Zechariah 11 is prophetic of the rejection of God's true shepherd. The chapter starts with a call to Lebanon and Bashan to mourn the destruction of their mighty trees which is symbolic of God's judgement. Then God tells Zechariah to "pasture the flock marked for slaughter (Judah)... for I will no longer have pity on the people of the land... and Zechariah cared for this flock marked for slaughter... and he took 2 staffs with one Favour and the other Union... and the flock detested Zechariah... so he asked for his pay and received 30 pieces of silver... so woe to worthless shepherds who desert the flock... may his arm be withered and his right eye blinded". We must therefore be careful to follow the true shepherd and genuine spiritual leadership.
Saturday, 1 August 2026
Zechariah 10 (résumé): The Lord will care for Judah
Zechariah 10 brings a message of hope to his people. "God gives showers of rain and plants of the field to everyone... Idols speak deceit and diviners lie... I will punish bad leaders... but from Judah will come the cornerstone... together they will be mighty men... because the Lord is with them... and I will strengthen the house of Judah... I will retore them because I have compassion on them... their children will see it and be joyful... surely I will redeem them... I will bring them back from Egypt and Assyria... and I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will walk".
Zechariah 9 (résumé): Judgement on Israel's enemies
Now come prophecies about judgment for the nations and about the coming Messiah. "Tyre has built a stronghold and amassed wealth, but the Lord will take away her possessions... Ashkelon will see it and fear... Gaza will writhe in agony... and Ekron too... foreigners will occupy Ashdod... and those left will belong to God... and never again will an oppressor overrun my people". Now rejoice Zion!... your king comes to you... gentle and riding on a donkey... he will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea... and the Lord will appear and the Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet... the Lord their God will save them on that day... they will sparkle in the land like jewels in a crown!"
Zechariah 8 (résumé): The Lord promises to bless Jerusalem
Zechariah 8 is a message of hope and restoration. "This is what the Lord Almighty says: I am very zealous for Zion... I will return there and dwell in Jerusalem... and it will be called the City of Truth... the city will have the aged sitting in the streets and boys and girls playing there too... I will save my people from east and west and bring them back to Jerusalem... so let your hands be strong so that the temple can be built... the seed will grow well and the vine will yield its fruit... I will save you and you will be a blessing... I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem... so speak truth... render sound judgement... love truth and peace... and many nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord... and people will ask to go with you because God is with you!"
Zechariah 7 (résumé): Justice and mercy - not fasting
This chapter deals with the practical matter of whether people should continue to fast and mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. People came from Bethel to ask the priests: "Should I mourn and fast as I have done for many years?... and God asked what was your real motive when you fasted over these 70 years?... then the Lord said he had always required people to administer true justice above all else; show mercy and compassion to one another... don't oppress the widow or the orphan, the foreigner or the poor. In your hearts don't think evil of each other... but your forefathers would not listen... which angered God... and he said that's why he scattered them like a whirlwind when he did".
Zechariah 6 (résumé): Four chariots
Zechariah 6 brings the last of 8 night visions which ends with a symbolic act pointing to the Messiah. Zechariah saw 4 chariots with red, black, white and dappled horses respectively. An angel told him that these were "the four spirits of heaven" going in different directions around the earth symbolizing God's judgement on the nations. Then Zechariah was told to make a gold and silver crown and put it on the high priest Joshua. This symbolic act points to the coming Messiah called "the branch". "He will build the temple... be a priest on the throne... and there will be harmony between the two".
Zechariah 5 (résumé): The flying scroll & the woman in a basket
Zechariah 5 brings another 2 visions condemning sin. Initially Zechariah sees an enormous flying scroll 9 metres long by 4.5 metres wide representing the curse of God's judgement banishing every thief and everyone who bears false witness. Then an angel showed him a "measuring basket" to measure the sin of the people. In the basket was a woman representing wickedness, and she was kept inside by a lead lid. Two other women then took the basket to Babylon.
The Door
Last night Philip and I travelled to the village of Picotes about 25 km east of Patos to hold a gospel service. Pastor Rafael led the service, Philip led the praise and worship and I preached on 'Jesus is the Door' from John 10. It was a lovely service with a nice little crowd gathered. Someone asked me after the service if I remembered preaching at the same spot many years ago when a snake appeared near me whilst I was preaching?! (I didn't remember the incident) Everyone was served a snack with coke after the service before we headed down the earth track home.