Intro
Our text today begins with a horrific military invasion. The first three verses of Zechariah 11 constitues a poem vividly picturing the destructive advance of Rome against the Jewish people. Because it is poetic, it has some symbolism in it. How much is symbolic and how much is literal is subject to debate. But in the context, it is reasonably clear that Zechariah is seeing a scene in Rome’s advancement against Jerusalem that culminated in the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
Follow with me as we read Zechariah 11:1-3.
“Open your doors, O Lebanon, That fire may devour your cedars. 2 Wail, 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. 3 There 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.”i
How do we know that is describing Titus’s campaign against Jerusalem in the first century AD? Verses 12-13 place the context of this prophecy in the First Advent of Christ and Israel’s rejection of Messiah. In Zechariah 11:12-13 the prophet writes, “Then 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. 13 And 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.” Matthew 27 tells us this was fulfilled when Judas betrayed Christ. What we are seeing in the first three verses of Zechariah 11 is the consequences that came on Israel when they rejected Christ.
The chapter is divided into three sections: (1) Verses 1-3 introduce the prophecy with this horrific account of the destruction that comes as a result of Israel’s rejection of the Good Shepherd. (2) Verses 4-14 depict the offer of Messiah as the Good Shepherd and the national decision to reject him and crucify him. (3) Verses 15-17 introduce the Antichrist as the Wicked Shepherd who will be accepted by Israel in the last days and ultimately judged by God.
We are fortunate to have Matthew’s application of Zechariah 11:12-13 to help us understand this chapter. Without it we would have an impossible job of knowing what Zechariah is predicting. Even with this information, there are a wide variety of interpretations, even among conservative scholars. This is partly due to the lack of historical context surrounding Zechariah’s delivery of this message to his own generation. We know that the prophecy probably came in the latter part of his life, estimated to shortly after 480 BC.ii
We do not have much historical information about that timeframe. However, we know from Nehemiah 5 that the overall quality of leadership deteriorated during Zechariah’s lifetime and thereafter. In Zechariah’s early ministry, Joshua, the High Priest and Zerubbabel provided godly leadership for the Jews in Judah. Zerubbabel was the last representative of the Davidic line.iii Zechariah’s last record of Zerubbabel is in chapter 4 where it is prophecied that he would complete the construction of the temple (Zech. 4:9). The temple was completed in 516 BC. “For some mysterious reason, Zerubbabel is not mentioned in connection with the Temple dedication. Neither is he mentioned after this time. Perhaps he died or retired from public life upon completion of the Temple.”iv Joshua the High Priest had probably died prior to the second half of Zechariah’s life.v With these godly leaders gone, corrupt leaders gained preeminence.
Later in 433 BC (Neh. 5:14), Nehemiah comments on the leaders who preceded him. He said, “Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God” (Neh. 5:14-15).vi Nehemiah 5 gives us some insight on the unfaithful shepherds Zechariah had to deal with in the latter part of his life. That sets the historical context for Zechariah 11.
Some commentators focus on the historical setting when Zechariah gave his prophecy in our text.vii Certainly, Zechariah gave his message in a historical context, and it is helpful to understand that context. However, there is not much historical information to work with. And the significance of the text revolves around the predicted events that occur during Christ’s First Advent. Therefore, we will give our attention to what is predicted for that timeframe.
I. CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING THE GOOD SHEPHERD (vs 1-3)
Zechariah begins this prophecy with a dramatic scene that would get the attention of his hearers. In doing that, he begins with the results of events recorded in verses 4-14. Therefore, the first three verses of this chapter occur after, and as a result of verses 4-14. Modern movies sometimes use this literary device. They may begin with an attention-grabbing scene showing the dramatic results of a series of events, then go back and present what occurred leading up to that scene.
Let’s look at verses 1-3 in more detail.
Zechariah 11:1 says, “Open your doors, O Lebanon, That fire may devour your cedars.”viii The tone of destruction is immediately established.ix Lebanon is known for its grand cedars. The land is being destroyed. Because this chapter as a whole revolves around the issue of leadership, some see the cedars and other trees in this passage to be symbolic of levels of leadership being judged.x There are other places in the Bible where trees are symbolic of leaders, but that symbolism is not particularly useful in this passage.xi What we are seeing is the devastation of the land which translates into judgment of the people. This is a picture of Rome coming down from the north with fires left behind them as they descend on Jerusalem. Fire is representative of the ruin being exacted on the people and land.
