Zechariah 13:1 says, In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. God said that in that day, after Jesus Christ came, that there would be a fountain to wash away the sins of the people. This was done by the blood of Jesus Christ. We must be washed clean by His blood to have salvation from our sins. Verse two declares, And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. God said that when people were washed clean of their sins and lived by faith in Jesus Christ that all idols would be removed from their life, as would the false prophets. If we truly follow Christ, we will never worship idols nor be drawn away from God by false prophets. We will know the truth of God's word. Verse three adds, And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. God said that the parents of those who prophesied false prophecies would kill them. This would mean that the parents had put their faith in Jesus Christ and knew His word, and points out the severity of claiming lies in the name of God. Verse four states, And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: When Jesus Christ came, those false prophets who accepted Him as their Savior and Lord would be ashamed of their false prophecies and would hope that no one remembered them. We, as Christians, should pray that any false ideas that we may have proclaimed about God before accepting salvation through Christ will be forgotten. These false prophets would no longer wear the garments associated with prophets. Verse five adds, But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. The false prophets would no longer proclaim themselves to be prophets, but would declare themselves to be simply men making a living. These false prophets, once they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord would admit that they had never been called by God to prophesy. Verse six says, And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Matthew Henry says that this referred to the false prophets having been beaten in order to get them to renounce their false prophecies so that they would not be killed, but I don't believe that people can be beaten into accepting God's truth. They must come of their own free will. I believe this is a reference not to false prophets, but to Jesus Christ whose hands were pierced by the Jews, those who were supposed to be His friends. Verse seven declares, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. This is a reference to the coming suffering of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind. He took on the punishment for all of humanity so that we might be restored to God. Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, we are restored as little ones to God because of His sacrifice. Verse eight adds, And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. God said that the people were to be separated into those who believed in Jesus Christ and those who didn't, with more not believing than those who did believe. There will always be more people who deny God, and Jesus Christ in particular, than those who put their faith in Him, but this does not relieve us of the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel of Christ to the world. Verse nine declares, And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. God said that He would save those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He would be their God and they would be His people and He would keep them safe through all the trials of life. This is still God's promise to those who follow Christ today.
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