Sometimes, the path to purity runs through fire. But YHWH uses it not to destroy, but to refine—so that we can truly be His people.
Key Verse:
“They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” —Zechariah 13:9 (NASB)
Background Context:
Zechariah 13 follows the promises of restoration in chapter 12 with a vision of cleansing, purification, and judgment. It begins with a fountain opened for sin and impurity, foreshadowing the redemptive work of Yeshua, the pierced one spoken of in the previous chapter. The chapter also speaks of removing idolatry and false prophets from the land and culminates in a prophecy of refining the remnant of God’s people—two-thirds will be cut off, but the third that remains will be brought through the fire and refined like silver and gold.
(Continued and expanded after scripture.)
False Prophets Ashamed
1“In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.
2“It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3“And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD’; and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. 4“Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive; 5but he will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man sold me as a slave in my youth.’ 6“And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
7“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
And against the man, My Associate,”
Declares the LORD of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;
And I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8“It will come about in all the land,”
Declares the LORD,
“That two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
9“And I will bring the third part through the fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are My people,’
And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
Reflection on Zechariah 13:
The imagery of a fountain opened “for sin and for impurity” is a powerful symbol of cleansing that points forward to Messiah. Yeshua’s sacrifice offers that living water that cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Through Him, we are not just forgiven—we are made new.
God promises to remove the idols and lies from the land. This is not only about statues or false prophets from history. It’s about the idols and deceptions we entertain today—our pride, our self-reliance, our love of the world’s approval. He calls us to a radical purification where even the desire to prophesy falsely or pretend to be something we’re not is stripped away.
But perhaps the most sobering and encouraging part comes at the end of the chapter. A third is brought through the fire—not to be destroyed, but to be refined. Just as silver must be heated to remove its impurities, so God uses trials to shape us into vessels of honor. And what’s the result? A relationship. We call Him our God, and He calls us His people.
It’s not an easy road, but it’s the road to holiness. He refines us because He loves us. He wants to purify a people who belong fully to Him—no idols, no lies, no halfway obedience.
Application:
What idols or falsehoods are you still clinging to? Ask the Lord to open your eyes and to give you the courage to let them go. Don’t resist the refining fire—welcome it. God is not trying to harm you. He is making you holy.
Are you willing to be part of the faithful remnant who truly belong to Him? Then trust the process. Stay near the fountain of cleansing. Submit to the refining. Call on His name.
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank You for opening a fountain of grace through Yeshua, our Messiah. Cleanse me from all impurity and lead me in Your truth. Refine me, even if it hurts, because I want to be wholly Yours. May I be counted among those who say, “The Lord is my God.” Amen.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda
Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.