Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20090719.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Zechariah: Paving The Path Toward A Blessed Future
Part IV: Informing God's People About The Messianic King And His Kingdom, Zechariah 9:1-14:21
D. Predicting The Kingdom's Delay For Israel's Rejection Of Messiah
(Zechariah 11:1-14)
  1. Introduction
    1. The messianic blessings of Zechariah 9:9-10:12 were not going to be immediately realized by Israel, but were destined to be delayed because of the events of Zechariah 11:1-14; Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 1564.
    2. Zechariah 11:1-14 then verifies (1) that Israel's rejection of Christ fulfills prophecy and (2) that our view that the messianic kingdom is both literal and delayed due to Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ (as follows):
  2. Predicting The Kingdom's Delay For Israel's Rejection Of Messiah, Zechariah 11:1-14.
    1. Zechariah 11:1-3 is a lamentation presenting the doom that will be experienced for the people of Israel for rejecting their Messiah, the "True and Good Shepherd (vv. 4-14)", Ibid.:
      1. The fir tree's lament of the fall of the stately cedar trees of Lebanon north of Israel (Zechariah 11:1-2a) followed by a lament by the oaks of Bashan east of the Sea of Galilee (Zechariah 11:2b) in turn followed by laments over the destruction on the lush thickets of the Jordan River area further south (Zechariah 11:3b) picture an invading army coming from the north to terrify and destroy all Israel.
      2. Both the wail of shepherds over the destruction of their rich pasture lands and the roaring of their enemies, the lions who lived in the Jordan's thickets and who ate of their sheep, indicate wholesale destruction that at least includes the invasion of Rome in Israel in A. D. 70, Ibid., p. 1564-1565.
    2. Then, Zechariah 11:4-14 presents the coming rejection of the Messiah by Israel that will elicit such judgment, and we note how the details of this prophecy were so abundantly fulfilled in Christ (as follows):
      1. God directed His prophet, Zechariah, to pasture the flock destined for slaughter (Zech. 11:4), a picture of Christ's calling from the Father to shepherd Israel that is destined for judgment by Rome in A. D. 70.
      2. A sad picture of the spiritually destitute state of Israel in Christ's day is presented in Zechariah 11:5:
        1. Israel's religious leaders would oppress the people for their own selfish interests, and claim the resulting financial advantages meant God was blessing them, Zechariah 11:5.
        2. This pictures the greed of the Pharisees in Jesus' era, and of the oppression they administered on the people for their own interests as noted in passages like Matthew 23:2-4, 14a; 15:1-9 and 9:36.
      3. Thus, God promised to judge the nation, not delivering it from the invading Romans, Zech. 11:6.
      4. Zechariah 11:7a indicates Messiah would shepherd particularly the most oppressed people of Israel, a fact verified by the testimony of Luke 10:21 and Matthew 11:28-30. Zechariah 11:7b NIV predicts He would attempt to offer the united kingdom of David that had been divided for centuries, using the staffs of "Favor" and "Union," a truth fulfilled in Christ's earthly ministry, cf. Matthew 4:17, 23; 27:11.
      5. However, Christ would come into conflict with Israel's three groups of shepherds, her priests, scribes and civil rulers, and He would disown them, Zech. 11:8a ('akhhidh means to "cut off" in the sense of "disavow," cf. Merrill F. Unger, Zechariah, 1974, p. 195). This was fulfilled in "one month," the brief period of time just before His crucifixion, cf. Matthew 22:15-23:36.
      6. Even the flock of Israel would come to detest the Messiah, so He would refuse to shepherd the nation anymore, revoking the kingdom in a notable day that the afflicted of the flock, Jesus' disciples, would note, Zech. 11:8b-11. This was fulfilled in Matthew 12:24-13:1, 2-53.
      7. Messiah would then be paid 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave, as his shepherd wage, money to be thrown to the potter in the temple, Zech. 11:12-13. This was fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-16; 27:3-10.
      8. Messiah would cease offering the Kingdom then (Zech. 11:14) as Matt. 23:37-39 shows was fulfilled.
Lesson: Israel's rejection of Christ in His first coming due to apostasy fulfilled Old Testament prophecy validating our belief that the Messianic Kingdom is a literal kingdom that has been delayed.

Application: (1) May we believe in Christ as Savior though He was rejected by Israel, (2) and may we hold to the Premillennial, Pretribulational view of prophecy. (2) May we unlike apostate Israel in Jesus' day yield to His rule in our lives today, for He will truly rule in His coming Messianic Kingdom.