The last oracle (chapters 9-11) was about the nations – and Israel. This oracle (chapters 12-14) is about Israel – and the nations!
But it starts with who God is. Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth... The Lord, who is the Creator of all things. But not only is he the creator of heaven and earth – he is also the one who formed the spirit of man within him. This should get us thinking back to Genesis 1-2, where God breathed the breath of life into Adam.
Zechariah just said that this oracle is "concerning Israel". But now he says that the LORD is the one who formed the 'spirit of man'. In other words, the point of this oracle will focus on Israel's distinctive role within humanity as a whole.
And Israel's distinctive role is to suffer. Jerusalem will be a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. How? Through "the siege of Jerusalem". Jerusalem will be under attack yet again.
The phrase "On that day" structures the passage as a whole. There were too many of them to include in the outline, but there are 10 of them in our passage! Three in point one, two in point two, and five in point three!
Outline: The Oracle Concerning Israel (ch 12-14)
1. The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth – the One Who Formed the Spirit of Man – Is about to Make Jerusalem a Cup of Staggering to All Peoples (12:1-6)
2. The LORD Will Save Judah and Jerusalem and David (12:7-9)
3. The LORD Will Pour Out His Spirit on the House of David and Jerusalem (12:10-13:6)
4. The Key to the Whole Story: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Be Mine (v7-9)
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