Today's Video Devotion

Thursday 11/21/24

The Good Shepherd

📺️ Zechariah 11 🔊

 ¹Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

 ²Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

 ³There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

 ⁴Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

 ⁵Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

 ⁶For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

 ⁷And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

 ⁸Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

 ⁹Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

 ¹⁰And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

 ¹¹And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

 ¹²And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

 ¹³And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

 ¹⁴Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

 ¹⁵And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

 ¹⁶For, 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.

 ¹⁷Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Zechariah

Date Penned: (1-8 520-518BC)(9-14 480BC)

Overview: Messages while After Completing the Temple (c 9-14)

Theme: Zechariah's Words of Encouragement (c 7-14)

Message: Israel and Judah are Lost Sheep (v 1-17)

Zechariah 11 Commentary

(11:1-3) In this Message, God asks Zechariah to act out the roles of 2 different kinds of shepherds. The first shepherd was to demonstrate how God would reject his people (the sheep) because they rejected him. The second shepherd was to demonstrate how God would give his people to evil shepherds (Ezekiel 34) for a detailed portrayal of the evil shepherds of Israel.

(11:4-6) God told Zechariah to take a job as shepherd of a flock of sheep being fattened for butchering. The Messiah would strengthen God's people during a time of spiritual and political confusion. The flock represented the people feeding on their own greed and evil desires until they were ripe for God's judgement. 

(11:7) Zechariah took two shepherd's staffs and named them Beauty (or"Grace") and Bands (or "Union") He broke the first one ("Beauty"or"Grace") to show that God's gracious covenant with his people was broken, He broke the second one ("Bands"or"Union") to show that "the brotherhood between Judah and Israel" was broken.

(11:8) The identity of the three evil shepherds is not known, but God knew they were unfit to shepherd the people and so he removed them.

(11:9-11) Because Israel had rejected the good shepherd. God broke the staff called Beauty (or "Grace'') thereby revoking his agreement to protect His people.

(11:12) To pay this shepherd 30 pieces of silver was an insult - this was the price paid to an owner for a slave gored by an ox (Exodus 21) This is also the amount Judas received for betraying Jesus.

(11:13) Potters were in the lowest social class. The "goodly price" (a sarcastic comment) was so little that it could be thrown to the potter. It is significant that the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas for betraying Jesus were returned to the Temple and used to buy a potter's field (Matthew 27)

(11:14) Because the people rejected the Messiah, God would reject them - symbolized by Zechariah breaking the staff called Bands (or "Union") Not long after Zechariah's time the Jews began to divide into numerous factions - Pharisees, Sadducees. Essenes, Herodians, and Zealots. The discord among these groups was a key factor leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD

(11:15-16) It is a great tragedy for God's people when their leaders fail to care for them adequately. God holds leaders particularly accountable for the condition of his people. The New Testament tells church leaders. "Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation (James 3) If God puts you a position of leadership, remeber that it is also a place of great responsability

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book ofZechariah with Chapter 11. In our text today we see the Lord asking Zechariah to act out two shepherds that represent God's Grace and God's Union. This Grace and Union was rejected by Israel just as they would reject the Messiah in future days. In making application we see how Jesus is your key to eternity in Heaven or Hell. According to the Bible every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. His is the only one who can forgive your sin if you will simply trust in Him. How about you? Do you see how Jesus is the true "Good Shepherd"? Let us learn from our text today and the message from the Lord given to Zechariah that our Lord is the Good Shepherd and all who place their trust in Him will have Eternal Life with their sins forgiven.