10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Verse 10 begins a section that deals with God delivering Israel spiritually (Zech 12:10-13:9). This event will happen at the Second Coming of Christ. Verses 10-14 depict the crucified Messiah and the attending results of this on the nation Israel.
12:10
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication;
God will pour a large measure of the Spirit upon the city of Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit will give the people of Jerusalem two spiritual dynamics: “grace” and “supplication.” “Grace” is what God provides for His people, the nation of Israel. “Supplication” is the right for Israel to petition God.
then they [Israel] will look on [look to] Me whom they pierced [thrust through].
Israel’s idolatry pierced the heart of her Messiah; however, the Holy Spirit will enable them to look to God whom they violated. They will look to Him with faith. This reference predicts how Israel will mourn for rejecting her Messiah Before accepting Him to be their crucified Savior at the Second Advent.
Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
The phrase before us and the verses running through verse 11 set forth the result of Israel’s acceptance of her Messiah at His Second Coming.
The grief that Israel caused God is like a parent losing a child in death. Israel’s practice of idolatry greatly pained God, but now they will embrace His only begotten Son.
PRINCIPLE:
The Holy Spirit ministers to His people.
APPLICATION:
Peter’s quotation from Joel in Acts 2:16-21, during the preexilic period and Ezekiel in the exile, foretold the great visitation of the Holy Spirit upon the church (Joel 2:28-32; Ezek 39:29). There will also be a future conversion of Jews by an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit (Jer 31:9, 31-34).
At the Second Coming of Christ, the nation Israel will look upon their rejection of Christ as a stark failure and will repent as a nation over that attitude toward Him. Their grief can only be compared to the loss of a child. It will take the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit to bring the nation back to God.
The New Testament references Zechariah 12:10 on two occasions: John 19:37; Revelation 1:13. John indicates that Zechariah 12:10 was fulfilled by Christ’s crucifixion (Jn 19:34-35, 37).
