Intro
In our previous studies we have seen the glorious victory God gives Israel at the Battle of Armageddon. We have seen the national conversion that occurs at the end of the Tribulation period. Wonderful things will happen “on that day.”i But there was a price to pay for that to happen. What we see in our text today is the process that was necessary to bring all this about. Our last message concluded in Zechariah 13:1-6 with a declaration of the cleansing that is granted to Israel “on that day” and the eradication of false prophecy that accompanies that spiritual transformation. The subject changes in verse 7 from false prophets to the Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
Follow with me as we read Zechariah 13:7-9.
“‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,’ Says the Lord, ‘That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"ii
The narrative describing end-time events “on that day,” is paused so that this explanation of how God brings these results about can be shared.iii What process is necessary for this ultimate salvation of the nation of Israel? Our text includes:
I. The Striking of the Good Shepherd in verse 7.
II. The Scattering of the Flock of Israel also in verse 7.
III. The Purging of the Nation in verse 8-9.
IV. The Result of this Process at the end of verse 9.
I. STRIKING OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD (vs 7).
The speaker in this text is Yahweh. Twice in the passage the phrase, “Says the Lord of hosts, reminds us of that. Then the passage concludes with God saying, the words: “They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" That is important for our understanding of who the Shepherd is in this passage.iv
God refers to him as, “My Shepherd.” God appointed Jesus as the Shepherd of his people. And Jesus acknowledged this role in John 10:11 when he said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” He goes on to say, “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15).v Hebrews 13:20 refers to him as the “great Shepherd of the sheep.”
Any question about who the Shepherd is is completely resolved by Yahweh’s reference to him as “the Man who is My Companion.” That is a translation of the Hebrew phrase geber `ámîtî.
Geber indicates “a mighty man,” a man that is strong.vi Kosmala finds statements in the Old Testament “which show him as a man of particular spiritual qualities.”vii Geber, rather than the generic term ‘adam, is used of David in 2 Samuel 23:1: “Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man [geber] raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel.”
‘Amiyth means “relation, neighbor, associate, fellow.”viii “The two words function as a unit to denote ‘one intimate with me.’”ix After a detailed analysis of this phrase, Keil (in loco) writes, “The idea of nearest one (or fellow) involves not only similarity in vocation, but community of physical or spiritual descent, according to which he whom God calls His neighbour cannot be a mere man, but can only be one who participates in the divine nature, or is essentially divine.”x
This phrase can only point to one person: Christ who is fully human and fully divine, co-equal with the Father. He alone could truthfully claim, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).xi John introduced his gospel with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The phrase “the Word was with [pros] God” has a special affinity with our text in Zechariah 13:7. “Pros with the accusative presents a plane of equality and intimacy, face-to-face with each other.”xii
The surprise in our text is that Yahweh would command the sword to strike his own Shepherd. Without the New Testament revelation, this would be a difficult mystery to unravel. Look again at Zechariah 13:7: “‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd. . . .”
The sword is the sword of divine justice. The sword was the weapon commonly used to execute a violent death. It is used here in a general sense to indicate that.xiii In the wisdom of God the sword is commanded to strike the Shepherd. It is to execute the wrath of Almighty God on sin and rebellion. Yet the wrath falls upon the innocent Shepherd rather than the perpetrators of the crime. He is struck, not for his own sin, but for the sin of mankind.xiv
Isaiah prophecies this monumental event that would occur at the death of the Servant Shepherd, Messiah.
“Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:4-6).
That describes the death of Christ as our substitute. This is the heart of the gospel: the payment for our sin by Christ on the cross as our substitute. Without that truth, Christianity is nothing more than another dead religion based on human morality. Without the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, there is no forgiveness of sin (Heb.9:22). All the Old Testament blood sacrifices foreshadowed it. The substitutionary death of Christ is essential to New Testament Christianity.
What happened on the cross? The sword of divine justice struck the Good Shepherd. By this one great transaction, God was reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor. 5:10). It pleased the Lord to bruise him (Isa. 53:10). Why? Because he was offering himself up as a sacrifice for sin. Our text anticipates this crucial event at Calvary.
Zechariah 13:7 tells us Jesus was slain by the determined council of the Godhead. Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). God knew Adam would sin. He made provision for that problem long before it ever happened. In Acts 2:23 Peter confronts the Jewish nation for their part in the death of Jesus, but he also says it happened “by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.”xv
So, how can this glorious salvation of Israel recorded in Zechariah 13:1-6 happen. It is only possible by the death of Messiah for their sin. Your salvation depends on that as well. The cross is central to it all. How very misleading it would be to promise Zechariah 13:1-6 without the revelation of Zechariah 13:7. And the rest of the chapter explains other events that must happen before Israel’s end-time conversion can occur.
II. SCATTERING OF THE FLOCK OF ISRAEL (vs 7).
Zechariah 13:7 then declares a result that follows the striking of the Shepherd: “And the sheep will be scattered.” Jesus focused on this when he quoted our text. In Matthew 26:31 he warned the disciples of their coming ordeal: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'”xvi And the record tells us that they all forsook him.
