The Necessary Process Series

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. . . .”