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Zechariah Series - Session #10: Israel: Judged and Deceived
Download Session #10 Israel judged and deceived Audio and Handout. DOWNLOAD Session #10 'Israel judged and deceived' Bible Verse Handbook VIEW Session #10 'Israel judged and deceived' Bible Verse Handbook online Session 10 Israel: Judged and Deceived (Zech. 11:1-17) I. INTRODUCTION A. Zechariah 9-10 prophesies that Israel will be delivered, blessed, and regathered from the nations. Zechariah 11 describes Israel’s judgment and deception related to Jesus and the Antichrist. B. Zechariah 11 describes events surrounding Jesus’ first advent and Israel’s rejection of Him. Zechariah 12 describes events surrounding Jesus’ second advent and Israel’s acceptance of Him. C. Zechariah describes God’s judgment of the bad shepherds’ rejection of Jesus (11:1-14) and their future deception in temporarily accepting the Antichrist as their shepherd (11:15-17). D. Jesus’ death was followed by the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish people just after His first coming (11:1-14); their deception will lead to their greatest crisis just before Jesus’ second coming (11:15-17). E. Zechariah used symbolic actions to prophetically describe Israel’s two most powerful shepherds —Jesus, the good shepherd (11:4-14), and the Antichrist, the wicked shepherd (11:15-17). F. The Lord called Zechariah to work for a time as a head shepherd over a flock of sheep and to fire three of the shepherds for failing to do their job. He asked the people how much they thought he deserved to be paid for shepherding the flock. They decided to pay him thirty pieces of silver. He then broke both of his shepherds staffs as a prophetic action. The first one, named Favor (NIV), spoke of the covenant God had made concerning the nations. The second, named Union (NIV), spoke of the coming division between the people of Judah in the south and Israel in the north. G. The judgment in the opening verses (11:1-3) was initially fulfilled by the invasion of the Roman armies (66–70 AD), resulting from Israel’s rejection of the Messiah as described in the following verses (11:4-14). Israel’s judgment in 70 AD came because of her rejection of Jesus. The reason for her judgment in the Tribulation will be the same, but the judgment will be heightened because Israel will accept the Antichrist. 41He saw the city [Jerusalem] and wept over it, 42saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace…43For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44and level you, and your children within you, to the ground…because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Lk. 19:41-44) H. This prophecy will have its ultimate fulfillment when the Antichrist’s armies gather in the land of Israel at Armageddon in the end times (Rev. 16:14, 16) 14For they are spirits of demons…which go out
to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them
to the battle of that great day of God Almighty…16 And they
gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
II. JUDGMENT ON THE WHOLE LAND OF ISRAEL (11:1-3) A. Zechariah describes a judgment that would affect the whole land of Israel (11:1-3). The judgment was spoken of in terms of the geography that each area was known for (trees, pasture lands, and the Jordan River). This passage probably describes judgment on each social class. Trees can be symbolic of leaders (Judg. 9:7-15; Isa. 10:33-34; Ezek. 31:3-18; Dan. 4:10, 23). We can gain insight by seeing both the literal and symbolic meanings of the following figures. 1Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars. 2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has come down. 3There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins. (Zech. 11:1-3) 1. The trees were cut down by the Roman army as they advanced toward Jerusalem, to provide wood to build temporary dwellings and fortresses and to make weapons. 2. Lebanon: Fire was to destroy the famous cedar forests in Lebanon in the north. Cedars were symbolic of kings or the royal class (2 Kgs. 14:9; Isa. 14:8; Ezek.17:3; Amos 2:9). Lebanon is called to “open” its doors so the fire might destroy its forests of cedar trees. 3. Cypress: The cypress trees were beckoned to wail in anguish as they watched the cedars of Lebanon burn. If the more valuable and majestic cedars burned without mercy, then surely the lowly cypress trees would burn too. They represent the lowly common people. 4. Bashan: This refers to the territory east of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. Bashan was well known for its thick forest of oak trees (Isa. 2:13; Ezek. 27:6). 5. Shepherds: The glory of the shepherds was their flocks in the pasture lands. Shepherds were symbolic of the leadership in Israel (Ezek. 34:1-6). They would wail because their pasture lands were destroyed by the invading armies of Rome. 6. Jordan: The lions in thickets around the Jordan
River in the south roared because of the destruction of their lairs