That scattering of the disciples was only the beginning of the much greater scattering that would occur in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Without the protection of the Good Shepherd (a result of their own choices), the nation of Israel would be scattered throughout the world. It would even be a greater scattering than experienced during the Babylonian captivity. Under God's judgment, Israel would experience horrific persecution.
III. PURGING OF THE NATION (vs 8-9).
Zechariah 13:7 concludes with God saying, “Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.” This too is an unexpected statement. “The little ones” refers to the humble, godly people in the flock referred to earlier in Zechariah 11:7 as “the poor of the flock.” They too will suffer persecution as a part of this scattering. Jesus said to the disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
Good scholars differ in their interpretation of the idiom: “turn My hand against.” Unger and Pusey understand it in its usual sense as a judgment or chastisement. The phrase is usually used in this way.xvii Keil, Baron, and Feinberg understand it to mean God’s hand will turn upon these people to take care of them.xviii The idiom is probably being used in the same way it was used in Isaiah 1:25 where God said to Israel, “I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy.” Even “the little ones” in the flock would experience God correction and refinement. The hardships would be against them, but for their
ultimate good. This great diaspora has continued for centuries. But today God is regathering his people to their homeland.
Zechariah 13:8-9 reveal a work in the last days that prepares a remnant for the great salvation declared in Zechariah 13:1. Verse 8 says, “‘And it shall come to pass in all the land,’ Says the Lord, ‘That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it.”xix
When Antichrist breaks his covenant in the middle of the Tribulation period, he will release his full wrath against the nation of Israel. Jesus predicts the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24 and warns of those in Jerusalem to flee. Then in Matthew 24:21 he adds, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”xx Two-thirds of the nation will be killed.xxi God protects the other third from destruction. Revelation 12:13-14 describes this horrific persecution of Israel and God’s preservation of the remnant. “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman [Israel] who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”
Zechariah 13:9 explains these troubles as a process of refining the remnant in preparation for receiving Messiah. “I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested.” God will do a work in this remnant that prepares them to receive Jesus as their Messiah. Unger identifies this remnant as the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14.xxii But the 144,000 are sealed as witnesses for Christ earlier in the Tribulation period.xxiii As witnesses, they are used by God in the salvation of many gentiles during that time (Rev. 7:9-17). In contrast, the remnant in our text is not converted until the Second Advent (Zech. 12:10).
IV. RESULT OF THIS PROCESS (vs 9).
We have seen a process that begins with the striking of the Good Shepherd, followed by the scattering of the nation of Israel. During the Tribulation period the Antichrist will turn his fury against Israel and two-thirds of the nation will be killed. The other third will be refined through fierce persecution and hardship. But all of that is preparation for their conversion.
The end-result of all this is a nation born in a day (Rom. 11:26) receiving Jesus as their Messiah. Zechariah 13:9 concludes, “They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.”xxiv While the whole nation is born in a day, the salvation experience for each one will be very personal: “And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.”
Our chapter began with a cleansing fountain being opened for this remnant of Israel. It now concludes with the same event. But now we are informed as to how God made this glorious day possible. How was he able to transform as sinful, rebellious people into a people devoted to him as their God. He did it through the substitutionary death of Christ, the Good Shepherd, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit bringing those people through the refining fire.xxv
This is always the way salvation works. Jesus died to save sinners.xxvi Do you qualify for his salvation? Are you a sinner? The only people he can save are sinners who know they are sinners. The self-righteous do not enter into this great salvation.xxvii There is no use for me to tell you about a Savior if you don’t believe you really need a Savior. As long as you think you can qualify before God on your own, you will not put your faith in Christ. You may join a church. You may call yourself a Christian. But the salvation experience begins with the recognition of your disqualifying sin. This is a spiritual principle that runs through biblical revelation.xxviii
Sin is not measured by society’s standards. Sin is any violation of the perfect law of God.xxix The sin problem in your life and my life began at conception. In David’s prayer of repentance, he confessed, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). We all got off to a bad start. Born in the human race, we were born with a sinful nature.xxx We sin because we are sinners by nature. And we heap up guilt before God every time we choose to sin. Without Christ, the situation for every human being is hopeless. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Everyone needs this Savior, regardless of how they measure up against other people.xxxi The standard is God’s perfection, and we have all come short of it.xxxii
Your sin was dealt with on the cross when the Good Shepherd, Jesus, was smitten for your sins. He purchased your salvation, and he will freely give it to you if you humble yourself and come to him. Jesus saves. He saves sinners like you and me. Will you bow to him? Will you ask him to forgive you of your sins? Will you surrender to his lordship over your life?
