“And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.” — Zechariah 11:15-16
Shepherding is one of the oldest professions in the world, but it is not for the weak of heart or body. Today, flocks can consist of one thousand sheep, and the shepherd is responsible for their welfare and safety. Assisting with the birthing of lambs, moving heavy bales of hay, and relocating fences are strenuous tasks. Often these duties are performed in extreme weather—subzero temperatures, rain, deep snow with drifts, heat, and humidity. Flocks need to be moved regularly to fresh pastures, and life-and-death decisions for the animals must be made, sometimes very early in the morning. It is humble, exhausting, and dirty work!
Considering the grueling nature of the job, why would anyone choose to be a shepherd? Those who have a passion for it say there is the joy of watching the birth of a lamb and then seeing it walk within a few minutes. They find satisfaction in working at an occupation that is centuries old, even if the monetary reimbursement is not large. As good shepherds, they pay attention to the flock and are devoted to keeping the sheep safe and healthy.
In this text, God used Zechariah to point out that the Jewish people would ultimately reject the Good Shepherd—the Messiah. Although He would offer the best of care and nurturing, they would refuse Him and consequently receive God’s judgment. Instead of following the Good Shepherd, they would choose to follow foolish shepherds—those who would not care for them but rather would destroy them.
Today, the Good Shepherd has a flock—those who have asked Jesus to forgive them and chosen to follow Him. And the Good Shepherd is faithfully caring for His flock, who have the benefits of His love, help, and protection. How much better that is than being buffeted by the enemy of our souls and his forces of evil! The choice is up to each one of us. Let us determine to serve the Lord and be a part of His flock.
Chapter 11 concludes the “burden” which began in chapter 9. While chapter 10 foretold the first advent of the Messiah, this chapter concerns Israel’s rejection of Him and emphasizes the resulting judgment. It begins with a poem of lament over the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and then presents an allegory of the rejected shepherd and the tragic consequences. The chapter ends with the people following an end-time “foolish,” or worthless, shepherd.
Bible scholars interpret verses 1-3 in a variety of ways. Some believe that verses 1-2 are a Hebraic figure of speech denoting the Temple (representing all Judah), since that building’s massive cedar beams were sourced from Lebanon and the secondary woods of “fir” and “oaks” came from Bashan. Others note that the word “doors” in verse 1 refers to an opening or gate, and feel this verse indicates that the destructive forces will come upon Judah through the mountain passes between Lebanon and Israel. Either way, these introductory verses clearly portray great devastation being mourned by “shepherds,” or leaders.
In verses 4-14, God commissioned Zechariah to enact a prophecy of judgment for the people. In it, the prophet’s portrayal of a good shepherd pointed ahead to the Messiah at His first coming. The “flock of the slaughter” refers to the people of Israel who, because of their rejection of Christ, would be killed by the Romans. The “possessors” in verse 5 may refer to Israel’s religious leaders and rulers who would lead the people into destruction. Alternatively, it may be a reference to the Romans who would oppress the people and, as vindication of their actions, would point to the Jews’ religious leaders who were focused on their own ends rather than the good of the nation. Verse 6 indicates that when God’s compassion would be removed, neighbor would oppress neighbor, and the ruler would “smite” the people of the land.
In verse 7, Zechariah enacted the role of a shepherd of Israel, foreshadowing the Good Shepherd, the Messiah. The “poor of the flock” refers to the small portion of the people who would submit to the Good Shepherd’s leading—the people who responded to Jesus when He came the first time. Zechariah took up two staves, which he gave allegorical names. The first he called “Beauty” (which could also be translated “favor,” symbolizing the divine grace promised to God’s people) and the second, “Bands” (which refers to a binding union, signifying the unity that should exist between Israel and Judah).
Verses 8-11 indicate that because the flock found the Shepherd repugnant, He took away the unique protection they had enjoyed. The identity of the three defeated shepherds in verse 8 is obscure. Since they were “cut off,” they may represent the prophets, priests, and kings of Israel. History records that after the Roman conquest of Judea, the offices of prophet, priest, and king were eliminated in Israel, and to this day they have never been restored. Verse 9 indicates that because the flock turned against the Shepherd, He left them to their fate. The reference to individuals eating “the flesh of another” did actually happen in the Jewish community during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
In verse 10, the breaking of the first staff, “Beauty,” does not denote an annulment of the Abrahamic covenant, but rather indicates that since the people of the Covenant had operated outside of its terms, they would suffer the consequences. When the heathens would be allowed to crush them, the “poor”—the few who would accept Jesus as the Messiah—would know that it was God’s doing (verse 11).
In verses 12-14, Zechariah continued his enactment of a good shepherd. He requested compensation for the care he had bestowed, leaving it to the people to determine his value. Their response was insulting: the thirty pieces of silver they offered as compensation was the minimum required price for a bondservant, or the required payment for injury or death of a slave (see Exodus 21:32). It indicated contempt for the shepherd’s pastoral favor and gracious care. This foreshadowed the Jews’ rejection of the Greatest Shepherd, Christ the Messiah, who would come, be despised and rejected, and sold for the price of an injured slave.
The reference in verse 13 to thirty pieces of silver being a “goodly price” is sarcasm. The Lord himself commanded the silver to be cast “unto the potter.” Zechariah obeyed, casting it to the potter “in the house of the Lord.” This prophecy was fulfilled when Judas betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver and, being convicted for his actions, “cast down the pieces of silver in the temple” and the chief priests then used the silver to purchase a potter’s field (see Matthew 27:5, 7). As a result of this shameful payment for service, Zechariah broke his second staff, “Bands,” prophetically symbolizing the annulling of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. This was at least partially fulfilled in the years leading up to the Jews’ revolt against the Romans; the Jewish historian Josephus recorded intense political and religious infighting among the Jews during that time.
In verses 15-17, God instructed Zechariah to enact the role of a worthless shepherd that Israel would choose to follow. While some commentators view this as a reference to the Antichrist of the end times, many Bible scholars feel it more likely refers to the Roman oppressors of A.D. 70 who treated the Jewish people mercilessly after their rejection of their Messiah. This worthless shepherd would be the opposite of the rejected Good Shepherd. He would not care for the needs of the flock, but rather would devour them. When the flock was attacked, he would abandon them. However, he would ultimately be punished. The statement that “the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye” implied that he was so severely incapacitated that he could neither pull nor aim a bow—in other words, he was worthless as a soldier because he was unable to fight.
V. The two burdens
A. The first burden
3. The rejection of Messiah (11:1-17)
a. The result of the rejection (11:1-6)
(1) The desolation of the land (11:1-3)
(2) The destruction of the people (11:4-6)
b. The fact of the rejection (11:7-14)
c. The reception of another shepherd (11:15-17)
All those who choose to follow the best of shepherds—the Good Shepherd—will be glad they did! Are you part of His flock today?
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