Zechariah 11

Zechariah 11:1

J. Unfaithful Rulers Will Be Punished (11:1-3)Chapter 11 deals with the rejection of the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and also with the rise of the Antichrist. The first three verses may be a literal description of the destruction wrought in the forests of Israel (Lebanon), both in the highlands and in the lowlands. The shepherds howl because the pastures along the Jordan are ruined and their sheep have nothing to eat. Some think this points forward to the devastation of the land by the Romans in A.D. 70.

Zechariah 11:4

K. Messiah Becomes True Shepherd of the Flock (11:4-8a)11:4-6 The LORD instructs Zechariah to assume the role of a shepherd whose flock is doomed to slaughter. In this, Zechariah is a type of the Lord Jesus. The sheep (the Jewish remnant) have been cruelly exploited by their previous shepherds (rulers). God has determined to deliver the wicked inhabitants of the land into the hands of the Roman emperor whom they will acknowledge as their king (Joh_19:15). 11:7, 8a In carrying out the role of shepherd, Zechariah took . . . two staffsgrace (Beauty) and union (Bonds). They represent God’s desire to show grace to His people, and to unite Judah and Israel. Zechariah had to dismiss three false shepherds, generally taken to refer to the three offices of king, priest and prophet, in order to do his work. (Unger suggests that the three shepherds picture three orders of rulers in the Jewish statepriests, teachers of the law, and civil magistrates. He explains the one month as the period of culminating unbelief just before Israel’s leaders crucified our Lord.)

Zechariah 11:8

L. Messiah Is Rejected by His People (11:8b-14)11:8b-11 When the people reject the shepherd, he leaves them to their fate. Zechariah then breaks the first staff (Beauty) . . . in two, annulling the covenant that restrained the Gentiles from oppressing God’s people. Only the poor of the flock understood what God was doing and why. 11:12, 13 When Zechariah asks for his wages, they give him thirty pieces of silverthe redemption price of a slave who has been gored by an ox. This payment is cast to the potter, a prophecy of what Judas would do after his betrayal of the Lord. 11:14 Then Zechariah cuts in two his other staff, (Bonds), indicating that the brotherhood between Judah and Israel was broken, and that there would be disunity and internal strife among the Jews.

Zechariah 11:15

M. God Delivers Them over to the Idol Shepherd (Antichrist) (11:15-17)Feinberg points out that the Church Age is hidden between verses 14 and 15. Because Israel rejected the Good Shepherd, they would be given a false shepherd. Zechariah acts this out by taking the implements of a worthless shepherd. This points to the future Antichrist, who will not care for the sheep but will rob and slay them. His arm will be withered and his right eye . . . blinded in battle.