gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them.
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Return unto me, and I will return unto you, said the Lord of Hosts. But you said, wherein shall we return? God is continually offering reconciliation, and the people are continually refusing to be reconciled. Do you understand that we cannot enjoy The favor of God, even when God kindly offers to be reconciled, except we repent from the heart. Sin is a turning away from God. Repentance is a turning to God. That's why in James 4 and verse 8, God says this, Draw nigh to God, you sinners, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In other words, you repent, God will turn to you. It is not enough for you and I to turn from sin, we must turn to God as He commands. It is not enough to be separated from sin, we must be separated to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. So, go back to Zechariah chapter 1 and look at verse 4.
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Here you have the counsel restated. The counsel restated. Not only do you have the controversy recalled and the conciliation reissued, now you have the counsel restated. Look in verse 4, where he says, You know, this just hits me.
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right between the eyes. What an example of fatherhood. If you want to understand what it means to be a failure as a father, look at verse 4 again. Be not as your fathers. It is true that each of us are sinners and it is true that each of us have failed. But if you really want to know what it means to be a failure as a father, you need to understand verse 4. We've failed in many ways as fathers, but if we fail to repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we have failed totally and completely. If we have failed to listen to, to hear, and to heed, and obey the Word of God, then we have failed totally and completely. We have failed as fathers by not setting a proper example. That's why he says, be not as your fathers. I want you to hold Zechariah chapter 1.
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Let me show you something. Go back to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. And look if you would, please. Daniel, Joel, Hosea it is. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Hosea chapter 4. Let me show you something. Most of us can quote this verse. But look what he says. Be not as your fathers. There is not a father alive, probably, that does not want their children to honor and obey him. But have you ever stopped to think, if we want our children to honor and obey us, why do we dishonor and disobey our Heavenly Father? I want you to see from the Scripture why there are so many rebellious children in the land. Look at Hosea 4 and verse 6. God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Everybody can quote that part of this verse. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, seeing thou shalt be no priest to me, seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
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Did you hear what he said? Seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
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Now, the truth of Hosea four in verse six is known as the lex talionis. That is the law of retribution. What are our children? They are an expression of our wills. We wanted them. We desired them. We had them. Do you know what God's law is? God's law is an expression of His will. And here's what God is saying. If we disobey and dishonor His law, which is an expression of His will for our lives, then He will dishonor and forget our children, which are an expression of our wills. Thus you have perfect retribution.
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The punishment fits the crime. Over and over, God warned the fathers, but no one listened. The question is, are you listening? I want you to hold Zechariah 1. I want you to see this from the scripture. Turn back If you would, first of all, the 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel, look in chapter 12 and verse 15. 1st Samuel 12, verse 15. Look what he says. 1st Samuel 12, verse 15.
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But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandments of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you as it was against your fathers." What did God say? If you act like your fathers, then the hand of the Lord is going to be against you as it was your fathers. Turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. Turn right over to 2 Chronicles. Chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. 2 Chronicles 30 and verse 7. Now it says, Be not as your fathers. 2 Chronicles 30, look at verse 7 and 8. He says it again. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as you see. Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you."
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Now he says, don't be like your fathers. If you would turn right on over to Jeremiah chapter 11. Jeremiah chapter 11 and look at verses 7 and 8. Jeremiah 11 and verses 7 and 8. Remember, here's the counsel. Be not as your fathers. Jeremiah 11 verse 7. The word of God says, for I earnestly protested under your fathers in the day that have brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even in this day, rising early and protesting, saying, obey my voice.
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Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart. Therefore, I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do. And they did them not. Be not as your fathers. May I just quote John 6 and verse 49? You know what our Lord said. Our Lord asked a question of the people there. Here's what He said. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.
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So the statement really poses two questions. Where are they? And what happened to them? Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they're dead. Do you remember when Stephen was stoned to death? In Acts 7 verse 51, he looked at those people who were stoning him and he said, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did, so do you. So the counsel that Zechariah gives is be not as your fathers. Don't be disobedient, don't be hard-hearted, Don't be stiff-necked. Don't be rebellious. Don't be self-willed. Don't be determined to have your own way. When one chooses his will over the will of God, he chooses death and destruction. So what Zachariah is saying is, don't destroy yourself the way your fathers did. And the counsel that Zachariah is giving needs to be repeated over and over today because in essence that's exactly what is happening in our land. The people are destroying themselves exactly the way the fathers did because they refused to listen to God.
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Look at verse 5 in Zechariah chapter 1. The caution required. Verse 5. Your fathers Where are they and the prophets? Do they live forever? The caution required. Look what he says after he says in verse four, be not as your fathers and whom the former prophets have cried. And now he says in verse five, your fathers, where are they? The abrupt solemnity of the question seems to imply an unexpected close of life, which cuts short.
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their hopes, their plans, their dreams, and their promises to themselves. You see, individuals who think that they can sin against God and get away with it are basically just deceiving themselves. One may promise himself all kind of pleasure and all kind of prosperity, but those promises are worthless and useless and fruitless because they do not include God and His righteous vengeance. You remember that passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 3 where it is said, for when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape. When they promise themselves peace and safety, then sudden destruction So the caution required is that you better make sure that you don't end up as the fathers. Do not think that if you commit the same sins that somehow you will escape. You will not.
