From Wicked to Worst to Wonderful (Zechariah 10—11)
A look at Israel’s shepherds: what was and what is to come
Victory, deliverance, and prosperity await Israel when its true King, the Messiah, appears. He will be the Prince of Peace, Israel’s Good Shepherd, who will love His people and lead them in the ways of righteousness. Until then, however, false shepherds will do great damage, including one who will be the worst of them all.
For centuries, ungodly rogue leaders led Israel astray, failing to direct the nation to seek its God. These false shepherds directed God’s Chosen People to idols that had no power to provide for the people’s needs; and the deception carried consequences: “The people wend [meander] their way like sheep” (Zech. 10:2). They were like sheep wandering around without a shepherd to guide them. So, they became lost, unable to find their way.
Furthermore, Israel was wounded: “They are in trouble because there is no shepherd” (v. 2). The Hebrew word for “trouble” connotes being browbeaten or humbled in one’s journey through life (cf. Ezek. 34:6–10; Mt. 9:36).
Shepherds are critical to a nation. People need leaders to guide them. But they need the right leaders, individuals who are honest and moral and who will lead them in God’s ways. Historically, many of Israel’s shepherds (its kings, priests, and prophets) were worthless and abused the people for profit. These individuals will not go unpunished: “My anger,” said the Lord, “is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goatherds [leaders]” (Zech. 10:3).
Unfortunately, Israel is destined to have inferior shepherds until its true Shepherd, the one the leaders rejected, returns to Earth to rescue His people.
The Righteous Shepherd
In contrast to Israel’s worthless shepherds, “the LORD of hosts will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His royal horse in the battle” (v. 3). God will take faithful shepherds from Judah and turn them into His strong army. They will overthrow the ungodly Gentiles who will persecute the Jewish people prior to Messiah Jesus’ return.
Zechariah told of Israel’s endowment with divine strength (vv. 4–7), its victory over the enemy (v. 5), and its final regathering from all areas of the world (vv. 8–12). This event will occur when the Messiah returns to shepherd Israel at His Second Coming, and He will rule over the whole earth forever (Lk. 1:31–33).
Zechariah 10:4 describes the Messianic Shepherd in four ways: “From him comes the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.”
1. “The cornerstone.” The word cornerstone is a Messianic title. The cornerstone is the principal stone of a foundation, giving it structure, stability, and strength. The apostle Paul called Jesus the “chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). At Christ’s Second Coming, He will endow Israel’s leaders with power to conquer their enemies.
2. “The tent peg.” This is a peg that goes into the ground to hold up the four corners of a tent. The term refers to the Messiah, whose leadership, like a deeply driven peg, will bring support, stability, and security to the nation when He comes.
3. “The battle bow.” The battle bow symbolizes strength for military conquest. The Messiah is the great conqueror and will avenge His enemies and Israel’s (Ps. 45:5; Rev. 19:11–16). He will vanquish all the Jewish people’s foes and provide new leadership for Israel under His rule.
4. “Every ruler together.” Messiah Jesus will empower, or forge, Israel into a mighty army to drive out all oppressors and trample the Gentiles under foot prior to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom (Zech. 10:5).
The Worthless Shepherds
Zechariah 9—10 reveals the Messiah to be a compassionate Shepherd who will someday reunite and restore Israel. Zechariah’s revelation greatly encouraged the nation at the time it was given, but the next prophecies quickly dispelled the good news.
Chapter 11 covers three themes: the destruction of Israel and its evil shepherds; Israel’s rejection of its Messiah, who is the true Shepherd; and Israel’s acceptance of the worthless shepherd during the future Great Tribulation.
The first two prophecies were fulfilled in the centuries after Zechariah’s prediction. The third prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. Israel will accept the ultimate false shepherd, the Antichrist, as predicted in earlier chapters, before coming to faith in Jesus as its promised Messiah.
In poetic language, Zechariah called on Lebanon to open its doors to a devastating fire (symbolic of an invading army from the north) that will destroy the majestic cedars and oaks of Lebanon (11:1). The trees are a metaphor for the proud kings of Lebanon, Bashan, Jordan, and Israel on whom the judgment will fall (vv. 2–3).
Zechariah was to play the role of a worthy shepherd to illustrate the nature of the true Shepherd. God told him, “Feed the flock for slaughter,” or fatten Israel, destined to be butchered by its wicked leaders and, later, by the Roman Empire (vv. 4–5) after Israel’s leaders persuaded the nation to reject its Messiah.
Israel’s leaders showed no compassion for the people. They were worthless shepherds who even considered their ill-gotten gain a blessing from God. The nation’s tragedy was to experience the withdrawal of God’s pity (v. 6).
A few centuries later, in AD 70, the Romans invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple. Thousands of Jewish people perished. Jerusalem became completely subservient to Rome, and the survivors were enslaved. In time, their descendants were dispersed worldwide and have suffered persecution for thousands of years.
God had turned Israel over to the judgment predicted for it (cf. Dt. 28:54–57). At this point, Jesus’ words came true: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Mt. 23:37–38).
The Worst Shepherd
In its desperation, Israel one day will make a covenant with the Antichrist. Because Israel rejected God’s chosen Shepherd, He will place over His people the worst shepherd, who will persecute them during the Great Tribulation (cf. Dan. 9:27; Jn. 5:43).
The Lord commanded Zechariah, “Take for yourself the implements of a foolish [morally perverse] shepherd” (Zech. 11:15). This evil man will have no concern for the Jewish people who are “cut off.” True to God’s prophetic Word, the foolish shepherd will be the extreme opposite of the true Shepherd: He will viciously and greedily try to destroy every part of Israel, as a predator would devour a lamb.
However, his doom is sealed and will come quickly: God will not let His beloved Israel be destroyed: “A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye; his arm shall completely wither, and his right eye shall be totally blinded” (v. 17). That is, his arm—which should be used to defend the sheep—and his right eye—which should watch over the flock to keep it from danger—will be destroyed by the sword. The Antichrist’s destruction will come at the hand of the Messiah (the true Shepherd) at His Second Coming (2 Th. 2:8; Rev. 19:19–20).
For the past 2,000 years, Jewish people have suffered because of the nation’s alienation from its Messiah and because of belligerent, satanically inspired Gentile persecution.
But that persecution will not last forever. God loves His ancient people and has a plan to bless them for eternity. Through the prophet Zechariah, God tells Israel, “Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain” (Zech. 10:1). Over the centuries, God often withheld rain to chasten Israel. But in the future, God will give Israel the rain it needs for a productive harvest and will bless His people and provide for them abundantly when the true and wonderful Shepherd reigns.
Until then, Israel needs our support; love; and above all, our prayers as never before.
