⁶ “I will strengthen the house of Judah,

And I will save the house of Joseph,

And I will bring them back,

Because I have had compassion on them;

And they will be as though I had not rejected them,

For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.

Zechariah 10:6 (NASB)

All Israel

God here promises to work with and bless all Israel – both the Southern kingdom (represented by Judah) and the Northern (represented by Joseph). This did not occur at the return from Babylon – since that was primarily Judah. It was more likely prophesying the Maccabean deliverance.

Promises

God gives these promises to Israel:

1. Save them – from their oppression, their enemies
2. Bring them back – from the remotest parts of the earth to which they had been scattered
3. Answer their requests – if only because He is the Lord their God

God loves to make these promises. Moreover, He loves to fulfil them – to show He is faithful and full of grace.

Reasons

God makes these promises for what reason? “He would do this simply because He “had compassion on them,” not because they deserved His blessing.” (planobiblechapel.org)

How often do we rely on our own good works to earn favor with God? We get that idea that God can be appeased or “bought” by our good behavior. Wrong. It’s by His grace. He chooses to.

End result

This is so cool. It’s like hitting the reset button. “as though I had not rejected them” wipes away the past and puts them back to where they were before being taken captive to Babylon. What hope! 

This same hope is ours. Jesus promises to save all who call upon Him, to cause them to be born again.

God also promises to save us, bring us back from our waywardness and answer our prayers.