To love, to discipline, to rebuild

Today's passage comes to us from Zechariah 10-12.

The start of chapter 10 speaks to us of the futility of trusting in things other than God. If you ask God for something that is needful, then he will provide it. BUT if you ask the household gods, or your false spiritual heads for things... well that's a completely different story. They don't really listen to you anyways.

Israel is suffering because they are sheep without a shepherd.

God is NOT pleased with this at all. He cares deeply for his people, and wants them to be majestic. The people he put into place to guide and lead his people are NOT doing their jobs. Therefore, they will be punished. He will make his people into warriors and they will put to shame all who come against them.

As God says

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.
7Then 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.

Even though God had

scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries they shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.

God promises that he will make

them strong in the LORD,
and they shall walk in his name,"

But I have to admit, it seems a bit strange to me. God in chapter 10 speaks of how he will build up his people. How he will punish those who did not lead them as they aught. How his people who were scattered will be gathered together again, and they will be strong and walk in HIS name.

But in Chapter 11 we see God's wrath being poured out on Israel.

God will break the shepherds. God will bring covenant.
We find God saying

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.

And it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. And I'm not sure if Vv7-14 are what Zechariah is doing/acting out from God or what.

And then we have vv 15-16 were it seems that God will be bringing in a really bad shepherd for his sheep. One who will not care for them at all, to the point where even the strong and healthy are at extreme risk.

But this will be be brought to woe. He will be struck down.

WHY? Because in Chapter 12 we see God is the God of Salvation! God will care for Jerusalem and Israel. Judah will be redeemed! YEAH!!!!!

Any who come against her will be hurt, damaged or destroyed.

7"And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them. 9And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

God will care for his people.

I have to admit, much of this reading I didn't really understand. It was, it seemed, going from one extreme to the other. BUT a continued theme of God throughout the Old Testament is that he cares for his people. He gets angry with them when they turn from him. He chastens/disciplines them, they come back and God restores them.

Those themes continue in this book of Zechariah. Praises be to the God who cares and loves us enough to get angry when we turn aside, and then takes us back when we say we are sorry and live the way he wants us to.