| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| @December 22, 2023 | ESV (2016) | ESV Prophets Plan 2023 |
Pericopes
- The Restoration for Judah and Israel
Notes/Application
The people are exhorted to ask for rain from the LORD rather than worthless idols. He is gracious to respond and give “everyone the vegetation in the field” (Zech. 10:1). The household gods utter nonsense and the people wander like sheep because they lack godly shepherding. God’s anger is hot against these unfaithful shepherds and will punish them out of care for His flock. He will bring a “cornerstone”, a “tent peg” and “battle bow” (Zech. 10:4), what some view as the promise of the Messiah. God will strengthen the house of Judah, save the house of Joseph and bless the northern kingdom of Ephraim. He will gather them in from other regions and they will be as they were before. The pride of Assyria, their military might, will be laid low and the people will be made strong in the LORD and “shall walk in his name” (Zech. 10:12).
There is a significant theme of sheep and shepherding in this chapter. Through idolatry and the failure of their leaders, God’s people “wander like sheep” (Zech. 10:2). God’s anger was hot against the “shepherds” because He cares for His “flock” (Zech. 10:3). He would “gather them in” because He had redeemed them. Bridging this to the New Testament, we see this same theme in Jesus’ address to the people as the Good Shepherd (John 10). He knows His own flock and they know Him and He lays down His life for them. He is the door and only through Him will His flock be saved and find good pasture.
This is illuminating because in Zechariah the Shepherd is God and in John the Shepherd is Jesus. Whatever doubt there may be of Jesus’ deity, this would certainly deal its case a deathly blow. It is by our Lord God in Christ that we are gathered and guided. His sheep know His voice and He calls them by name, leading them out. Venturing out into various terrain, they encounter manifold distractions and temptations, but He remains steadfast in diligence that none of His fold go too far astray.
How wonderful it is that we have a Shepherd who cares for His flock. With ears open in attendance and responsive to His Word, He is ever faithful to direct our course home.
Scripture Journal Notes
Commentaries & Resources Used
- ESV Study Bible. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008)
- Faithlife Study Bible (Lexham Press, 2016)
- Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson, 2016)
- CSB Study Bible Notes (Holman Bible Publishers, 2017)
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Guardian Press, 1976)
- The Bible: A Reader’s Guide (Sterling Publishing, 2011)
- The Infographic Bible (Zondervan, 2018)
- ESV Digital Scripture Journal (Crossway, 2019)