Verse 2 calls on the lesser trees to lament as the destruction descends south toward their territory. “Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, [If the cedar has fallen, so will you.] Because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, For the thick forest has come down.” This is poetic language bemoaning the destruction as the Roman army proceeds southward. Bashan was part of Manasseh’s territory, famous for its beautiful oak forest.xii
Verse 3 records the wailing of the shepherds because of the burning of their rich pastureland. “There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins.” The NIV adds clarity by translating it, “their rich pasturelands are destroyed!”xiii The earth is scorched by the fire. Verse 3 concludes, “There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins.” The “pride of the Jordan” is poetic language referring to the lush growth in the Jordon Valley south of the Sea of Galilee.xiv Lions need tall grass or comparable cover to sneak up on their prey. That cover is being destroyed.xv
So, Zechariah 11:1-3 predicts the terror and destruction of Rome’s campaign against the Jews that culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.xvi Now Zechariah presents a lengthy revelation of why that judgment fell on Israel.
II. ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD (vs 4-14)
In this section of the prophecy, Zechariah is told to role-play or assume the responsibility of a shepherd.”xvii There is debate as to whether Zechariah physically did the acts depicted in this passage so that the people could observe him doing it or alternatively is simply reporting an inner visionary experience. Since there is no historical evidence that he actually assumed this governing leadership of the nation, Leupold takes the text as simply reporting inner, visionary experience.xviii Feinberg and Merrill take a similar position.xix However, Unger believes Zechariah’s “predictions were enforced by symbolic actions.”xx In our last teaching, we saw Ezekiel acting out his message predicting the restoration and renotification of Israel (Ezek. 37:15-20). There are numerous other examples of the Old Testament prophets physically acting out their predictions.xxi For instruction purposes, we will assume Zechariah in some way physically acted out the message. But either approach is possible. The important thing is the prediction itself. That is what we will focus on.
So, Zechariah’s first commission is to role-play the part of a shepherd. The shepherd motif dominates the remainder of this chapter and has been significant in our previous studies. A key concept in Zechariah 10 was the judgment of false shepherds and the provision of the Messiah as the true shepherd (Zech. 10:3-4).
Zechariah 11:4 records God’s directive to his prophet: “Thus says the Lord my God, Feed the flock for slaughter.” The NIV is a better translation: “This is what the Lord my God says: ‘Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.’” As a good shepherd, Zechariah is not feeding the flock so he can slaughter and eat them. He is tenderly caring for them. But under their current circumstances, these Jews are “marked for slaughter.’” The RSV says, “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.” These people need a true shepherd. They are people who will be destroyed in judgment if they don’t repent. Their leaders have taken them on a pathway toward destruction.xxii Zechariah is to take the role of a good shepherd leading them into life rather than death. In this prophetic act, he is representing God as their true shepherd.xxiii
Verse 5 expands the description of this flock: “whose 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.’” Who are these oppressive leaders? Some scholars see this as a reference to foreign oppressors.xxiv Certainly, the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persian were leaders who bought and sold the Israelites for profit, rather than care for them. The Greeks and Romans who followed were no better. However, the language of these false shepherds strongly indicates they are Israelites leaders who are oppressing their own people.xxv They are saying, “Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich.” That is not the language of a foreign pagan. This makes the offense even worse, for if they know enough to say, “Blessed be the Lord,” they know enough to love their neighbor and treat him right. They talk the talk, but they do not walk the walk. We have seen in Nehemiah 5 that leaders like this were emerging in Zechariah’s day. We also know from the gospel accounts in the New Testament that the scribes, priests, and Pharisees were hypocritical false shepherds that would fit this description.
Consider the mindset of these false shepherds. They show the vulnerable no pity. After buying and selling their own people, they “feel no guilt.” Their conscience is seared. They still have the religious talk: “Blessed be the Lord.” But their business activities and lifestyle are totally selfish and oppressive toward others. The strangest part of it is that they attribute their success to the Lord: “Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich.'” I think there are more people in our churches like this that we would like to admit. Some of them are on the church boards. They think their own ill-gotten gain comes from the Lord. They don’t repent because they don’t feel the least amount of guilt over what they are doing. In fact, they are boasting about the success they are having and attributing their success to the Lord.
Consequently, verse 6 forecasts God’s rejection of Israel as a result of their rejection of Messiah.xxvi “‘For 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.’”xxvii This summarizes the action God will take because of Israel’s response to the Good Shepherd. Verses 7-14 will detail out events that lead up to this judgment predicted in verse 6.