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When I was in college in Greenville, South Carolina, I think I've told you this, but I'm going to say it again right now. Out of all the banks that were robbed, not one bank robber ever got past the city limits. Always caught before they ever got out of the city limits. And yet banks were robbed repeatedly over and over and over and over. You know why? Because every robber thinks that the one before him was stupid and he made a stupid mistake and he got caught, but he's smart, he will never ever get caught.
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This is the same thing here. When someone thinks that we can commit the same sins that our fathers committed, but somehow we're going to escape, somehow we're going to get by. But look at this question. Your fathers, where are they? Where are your disobedient fathers? Are they not buried in a strange land? Did they not die of awful and horrible diseases? Were they not consumed with the famine and the sword as was prophesied against them? Where are the fathers?
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The answer is this, they're dead, judged and gone. That's where they are. What did their rebellion gain them? What did their self-will accomplish? Their own death and destruction. It's kind of like the question our Lord asked in Matthew 16 in verse 26, when he said, for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
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So if we're not cautious, we're going to end up on the wrong end of the stick. You say, what are you talking about? Micah 6 in verse 9, where the word of God says, hear ye the rod. and Him who hath appointed it." Now, I want you to look back at verse 5. The first part is very simple. Your fathers, where are they? They're judged, dead, and gone.
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But then He asks, and the prophets, do they live forever? How do we deal with that question? Basically, there are three ways to interpret that question. Could be more, but three that I can see that would basically fit the context. The first one is this. Some scholars read this question and your profits. Do they live forever? The emphasis then would be upon your profits. which would refer them to the false prophets to which the people embraced and believe their teaching. You remember that passage in Jeremiah 5 in verse 31 where God said the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so. The people always embraced the false prophets. They hated the true prophets I want you to see something. Hold Zachariah, but turn back in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 28. Let me show you that there were indeed false prophets. And certainly God judged those false prophets. So Jeremiah chapter 28 beginning there with verse 15. Hananiah was one such false prophet.
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Look what happens to him. Jeremiah 28, beginning there of verse 15. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth. This year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. if you would turn right over to Jeremiah 29 and verse 32. Here's Shemaiah, another false prophet. Jeremiah 29 verse 32, Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehilimite and his seed. He shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good thing that I will do for my people, saith the LORD, because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD. When you look at Zechariah 1 and verse 5, your fathers, where are they?
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And your prophets, do they live forever? He could be referring to the false prophets. I think that is an alright interpretation, but I don't think it really fits the context. So, how do we explain it? Well, secondly, We could look at verse 5, your father swear they and the prophets that they live forever. We may also consider that the prophets mentioned here are indeed the true prophets of God. And those were the ones that God sent and they faithfully proclaim his word. In this sense of the word, Zechariah would be saying that the prophets too who had ministered to them passed away Some of them naturally, some of them by martyr's death. Many of them did not see their own words fulfilled, yet they knew that their words were of God. So it could be just saying that prophets die just like everyone else.
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But here's the one that I believe that is accurate and dead on, especially in light of the context. And the third interpretation is closely connected with the second interpretation. because the third interpretation allows indeed that the prophets were indeed the prophets of the Lord. And what Zechariah is saying, he is admitting the fact that yes, these prophets died as well. However, what he is saying is this, their teaching has not perished.
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God's word through them is still functioning. Their predictions remain. The events which have taken place according to those predictions Prove that God sent them. Men may die, but God's Word never dies. And so, Zechariah could be saying, your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? No, they don't live forever. But, the words that they preach, the words that they taught are still true, and they still live forever. This very fact that Zechariah is proclaiming here should justly terrify the people to whom Zechariah was preaching. Why? Because obviously, if that word took care of their fathers, that same word will take care of them. Here is the truth. You cannot escape the Word of God. You cannot escape the Word of God. You will either bow to the Word of God in salvation, or you will bow to it in condemnation, but you will bow to the Word of God. And what Zechariah is saying, you better beware, lest you share the fate of your fathers. The Bible says in Psalm 119 in verse 89, Forever, O Lord, is thy word settled in the heavens.
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In 1 Peter 1 in verse 25, he said, But the Word of the Lord endureth forever. So, the Word of God, is still here. The prophets may have died but their predictions, their prophecy, their teaching, their truth was still alive and well for they were preaching God's Word and God's Word does not die.
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Now I want you to look at verse 6 because everything I've preached up to this point what's to get you to verse 6. And you remember the title of this message, something will get a hold on you. And as I pointed out in the introduction, sometimes you've heard the old adage, he's got a tiger by the tail. Can't do anything with him, can't turn loose. God's Word is far more powerful than any tiger, or any moccasin or any lynx. Here in verse 6 is the capture reveal, look at it. God says, but my words and my statutes which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers?
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And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. I believe that verse 6 contextually verifies the third interpretation that I gave you, verse 5, that it does indeed refer to the Lord's prophets. Yes, they died, but their words did not die. The word that they preached was very much alive. The death of the prophets did not nullify the threatenings, the warnings, the punishments, or the promises of their preaching. Everything that happened to the fathers happened according to the prediction of the prophets and the people were obliged to acknowledge this. And yet in spite of that, they would not turn from their wicked ways. Now look at the latter part of verse 6. In fact, let's just read verse 6 again.
