Zechariah 10:1-12 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Zechariah 10:1-12. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Zechariah 10:1 (NIV)
1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.
On verse 1: God is the ultimate source of every good thing we have in life, every provision. Verse 1 encourages us to look to God as our provider.
Zechariah 10:2 (NIV)
2 The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
On verse 2: In verse 2 Zechariah warns the people of Judah against worshiping idols and resorting to divination for guidance. He says that what idols and diviners give are empty promises and false visions. Instead of turning to idols and divination for help, Zechariah tells the Jews to ask God who provides and “who sends the thunderstorms” (v1). Don’t look to idols for help. Look to God.
Zechariah 10:3-4 (NIV)
3 “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD Almighty will care for his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle.
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.
On verses 3-4: The Lord notices that Judah has suffered “for lack of a shepherd” (v2b). In other words, those who were meant to shepherd and lead the people of Judah were not doing their jobs. Thus God says, “my anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders.” (v3) The Lord says that He Himself will care for His flock and make them into a “proud horse in battle” (v3) – strong, able, confident and useful.
How will the Lord accomplish these promises in verse 3? By raising up someone to be “the cornerstone, the tent peg” from Judah (v4) — that is, the Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. From this Messiah, other rulers will come. Jesus, of course, is the Messiah, the cornerstone and tent peg of God’s kingdom. From Him, we God’s children, who are also called rulers in God’s kingdom (2 Tim 2:12), originate.
Zechariah 10:5 (NIV)
5 Together they will be like mighty men trampling the muddy streets in battle. Because the LORD is with them, they will fight and overthrow the horsemen.
On verse 5: We were meant to fight alongside Jesus the Messiah, “together…like mighty men trampling the muddy streets in battle” (v5). God’s presence allows God’s people to fight and overthrow the enemy.
Zechariah 10:6-10 (NIV)
6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like mighty men, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them.
On verse 6-10: Here again the Lord promises to strengthen and restore His people, to bring them back from all the places where they had been scattered. It’s a running theme in the book of Zechariah, the idea that God’s people who have been scattered to various places will gather together and return home.
Zechariah 10:11 (NIV)
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.
On verse 11: I love this image: it’s the image of God’s people walking through a tumultuous sea and instead of the sea subduing the people, the people subdue the sea. Praise God! With God’s help, we can walk on water and conquer our enemies.
Zechariah 10:12 (NIV)
12 I will strengthen them in the LORD and in his name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
On verse 12: Here God promises to strengthen His people in the Lord and cause them to walk in His name. It is in the Lord and in His name that we find strength to move forward.
Father, thank You that in You and in Your name I find my strength and restoration. Thank You that You saw us like sheep without a shepherd. You sent the greatest shepherd of all to take care of us, to lead us and to be our cornerstone. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being our shepherd and cornerstone. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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