June 21 - Zechariah 10

June 21 - Zechariah 10:1-12

God will restore His people to Judah. In assuring the people of this promise, Zechariah begins with a transition from the previous chapter. The Lord is the One who provides the rain and causes the growth of the fields. In opposition to that are the household idols that most Israelites own. These are the sources of much of their trouble. They can't focus on the things of the Lord because they are distracted by the false promises of the idols - idols that were given to them by false shepherds and leaders.

God is furious. He will care for His flock. In Zechariah 10:4, we find 4 attributes of the Lord: the cornerstone which represents strength, the tent peg which represents stability, the battle bow which represents victory and the ruler which represents trust. When Israel comes together under their Shepherd, they will be like mighty men and they will fight and overthrow nations that come against them.

While Judah was the name of the Southern Kingdom, Joseph represented the two largest tribes of the Northern Kingdom and Ephraim is the representation of the entire Northern Kingdom (Zechariah 10:6-7). God continues to promise re-unification of all the tribes. Zechariah 10:8-10 describes a regathering of Israelites from around the world.

Just as God parted the Red Sea so that the children of Israel could cross, He will again remove every obstacle so that they can return to the Judah, even to the point of drying up the Nile River if it becomes necessary.

When the people of the Lord finally return to Judah, they will walk with the Lord. There will be no more household idols, they will no longer be corrupted by false shepherds. The people of Israel will walk in the name of the Lord.