Zechariah prophesies about a future attack against Judah by the nations of the world. In that attack, the nations will besiege Jerusalem only to be miraculously defeated by Judah. God states that Jerusalem will become “a stone of burden,” and “all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded.” In ancient times, the stone of burden was a heavy rock that lay in a field. Farmers who wished to plough the field had to remove the rock with great effort, often cutting themselves futilely. On one level, this means that the nations of the world that try to remove Judah and Jerusalem will fail. Spiritually, Jerusalem and Israel symbolize God and His word. Taking on Jerusalem forces the nations to contend with goodness and prevents them from succeeding. Today, God empowers the Israeli Defense Forces to the protector and defender of the Land of Israel and her inhabitants. While the Israeli army is constantly training and learning new techniques, there is no question that its miraculous victories are the result of the Hand of God.
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