“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.” — Zechariah 13:1

English poet and hymn writer William Cowper was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1731. His mother died shortly after his sixth birthday, and he was sent to a boarding school, where he was severely bullied. He began suffering from depression and panic attacks, and as a young man, was admitted to a mental institution. 

One day at the institution, Cowper noticed a Bible on a bench. Picking it up, he read the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead. He recounted later that this passage showed him the mercy of the Savior. Turning next to Romans 3:25, he read that God sent Christ Jesus to be a propitiation for sin through faith in Jesus’ Blood. Right there, Cowper lifted his heart to God in prayer and was saved. He wrote, “The full beams of the sun of righteousness shone upon me. I saw the sufficiency of the atonement He had made, my pardon sealed in His blood, and all the fullness and completeness of His justification.”¹ 

After leaving the institution, Cowper moved in with a retired clergyman and his family. About the same time, he developed a close friendship with John Newton, the former captain of slave ships who had been transformed by Jesus. Newton recognized that Cowper was a gifted poet and encouraged him to try his hand at writing hymns, which the younger man did. In fact, he composed almost seventy hymns in a fairly short period of time! Newton was so impressed that he asked Cowper for a contribution to a hymnal he was compiling. When it was published in 1779, it contained sixty-seven of Cowper’s compositions. Among them was the beautiful hymn “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” that is still sung in church services today. Its words, “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains,” are based on today’s focus verse, Zechariah 13:1. 

Two key doctrines of the Gospel—justification and sanctification—are referenced in that verse. Justification deals with the acts of committed sins, while sanctification deals with the nature of sin inherited from Adam. Charles Spurgeon said of Zechariah 13:1, “This provision is inexhaustible. There is a fountain opened; not a cistern nor a reservoir, but a fountain. A fountain continues still to bubble up and is as full after fifty years as at the first; and even so the provision and the mercy of God for the forgiveness and the justification of our souls continually flows and overflows.”² 

The visual picture of God’s mercy and cleansing power flowing freely like a fountain to His people is found frequently in Scripture. In today’s text we read of a time in Israel’s future when spiritual renewal and restoration will take place through this never-ending supply. However, God’s remedy “for sin and for uncleanness” is available today! 

Personal attempts at reform, no matter how sincere, cannot take away sin. Making restitution for past wrongs or performing good deeds cannot cleanse the heart. Only that “fountain filled with Blood” avails. Thank God for the precious Blood of Jesus that can remove all sin and uncleanness!

^1. Stephen Nichols, “William Cowper,” 5 Minutes in Church History, Legonier, June 27, 2018, https://www.ligonier.org/ podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/william-cowper.

^2. Charles Spurgeon, “The Open Fountain,” Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible: Zechariah 13, StudyLight.org, January 22, 1871, https://www. studylight.org/commentaries/eng/spe/zechariah-13.html.

BACKGROUND

The final section of Zechariah, chapters 12-14, looks ahead to the conflict and the final victories of Israel, relates how Israel will be refined through terrible suffering, and describes the role Jerusalem will play in Christ’s Kingdom. The phrase “in that day” occurs sixteen times in these last three chapters, clearly referencing the “day of the Lord” that will be ushered in at the Revelation of Christ. Chapter 12 describes the coming assault by armies of the world against Israel, God’s mighty deliverance, and Israel’s repentance. Chapter 13 focuses on the smiting of the Shepherd and the final reconciliation between God and His chosen people. 

Verses 1-4 of chapter 12 reveal that Jerusalem will be “a cup of trembling” to the nations around her. “Cup” portrays a basin around which the adversarial forces will gather, anticipating an opportunity to “drink” from the city’s resources. However, it will cause reeling and stumbling among those who drink. “Burdensome stone” in verse 3 alludes to a problem that cannot be solved; God will cause such confusion among the attacking armies that instead of injuring Jerusalem, they will rush to their own destruction. God’s actions toward the “horse” and “rider” in verse 4 symbolize the confounding of these military forces. 

