More about the coming Messiah...
Here are the verses from the end of chapter 9 that set the scene for the beginning of chapter 10:
And the Lord their God will save them in that day
As the flock of His people;
For they are as the stones of a crown,
Sparkling in His land.
For what comeliness and beauty will be theirs!
Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Zechariah 9:16–17, emphasis mine
Ask rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain—
The Lord who makes the storm clouds;
And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man. Zechariah 10:1, emphasis mine
Zechariah has moved from immediate prophesies about the Temple restoration to historical prophesies, both near term and final fulfillment. The primary message is clear: The Lord will save them...when restoring the Temple, when Antiochus Epiphane persecutes them, and when the antiChrist persecutes them. The Lord saves.
Then He uses something they are all aware of as a metaphor: the environment that provides food and wine. When he saves them He will also provide for them going forward. There will be grain to make the young men strong, and new wine for the virgins. Now He adds that He will bring the spring rain. The other nations will face storm clouds, but it will mean rain for Israel.
At work I'm researching biblical environmental care and we've taken up a new hobby of watching the wildlife that shows up in our security camera. If you're wondering how those two things relate to this passage, it's nature. God delights in His creation. As much awe as I see in an adorable new outdoor cat, and even in the cute waddle of a skunk...God sees in observing His creation. He knows about plants and animals that exist so far down in the sea, no human has seen them. He delights in a wildflower no human will see. Creation isn't for us, it's for Him. We're His stewards.
It's no wonder He speaks to us in nature metaphors, they aren't metaphors at all to Him, just explanations.
Back to the text, starting in verse 2:
For the teraphim speak iniquity,
And the diviners see lying visions
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.
“My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the male goats;
For the Lord of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah,
And will make them like His majestic horse in battle. Zechariah 10:2–3
Since chapter 9 we have been reading of judgment on the oppressing nations and hope for Israel. That continues here. Apparently, teraphim is a term for small household gods, or idols. Families would seek divination (speaking to the dead ancestors) through these man-made objects. This would cause the Jews to fall for lies and take comfort in hearing what they wanted to. Similarly, God prophesies judgment on the male goat (foreign, unclean leaders) leading Israel astray, such as Babylon. At the same time, as God promises to crush those leading His people astray, He promises to visit His flock and transform them into a horse ready for battle.
How? How can this small oppressed people group become mighty?...
“From them will come the cornerstone,
From them the tent peg,
From them the bow of battle,
From them every ruler, all of them together.
“They will be as mighty men,
Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle;
And they will fight, for the Lord will be with them;
And the riders on horses will be put to shame. Zechariah 10:4–5
From the blood of Israel, from the blood of Judah, will come the cornerstone and tent peg that will root the nation forever. Notice in verse 3 He states that he will visit His flock. Temporary. Visit. But in that visit, He'll set the cornerstone that everything else will be built on. He'll plant the tent pag that will anchor everything going forward.
Jesus Christ, the Messiah will visit and every single thing will change Forever. He comes as a Lamb. To visit. But He starts a fire that will transform the whole world.
And here's what comes after that:
“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph,
And I will bring them back,
Because I have had compassion on them;
And they will be as though I had not rejected them,
For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
“Ephraim will be like a mighty man,
And their heart will be glad as if from wine;
Indeed, their children will see it and be glad,
Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
8 “I will whistle for them to gather them together,
For I have redeemed them;
And they will be as numerous as they were before. Zechariah 10:6–8
His tribes will return.
He will bring them back.
He will restore and redeem them.
They will be mighty.
They will be filled with joy.
He will signal them and they will come running (1948?).
What a good and gracious God we serve. He will make things right, even when we don't deserve it. For His name's sake.
He goes on to say that "When I scatter them..." So the scattering is still to come; not just the captivity to Babylon; but the diaspora in the first century. And the return after WWII. It's amazing to get to see the probably fulfillment of this prophecy with the restoration of Israel. He will "bring them back from Egypt) which is symbolic of the world. He even promises to gather them from Assyria, which no longer exists; which mean He will be able to bring back tribes that have been so scattered as to have been lost to history (the norther tribes scattered and interbred by the Assyrians). That's going to be wild to see how He arranged for that to happen.
He'll bring back so many that there won't be room for them.
And then there is this amazing image:
“And they will pass through the sea of distress
And He will strike the waves in the sea,
So that all the depths of the Nile will dry up;
And the pride of Assyria will be brought down
And the scepter of Egypt will depart.
“And I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord. Zechariah 10:11–12
Imagine being in a sea of distress. What a terrible image to consider. And then the Lord can strike a wave and dry up the water that was distressing you...
First, it wounds a lot like Jesus calming the stormy sea for the disciplines. But second, it reminds us that He is sovereign. Our distress is under His control.
All foreign oppressors will fall. We all will be strengthened and we will walk in His name.
Amazing grace. And mercy. His promises are yes and amen, as we have repeatedly seen.
Amen.