Zechariah speaks of the true Shepherd being sold for 30 pieces of silver and Israel embracing a false shepherd. We know him as the Antichrist.
Zechariah 10: The Restoration for Judah and Israel
1 Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2 For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
3 "My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4 From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler---all of them together.
5 They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.
6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD.
8 "I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.
9 Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them.
11 He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.
12 I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name," declares the LORD.
Zechariah 11: The Flock Doomed to Slaughter
1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!
3 The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
4 Thus said the LORD my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich,' and their own shepherds have no pity on them.
6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the LORD. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbour, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand."
7 So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favour, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep.
8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
9 So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another."
10 And I took my staff Favour, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12 Then I said to them, "If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"---the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter.
14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the LORD said to me, "Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
16 For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
17 "Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!"
Things to think about…
1. The nations described in Zech 10 still threaten the land of Israel and hence this prophecy of Zechariah has not been completed. One day it will be. It looks as if the land will get fairly crowded as well, Zech 10:10. The Jews are still pouring into Israel at an alarming rate today. Israel’s population growth is at 1.8%/yr (Intrn’l 1.1%), but during the 1990’s it grew by 3%/yr after the collapse of communist Russia with an inflow of Russian Jews into Israel. At the moment their shepherds and leaders are not speaking the truth about their true Messiah Jesus, Zech 10:3 and the Lord will turn the hearts of the sheep into war horses, vs 3. Pray Israel sees true revival in Christ.
2. Zech 10:3,4 – from the house of Judah shall come the Cornerstone. We know this is fulfilled in Christ. This cornerstone will also be the stone the builders of Israel’s political and religious hierarchy will reject. They did it in the time of Christ, they are rejecting it presently and sadly Zechariah is prophesying that they will do it in the future after the land is resettled and filled again. This is happening in our day. Israel wants to build a temple, but they want nothing to do with the temple of Christ – the Church. It is prophesied that only through the most intense period of national persecution that Israel’s eyes will be open to their true Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus).
3. The Romans (roar of lions) were prophesied to come into the land Zech 11:1-3. Zechariah was called to shepherd the people. Unfortunately the people don’t listen to Zechariah who was a type of the true Shepherd. The same was true of the shepherds in the time of Christ. These Sadducees and Pharisees would be who became rich off the sheep, Zech 11:5 would along with the people be crushed by the hand of his neighbour and king, vs 6. We know this would be the romans who lived and ruled the land. Titus the Roman would come and destroy the land and Jerusalem in AD70. But these verses also refer to a later destruction of Jerusalem under the hand of their king, the antichrist.
4. Zech 11 clearly gives a prophetic voice to the actions of Judas Iscariot in betraying Christ, who is Israel’s true Shepherd and Messiah (described here as Favour who was broken), vs 10 and sold for 30 pieces of silver, Zech 11:12, 13. This was used to buy the Potter’s field, described in Matt 27:1-10 (even though Jeremiah is quoted in Matthew – because he was the major prophet, Zechariah of course a minor prophet). Israel rejected the true Messiah and in AD70 Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed again. For 2000 years the Jews have continued to reject their true Messiah. Zechariah is asked to buy the equipment of a foolish shepherd, Zech 11:15. The Lord says they reject His shepherding and therefore He breaks the Union, Zech 11:13, that is between Judah and Israel. They will reject His shepherding to the point of one day accepting a foolish shepherd - the Antichrist to rule over them. He will not care for Israel, Zech 11:15-17. He is called a worthless shepherd, Zech 11:17 because he will desert the flock. We know this is the case with the Antichrist because he will break his covenant with Israel after three and a half years. He will have greater goals of ruling the earth, not just Israel.
5. We know the Lord’s judgement will be upon this evil man, Zech 11:17. Revelation 19:20 gives a more graphic picture of his eternal abode. It is interesting that it says the Lord will strike his right hand and right eye. His arm will be withered, and his right eye be utterly blinded. We know that those who receive the mark receive it on their right hand and forehead. I believe this is a judgment on the antichrist with the Lord sending His mark of judgement upon this false shepherd. The right side was the side of blessing. Right eye and right-hand dominance, especially for archers is a gift. This man loses both.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell groups on break over Easter and school holidays
Prayer Points
1. That the contacts made over Easter and the Family Fun Day will be maintained and that strong connections and discussions may draw people to Christ.
2. Been a big term for our teachers pray Rosie and our teachers get a good rest over these next 2 weeks.
3. Pray for Chuwar Youth and Jarrod’s ministry. Pray as he meets with youth at Westside, Ipswich and Bundamba high schools as well as developing senior leaders.
4. How you can serve in ministry this year.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for our Easter services. A number of visitors came to CBC over the weekend.
2. Graham’spreaching on Friday and Jarrod’s leading and the worship team on Sunday.
3. Kids@Church and Youth ministries are a great blessing. Keep praying for Rosie and Jarrod as they rest and recuperate for next term.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Chuwar Youth and Kids@Church on break over Easter and School holidays.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. In how many persons does this one God exist? A. In three persons.
