ZECHARIAH 10: 5-12
NEW ISRAEL'S SHEPHERD-KING, Part II
After the visitation of The Cornerstone, The Tent Peg, The Battle Bow, The Ruler of them all an amazing change takes place in His flock. Instead of being defeated by the adversary they will be as mighty men in battle for the Lord will be with them.
"The last section of Zechariah 10 tells how the Great Shepherd of Israel will restore the people by regathering them from the distant reaches of earth." [James M. Boice, The Minor Prophets, 198]. The theme is found in verses 6 and 12. God will restore and strengthen His people who turn to Jesus Christ for their deliverance (CIT).
III. THE SHEPHERD-KING'S VICTORIOUS MEN, 10:5-7.
The people who are transformed under this heaven–sent leadership will unite to defeat their enemies. "And they will be as mighty men, treading down (the enemy) in the mire of the streets in battle; And they will fight, for the LORD (will be) with them; And the riders on horses will be put to shame."
Again the prophet looks to the future and sees a glorious victory of God's people over their foes. God's chosen will be as the mighty men of David were, both strong in body and spirit, men of vigor and valor, effective men, kingdom men. Men who have a knowledge of the times and know what God's people should do. Those previously called sheep of the flock who were arrayed for battle like a majestic horse (10:3d) are now depicted as invincible warriors. The Lord's foes will be powerless against His mighty men. Treading down or subjugating the enemy is a picture of God's army trampling upon the enemy as reciprocal retribution for what they had become; just as worthless and foul as mire of the streets. So as dirt that is thrown out of houses is trodden with other dirt so will they be trodden in the mire of the streets.
Notice that it is not their own strength which causes them to fight bravely and prevail but because "the LORD is with them." If God be for us who can be against us? God's presence will enable them to be victorious.
‘Overthrow' is literally ‘make to be ashamed'. So mighty does God make His own that even with the advantage of superior equipment (horses), the enemy will still "be put to shame." His mighty ones will be able to frustrate the tactics of even the most formidable troops.
God promises to strengthen His people is for us today also. By the same fact that God is with us, we can be victorious over our enemies, that would either draw us from our duty to God or from our comfort in God. If we abide in Him, if we stay closely connected to Him, His Spirit will enable us to do His will no matter the obstacles that stand in our way. Yet as when God is with them they fight, so when God is with us we should engage the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places, knowing that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
In verse 6 God promises to strengthen, save, and reunite His covenant people. "And I shall strengthen the house of Judah, and I shall save the house of Joseph, and I shall 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."
God here promises that divine empowering will be the means by which the fortunes of His people will be restored. The "house of Judah" is the southern kingdom and the "house of Joseph" refers to the northern kingdom. So the thought is that the entire people of God (Jer. 31:10) will share in the strength God will impart for their walk and work as well as their warfare (Ezek. 37:15-28). And whosoever of God's old covenant people will call upon the Lord for salvation will surely be saved (Rom.10- 11). O, the divine grace of God.
God "will bring them back" and reinstate them, first in fellowship and then back to Palestine. [The verb form ‘I will restore them' conveys both ‘I will bring them back' (NKJV, NRSV, NASB), and ‘I will make them dwell' or return and residence. Macay, Focus on The Bible, Zechariah] Why will God do this, because they are worthy or deserve it? No, but because God has compassion on them (Hos. 1:1). The goodness and loving-kindness of a covenant keeping God is the first and principle cause and not any merit of their own. God will no longer reject (lit. loathed) them. God's mercy and loving-kindness will blot out all the past sin and sorrow and a new communion will open up for them with the Lord God.
The promise to answer them implies that they will pray to Him for deliverance and the everlasting, unchangeable, covenant keeping God will hear them in that day. No longer will God forsake them, but the Jews will again be His people because they hear and heed Him and so He will answer their prayers for deliverance from their oppressors.
Verse 7 continues to depict the transformation God's salvation and presence makes in the lives of His people. "And Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their heart will be glad as if (from) wine; Indeed, their children will see and be glad, their heart will rejoice in the Lord."
Ephraim, Joseph's son who received the blessing, whom we find so weak from adulterous sin in the book of Hosea will again become mighty or like a hero. What makes Ephraim's heart glad? The wine? No, the verse say "as if from wine." Quote Ephesians 5:18. The new wine of Israel will be the Holy Spirit who exhilarates and supernaturally makes glad our hearts.
The victory that is granted to them will cause them great joy not only for the parents but "their children will see" it also. It will not be a passing excitement which soon flattens out. No, even their children will enjoy it! For this is not a short lived restoration for the children of those that become glad will see - will come to salvation and will rejoice in it!
The joy is not only pictured as intense but as centered in the only true unfailing source of joy, the Lord Himself (Phil. 4:4; Ps. 32:11). The highest and only lasting source of joy is "in the Lord." Short lived joy can be derived from created things but eternal joy is found only in the Creator!
IV. THE SHEPHERD-KING'S REUNION, 10:8-12.
Verse 8 continues to elaborate the preceding victorious return. "I will whistle for them to gather them together for I have redeemed them; and they will be numerous as they were before."
A whistle or music pipe producing a high pitched sound will be their call for regathering. It is still not unusual for a shepherd in that part of the world to sound a pipe to call his scattered flock back together so that he may lead them to pasture. Christ calls the sheep of His pasture together and all who know their Master's call will come (John 10).
Why can He "gather them"? What is the reason for the restoration? "For I have redeemed them." Redemption is a ransom paid to free one from ownership of another. The gathering and restoration will be on the basis of the infinite redemptive price paid by the Son of God on the cross. God redeems from violence, death (1 Sam. 14:4,5), from slavery or captivity (Isa. 35:10, 1 Pet. 1:18f), and from the dominion and power of Satan (Isa. 43:12). What Christ has redeemed by His blood, God will call and gather by His grace.