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To me, this is absolutely astounding. But My words and My statutes which I commended My servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? Now watch. And they, that is the fathers, return. Here's their confession. Here's their acknowledgement. Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us. We heard what He said and we didn't repent.
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And now God has done with us exactly what He said He would do. In other words, something got a hold of them and they could not get loose. So God is asking, did not My words take hold of your fathers? It's kind of like the enemy who is pursuing a man or a group of men. When the enemy overtakes them, the enemy then destroys them and spoils their goods. And that's what God asks.
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Did not my word overtake you? Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 28. I would encourage you to mark this passage. Cause we'll probably come back there just in a little bit. But look in Deuteronomy 28, first of all, at verse 15. Deuteronomy 28, first of all at verse 15. Look what God says. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." Now, when you read the rest of the chapter, you get all these curses that will come upon you and will overtake you. Go to verse 45. Look what he says. Moreover, all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed. Because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee. What?
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Look in verse 45 again, "...over all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed." The word overtake that is not only mentioned in Deuteronomy 28, but it's also mentioned in Zechariah 1 and verse 6. Did they not take hold of your fathers? The word overtake or take hold on means to catch. It means to lay hold on. It means to take hold upon and to fall upon.
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In other words, here's the picture that God is trying to give us. Here is someone or some group of men or even some nation that is sinning against God and rebelling against God. And they're running down the road as fast and as furiously as they can, trying to outrun the curse and the judgment of God. God said, My curse shall outrun you, it will overtake you, it will knock you down, it will fall upon you, and you can't stop it. That's why I said in verse 6, But My words and My statutes, which I commanded in My service to the prophets, Did they not take hold of your fathers? They got a hold of them. They got a hold of them.
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You know what the Bible says? Let me just quote it. Isaiah 14 verse 24. Listen. The Lord has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. As I have purposed, so shall it stand. Whatever God purposes is going to come to pass. Whatever God says is going to come to pass. In Lamentations 2 and verse 17, you remember Jeremiah watched Jerusalem being destroyed. And in Lamentations 2 and verse 17, here's what Jeremiah wrote. The Lord hath done that which he hath devised, he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old, he hath thrown down, he hath not pitted, he hath caused the enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries. What? The Lord hath done that which he devised, he hath fulfilled his word which he commanded in the days of old. In other words, Jeremiah, as he watched Jerusalem destroyed, said God is doing exactly what he told he was going to do. The Word got a hold of them.
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You know, I could look at James and say, Boy, I'm going to whip you and mash you in the floor and make a greasy spot out of you. That might be big talk and that might be empty talk to a big fella. For my part. But if God said that to him, it would not be empty. You see what I'm saying? Man can talk big, and man can say a lot of things, but he can't always produce. But what God says, and when God speaks, it's not an empty threat, it's not an empty punishment that God proclaims. God fulfills that which He says He's going to do. So God does not give utterance to words of none effect. When God speaks, He executes whatever He declares.
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Did they not take hold upon you? And then the fathers had to turn around and say, God said He would do, that's exactly what He did. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. God's Word is not an adversary to any, but such as are adversaries to themselves. If you want to sin against God and disobey His Word, then His Word will become an adversary to you. The Word of God does not condemn any, but those that are assuredly condemned of the Lord.
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And here's what a lot of people do not understand. In the day of judgment, our Lord tells us what is going to condemn men. John 12 and verse 48, listen carefully, our Lord said, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word that I've spoken shall judge him in the last day." The word of God is going to get a hold of some folks.
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And it'll either end in salvation or damnation. But the Word of God will get a hold and it will not turn loose. Here's a warning for our day and age, for our posterity. You cannot outrun God. The second application is this. We need not fear false prophets. However, we must fear the Lord. There are so many false prophets today. Just like there were in Jeremiah's time. But Jeremiah 23 and verse 28 says this, Our Lord said, The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. And he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? What did He say? The false prophets are nothing but chaff. And that false prophet's words are nothing compared to the Word of God. So the warning in Zechariah is, something will get a hold of you one way or the other.
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Now, I want you to go back to Deuteronomy 28. Here's my last application. And this is what. I'm extremely thankful for. Watch carefully, Deuteronomy 28, and let's read verses 1 and 2. God said, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments, which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth, And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God." Just like you cannot outrun God's curses, you cannot outrun God's blessings. God says, if you obey me, my blessings are going to come upon you.
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They will chase you down, they will knock you down, they will fall all over you. and you can't stop them. I'm so thankful that that is equally true. I'm so thankful that the blessings of God are just as real and just as true as the punishments of God. But that word, either in blessing or in cursing, is going to take hold. And you can't Shake it loose. God said His Word will overtake you.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We acknowledge Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. We acknowledge, Lord, the severity of Your punishments and the graciousness of Your promises. Father, we do want Thy Word, but we want it in obedience. and in submission. Help us, Lord, to live for Thee. Give us grace, Lord, to obey and to bring our lives into conformity to Your Word. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:43:20Z