and food supplies by the fires of the Roman armies. A. The Lord sent Israel the best shepherd (11:4-6), but they rejected Him (11:7-14). The Lord told Zechariah to offer himself as a shepherd to care for a flock of sheep that were soon to be slaughtered and sent to market to be sold. Many think that he actually walked this out by taking the job, as a parable for others to see. As he tells the story, he sometimes speaks for God and sometimes for Messiah. Some say he merely presented an allegory of a vision that he received. 4Thus says the LORD my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, 5whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them. 6For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the LORD. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.” (Zech. 11:4-6) 1. Feed the flock for slaughter: Zechariah was to take a job that included taking a flock of sheep out to graze in the pasture lands (11:4). This flock was being fattened for slaughter so that their wool and meat could be sold at the market. It was a common sight to see shepherds selling their sheep to be slaughtered so that their meat could be sold. 2. The flock for slaughter: The spiritual condition
of Israel in the generation that Jesus came to minister to them
was so bad that they had already set their heart in a way that was
hostile toward God. This is evident from their conclusion that Jesus
and John the Baptist were demonized. It was only a matter of time
before they determined to kill Jesus. 20Many of them said, “He [Jesus] has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” (Jn. 10:20) 3. Owners: The new owners who bought the sheep represented the Roman rulers who controlled Israel. The shepherds who sold the sheep were Israel’s former leaders who, by their unbelief and sin, set the people of Israel up for future judgment through the instrument of the Roman army. 4. I will no longer pity: The bigger reason behind the judgment of Israel by the Romans was that the Lord no longer pitied, or showed mercy to, the generation of leaders that had rejected Jesus. The Lord saw their murderous hearts and, thus, their participation in the murder of previous prophets—they were operating in the same spirit as those who murdered the prophets. 35That on you [the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus] may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. (Mt. 23:35) 5. Given into the hand of his king: The Lord gave Israel into the hands of Roman kings who attacked the land of Israel. The Lord would not deliver Israel in that hour. B. Israel rejected Jesus as the good shepherd, though He was their Messiah (11:7-14). 7So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the
poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called
Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock. 8I dismissed
the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their
soul also abhorred me. 9Then I said, “I will not feed you.
Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that
are left eat each other’s flesh.” 10And I took my staff,
Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which
I had made with all the peoples [Gentile nations].
11So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who
were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. 1. I fed the flock: Zechariah found a job feeding a flock of sheep (Zech. 11: 7). Zechariah was a prophetic picture of Jesus the good shepherd coming to feed the flock of Israel. 2. The poor: Zechariah was received by a group
he called the poor of the flock (11:7, 11). The poor can be translated
as the afflicted or the humble; it is often used to speak of the
godly being oppressed by the godless. David referred to himself
as the poor, or as a contrite and godly man (Ps. 34:6; 40:17; 69:29;
70:5) The poor paid close attention to Zechariah’s words and
believed that what he spoke was in fact God’s true word (11:11).
11The poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. (Zech. 11:11) 3. Dismissed three shepherds: In one month, Zechariah fired three shepherds who were working under him. This prefigures Jesus dismissing three shepherds. Many theories abound on this verse (11:8). The best approach seems to be to see this as three classes of shepherds (leaders) that were dismissed—elders, chief priests, and scribes. Jesus named these three classes of leaders who rejected Him. I see the month in Jerusalem leading up to His death, when they decided to kill Him, as the time when they sealed their fate. 21He strictly warned them…22saying, “The
Son of Man must…be rejected by the elders and chief priests
and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
4. The Sanhedrin was made up of these three classes of shepherds, who were all cut off as a result of Rome destroying Jerusalem (70 AD). The dismissal of these three mediatorial offices, was the outward sign that God was suspending Israel’s enjoyment of a covenant relationship with Him, and all its benefits. Their dismissal was an expression of judgment. 5. They abhorred Me: My soul loathed them (Mt. 23), and their soul also abhorred me. Matthew 23 gives expression to the mutual loathing between the shepherds and Jesus. 27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…inside
you are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness…28…full
