Language has a beauty to it that makes the heart smile. Words have the power to lift us up, build us up, encourage us and send us out to do great exploits. When Jesus had a woman caught in adultery thrown at His feet by the religious leaders of His day, He said, “Whoever is without sin, cast the first stone.” The story goes on to say, starting with the oldest to the youngest they all dropped their stones and walked away from that woman. Jesus had a way of building up people who religious leaders found as an easy target to tear down.

While reading Zechariah 9 this morning, the wording caught my heart by surprise and caused me to pause and ponder the beauty of the language chosen to describe a people who lived in a desert land called Israel. “They are as the stones of a crown, Sparkling in His land.” The they in this passage is a refrence to the people called israel, the land is the actual land called Israel. What most don’t know is Israel is predominantly desert land, so for the Lord to call them stones sparkling in His land is a powerful image. Because they are stones of a crown, that word stones can be translated as jewels. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds, jaspers, sapphires, and any other precious stone you can think of.

What a connection this is, Jesus said He who is without sin cast the first stone, and the Zechariah prophesies, these are stones of a crown sparkling in His land. My friends, take another look at the stones you want to throw at another person in the body of Christ and realize just like you, that person is a precious jewel in the crown of God. Can you see them as a diamond, emerald, sapphire or ruby? If you can you will not want to stone them to death for their sin, for missing the mark, you will want to see them sparkle in the land of the living. Your words either cast them down or lift them up. I see stones of a crown, sparkling in the land we call earth. Can you see them?