Something is Going to Get a Hold on You

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver preaches from Zechariah 1:1-6, warning that God's Word will inevitably take hold of every person—either in judgment or in blessing. He recalls the controversy God had with Israel's rebellious fathers, reissues God's offer of reconciliation through repentance, restates the counsel not to imitate the fathers' disobedience, and reveals that God's words overtook the fathers just as He promised. The sermon emphasizes that sin provokes God, but His Word endures forever, and no one can outrun His declared purposes.

Introduction: Something Will Get a Hold on You

Weaver introduces the theme with humorous stories of a lynx and a snake grabbing hold of men, illustrating that something more powerful—God's Word—will take hold and not let go.

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 1:1-6

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me,

said the Lord.

The Controversy Recalled (Zechariah 1:2)

God was sore displeased with the fathers because of their sin and rebellion, creating a controversy that could only be resolved by judgment or repentance.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 4:1

Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 34:8

" So over and over, the Bible says that God had a controversy. God had a bone of contention. He had a dispute with them. He had a quarrel with them. Why? Because of their sin and their rebellion. And ultimately, it will be the righteous judgment of God that ends that quarrel, that ends that dispute, and ends that controversy. For the Bible says, in Isaiah 34 and verse 8, listen carefully. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. So obviously then, when there is no repentance on the part of God's people, the controversy will be resolved by God's judgment. Now, if you look back in Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 2, he says this.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 29:27

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the

Scripture Reading — Psalm 90:11

who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so with thy wrath. Who knoweth the power of thine anger?

The Conciliation Reissued (Zechariah 1:3)

Despite being the offended party, God offers reconciliation if the people will turn to Him, demonstrating His grace and mercy.

The Counsel Restated (Zechariah 1:4)

The people are warned not to be like their fathers who refused to hear and obey God's Word, highlighting the failure of fatherhood when fathers do not repent and set a godly example.

