There is a fountain filled with blood
  Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains:
  Lose all their guilty stains,
  Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains…

Zechariah 13, The Message

Washing Away Sins

“On the Big Day, a fountain will be opened for the family of David and all the leaders of Jerusalem for washing away their sins, for scrubbing their stained and soiled lives clean.

^2-3 “On the Big Day”—this is God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking—“I will wipe out the store-bought gods, erase their names from memory. People will forget they ever heard of them. And I’ll get rid of the prophets who polluted the air with their diseased words. If anyone dares persist in spreading diseased, polluting words, his very own parents will step in and say, ‘That’s it! You’re finished! Your lies about God put everyone in danger,’ and then they’ll stab him to death in the very act of prophesying lies about God—his own parents, mind you!

^4-6 “On the Big Day, the lying prophets will be publicly exposed and humiliated. Then they’ll wish they’d never swindled people with their ‘visions.’ No more masquerading in prophet clothes. But they’ll deny they’ve even heard of such things: ‘Me, a prophet? Not me. I’m a farmer—grew up on the farm.’ And if someone says, ‘And so where did you get that black eye?’ they’ll say, ‘I ran into a door at a friend’s house.’

* * *

^7-9 “Sword, get moving against my shepherd,
    against my close associate!”
        Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“Kill the shepherd! Scatter the sheep!
    The back of my hand against even the lambs!
All across the country”—God’s Decree—
    “two-thirds will be devastated
    and one-third survive.
I’ll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires.
    I’ll refine them as silver is refined,
    test them for purity as gold is tested.
Then they’ll pray to me by name
    and I’ll answer them personally.
I’ll say, ‘That’s my people.’
    They’ll say, ‘God—my God!’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Come to the fountain to be cleansed by the blood of the lamb!

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Isaiah had admonished the nation, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil” (Isaiah 1:16), but they refused to listen. Jeremiah had pleaded with His people, “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness that you may be saved” (Jeremiah 4:14), but they wouldn’t obey. But here, in response to Israel’s repentance and faith, the Lord would wash them clean. This forgiveness is part of the new covenant that God had promised to His people (Jeremiah 31:31–34).  The new covenant is Jesus!

In contrast to the false prophets, the true Shepherd is presented throughout Zechariah.  The True Shepherd is Jesus!  Jesus quoted part of this prophecy when He was on His way to Gethsemane with His disciples (Matt. 26:31), and He referred to it again when He was arrested in the garden (Matt. 26:55, 56).

“IF MY PEOPLE…” 

“Certainly the church is a defiled people who need to repent and be cleansed, and the promise of forgiveness is still valid (1 John 1:9). God often has to put us through the furnace of suffering before we’ll call on Him and seek His face (Hebrews 12:3–11; 1 Peter 4:12). If God’s people will follow the instructions of 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord will cleanse and bless the church and bring healing to the land.” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Repentance to God through Jesus brings forgiveness forever from our sins.  Freedom from confessed sins at the fountain flowing with God’s love, grace, and mercy makes us squeaky clean to enjoy His gift of peace and eternal joy no matter what happens next in our lives.  Yes!

O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Lord,

Thank you for showing us yet again how the prophets’ words tell of Jesus.  Jesus, you are proved once more to be at the beginning of creation…alpha and our Lord on that “big day” at the end of time…omega.  You are Lord of my life.  I trust in you alone for life eternal.  Thank you for saving my soul, changing my mind, feeding my soul and most of all for cleansing my heart.

In Jesus Name, Amen

He touched me, oh, He touched me
And oh, the joy that floods my soul
Something happened, and now I know
He touched me, and made me whole

Since I’ve met this blessed Savior
Since He’s cleansed and made me whole
Oh, I will never cease to praise Him (to praise Him)
I’ll shout it while eternity rolls