Zechariah Chapter 10, Israel restored to their King

Chapter 10 looks forward to the day of a restoration, when the nation of Israel is restored, in the later rain. Zechariah foretells, Israel’s future restoration, in the context of the nation’s fall, due evil shepherds who let the sheep wander.

The Lord of Hosts promises to visit His flock and restore them. Here we see both the First and Second Comingof Messiah, when the Lord of Host came to Jerusalem. Zechariah 10 prepares the way for the 11^th chapter, when we see the Good Shepard sold for 30-pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:13). Because Israel rejected the Messiah, the promises of restoration and elevation are put on hold until the nation finds Messiah, prior to His Second-Coming.

At His Second Coming, the nation is restored and receives the blessings promised. At the Second Coming, through the nation Judah, God establishes His plan in the earth.

1 Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.

2 For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.

(1) Ask the Lord rain: Zechariah uses the imagery of rain and harvest, to represent the Lord’s relationship with the nation. Rain was essential for the people to reap a harvest, without rain the harvest would perish. Rain, watered the ground and allowed the seeds to grow and produce fruit. Rain came from above, God dwells in Heaven above, the Lord’s blessing proceed from above. As rain was necessary for the harvest of food, spiritual rain from the Lord was needed for the harvesting of souls.

Later rain: The harvest depends on rain; scripture refers to the first rain and the later rain. The first rain took place in the autumn, September and October, while the latter rain took place in the spring, March to April. Rain proceeded from the Lord, and was a sign of blessing on the nation. (See Jeremiah 3:3, 5:24, Joel 2:23, James 5:7)

14 'then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. Deuteronomy 11:14

The land needed the first rain, the autumn rain after a hot dry summer, the latter rain prepared the ground for the summer harvest. The latter-rain, refers to the latter day harvest, as the nation, Israel is reclaimed from the nations, brought back into the land (See verses 8-12).

Zechariah instructs the people to “Ask the Lord”, to pray and call out for the rain. The Lord is the force behind the blessing, but the Lord answers the prayers of His people.

Grass...everyone: During this period, the time of the latter rain, begins the Millennium, when the earth will be filled with plenty and blessings. The curses on the descendents of Jacob removed, as the Lord pours out his blessing on a restored people.

(2) Idols….diviners…false dreams: The problem faced by nation, causing judgment, resulted in the Babylonian captivity, was the result of their idols and apostasy. Zechariah is instructing them to turn to Lord, rather then idols and false teachers. Idols were (~yprtTeraphiym)were small household images thought to represent supernatural-power, they were seen as doors of access to the spirit world. (See Genesis 31:19,34-35; 1 Sam. 19:13,16; Hos. 3:4) The people took comfort in their false teachers and prophets who misled them. This caused their fall and judgment.

Like sheep: The people followed these false prophets, misled like sheep. The nation of Israel is presented as sheep, while the spiritual leaders are the designated shepherds of the flock. Ezekiel, like Isaiah and Zechariah presents the imagery of a wayward flock and with wicked shepherds. This flock without a shepherd is promised to be led by the Lord Himself, the true shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:15, Zechariah 10:3b)

2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

5 "So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 "My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them."

No shepherd: The shepherds who were given the responsibility to tend to the flock, abandoned the flock. They turned the people to idolatry turning them away from the true God therefore they were not shepherds. The scene most telling of the corruption, which took possession of Judah, is in Ezekiel 8, where Ezekiel, taken by the Sprit of God, to the Temple to witness the apostasy of the leaders of Jerusalem. God then asks Ezekiel, are not my judgments right, in destroying the Temple.

3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.

4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

10 So I went in and saw, and there-every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls.

11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up.

12 Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.' " Ezekiel 8:3-4,10-12

(3) My anger: The Lord judged the shepherds (the priests) and the goatherds (dwtt[`attuwd), the male goats. This word represented the kings of Judah, the same word is used in Isaiah 14:9, in reference “chief ones”. Both the priests and kings of Israel abandoned the people, therefore both were judged as a result.

Zechariah 10, establishes the foundation for chapter 11, when the “true shepherd” is sold for 30-pieces of silver, because of the wickedness, and the punishment which results.

For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock, The house of Judah, And will make them as His royal horse in the battle.