The Caution Required (Zechariah 1:5)

The abrupt question 'Your fathers, where are they?' reminds that the disobedient fathers are dead and judged, and the prophets' words live on, proving God's Word endures.

The Capture Revealed (Zechariah 1:6)

God's words and statutes took hold of the fathers, overtaking them in judgment exactly as prophesied, demonstrating that God's Word is inescapable.

Applications: Blessings Also Overtake the Obedient

Just as curses overtake the disobedient, blessings overtake those who obey God (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). God's Word will take hold either in salvation or condemnation.

Something is Going to Get a Hold on You

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	JubetVo0YYA
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: Promises Of The Law
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-06-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 042: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: God's Answer to America's Problems — Chapter 21
Source Timed Segments	69

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Something Will Get a Hold on You: Weaver introduces the theme with humorous stories of a lynx and a snake grabbing hold of men, illustrating that something more powerful—God's Word—will take hold and not let go.
The Controversy Recalled (Zechariah 1:2): God was sore displeased with the fathers because of their sin and rebellion, creating a controversy that could only be resolved by judgment or repentance.
The Conciliation Reissued (Zechariah 1:3): Despite being the offended party, God offers reconciliation if the people will turn to Him, demonstrating His grace and mercy.
The Counsel Restated (Zechariah 1:4): The people are warned not to be like their fathers who refused to hear and obey God's Word, highlighting the failure of fatherhood when fathers do not repent and set a godly example.
The Caution Required (Zechariah 1:5): The abrupt question 'Your fathers, where are they?' reminds that the disobedient fathers are dead and judged, and the prophets' words live on, proving God's Word endures.
The Capture Revealed (Zechariah 1:6): God's words and statutes took hold of the fathers, overtaking them in judgment exactly as prophesied, demonstrating that God's Word is inescapable.
Applications: Blessings Also Overtake the Obedient: Just as curses overtake the disobedient, blessings overtake those who obey God (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). God's Word will take hold either in salvation or condemnation.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's Word is an active force that takes hold of people

The central argument is that God's words and statutes, spoken through the prophets, actively overtook the disobedient fathers, proving that divine declarations are not passive but dynamically accomplish their purpose.

Weaver emphasizes Zechariah 1:6, 'But my words and my statutes... did they not take hold of your fathers?' and explains the Hebrew meaning of 'take hold' as to catch, lay hold on, and fall upon.

Sin creates an unwinnable controversy with God

Sin is not merely a mistake but a personal offense against God that initiates a dispute or quarrel which can only end in judgment unless there is repentance.

Weaver defines 'controversy' from Hosea 4:1 and 12:2 as a quarrel, strife, or bone of contention, and states, 'sin creates a controversy which we cannot possibly win.'

Repentance is the only way to avert judgment

God's offer of reconciliation in Zechariah 1:3 is conditioned upon turning to Him; without repentance, the controversy will be resolved by God's vengeance.

Weaver says, 'if you will turn to Him with your heart, then God will turn to you... when there is no repentance on the part of God's people, the controversy will be resolved by God's judgment.'

The example of the fathers serves as a warning

The history of Israel's fathers demonstrates that disobedience leads to destruction, and the command 'be not as your fathers' is a call to learn from their fate rather than repeat it.

Weaver cites multiple passages (1 Samuel 12:15, 2 Chronicles 30:7-8, Jeremiah 11:7-8) where God warns against imitating the fathers' rebellion.

God's blessings are as certain as His curses

Just as curses overtake the disobedient, blessings overtake the obedient (Deuteronomy 28:1-2), showing that God's Word works both ways with equal certainty.

Weaver reads Deuteronomy 28:1-2 and states, 'Just like you cannot outrun God's curses, you cannot outrun God's blessings... they will chase you down, they will knock you down, they will fall all over you.'

