God Deals with Bad Pastors

Since the covid outbreak there has been a plethora of pastors either voluntarily leaving the ministry or being forced out of their positions. Just this week I read of one pastor who, under great pressure from his ministry, went to his doctor who sent him for psychiatric counsel. After tests were run the Dr told him that his brain registered the semblance of PTSD.

In our passage we find that there are also pastors who stray from their mandate from God. Never fear, God will deal with such leaders. He will bless those who remain faithful and He will judge those who choose to ignore their call to shepherd the people of God.

In chapter 10 we saw how God protected and provided for the remnant who remained faithful to Him through the Egyptian and Assyrian captivities. God appointed “shepherds” or pastors (spiritual overseers) to guide His remnant, but some of them perverted their assignment for personal gain. That is where we pick up in chapter 11.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Poetic Prologue to Judgment

Zech 11:1-3 “Open your gates, Lebanon, and fire will consume your cedars. Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious trees are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest has fallen! Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.”

This poem predicts the destruction of the temple (built with the cedars of Lebanon). This would happen when the Romans overran Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The shepherds who wail are the Jewish religious rulers (Pharisees and Sadducees in the NT) who had gained great wealth and power from their positions. The cypress and the oaks were lesser trees, all of which made up the forests around Israel and were cut down and burned by the encroaching Roman hordes who came down through Lebanon. The “young lions” refer to the civil leaders, the princes of Israel.

This brings to mind the teaching of Paul in Romans 13:1 “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.” When God allows someone to be in authority, you can be sure that He will hold them accountable. They will be judged on the basis of their adherence to the mandates of God.

2. Judgment Begins

Zech 11:4-9 “The Lord my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter. Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord because I have become rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them. Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Instead, I will turn everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue it from their hand.” So I (Zechariah) shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the oppressed of the flock. I took two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is perishing perish; let the rest devour each other’s flesh.””

The shepherds were given the mandate to care for the flock (Israel) which were designated to be used in the worship of God. (Remember that surrender to Jesus as LORD requires giving up one’s life for Him.) However, the shepherds used their position for personal gain. They “sold” the sheep to the neighboring kingdoms (Egypt, Assyria) and then bragged about being blessed by God as their bank accounts grew.

We see this being manifested today in the pastors who become rich through their so-called “ministries”. They have 6 figure incomes, live in mansions, fly on their private jets…all paid for by the people who think that by giving to these “shepherds” they will also get financial blessings.

The Chief (Good) Shepherd…Messiah, (represented by Zechariah) said “I will take over the shepherding of the oppressed flock and show my favor (grace) to them and bring Unity” (representing the united Northern and Southern kingdoms of Israel and Judah). The covenant is not considered to be one of the Biblical covenants found in the OT, but rather a general covenant that protected Israel from nations that want to do them harm. The “shepherds” were given the responsibility of looking after the sheep (Israel). In the 23rd Psalm we find the job description of a shepherd. Psa 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. (the shepherd provides for the needs of the sheep) He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. (the shepherd makes available the necessities of life) He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths (the shepherd leads the flock in the right direction) for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. (the shepherd protects the flock from enemies) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (the shepherd vindicates the sheep) Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.”

Because of the selfish actions of the “shepherds” and the gullibility of the sheep to follow them, God’s protection is removed and the sheep are slaughtered for profit. When the Good Shepherd takes over, (v 7)He then deals with the bad shepherds (the priests, elders and scribes [pastors] of Israel. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, opposed the religious leaders (shepherds) while the poor and oppressed were the ones who followed Him.

3. Covenants Revoked

Zech 11:10-17 “Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples. It was annulled on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wages, thirty pieces of silver. “Throw it to the potter,” the Lord said to me—this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter. Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. The Lord also said to me, “Take the equipment of a foolish shepherd. I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are perishing, and he will not seek the lost or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves. Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his right eye go completely blind.”

Because of the failure of the bad shepherds, the protection of God’s covenant with the is removed (the staff called “Favor” is cut in two). Here Zechariah is acting out the rejection of Christ that would lead to the judgment of Israel that we saw in the opening poem. What happens next reminds us of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. The shepherd asks for his wages which is 30 pieces of silver (the cost of a slave; here sarcastically called “a magnificent price”). Then God tells him to “throw it to the potter”. The potter is in the temple, and the throwing of the 30 pieces of silver into the temple was an act of desecration. Remember that when Judas threw the silver into the temple, the religious leaders said “We can’t touch this…it is blood money.” and they used it to buy a “potter’s field” or burial place for those who died without family of friends.

Then the rod, which the shepherd used to protect the flock, and which Zechariah had named “Union” was cut in two, signifying that Israel and Judah would not be unified. Then God gave them over to the care of a foolish shepherd. Application: (How does this message inform my life?)

When we reject the Good Shepherd and His good “under-shepherds” (pastors who really care for the sheep) God gives us over to the “ear-tickling” pastors who tell us what we want to hear, and ask us to give liberally to support their extravagant life-style.

Unless we surrender to the Good Shepherd, we will find ourselves abandoned by God under the hands of evil leaders.

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