Zechariah 11:1-17 (August 18, 2025)

The Flock Doomed to Slaughter

11:1 Open your doors, O Lebanon,

that the fire may devour your cedars!

2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,

for the glorious trees are ruined!

Wail, oaks of Bashan,

for the thick forest has been felled!

3 The sound of the wail of the shepherds,

for their glory is ruined!

The sound of the roar of the lions,

for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

4 Thus said the Lord my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”

7 So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” 10 And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

17 “Woe to my worthless shepherd,

who deserts the flock!

May the sword strike his arm

and his right eye!

Let his arm be wholly withered,

his right eye utterly blinded!”

Zechariah 11Brian Lee

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Summary

Zechariah 11 presents a sobering vision of judgment, centered on failed leadership and rejected shepherds.

The chapter opens with poetic imagery. Lebanon’s cedars and Bashan’s oaks falling, shepherds wailing, and lions’ thickets destroyed.

1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars! 2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled! 3 The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

These pictures show devastation coming to the land and its leaders.

Then Zechariah enacts a prophetic drama. He takes up the role of a shepherd appointed by God to pasture the flock “doomed to slaughter” (v. 4). This flock represents God’s people under corrupt leaders and foreign oppressors. Zechariah shepherds them with two staffs named Favor and Union (v. 7), symbolizing God’s covenant grace and the unity of His people. Yet the people detest him, and his covenant blessing is revoked. He breaks the staff called Favor, symbolizing the annulment of God’s covenant with the nations (v. 10). His wages for this shepherding role are thirty pieces of silver (v. 12), which is a pitiful sum. However, God ironically calls it “a magnificent price.” Zechariah throws it into the temple treasury (v. 13). This is later fulfilled in Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus. He then breaks the staff called Union, symbolizing the fracture of brotherhood between Judah and Israel (v. 14).

Finally, the LORD commissions Zechariah to act out the role of a “foolish shepherd” (vv. 15–17), representing ungodly leaders who do not care for the flock, but instead exploit and destroy them. God pronounces woe on such shepherds, promising judgment against them.

Who is God?

God is the true Shepherd who cares for His flock, even when human leaders fail. He entrusts leaders with the responsibility to shepherd His people in justice, truth, and mercy. When they exploit or neglect the flock, God sees and judges.

He is also the sovereign Judge who removes His favor when His people reject Him:

11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.

Yet God is also the Redeemer, who foreshadows through this text the coming of the ultimate Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The thirty pieces of silver and the rejection of the shepherd point directly to Christ, who was despised, sold for the price of a slave, and yet became the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.

What is Our Guilt?

Our guilt is exposed in the rejection of God’s true Shepherd. Like Israel, we often prefer leaders who flatter or promise worldly security, even if they devour the flock. We undervalue God’s provision, like the people who offered only thirty pieces of silver for their shepherd (v. 12).

We also fracture the unity of God’s people. The breaking of the staff Union warns us that sin, pride, and unbelief tear apart the covenant fellowship God intends for His people. Instead of cherishing the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we divide over lesser things.

Worst of all, we can reject Christ Himself, treating His shepherding as insufficient while we chase after foolish shepherds who cannot save.

How Does Grace Shine?

Grace shines in the promise that God Himself will shepherd His people in Christ. Though the earthly shepherd is rejected, the prophecy points forward to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who was valued at thirty pieces of silver, betrayed, and struck down. By His wounds, the flock is healed.

Grace also shines in God’s judgment of false shepherds. He does not leave His people abandoned forever. In Christ, He gathers, protects, and nourishes His flock. Unlike the foolish shepherd who feeds himself, Jesus lays down His life for the sheep.

Ultimately, grace is seen in the cross, where Christ bore the curse of rejection to secure the eternal favor and unity of His people. Where Favor was broken, Christ restores God’s grace. Where Union was shattered, Christ unites Jew and Gentile into one flock under one Shepherd.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We confess that we often despise Your care, chasing after leaders who cannot save us. Forgive us for undervaluing Your covenant love and for breaking the unity of Your people. Thank You that Jesus, the true Shepherd, was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver and struck down for our sin, yet rose again to gather us as one flock. Protect us from foolish shepherds, and teach us to listen to Your voice alone. Keep us in Your favor, and unite us in Your love, until we shine as the flock You redeem.

In Christ Jesus' name we pray. Amen.