December 6, 2011
STILL LOST?
Zechariah 10
JJ Wampler
Central Truth
Whether a black sheep or part of a small or large flock, most people are lost, wandering sheep in need of a good shepherd.
Key Verse | Zechariah 10:2
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.
(Zechariah 10:2)
Zechariah 10
The Restoration for Judah and Israel
1
Ask rain from the LORD
in the season of the spring rain,
from the LORD who makes the storm clouds,
and he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2
For the household gods utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
they tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
3
“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
1
10:3
Hebrew the male goats
for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4
From him shall come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler—all of them together.
5
They shall be like mighty men in battle,
trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the LORD is with them,
and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.
6
I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
7
Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD.
8
I will whistle for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as many as they were before.
9
Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries they shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.
10
I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
till there is no room for them.
11
He shall pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea,
and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12
I will make them strong in the LORD,
and they shall walk in his name,”
declares the LORD.
Dive Deeper | Zechariah 10
First off, I love trying to figure out what's next. The whole concept of a "prophet" has always mesmerized me. If I got to pick a supernatural power, the ability to know the future would be a finalist. So, when I read this passage, it reminded me of the many leaders and deceivers of us.
Even at a young age, I understood the concept of sheep and shepherds. I had learned enough about sheep to know how stupid they are, via felt cut-outs and other Sunday school illustrations. I later detested being called a sheep. As I grew and matured into a smarter and blacker sheep, I eventually wandered off to college and then to the larger cities of the world. It's a good thing my parents taught and loved this dumb sheep very well.
My high school and college years became a torturous monotony of the same concepts. Why do all these "sheeple" do the same stupid things, and why are they surprised at the results!? This passage crystallized the fact that the world is generation after generation of sheep leading each other. Occasionally, a smarter blacker sheep darts away and starts a new, lost flock.
As I've grown into my real-world job in advertising and marketing, I began to believe or put too much faith in the world's superstitions, Oprah-type oracles, many forms of mass media, and other pied-politician pipings. With all the knowledge of trends, "what's so new you must own five of them," plus a few new tricks of the persuasion trade, I've felt like a prophet of persuasion myself at times!
I'm glad some of my friends and family, and most of all the Good Shepherd led me back to church during the "What if the Skeptics are Right" series at Watermark in 2005. This skeptic found a new foundation through God's written Word, and I've been ridding my world of "teraphim" (look it up!) and seeking out my lost brethren sheep ever since, leading them as the Good Shepherd has taught me and will continue to teach me as long as I submit to Him.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever been led astray by a "wiser" sheep? What did you learn from that?
2. Have you ever felt led by the Holy Spirit? Did you follow? What was the result?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
ZECHARIAH 9-13 (DECEMBER 5-9)
ACTIVITY: All of the prophets were telling about things that would happen in the future. This week, let's read a couple verses in Zechariah and then find their fulfillment in the New Testament. Fold a piece of paper in half. On the left side at the top, write Prophecy, and on the right side, write Fulfillment. As you read the passages below, write down the verse and what it tells us, both the prophecy and the fulfillment.
Read Zechariah 9:9.
Who is the king that came riding in on a donkey? Read Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:12-15. What are the three words that describe Jesus in Zechariah 9:9?
Read Zechariah 10:4.
Let's look at the fulfillment of this verse. Read Acts 4:11 and Ephesians 2:20. Who is the cornerstone?
Read 1 Peter 2:4-9.
If you have trusted in Jesus as your cornerstone, then what does God say about you in verse 9? What does He want you to show others?
Read Zechariah 12:10 and then John 19:33-37.
Who was pierced?
God gave the prophets information about when Jesus would come, and He was very specific. Seeing these prophecies fulfilled helps build our trust that what God says is going to occur in the future will actually happen.