Zechariah 10 –The Reemption of God’s People & The Mongol Army

ThinkingArchaeologists believe they may have found Alexander the Great’s tomb.  It’s believed that he was going to be buried at Aegae, modern Vergina or in Siwa Oasis. 

1 The structure measures
The structure measures an impressive 500 metres long and three metres high, which archaeologists believe could contain a royal grave.

Yet, while transferring the body it was hijacked and was initially buried in Memphis.

In the late 4th or early 3rd century B.C. Alexander’s body was transferred from Memphis to Alexandria, where it was reburied.

What about…

Zechariah 10
The Redemption of God’s People

1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

“The LORD…give them showers…grass” – the Lord, not the Canaanite god, Baal, is the one who controls the weather and the rain, giving life and fertility to the land.  Therefore, God’s people are to pray to and trust in Him.

2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.

2“Idols” – Hebrew teraphim, household gods.  They were used for divination during the period of the judges.  Included among false prophets, they were the occult counterpart to true prophets.

“There was no shepherd” – spiritual leadership is missing.

3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.

4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.

5 And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

3 In ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt mummification was a means of preserving a body whose survival in a recognizable form was essential for an expected life after death.

The Removal of Internal Organs
The period spent on preparing the body for burial was usually seventy days. Forty days of these were devoted to drying out the dead body. As soon as possible after death, the corpse was handed over to the embalmers. Their task, and the first step in the ancient Egyptian mummification process, was to remove the brain and internal organs immediately, which otherwise would rot rapidly.

The brain was usually removed through the nostrils. The heart, however, as the seat of understanding, was regularly left in place. Although the removal of internal organs was essential for a successful mummification, the Egyptian embalmers considered their careful preservation of the body itself to be of equal importance.

To dehydrate the body efficiently, dissolve body fats, and make the skin lithe, dry soda crystals were used as a part of the ancient Egypt mummification process. The internal organs were also treated with soda – but separately from the body – and then placed in four canopic jars.

6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.

“Judah…Joseph” – the people of the southern and northern kingdoms will be reunited.

7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.

8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.

“Hiss” – lit. “whistle” or “signal,” a continuation of the shepherd metaphor.  Zechariah uses the shepherd image more than any other book does.

9 And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.

10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

“Egypt…Assyria” – probably representing all the counties where the Israelites are dispersed, these two evoke memories of slavery and exile.

11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away.

12 And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

The Mongol Army

The Mongol army was feared from Europe to China, and with good reason. The finest horsemen in the world, they were smart, tricky, and brutal. From infancy, Mongol children were taught to ride, to hunt, and eventually to shoot backward while standing in their stirrups.

4 Using techniques
Using techniques learned from Chinese captives, the Mongols besiege a Chinese fortress.

Young men participated in a great hunt in the fall, where they were organized into military units and judged on their prowess. The best hunters became elite soldiers.

On the move, the cavalry formed immense columns, signaling from front to back with flags and fires. As nomads, they knew how to travel rapidly and lightly, but they were well armed and armored: each soldier had:

A double-arched compound bow, A shield, A lasso,  A dagger, and Some also carried swords, javelins, battle-axes, or maces.

Their beautifully balanced three-foot- long arrows were sometimes dipped in poison or salt to inflict extra pain. Quilted leather or mail formed their armor, and they carried hooks to snag the enemy’s mail and drag the wearer to the ground.

The Mongols of China, according to Marco Polo, also wore a mirror over their hearts to deflect evil.

5 Genghis
Genghis Khan holds a quiver of arrows.

The Mongols’ scouts and spies told of weaknesses in the enemy’s armament and walled cities. (The Mongols made their arrows shorter than Chinese arrows, so they couldn’t be used with Chinese bows; this prevented the Chinese from reusing Mongol arrows from the battlefield.)

Accompanying the fast-moving army were the support forces: wagons with food and fodder, foreign technicians to repair siege machines, and women whose duties included slitting the throats of downed enemies.

…Genghis Khan, where did they bury him?

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