The promise includes multiplication of numbers. The world has witnessed, particularly over the last few centuries, despite their persecution (Ex. 1:7) a dramatic increase in the Jewish population. From not more that 1 million in the 16th century to 3 million at the beginning of the 18th to over 20 million today despite the 6 million Hitler and 8 million Stalin murdered. Sensing their redemption is drawing near the people of Israel have started regathering (Baron, The Visions & Prophecies of Zechariah; Scofield).
Verse 9 covers both physical movement back to the land, and spiritual movement back to the God whom they had rejected. "When I scatter them among the peoples, they will remember Me in far countries, and they with their children will live and come back."
The word scatter ( ) is to sow. The house of Israel was dispersed or sown all over the world because of their rebellion. But when Israel comes to know the Lord during the tribulation they will be able to give witness of the Messiah to the nations (Ezek. 6:9).
God has never forgotten His old covenant people and promises, but then the Jews finally "will remember" Him. They will remember God and turn to Him through Jesus Christ and they will live - not just physical life, they already have that, but live meaning receive eternal spiritual life.
This spiritual life will last for their children also will embrace the Messiah and so it will be when Israel returns to the Lord, the source of life. (Some see Ezek. 37:11-14 grand spiritual regeneration and revival occurring here.)
Drawing on the LORD's past displays of redemptive power, inspires a positive attitude towards the future that leads us away from despair over where we are and what is to come of us.
Verse 10 uses historic deliverances and returns as promises of this future deliverance and return to the promised land. "I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria; And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, until no room can be found for them."
God will bring His people back from Egypt, which represents the land of captivity, and from Assyria, which represents the land of exile and dispersion. [The imagery of the exodus under Moses (v. 11) and the deliverance from Assyrian oppression are used to refer to a future regathering.] As God people once returned from these lands of oppression and captivity Israel will return to Palestine.
Gilead and Lebanon are listed to show the larger confines of Palestine embracing the full territory promised under the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15:18), the Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 30:3-5), and the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:16). The land which God promised Israel by oath and covenant is about 50 times as large as the Jews ever possessed. (A country about 1/3 larger than France).
The land of Gilead, where a healing balm was manufactured represents the land east of the Jordan. The mountainous land of Lebanon, which is a symbol of strength, dignity and splendor (2 Kings 19:23, Isa. 35:2) represents the lands west and north of the Jordan. The celebrated restoration will be so great that even with the larger borders and area, no room will be found for the numerous people of God (Isa. 11:11-16, Isa. 49:20-21).
Verse 11 use the miraculous deliverance through the parted sea to illustrate the power God is willing to exert to bring His people home. "And He will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves in the sea, so that all the depths of the Nile will dry up; And the pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart."
Here a great deliverance in the distant future is promised. No matter what obstacle should present itself; even though the barrier seem as great as the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his hosts descending on the ancients on their march to the promised land, God will clear the way. He will make the way though all the combined powers of earth and hell oppose it!
I see this promised event as an allusion to the great and final deliverance journey when the Messiah takes His people of the millennial Kingdom home - to the promise land of the new Heaven and earth, to the eternal Jerusalem. It foretells that just as when God's called forth people passed through the sea of reeds lead by the pillar of fire when there seemed no passage of deliverance so will the Great Shepherd Himself lead them out of their distress. This seems to parallel the short lived release of Satan from the pit after the thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth. See Revelations 20:1-3, 7-11.
Satan's great sin is that of pride and though he holds a scepter of authority he will never again hold back God's people from Him. For God's millennial people will be brought together with the rest of those of the second resurrection and proceed to His New Heaven and New Earth.
The promise of verse 12 explains that God uses the overcoming of their adversaries to bring spiritual renewal among His people. "And I shall strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk," declares the LORD."
I - will strengthen them - in the LORD - and in His name. Is God speaking to Himself? O the mystery of the triune God- head. During the Lord's reign, He will strengthen His people in Himself. For they will experience the outpouring of His Spirit in their covenant land which will enable them to walk in His name.
"In His name they will walk," that is, ‘walk to and fro' (1:10, 11; 6:7), unimpeded by their enemies (Mal. 1:6). As they walk in His name, in His revealed character, they will be strengthened by becoming like Him and be enabled to walk that final journey to God's ultimate promised land of the New Heaven and the New Earth.
The phenomenal regathering of His people out of their world wide dispersion along with the people of the first resurrection and settling them in the promised land while removing the obstacles of their earthly return is only the initial part of the divine undertaking for them.
He will also lead them triumphantly into the new Jerusalem where we will give praise to our Shepherd-King far more gloriously than when He entered Jerusalem to be crucified, for He shall enter the new Jerusalem to reign forever! Read Psalm 24:7-10.
CONCLUSION
Once more the future has been revealed to encourage steadfastness in the present. Once more I have argued that verses like these refer to a literal future blessing upon a regathered and believing Israel.
Nevertheless, it is true that we who have been brought to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord can see ourselves in the points of this prophecy. He has saved us by His death. He has provided for us and encourages us to come to Him in prayer, asking for anything we lack. He is purifying us. Has our Lord not strengthen us as we have fought against our spiritual enemies and used our battles to transform us into the victorious warriors of His dear Son? He is also gather to Himself both Jew and Gentile from the farthest reaches of this world. He is not merely the Shepherd-King of Israel. He is our Shepherd-King too. Praise be to God for such a Shepherd as ours!
