The Upset of All Time

The oracle of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.’ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. “And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them. And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:1-9 ESV).

Although Kyle Field isn’t exactly the easiest environment to play in for visiting teams, the UCLA Bruins, led by Heisman candidate Josh Rosen, still entered their Week 1 clash with the Aggies as the highly-touted club, sporting a Number 16 national ranking. Unfortunately, despite our preconceived notions heading into the new season, the Bruins were unable to live up to the hype. The Aggies shocked the visiting team with a 31-24 victory in overtime. Of course, it was an upset, though no one would call it the upset of all time. There have been many other victories, athletically and otherwise, that were much more unexpected. Zechariah talks about one of those victories in our reading today. Zechariah’s sweeping view of history tells of a winner without bragging rights. The House of David, Judah (represented by Jerusalem), will turn out to be history’s surprise winner, still standing when all other contenders lie wasted on the battlefield. This little people with hardly a leader since David and multiple offenses toward God, they will be the winners. But the glory for their victory belongs to God alone. He makes it happen. God gives the vision, supplies, energy, and courage to win. Without God, there’s no chance. Because of God, the people celebrate. The greater application is for us today. Your life may have had setbacks. Some were the result of mistakes or poor choices. Other setbacks came for no apparent reason, due to nothing you did or didn’t do. But God has a victory in store for you. Trust in Jesus!