of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” 3The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled…4and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. (Mt. 26:3-4) 6. Two staffs: Shepherds carried two staffs when going out to feed their flock (11:7). One staff was to protect the sheep from beasts and the other to direct them to green pastures. The names of the two staffs had prophetic significance related to the coming judgment. a. Beauty: This can be translated as “Favor.” It spoke of God’s favor to keep the peoples (Gentiles), Israel’s enemies, from destroying them. When Zechariah cut this staff in two (11:10), it spoke of God lifting His protection and allowing the Gentiles (Rome) to attack Israel. He had “covenanted” with the peoples (nations; 11:10) to keep them from harming Israel. Bonds spoke of God keeping Israel united as a nation. b. The covenant with the peoples: This was not a formal covenant, since God never breaks His promises. The term “covenant” is used in a loose sense and not as a formal agreement. It refers to the Lord’s policy to restrain the nations from assaulting Israel. He has many ways of restraining a nation from engaging in international or civil strife. 7. Dying and perishing: This describes the coming judgment for their rejection of Jesus. The Lord turned them over to their fate—some died, others devoured each other. Some were so hungry that they actually ate one another during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. C. Zechariah ended his job of feeding the flock of sheep, so he asked the other shepherds to pay him the wages that they felt he deserved for his services. They paid him thirty pieces of silver. This was the cost of reimbursing the work that was lost when a slave was injured (Ex. 21:32). This small amount of money was an insult for all that Jesus the Shepherd did in feeding Israel’s sheep. It reveals how little Israel valued His services. To offer him this wage was like telling Jesus that they considered the services of a common slave to be about as helpful as He had been to them. 12Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—-that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter. 14Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel”. (Zech. 11:12-14) 1. Throw it to the potter: The Lord told Zechariah to throw the silver to the potter in the temple courtyard. This was a proverbial way to express disdain for the wages, since potters were usually very poor. The money was flung down in the temple. It was used to buy a field, a burying ground, for a potter, since most could not afford one (Mt. 27:3-10). Matthew mentions Jeremiah when summarizing the story (Mt. 27:9-10; Jer. 19:1-13), but uses phraseology from Zechariah 11. It was acceptable to merge two passages together while only mentioning the most prominent prophet. Mark 1:2-3 combines words from Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 but only mentions the more prominent Isaiah. 2. Cut the staff called Bonds: The staff Bonds spoke of God keeping Israel united as a nation. When Zechariah cut this staff (11:14), it meant that the Lord was going to allow great strife to divide Israel. The division is temporary; they will be forever reunited (10:6). IV. THE APPEARANCE OF THE BAD SHEPHERD (11:15-17) A. The Lord will raise up a foolish and worthless shepherd that
Israel will choose (11:15-17). 15And the LORD said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. 16For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces. 17Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock! 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.” (Zech. 11:17) B. I will raise up: God will raise up this foolish shepherd “in the land” of Israel. God will raise up the Antichrist. However, Satan and man’s sinful free choices will contribute to it. Jesus will open the first seal to release the Antichrist to oppress wicked nations (Rev. 6:1-2). 1The Lamb [Jesus] opened one of the seals...2…a white horse. He [Antichrist] who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him...he went out conquering and to conquer. (Rev. 6:1-2) 5He [Antichrist] was given...authority [by God] to continue for forty-two months...7It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority was given him [by God] over every tribe, tongue, and nation. (Rev. 13:5, 7) C. The Lord raised up a wicked Pharaoh in Moses’ day; he was the most powerful man in the world (Ex. 9:16; Rom. 9:17). He raised up a cruel and powerful Assyrian king named Sennacherib to judge Israel in a severe way in 721 BC (Isa. 10:5). The Lord called the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, His servant, to judge Israel in 586 BC (Jer. 25:9, 12; 27:6; 43:10; Hab. 1:5-7). The Lord raised up the wicked Persian Empire to judge the wicked Babylonians (Isa. 13:3-5). He sets leaders in place to serve His greater purposes (Dan. 4:17; 5:21; Rom. 13:1, 4). D. Foolish shepherd: This prophecy will find its ultimate fulfillment in the Antichrist, who will make a covenant with Israel and then break it to fiercely persecute Israel (Isa. 28:15-18; Dan. 9:27; 11:36-45; Jn. 5:43; 2 Thes. 2:3-10; Rev. 12:13-17; 13:1-18). E. Eat the flesh and tear the hooves: He is described as one who totally devours people. To tear the hooves is to frantically search for the last morsel—to totally consume Israel. F. Woe: This woe applies to all the evil kings of Israel, but one specific man is especially in view. G. His arm and eye: His arm will be completely withered—his power will be totally broken. His right eye shall be totally blinded—he will lose his understanding and sanity. Jesus will easily and quickly destroy the Antichrist (Dan. 7:11-14, 22, 26-27; 9:27; 11:45; 2 Thes. 2:8; Rev. 19:20). 8Then the lawless one [Antichrist] will be revealed,
whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy
with the brightness of His coming.
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