ENDNOTES:
i See Zechariah 12:7-13:1-6.
ii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
iii “The poem is ‘a self-contained little gem’ and is regarded as the climax of chapters 12-13,” Hill, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi, 255. Although this passage resumes the shepherd theme found in chapters 10 and 11, suggestions that it should follow 11:17 are ill-advised. The passage fits its context in chapter 13 providing a summary of what will follow in chapter 14. Cf. Merrill, 305; Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 384. Any identification of the Shepherd in 13:7 with the foolish shepherd in 11:17 is conclusively discredited by his description spoken by Yahweh himself: “who is My Companion.” Cf. Baron, Zechariah, 476.
iv Efforts to identify the shepherd with a person or persons in Zechariah’s historical context are rather unfruitful simply because we have very limited historical data to work with. Most try to identify it with the political leadership, but there is much speculation in the process and little agreement. Fortunately, the New Testament application of this text helps us understand its meaning even without much historical context in Zechariah’s day. For further discussion of the exegesis of this passage, see Eugene H. Merrill, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, 310. Cf. Hill, 255; Meyers and Myers, Zechariah 9-14, 386; Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, The NIV Application Commentary, 512-513.
v Notice the intimacy between the Father and Son indicated in this verse and indicated by the phrase in Zechariah 13:7: “the Man who is My Companion.”
vi Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. in loco.
vii H. Kosmala, “The Term geber in the Old Testament and in the Scrolls, “SVT 17, 1969, 169 as quoted, in W. A. VanGemeren, gen. ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, vol. 1, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997) s. v. 1505 by Victor P. Hamilton, 817.
viii Strong’s Concordance, OT:5997.
ix Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 9-14, 387.
x Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. As Baron (p. 478) points out, the “Jewish commentators themselves have admitted that the word ‘‘amithi’ (‘my Fellow’) implies equality with God. . . .”
xi The Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus because, in their words, he was “making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18).
xii Robertson, A. T. Robertson’s New Testament Word Pictures, in loco, 1930. Accessed in electronic data base: Biblesoft 2000. F. B. Meyer comments, “The preposition selected by the Evangelist is very significant. It means communication with and movement towards. It denotes the intimate fellowship subsisting between two, and well befits the intercourse of the distinct Persons of the one and ever-blessed God. ‘The face of the everlasting Word was ever directed towards the face of the everlasting Father.’” F. B. Meyer, Gospel of John: The Life and Light of Man Love to the Utmost (Fort Washington, PN: Christian Literature Crusade, 1983), 14.
xiii Cf. Ex. 5:21. Even though Uriah was killed by arrows (2 Sam. 11:24), Nathan used the general phrase “with the sword” to describe his death (2 Sam. 12:9).
xiv Cf. 1 John 2:2; Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019), 46-49.
xv Cf. John 19:11.
xvi See also Mark 14:27.
xvii Cf. Unger, 233-234; Ps. 81:14; Ezek. 38:12; Amos 1:8.
xviii Cf. Keil (in logo), Baron, 480-481; Feinberg, 191.
xix The Hebrew phrase translated “two-thirds” means double portion (Deut. 21:17) but is clarified as two-thirds by the Hebrew sheliyshiy which means one-third. The language is probably not indicating precise numbers, but rather stating that the larger portion will be killed and only a remnant left.
xx For further explanation of this see Richard W. Tow, Rapture or Tribulation: Will Christians Go Through the Coming Tribulation (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2022), 151-168.
xxi Henderson thinks this was fulfilled in the Roman wars and other events during the first century AD. Ebenezer Henderson, The Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets: Translated from the Original Hebrew (New York: John Wiley, 1860), 430-431. However, Unger (p. 234) points out the flaw in this approach since the remnant that came out of that ordeal did not turn in faith toward Messiah prophesied by Zechariah 12:7-13:1-6, 9. Cf. Phillips, Zechariah, 297.
xxii Unger, 236.
xxiii Cf. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, 1958 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), 297-301.
xxiv See Jer. 32:37-41 and Ezek. 37:21-23 for this covenant statement as well.
xxv Cf. Mal. 3:2-3 also uses this imagery of purifying metal in the fire.
xxvi 1 Tim. 1:15; Matt. 1:21. Our text in Zechariah 13:9 indicates the preparation of the remnant’s hearts for receiving Christ. The Holy Spirit must prepare any sinner for receptivity of Jesus as Savior. He alone can convince that person of sin and the need to trust him for salvation (John 16:8-11). He uses the law (commandments of God) to reveal sin in the life and convince the person of his or her guilt (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:24).
xxvii Cf. Luke 18:10-14.
xxviii Cf. John 9:41; 1 John 1:8-10.
xxix Cf. 1 John 3:4.
xxx Cf. Rom. 5:12, 18-19. We not only need forgiveness for the acts of sin we have done, but we need a new nature which can only be received by faith in Christ. That’s why Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). Cf. 2 Pet. 1:4.
xxxi Using others as a standard for measuring our own condition is not wise (2 Cor. 10:12). The Pharisee in Luke 18:11 was doing this. In that parable Jesus contrasted that Pharisee with the publican who recognized his sinfulness. Jesus stated the point of that story in verse 14: “ I tell you, this man [publican] went down to his house justified rather than the other [Pharisee].
xxxii Cf. James 2:9-11; Gal. 2:16.