4 From him comes the cornerstone, From him the tent peg, From him the battle bow, From him every ruler together.

5 They shall be like mighty men, Who tread down their enemies In the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the Lord is with them, And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, Because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the Lord their God, And I will hear them.

7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, And their heart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.

(3b) Lord of Hosts: The priests and kings of Israel, were not responsible and allowed the children of Israel to fall away. The Lord Himself will visit his flock, because He is the true Shepard. The term Lord of Hosts, ( hwhyYehovahabcTsaba'), means the Yehovah of the hosts of heaven, as in the hosts of angels. He is to be King in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:16), who will rule over the nation and be a Shepard to His people.

Visit His flock: In both the first and second coming, the LORD of Hosts will visit His flock. In Zechariah 11, the Lord of Host is valued at 30-pieces of silver in his first coming, after he enters Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).

First Visit	Second Visit
Zechariah 9:9 on a donkey, entering Jerusalem	Zechariah 9:10, ruling over the nations
Zechariah 11:13, Sold for 30-pieces of silver	Zechariah 12:9, I will seek to destroy the nations who come against Jerusalem
Zechariah 12:10 Pierced by those who see Him	Zechariah 14:16, The Lord of Hosts, King in Jerusalem
Zechariah 13:7, My Shepherd, the man, My companion stuck

Royal horse: The House of Judah, is the Lord’s tool to bring His judgment into the world. Here Judah, described as a royal horse, is God’s vehicle of judgment. The Hebrew word translated Royal is dwhHowd, which means glory, honor and majesty. Through Judah, would the Messiah be born and established in the world, through Judah at the final battle, the nations are judged, when they surround Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:9-10)

Battle: The struggle between God’s plan, and the nations is viewed as a battle. The Hebrew word for battle is hmxlmMilchamah, which means fight, battle and war. This same word is used in Daniel 9:26, to describe the desolations of Jerusalem between the 69^th and 70^th Week. A continual war, which will one day be completed at Armageddon. (Zechariah 12:10, Revelation 16:16, 19:19)

(4) From him: From Judah, the nation precedes the Messiah, who will be victorious over the nations.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.

Tent peg: The peg either of which held the tent up, or a post which things of value were hung. Upon the Messiah, hung all the glory and hope of the nation.

22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.

23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father's house. Isaiah 22:22-23

Battle bow: Out of Judah, shall come the bow. The Messiah will vanquish the enemies of the Lord on that day, the Messiah out of Judah. Will be the battle bow, who will oppose the nations which come against Israel.

Ruler:(XgnNagas) Literally, oppressor or exactor in the Hebrew. The Messiah will sit on the

Throne of David and rule over the nations, to the Messiah will the nations bow. (Psalm 2, Zechariah 14;16).

(5) Mighty men: The house of Judah, will be the vehicle, which the Lord will use to judge the nations. According to Zechariah 12:6 -8, the children of Judah, will be supernaturally empowered to fight those who surround Jerusalem in the last days. This end-times battle, culminates in the coming of the Messiah who judges the enemies of the nation. The men of Judah are victorious over their enemies.

Put to shame: Referring to the enemies of Judah, the riders on horses. The nations will be put to shame as they see the descent of Messiah, who will judge the enemies of Judah.

30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

(6) I will: The Lord will restore both Israel and Judah. The restoration of the nation is key prophetic event in the end-times. Ezekiel chapters 36-39, revolve around the end-times restoration of the nation of Israel, gathered from the nations back into the land.

Deuteronomy 30:3, Isaiah 11:11, Isaiah 14:1-2, Isaiah 56:8, Isaiah 49:14-26, Jeremiah 12:15, 16:14, Jeremiah 23: 3-4,7-8, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Jeremiah 30-31, Ezekiel 20:34-40, Ezekiel 28:24-27, Ezekiel 35-37, Ezekiel 38:8, Ezekiel :39 23-29, Joel 3:1, Hosea 1:10, Hosea 3:4, Hosea 11:9-10, Amos 9:9, Micah 5:3, Zechariah 2:6-9, Zechariah 8:7-8, Zechariah 10:6-12.

25 "Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name

26 after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid.

27 'When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations,

28 'then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer.