According to verses 5-9, the people of Israel, under siege and in desperate need, will recognize God as their only hope for deliverance. In response, He will make the leaders of Judah (representative of the people as a whole) like a burning conflagration among the nation’s enemies, enabling them to overpower their enemies quickly. This will be an indisputably divine deliverance, so all glory will go to God alone. In God’s defense of Israel, He will make the weakest among the people as effective a warrior as David was.

Verses 10-14 describe Israel’s repentance, their recognition of Christ as their Messiah, and God’s complete fulfillment of his Messianic-Davidic promises. In response to Israel’s turning to God for physical deliverance, God will pour upon the people a “spirit of grace and of supplications.” As Jerusalem is supernaturally defended, they will turn to Him and bitterly repent of His crucifixion. “Hadad Rimmon” in verse 11 is the site of King Josiah’s death, which was recognized as a place of national mourning in Zechariah’s day (see 2 Chronicles 35:24-25). 

The families of David and Levi mentioned in verses 12-13, as well as the families of Nathan (the son of David from whom Zerubbabel was descended) and Shimei (the grandson of Levi from whom Joshua was descended) are representatives of all the people. The house of David represents the royal family; the family of Nathan represents the prophets; the family of Levi, the priesthood; and the family of Shimei, the scribes and teachers of Israel. 

In verses 1-6 of chapter 13, the mourning and repentance described in chapter 12 is followed by the opening of a fountain for the expiation of sin and the complete removal of moral impurity from Israel. While Christ’s death on the Cross was the opening of the “fountain” for sin and uncleanness of all mankind, the national cleansing of Israel will not occur until that day, which is also referred to in Zechariah 12:11. 

“In that day,” the zeal for complete reform and pure religion will be so great that even family members of false prophets will condemn them. According to verses 4-6, those who once prophesied or worshipped falsely will be ashamed of their past. The phrase “I was wounded in the house of my friends” has traditionally been interpreted as a reference to the wounds made in the hands of Christ. However, most Bible scholars now concur that the wounds refer to incisions false prophets made on themselves in their frenzy of worship. They then lied to disguise their former role, claiming that the marks were merely the result of an altercation at a friend’s house. 

Verses 7-9 describe the smiting of the Shepherd and a time of great tribulation for His flock. Jesus quoted from verse 7 just before His arrest (see Matthew 26:31), and that quote indicates this is a prophecy of Christ’s disciples being scattered at His crucifixion. Many Bible scholars also feel that the scattering of the flock was at least partially fulfilled after the Jewish revolts of A.D. 70 and 135, when the Jews were scattered from Jerusalem and Judah. 

The events described in verses 8-9 will occur during the Great Tribulation, when two-thirds of Israel’s population will die. A purified and refined remnant—“the third part” mentioned in verse 9—will align themselves with the Lord. They will survive the “fire” of the Tribulation and have a part in His Millennial Kingdom.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

V. The two burdens
     B. The second burden
          1. The deliverance and conversion of Israel (12:1—13:9)
               a. The conflict and deliverance (12:1-9)
                   (1) The siege of Jerusalem (12:1-3)
                   (2) The deliverance of Jerusalem (12:4-9)
               b. The conversion of Israel (12:10—13:9)
                   (1) The outpouring of the Spirit and the repentance of Israel (12:10-14)
                   (2) The cleansing of Israel (13:1-6)
                        (a) From idols (13:1-2)
                        (b) From false prophets (13:3-6)
                   (3) The restoration of the remnant (13:7-9)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Based on Zechariah 12:2-3, in what two ways did Zechariah characterize the city of Jerusalem in his prophecy?
2. In Zechariah 12:10, God said he would pour out upon the people of Jerusalem “the spirit of grace and of supplications.” Why do you think the people will mourn as a result of this bestowal?
3. What aspects of the promise in today’s focus verse have you experienced in your own life?

CONCLUSION

What a blessing it is to know that the fountain that can cleanse us from “sin and uncleanness” is still open today.