Summary of Zechariah 11
“Open your doors, O Lebanon,” for judgment falls on the leaders. The Lord commands Zechariah to “pasture the flock marked for slaughter.” He takes two staffs, Favor and Union, but the flock detests him. He breaks Favor, annulling the covenant. Upon asking for wages, they weigh out “thirty pieces of silver,” which he throws to the potter. He then breaks Union, dissolving the brotherhood, leaving them to a “worthless shepherd” who deserts the flock.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 21 Days 4 and 5: Zechariah 11
9) The poetry depicts a devastating fire sweeping from the north, devouring Lebanon’s majestic cedars and Bashan’s oaks. These trees symbolize Israel’s pride and powerful leaders. The “wailing of shepherds” and “roaring of lions” reveal that the nation’s rulers are being stripped of their power, signaling the total collapse of national defense. We have “railing” and “ruin.” Not good.
10) “Flock marked for slaughter”
11a)
God levels three specific and damning accusations against the leaders of Israel:
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Merciless Exploitation: They treat the people as mere commodities to be bought and sold, slaughtering them without a second thought.
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Spiritual Hypocrisy: They attribute their filthy gain to God’s blessing, saying, “Praise the Lord, I am rich,” masking their greed with religious language.
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Ruthlessness (Not Sparing): The text states specifically that their own shepherds “do not spare them.” They offer no protection or mercy to the flock that is being bought and slaughtered.
b) God says: “For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”
God responds with judicial abandonment, ceasing His protection and surrendering the flock to civil strife and tyranny. This occurs because the flock forsook the “living waters” (Jeremiah 2:13), detested His leadership (Zechariah 11:8), and ultimately rejected the true Good Shepherd in favor of corrupt, destructive leaders (John 10).
12) Based on Zechariah 11:7–9, God directed Zechariah to shepherd the “flock marked for slaughter.” He took two staffs, named Favor and Union, to tend them. However, after removing three corrupt leaders and facing the flock’s hatred, Zechariah grew weary and resigned, leaving the rebellious people to their fate
13) Breaking Favor signified God revoking His covenant with the nations, removing His protective restraint. Breaking Union symbolized the severing of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. Together, these acts marked the end of divine peace and national unity for the people.
14a) 30 pieces of silver
b) For me, it’s at my low points in life. When I’m depressed, unhappy, or life gets hard. That’s when I am tempted.
15a) Verses 15–16 reveal the Antichrist (typified as the “foolish shepherd”) is raised up by God, showing his power is a divinely permitted judgment. His cruelty is absolute neglect of the suffering, while his destruction is savage: he devours the healthy sheep’s flesh and tears off their hooves to consume them utterly.
b) God is in control. God is in charge. God always wins.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 21, Days 4 and 5: Zechariah 11
This is a difficult passage to interpret, so stick with it!
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 21, Days 4 and 5: Zechariah 11
The doors of Lebanon are the mountain passes between Lebanon and Israel. The cedar trees represent Lebanon’s strength.
As the shepherd, Zechariah represented the Lord.
The three shepherds are often considered to represent the prophets, the priests, and the king.
The eating of the flesh did happen when the Romans attacked Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
In Zechariah 11, the two staffs represent the dual blessings the Good Shepherd (Messiah) brought to His people:
1. Staff “Favor” (Hebrew: No’am)
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Translation: Often translated as “Beauty,” “Grace,” or “Pleasantness.”
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Symbolism: It represents God’s protective covenant and grace toward His people. It symbolized the divine restraint God placed on foreign nations to keep them from destroying Israel. It reflects the vertical relationship between God and His flock—a relationship defined by His unmerited favor and defense.
2. Staff “Union” (Hebrew: Chobelim)
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Translation: Often translated as “Bands,” “Bonds,” or “Unity.”
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Symbolism: It represents the internal brotherhood and cohesion of the nation. specifically the unification of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and Israel (the Northern Kingdom). It reflects the horizontal relationship among the people—binding them together in peace and shared identity under one Shepherd.
Together, they show that the Shepherd provided both external protection (Favor) and internal peace (Union).
In Zechariah 11:12–13, the thirty pieces of silver serve as a powerful prophecy regarding the rejection of the Messiah. Here is the breakdown of its significance:
1. The Value: The Price of a Slave
When the Shepherd asked the people for his wages, they weighed out thirty pieces of silver.
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The Insult: In the Mosaic Law (Exodus 21:32), this was the specific compensation price for a slave gored by an ox.
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The Meaning: By paying this amount, the religious leaders were effectively telling the Shepherd (God), “Your value to us is no more than that of a dead slave.” It was a calculated expression of contempt.
2. The Act: “Throw it to the Potter”
God, insulted by the low valuation, commanded Zechariah to “throw it to the potter” in the house of the Lord.
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The Prophecy: This specific detail foreshadows the events of the New Testament with remarkable precision. A potter’s field was where a potter would throw his broken bits of pots. It was a useless piece of land.
3. The Fulfillment: Judas and Jesus
This passage is directly cited in (Matthew 27:3-10) as being fulfilled by Judas Iscariot:
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The Betrayal: Judas betrayed Jesus for exactly thirty pieces of silver, fulfilling the valuation of the Messiah as the price of a slave.
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The Return: Filled with remorse, Judas threw the silver back into the temple (“the house of the Lord”).
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The Potter: The chief priests used the “blood money” to buy a potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners, fulfilling the command to throw the silver “to the potter.”
The foolish shepherd was allowed by God to be His instrument of judgment because the people rejected the true shepherd. This was fulfilled when Jesus was rejected. The foolish shepherd foreshadows the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27).
God will judge the worthless shepherd. Revelation 13:3, 12-14
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
This chapter provides a grim and dramatic enactment of Israel’s rejection of God’s leadership, contrasting the “Good Shepherd” with the “Foolish Shepherd.”
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The Wailing of Leaders (vv. 1–3): The chapter opens with poetry describing the destruction of Lebanon’s cedars and Bashan’s oaks. These majestic trees represent the prideful leaders of the nation. The “shepherds” (rulers) wail because their glory and pasture are destroyed.
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The Good Shepherd Rejected (vv. 4–14): Zechariah is instructed to act as a shepherd for a flock marked for slaughter. He takes two staffs—Favor (Beauty) and Union (Bonds). Despite caring for them and dismissing three bad leaders, the flock detests him. In response to their rejection, he breaks the staff “Favor,” signifying the revocation of God’s restraining protection against foreign nations.
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The Price of a Slave (vv. 12–13): When the Shepherd asks for his wages, the people weigh out thirty pieces of silver—the legal price of a slave (Exodus 21:32). This insultingly low valuation of God’s care is thrown “to the potter” in the house of the Lord, a specific prophecy fulfilled when Judas betrayed Jesus (Matthew 27:3–10).
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The Rise of the Foolish Shepherd (vv. 15–17): Because the people rejected the Good Shepherd, God hands them over to a “worthless shepherd” who will not care for the lost or heal the injured, but will instead devour them.
Conclusion
Rejection invites ruin. The conclusion of Zechariah 11 is a sobering warning: when people reject God’s gracious leadership (the Good Shepherd), they do not gain freedom. Instead, they become vulnerable to predatory leadership (the Foolish Shepherd). By valuing God’s care at the price of a slave, the people forfeited the “Favor” and “Union” that sustained their community.
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