Judah: After Solomon, the united tribes of Israel were divided, into two kingdoms, Judah and Benjamin to the south and the 10 other tribes to the North. The term Jew derived from Judah, means descendent of Judah. The northern tribes, referred to as Ephraim were scattered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 17:6-7). Following this Judah, was scattered in 605-586 B.C., by the Babylonians who defeated Assyria.

When Judah was allowed to return, Israel also returned, but as part of Judah, a unified people known as Jews. There tribal identities of Israel were lost in the captivity. The defeated Assyrian Kingdom was incorporated into Babylon, and the Assyrian captives, Israel became Babylonian captives. They would later be identified as Jews, in the Babylonian Kingdom.

Joseph: The northern tribes, became known as Ephraim (Joseph’s son) or Joseph.

Bring them back: The restoration will include both the northern Kingdom and the Southern kingdom, a unified nation. Ezekiel writes a detailed prophecy regarding the restoration of a unified kingdom.

16 "As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: 'For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.'

17 "Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

18 "And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?'-

19 "say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand." '

21 "Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

22 "and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. Ezekiel 37:15-22

Not cast them aside: In the Millennium, the obedient nation will be restored, and will not be treated as though the nation had fallen away. The nation will be completely restored.

8 I will whistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased.

9 "I will sow them among the peoples, And they shall remember Me in far countries; They shall live, together with their children, And they shall return.

10 I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them.

11 He shall pass through the sea with affliction, And strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, And the scepter of Egypt shall depart.

12 "So I will strengthen them in the Lord, And they shall walk up and down in His name," Says the Lord.

(8) Whistle for them: By God’s word alone the people will be called back to the land. He will whistle for his people, in same way someone whistles to get attention, God will whistle and his people shall be brought back. The environment will be prepared for the nations return.

Gather them: The Lord is the one gathering a redeemed people. Israel as a nation is redeemed in the end times, when they acknowledge the Messiah, who entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9;9), was sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11;13) and pierced for the sins of humanity (Zechariah 12:10).

Redeem them: Before Jesus was crucified, he made the following statement from the Temple,

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate;

39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' " Matthew 23:37-39

National redemption will occur, when the Jewish nation accepts the Messiah who died for their sins. When Christ returns, those who were scattered in the tribulation will be gathered, as the angels go throughout the earth and gather the elect.

31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:31

(9) Sow…Among the people: The scattering of the nation of Israel among the nations, was as if God planted seeds and the descendents would be reaped as in a harvest. The Jews among the nations opened the door for the advance of the Gospel, in the cities the apostles visited.

In the last days, the nation will again be a witness to the Gospel, as the 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel, bring the Gospel to a lost world. (Revelation chapter 7:4, 14).

They shall return: The restoration of the nation of Israel, back in the land was born out of both a religious and secular movement. Today in the land there is a struggle between the religious and secular Jews for control of the county. In the future, after the tribulation the period the nation will come to an understanding of Messiah.

The restoration, of the return will only be complete at the second coming, the restored nation prepares the way for national redemption.

(10 Bring them back: Egypt and Assyria are the two nations mentioned here, causing some to try to date this part of Zechariah to the Assyrian period, unnecessarily. Egypt is the southern captivity, and Assyrian the northern. Both Egypt and Assyria were oppressors of the Hebrews. The reference here is to complete redemption. Isaiah also mentioned both Egypt and Assyria in reference to the gathering of the nation in the day of Messiah (Root of Jesse).

10 "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."

11 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.

No more room: Following the restoration, the nation borders will be two small as the population stretches to the north (Lebanon) and west (Gilead)

(11) He…Sea of affliction: Judah, will pass through the affliction of the nations, as the nation crossed the Red Sea under Moses. As Moses struck the sea and the waters parted (Exodus 14:21-28), the sea of affliction will be dried and the oppressors brought low, for the nation to pass.

The afflictions of the nation, including the Holocaust and the coming tribulation, will seem as a passing events, as the nation receives the blessing promised to them.

(12) They shall walk: The nation will be elevated amongst nations, (Deut. 28:1) as they walk in the power of the Messiah. The nations will serve Israel, who is above the nations fulfilling the promises of the Covenant. The Gentiles (The Church), which was grafted into the blessings of Israel (Romans 11:10-22), will rule and reign with the Messiah. (Matthew 19:28)