Zechariah 11:1-17
Q.1. How did God present Himself to His people? How did Israel treat the Good Shepherd? Would all suffer the same fate? – (Zech.11:1-14 c.f. Dt.29:22-28; Jn.10:11-18)
Because they were led by false prophets, Israel and the surrounding nations were doomed for destruction. This seemed to describe the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. – For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord; “but behold, I will cause the men to fall, each into another’s power and into the power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will not deliver them from their power (Zech.11:6 c.f. 11:1-5). The reason given for this calamity, was Israel’s rejection of the true Shepherd: (i) He pastured the flock with Favour and Union (Zech.11:7). (ii) However, the three shepherds of the nation rejected Him (perhaps the priests, elders, and scribes), and He rejected them (Zech.11:8). (iii) So – I took my staff Favour and cut it in pieces, to break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples (Zech.11:10). (iv) However, not all suffered the same fate, because – … the afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord (Zech11:11). The church started in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, amongst a Jewish remnant. This is a prophecy of Israel’s destruction in 70 A.D. after they rejected their Messiah (c.f. Mt.27:25).
Q.2. What prophecy did Zechariah make to help identify Jesus? What kind of shepherds would lead Israel after Messiah’s rejection? – (Zech.11:12-17 c.f. Mt.26:14-16; 27:3-10)
How can we know if such an interpretation is correct? Like all the prophets of old, they saw ‘mountaintops’ of prophecy on the distant horizon, often trying to describe what they saw with limited understanding. Not only can we identify what Zechariah was describing from the Gospel accounts of the betrayal of Jesus, the writers actually claim that those events were the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies – 12 … So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord (Zech.11:12-13 c.f. Mt.26:14-16; 27:3-10; Acts 1:18-19). After the rejection of their Messiah, Israel will be led by a foolish shepherd – For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs (Zech.11:16 c.f. Mt.9:35-38). This worthless shepherd will leave them blind to the truth (2 Cor.4:3-4). It is possible that Zechariah was referring to the rule of the useless shepherd, as the one identified as the Antichrist of the Great Tribulation who – opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God (2 Thes.2:4 c.f. 1 Jn.4:1-6).