The withdrawal of God’s mercy and care over the nation (the inhabitants of the land; Judea) will manifest in civil, internal strife. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor's hand.” One manifestation of God’s favor on people is unity. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1). The love and patience toward one another are evidence of God’s influence restraining the corrupt selfishness that genders strife. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, etc. (Gal. 5:22). When God withdraws his influence, people contend with one another.
This was a major problem for Israel during their revolt against Rome in the first century AD.xxviii T. W. Chambers comments on this internal hostility when he writes, “The breaking up of the nation into parties bitterly hostile to each other, was one of the most marked peculiarities of the later Jewish history, and greatly accelerated the ruin of the popular cause in the Roman war.”xxix
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement reviews conditions during the revolt as follows: “Vespasian's troops brutally conquered the north of Israel, eradicating all resistance. Meanwhile, the Jewish factions – now increasingly concentrated in Jerusalem – moved beyond power struggles into open civil war. While Vespasian merely watched from a distance, various factions of Zealots and Sicarii fought each other bitterly, even those that had common goals. They killed those advocating surrender. Thousands of Jews died at the hands of other Jews in just a few years.”xxx The first century historian, Josephus, provides details about the internal strife during the siege in his Wars of the Jews, Book V.xxxi
When a nation loses the favor of God, the society begins to unravel. People set themselves against one another. They become deeply entrenched in their opposition to the other party. They lose the ability to work out their differences. Energy is consumed opposing one another. Does that sound anything like the developments in America over the last few decades? Could it be a judgment on our unfaithfulness to God? Conflict management begins with our relationship with God. When we get it right with him, he can help us get it right with one another.
Look again at verse 6: “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor's hand and into the hand of his king.” The king here is Caesar—the Roman emperor. We know that from the historical context, but we also know it from the Jews own mouths recorded in John 19.xxxii
When Pilate brought Jesus before the Jews during Christ’s trial, he hoped the crowd would ask for Christ’s release (John 19:12). His question to them was: “Shall I crucify your King?" Do you remember their response? They cried out to him, “We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:15). And that is the king they got. That is the king that destroyed them in 70 AD. God released them, as our text says, “into the hand of his king.”
Verse 6 concludes with God saying, “They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.” It is that attack that we are seeing in Zechariah 11:1-3.
In our next study, we will learn much more about why this terrible judgement came on the Jewish people in 70 AD. Verses 4-6 record God’s command for Zechariah to take the role of a good shepherd. In verse 7 Zechariah begins obeying that command. We will begin there in our next message.
It is amazing to see the freedom God gives people. Israel could have chosen King Jesus who would have shepherded them and cared for them out of his infinite love. But they chose Caesar—a wicked pagan ruler who would ultimately destroy them. What a fateful choice that was.
Today people are choosing their king. Some submit their lives to King Jesus and reap eternal life. Others choose to submit themselves to the desires of the flesh and the will of the one who seeks to destroy them. Please choose wisely. Your eternal destiny is at stake.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture references are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii See message 21 in this series entitled “Preparations for Messiah.”
iii Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, The NIV Application Commentary, 467.
iv “Zerubbabel, Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
v Joshua the High Priest probably died about 490 BC. “Joshua the High Priest,” Wikipedia. Accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_the_High_Priest.
vi Nehemiah became governor in 445 BC. (Neh. 1:1). “Nehemiah,” Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
vii See Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, The NIV Application Commentary, 457-478; Phillips, Zechariah, 243-254.
viii As brought out in the previous message, Lebanon was part of the territory promised to Abraham in Genesis 15. Since it is utterly futile to resist the approaching force, Lebanon is commanded to open its doors to the destructive fire.
ix Meyers interprets Zechariah 11:1-3 as picturing the clearing of the land to facilitate the expanded population predicted in Zechariah 10:10. However, this does not fit the tone in Zechariah 11. The end-time expansion of population was a most positive prediction. But Zechariah 11:1-3 calls for lamentation because of the judgment that is being executed. The words, “Says the Lord” at the end of the tenth chapter concludes that prophecy. While there is connection between the prophecy in chapter 10 and that in chapter 11 (The shepherding motif is strong in both.), the tone of the two prophecies is altogether different. See Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 237-304 for their arguments.
x See Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 241-242; Baron, Zechariah, 378. Feinberg wisely rejects this figurative interpretation, preferring to simply see this as “the physical desolation of the land which, wo be sure, would involve the people dwelling in it.” Feinberg, God Remembers, 154.
xi Cf. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, 205-206. Unger, Zechariah, 190 agrees with Leupold. Trees are symbolic of leaders in Judges 9:7-15 and allude to leadership in Isaiah 10:33-34; Ezekiel 31:3-18; Daniel 4:10; Amos 2:9. Interpreting trees as leaders does not significantly change the meaning of the passage, for certainly corrupt leaders are brought down in this judgment. But it is an unnecessary distraction.
