Discovering the heart of God (Zechariah 10)

The newly arrived pastor of a church I was involved in was enthusiastically talking about plans for various ministries, but it soon became apparent that this was only for show. He created his own inner circle, some of whom were more affluent than the rest of the congregation. Social events organised by this circle often excluded those who could not afford the expense. The pastor seemed to spend a large amount of time watching sports with his cronies rather than doing ministry. Yet, the rhetoric describing the spiritual developments in the church was inflated beyond belief, so that an ordinary picnic in the park was described as ‘taking the church to the next level’. Given the ongoing hypocrisy, lack of integrity, and the glaring gap between verbal claims and reality, many of us left the church that under a different leadership was a place to encounter God and grow in faith and love for the Lord.

False hopes and empty promises

Leadership can make or break a group, whether it is a church, a business, a sports team or a country. Judah’s kings led the people into idolatry causing the exile and the issues persisted post-exile.[1] Drought and famine plagued the postexilic community’s early years (Hag 1:6, 10-11) and God calls them here to seek His help not that of other gods (teraphim are household idols) or pagan diviners (Zech 10:1-2). These can only give false hope, and their words are like vapour or breath (the meaning of the Hebrew hevel v.2; NASB ‘comfort in vain’; cf. Eccl 1:2), promises without substance. Their solutions seem appealing and easy, a shortcut to fulfilment without having to invest in a relationship with God. Implicit to Zechariah’s interpretation of the situation is the neglect of the shepherds (a metaphor for leaders), who do not guide the people in godly ways but let them wander aimlessly and be afflicted (Zech 10:2-3).  

What God can do

God’s heart, however, is moved by compassion (Zech 10:6), the flipside of which is His anger against bad leaders whom He will punish (v.3). Various metaphors are used for good leadership that ultimately describe the messianic king from Judah (Zech 10:4). A cornerstone (a capstone or foundation stone) and a peg that secures a tent speak of holding a building together, giving it support and stability. The bow is likely a symbol of military might (given the language of battle; Zech 10:5), though whether the fight is metaphorical or physical is unclear. God will effect a reversal ‘as though I had not rejected them’ (Zech 10:6) not only in terms of leadership, but through the restoration of the northern kingdom of Israel (called ‘Joseph’ here, v.6).[2] Those ten tribes were taken into Assyrian captivity in 722 BC, over a hundred years before Judah, never to return.[3] Yet God can summon His own no matter how lost they seem or what far-flung countries they are scattered in and the fact that some are settled outside Israel’s traditional boundaries (Gilead is in the Transjordan, Lebanon north-east of Israel) suggests that their numbers are too great for the Promised Land (Zech 10:10). Such deliverance is portrayed in exodus-like language and simultaneously describes the crushing of the oppressors’ pride (Zech 10:11; 11:1-3).[4]

The heart of God

Once again, how this prophecy may be fulfilled is unclear, but we can be encouraged by what we learn about God’s heart and His ability to help. Unlike false gods who offer empty promises, our trust in God is not in vain because He is Lord over nature, as well as human events. When we struggle with inadequate leadership in our various contexts, we need to seek Him who can provide godly leadership that holds a community together. We may also be reassured that the Father observes us with the same heart Jesus had, who looked at the crowds with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mk 6:34). The Lord seeks out His lost sheep, no matter what hidden-away corner of the world they have been driven to by their own sin. Just as it seemed impossible for an enslaved people to be free of Pharaoh’s oppression, yet it happened, so God can bring us and those we love to the other side of the sea of distress (Zech 10:11).

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[1] A few decades after Zechariah’s time, the leaders are foremost in intermarrying with non-Jews (Ezra 9:1-2), which threatens the community with idolatrous influences. The loss of language in the children of such marriages (Neh 13:23-24) also bars them from receiving instruction in God’s Word and participating in His worship.

[2] Joseph, Jacob’s son, was promised a double portion of land in Canaan (Gen 48:22) and the tribes descending from his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, received land in what later became the northern kingdom of Israel. Joseph and more frequently Ephraim (e.g. Zech 10:7) are used for the northern kingdom in prophetic books.

[3] The mention of Egypt in this context may seem strange, but no doubt some Israelites escaped there when they saw the Assyrian threat from the north. People from Judah also settled in Egypt a hundred years later, at the time of the Babylonian exile (Jer 43:1-7).

[4] Zechariah 11:1-3 continues the theme of judgment on oppressors for their pride and belongs with the above unit (‘thus says the LORD my God’ in Zechariah 11:4 marks the beginning of a new section). The cedars of Lebanon are a metaphor for Assyria’s pride (cf. Ezekiel 31:3, 10-11) and so are the oaks of Bashan (Zech 11:2). Bashan was in the upper Transjordan region reaching north-east of the Sea of Galilee and was famous for its magnificent oaks.

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