Zechariah 10:1-12
Ask the LORD for Rain
1Ask the LORD for rain in springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.
2For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
3“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the LORD of Hosts attends to His flock, the house of Judah; He will make them like His royal steed in battle.
4The cornerstone will come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together.
5They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
6I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not rejected them. For I am the LORD their God, and I will answer them.
7Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8I will whistle for them to gather, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they once were.
9Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember Me in distant lands; they and their children will live and return.
10I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon until no more room is found for them.
11They will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12I will strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD tells His people to ask for rain in springtime. He makes the storm clouds, gives showers, and provides crops in the field. The command turns the people's attention from unreliable sources to the God who actually gives the rain and harvest.
Idols speak deceit, diviners see illusions, and false dreams offer empty comfort. The people wander like sheep because they are oppressed for lack of a shepherd. Bad guidance does not merely create a wrong answer. It leaves people exposed and without care.
The LORD's anger burns against the shepherds, the leaders who should have guarded the flock. He attends to the house of Judah and will make it like a royal steed in battle. The images of strength continue, but they are now connected to the LORD's attention rather than to the leaders' competence.
The cornerstone, tent peg, battle bow, and rulers come from Judah. The people will be mighty because the LORD is with them, not because they have made themselves independent. He will strengthen Judah, save Joseph, restore them in compassion, and answer them.
Ephraim's children will see the restoration and rejoice. The LORD whistles for the people to gather because He has redeemed them. Though He scattered them among the nations, they and their children will remember Him, live, and return.
The LORD brings them back from Egypt and Assyria, through the sea of distress and the depths of the Nile. The pride of Assyria falls, Egypt's scepter departs, and the final promise is that God will strengthen His people and they will walk in His name.
Questions
1 What should the people ask the LORD for?
AnswerThey should ask for rain in springtime. The LORD makes storm clouds, sends showers, and gives crops.
2 What do idols and diviners provide?
AnswerThey provide deceit, illusions, false dreams, and empty comfort, leaving people like sheep without a shepherd.
3 Why will the people become strong?
AnswerThey will become strong because the LORD is with them, strengthens them, saves them, restores them, and answers them.
4 What will the scattered people do?
AnswerThey will remember the LORD in distant lands, live with their children, return, and walk in His name.
What This Means for Us
People without trustworthy shepherds are not merely uninformed. They are vulnerable. Good leadership gives direction, protection, correction, and care rather than using people to increase its own status.
Look at the leadership you exercise, however small its setting. Ask whether people become safer and stronger under your care. If not, listen to correction and change what you are doing.
Prayer
Lord, give us trustworthy leaders and make us trustworthy when others depend on us. Expose false comfort, gather the scattered, and teach us to walk in Your name. Amen.