Scripture References

Zechariah 1:1-6: The primary text of the sermon, introducing the prophecy and the theme of God's Word taking hold.
Ezra 5:1: Mentioned to establish Zechariah as a colleague of Haggai in the rebuilding of the temple.
Matthew 23:35: Cited to suggest that Zechariah son of Berechiah may be the prophet slain between the temple and altar.
Hosea 4:1: Used to define 'controversy' as a dispute God has with His people because of lack of truth, mercy, and knowledge.
Hosea 12:2: Further illustration of God's controversy with Judah, leading to punishment according to their ways.
Micah 6:2: Quoted to show God's controversy with His people and His pleading with Israel.
Isaiah 34:8: Referenced to show that the controversy of Zion will be resolved by the day of the Lord's vengeance.
Deuteronomy 29:27: Illustrates the sore displeasure of God, rooting out the people in anger and wrath.
Deuteronomy 32:22: Describes God's anger as a fire burning to the lowest hell, consuming the earth.
Psalm 90:11: Quoted to emphasize the terrifying power of God's anger.
Jeremiah 2:11-13: Shows Israel's wickedness in forsaking God, the fountain of living waters, for broken cisterns.
Jeremiah 2:32: Highlights how Israel forgot God days without number.
Malachi 3:7: God's call to return to Him, with the people's response 'wherein shall we return?'
James 4:8: Encourages drawing near to God with cleansed hands and purified hearts.
Hosea 4:6: Explains the lex talionis: because fathers forgot God's law, God will forget their children.
1 Samuel 12:15: Warns that if they rebel, the hand of the Lord will be against them as it was against their fathers.
2 Chronicles 30:7-8: Commands not to be stiff-necked like the fathers, but to yield to the Lord.
Jeremiah 11:7-8: God's earnest protest to the fathers to obey His voice, which they refused.
John 6:49: Jesus' statement that the fathers ate manna and are dead, underscoring their mortality.
Acts 7:51: Stephen's accusation that the Jews resist the Holy Spirit as their fathers did.

Historical References

Jerry Clower story about coon hunting and a lynx: Illustration of something grabbing hold of a man who couldn't let go, introducing the sermon theme.
Personal story of Ned Day and Gene Waller cooning for fish and catching a moccasin: Another illustration of grabbing hold of something that then grabs hold of you, leading into the biblical message.
Zechariah as colleague of Haggai in building the second temple: Historical context for Zechariah's ministry and prophecy.
Zechariah son of Berechiah possibly slain between temple and altar: Reference to Matthew 23:35 and scholarly opinion on the prophet's martyrdom.
John Calvin's commentary on Zechariah 1:2: Quoted to emphasize the terror of God's vengeance as a signal evidence of wrath.
Bank robbers in Greenville, South Carolina, always caught before leaving city limits: Illustration of sinners thinking they can escape judgment when others did not.

Important Quotes

The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

The opening statement of the controversy, emphasizing God's intense displeasure with sin.

Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

The central call to repentance and God's gracious offer of reconciliation.

Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me, said the Lord.

The counsel restated, warning against imitating the disobedience of previous generations.

Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

The abrupt question highlighting the mortality of the fathers and the enduring nature of the prophets' words.

But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers?

The key verse showing that God's Word actively overtook and seized the disobedient.

Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

The fathers' confession that God's judgment was exactly as He had declared.

Sin provokes God. It provokes God to anger. It angers Him. It displeases Him. Sin is a challenge and a dare to God to do His worst.

A strong statement on the nature of sin as an affront to God.

Men may die, but God's Word never dies.

Summarizes the enduring power and authority of Scripture.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways does sin create a 'controversy' between us and God, and how does that controversy get resolved?

[Context]

Weaver defines controversy as a quarrel or dispute God has with sinners, resolved either by repentance or judgment.

[Question]

Why is it significant that God, the offended party, is the one who offers reconciliation? What does this teach us about His character?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that God offers to be reconciled despite being sinned against, showing grace and mercy.

[Question]

How does the command 'be not as your fathers' apply to fathers today, and what are the consequences of failing to set a godly example?

[Context]

Weaver discusses the failure of fatherhood when fathers do not repent and obey God, affecting their children.

[Question]

What does it mean that God's Word 'took hold' of the fathers, and how should that reality affect our attitude toward Scripture?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Hebrew meaning of 'take hold' as catching and overtaking, showing the active power of God's Word.

[Question]

How can we be sure that God's blessings will overtake us just as certainly as His curses? What is required of us?

[Context]

Weaver points to Deuteronomy 28:1-2 as the promise that blessings chase down the obedient.

[Question]

Why do people often think they can escape the consequences of sin when others did not? How does the sermon address this self-deception?

[Context]

Weaver uses the bank robber illustration to show that sinners falsely believe they are smarter than those who were caught.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:30:19Z