Baron identifies an ancient Jewish interpretation of this text in Zechariah 11 that identifies Lebanon with the Temple “which was built with cedars from Lebanon.” That interpretation understands this as the destruction of the Second Temple (Lebanon). Baron, 378. Although Zechariah 11 does predict events resulting in the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, Lebanon cannot equate to the Temple.
xii Num. 21:33-34;33; Isa. 2:13; Ezek. 27:6).
xiii Keil correctly understands ‘addereth (glory) in this context to be a reference to the shepherd’s pasture. Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. So also Unger, Zechariah, 190.
xiv Merrill says the “pride of Jordan” is an idiom referring to “the lush vegetation that once grew in the Jordan Valley, so luxuriant that by contrast the flora of the remainder of the land looked scrubby.” Merrill, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, 262.
xv Although occurring at a different time, 2 Kings 17:24-28 has an interesting story about lions attacking the gentiles brought into the land of the Northern Kingdom to replace the Israelites who had been exiled from there. The apparent ferocity of those lions was beyond the normal behavior of lions so that the inhabits knew something unusual was going on. Verse 25 says, “The Lord sent lions among them.” The true story depicted in the movie, “The Ghosts of Darkness,” provides a vivid sense of the horror the inhabitants of the land must have been experiencing in 2 Kings 17.
xvi Andrew Hill thinks this is a rehearsal of the destruction by the Babylonians during their campaigns that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC. Hill, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, 228. While that historical event served as a warning of what can happen when God’s people live in disobedience, it would be very strange for Zechariah to depict the event as he does in our text rather than simply referencing it. Using similar logic, the Jewish commentator, Abarbanel, concludes, “the symbolic representation cannot refer to the past, and must predict what was to happen during the time of the Second Temple.” Abarbanel as quoted by Baron, Zechariah, 381. Additionally, Matthew’s interpretation of Zechariah 11:12-13 points toward the events related to Christ’s First Advent rather than the 586 BC event.
xvii Phillips, Zechariah, 246-247.
xviii Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, 207. Jeremiah did this in 1:10 and 25:15-38.
xix Feinberg, God Remembers, 156; Merrill, 263.
xx Unger, Zechariah, 191.
xxi Cf. Jer. 13:4-9; Ezek. 4; 5; Hosea 1:2-3.
xxii Cf. Matt. 23:15; Luke 6:39.
xxiii There is debate as to whether Zechariah is representing Messiah or God. Keil’s position is that Zechariah is portraying acts that can only be done by “God through His Son” is correct. Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
xxiv Feinberg, God Remembers, 157; Merrill, 264; Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, 209. Baron writes (p. 383), “The buyers and sellers are those into whose hands the nation is delivered, and who do with them as they please, namely, the Gentile powers.” However, on p. 384 Baron recognizes “their own shepherds” in verse 5 as Jewish leaders.
xxv Cf. Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 253; Unger, Zechariah, 192. Hill, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, 230-231 takes the interesting position that the sellers were “the leaders of the Hebrew people,” and the buyers were “merchants of the occupying foreign powers. . . .”
xxvi Baron insightfully writes, “In the solemn words of the 6th verse we have a forecast of what would take place after the rejection of the Good Shepherd, and the care and protection of God over His people would be withdrawn.” Baron, 385. Cf. Feinberg, 158.
xxvii This echoes the language used concerning the impending disaster of the Babylonian captivity (Jer. 13:14; Ezek. 5:11; 7:4; 9:5, 10). Although reflective of that past event, Zechariah 11 is predicting the 70 AD disaster.
xxviii Cf. Unger, 193.
xxix J. P. Lange, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1899) s. v. “Zechariah” by T. W. Chambers, 86.
xxx “Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai’s Request,” Chabad.org. Accessed at https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953564/jewish/Rabbi-Yochanans-Request.htm.
xxxi Josephus, Josephus Complete Works, The Wars of the Jews, Book V, Chapter X, trans. by William Whiston (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1981), 564.
xxxii Cf. Unger, Zechariah, 93.
