THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP

 

Zechariah 11:1-17

THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP

               

    From today’s text, God told Zechariah to act out the roles of two different kinds of shepherds; the first demonstrated how God would reject his sheep because they rejected Him (v.4-14). The second revealed how God would give His sheep over to an evil shepherd (v. 15-17). The two shepherd staffs – ‘Beauty’ (Grace) and ‘Bond’ (Union) that Zechariah broke signified that God’s gracious covenant with His people was broken, and that brotherhood between Judah and Israel was also broken. The third aspect showed that the time would come when the true shepherd would be rejected by the sheep who would rather accept a worthless shepherd.

                Shepherds are not messengers of themselves but emissaries of God. God authorized them to pour forth the word; they are the pro-claimers, publishers and speakers of God and His secrets. Hence, “thus says the Lord” is their defining introduction (Jer. 2:2; Ezekiel 2:4, Amos 1:3). They are charged with a burden, a word from the Lord that they had no choice but to deliver. While true shepherds are called, instructed and sent by God (Ezekiel 33:1, 7:7, 22; Isaiah 44:28), whoever does not receive his charge at the Lord’s mouth is a spy or hireling. True shepherds do not have any message of their own. Thus, the message of God in their mouth is not tampered with, added to, or subtracted from. Therefore, sheep are duty bound to submit to and obey them (shepherds) as they have been instructed from the Lord.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, make Your shepherds true emissaries of Your message and help the flock under them to yield themselves to divine injunctions. Amen