Zechariah 11:1-17

     The pericope opens with a pronouncement of judgment against the leaders and land to the north and east of Judah (Zec 11:1-3), perhaps because of some wrong they’d committed against the Israelites. God then called Zechariah to act out a message to His people (Zec 11:4). The prophet’s first role was as a shepherd who pastured a flock that was doomed to slaughter (Zec 11:5-14), and his second role was as a foolish shepherd who selfishly abused his flock and was cursed (Zec 11:15-17). The bad shepherds abused the sheep (Zec 11:5), and were judged by God Himself (Zec 11:6). Acting as a shepherd, Zechariah took two staffs, which he named Favor and Union (Zec 11:7). God, speaking through Zechariah, stated, “I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me” (Zec 11:8). The three shepherds are not identified and could represent three actual shepherds, three kings, or three offices of leadership such as king, prophet, and priest. Then, speaking to the nation again, the Lord states, “I will not pasture you. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be annihilated, let it be annihilated; and let those who are left eat one another's flesh” (Zec 11:9); this is presumably because of some sinful failing on their part. Zechariah took the staff he called Favor, and cut it in pieces, which represented God’s breaking His covenant with His people (Zec 11:10). This does not appear to be a reference to any of the major biblical covenants (i.e. Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Palestinian, Davidic, New), but a metaphor of the broken relationship between God and the people of Zechariah’s day. When Zechariah did this, he said, “the afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the LORD” (Zec 11:11). Speaking as their shepherd—who had broken his staff—he asked them to pay him his wages, and they gave him thirty pieces of silver (Zec 11:12). God told Zechariah to take the money and “throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them” (Zec 11:13a). So he “took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD” (Zec 11:13b). This might imply the temple reconstruction was complete at the time Zechariah received his message. Matthew saw this symbolic act as prophecy concerning Judas and the betrayal of Jesus (see Matt 27:3-10). Zechariah then cut in pieces his second staff, the one he’d named Union, “to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel” (Zec 11:14). This verse is difficult to know who he’s talking about, since the separation between Israel and Judah occurred historically after the death of Solomon in 930 B.C. God called Zechariah to assume a second role, that of a foolish shepherd (Zec 11:15). This role was to typify a leader God would raise up to punish His people, one “who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs” (Zec 11:16). At times, God appoints unjust rulers to discipline His people (Isa 3:1-5; 10:5-11; Hab 1:5-10). Finally, concerning the unjust leaders in Zechariah’s day, God declares, “Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered and his right eye will be blind” (Zec 11:17). Because of his sin, the foolish shepherd’s strength and intelligence will be crippled, rendering him unfit to lead. Overall, the chapter emphasizes God’s sovereignty to administer just punishment to nations, leaders, and His people.