IN OUR STUDY of the prophecy of Zechariah, we have come to chapter 11 which is one of the most important of the entire book. This passage is the completion of the oracle which began with chapter 9.

Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Wail, O firtree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly Ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down. A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste" (11:1-3).

This passage has been interpreted in two ways. In the first place, there are those who feel that this is a symbolic representation of the destruction of the Jewish state and the temple at Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The reason for applying it to that sacred edifice is the statement of the first verse. It is to be remembered that Solomon procured cedars of Lebanon from Hiram of Tyre for the construction of the temple. Thus the first words, to this class of commentators, is a prediction that the temple thus constructed of the cedars of Lebanon would be destroyed by fire. The prophet then looks to the firtree and addresses it by saying, "Wail, O fire-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down." In this verse the trees are personified and are addressed, being called upon to wail because of the terrible conflagration of the temple at Jerusalem. In an apostrophe, according to these commentators, the prophet shouted, "A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste." To them these words express the sorrow and distress experienced by the shepherds of Israel, leaders of the people, because of the destruction of the national shrine.

In regard to this interpretation let me say that it appears to me most fanciful and farfetched. Nevertheless, there are some elements of truth to which these commentators lay hold and thus weave this fabric of fanciful interpretation.

Other interpreters, like the expositors just mentioned, see in this first paragraph a prediction concerning the overthrow of the Jewish nation in the war which culminated in 70 A.D. But they arrive at their conclusion in a different manner. That calamity is set forth, according to them, under the symbolism of a fire which breaks out in the Lebanon Mountains in Syria north of Palestine and which sweeps inland and goes southward through the ancient forests of Bashan. Finally, the conflagration heads southwestward, coming into Palestine through the Jordan Valley and laying waste to the entire land. If we take the language at what it says, such is the pictorial representation. It seems best, in the light of all the facts, to take it in this manner. When thus interpreted, however, we know that it could not be talking about a literal fire, which begins in the cedars of Lebanon, whips around toward the southeast, and then continues in a southwesterly direction down through the Jordan Valley. If this forecast is not to be taken in its literal meaning, what then does it indicate? When one notes the fact that the language presents a picture of a destructive fire which finally reaches Judea, and when one reads the following oracle; one comes to the conclusion that this picture of destruction is a graphic representation of the calamity that did overtake Israel because of her rejection of her rightful Shepherd. If this interpretation be accepted, this mighty forest fire, consuming all in its path, could refer to nothing other than the disastrous war which devastated Palestine and overthrew the Jewish state in 66-70 A.D.

Let us remember and follow the Golden Rule of Interpretation and accept the literal meaning of every word, unless the facts of the context indicate clearly otherwise. Here all of the data supplied by the entire oracle indicates that the first three verses are not to be taken literally. I therefore have taken them symbolically.

Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter; whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah; but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them" (vss. 4-6).

In these verses we read of the "flock of slaughter," of those who buy and slay them, of those who sell them and hold themselves guiltless and at the same time hold to a form of worshiping Jehovah, of Jehovah himself who says that He will not have pity upon Israel, of Israel's king, and of the smiting of the land without any effort on the part of the Lord to deliver it. All of these items must be examined minutely in order to determine the significance of the oracle.

What is "the flock of slaughter"? A careful reading of verses 7-14 will show that it is none other than the Jewish people who are called "Judah" and "Israel" in verse 14. But why are they called "the flock of slaughter"? The answer is that according to this oracle the nation of Israel, like a flock of sheep to be sold in the market and slaughtered, would be delivered over to those who would butcher and slay them. The history of the Jewish people clearly shows that the prediction was fulfilled by the Romans. Josephus gives us an account of the rebellion of the Jews against the Romans and of the sanguinary conflict of four years' duration, ending in the overthrow of the Jewish state in 70 A.D. By mentioning this carnage caused by the overthrow of the nation by the Romans, I am anticipating myself a little, as we shall later see. From 70 A.D. to the present time Israel has been and still is the flock of slaughter. No nation has suffered as they have in the past, as they are suffering at the present date, and as they will suffer during the Tribulation Period. Knowing what they would have to suffer, God called them the "flock of slaughter."

Next let us notice the statement, "... whose possessors slay them." The word rendered "possessors" also means "buyers." Since in the next line the word "sell" appears, the better translation of our present word is "buyers." The idea of the prophet therefore is that certain ones have purchased this flock of slaughter. Of course, he is not speaking of any definite, specific, business transaction, but is thinking of a deeper and more important matter than any business transaction. He has used expressions taken from the business world simply because he was comparing Israel to a flock of sheep. Since he used these commercial terms, there were those who stood in a position analogous to buyers in the commercial world and into whose hands Israel fell. When one studies the entire context, one comes to the conclusion that these buyers or possessors were none other than the Romans and other Gentile powers after them, as we shall see a little later.

But who are "they that sell them"? The rest of the sentence informs us. Those doing the selling say of the Lord, "Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich." In the next clause reference is made to Israel's shepherds. This statement immediately suggests that the shepherds of Israel are the ones who sell the flock of slaughter to the Gentile world power. Who are the shepherds of Israel? A glance at Ezekiel 34 shows that they were none other than the political and religious leaders of the people who were not interested in the welfare of the nation at large but were simply interested in "fleecing the flock," using their positions and authority as means for their own aggrandizement. Notwithstanding their mercenary motives and lives, they still held to a form of godliness; for they say, "Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich." This is an echo of the statement found in Deuteronomy 8:16,17, which shows that the Lord God is the one who enables a person to acquire riches.

The last clause of verse 5 is that which the Lord spoke concerning these shepherds of Israel: "... and their own shepherds pity them not." This judgment the Lord spoke regarding the false, unfaithful shepherds of Israel.

In verse 6 we find the statement of the Lord that He will no longer have "pity upon the inhabitants of the land." He withdraws His tender mercies and His loving protection from the people. This situation was indeed a pitiable one. When Israel was in that condition in the hands of cruel overlords, forsaken by her own leaders, and bereft of the love of God and His protection she was indeed to be pitied.

On the other hand, the Lord stated in the latter part of verse 6 that He would deliver every man into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of Israel's king. This prediction indicated that there would come a time of lawlessness and disorder within the land. Moreover, the Lord would deliver the people of Israel into the hand of their king. Israel never had any king after the Babylonian Captivity except the priest kings of the Maccabean Period, but those who are acquainted with the annals of the Maccabean Era do not find in the events of that time the fulfillment of this prediction. Such a thought is impossible for, as we shall presently see, this abandonment of Israel by her God is the consequence of the rejection of her true Shepherd, the Messiah, which event followed by nearly two centuries of time. The king to whom reference here is made can be no other king than the Roman Caesar. When Israel rejected her own King, she declared that she had but one king, Caesar--(John 19:15b). When this statement is viewed in the light of all the facts, one cannot escape this conclusion.

The prophet looking at the wretched, miserable condition of Israel after she had been turned over into the hands of the Roman world power, had been forsaken of her God, and a period of disorder had set in then declared that the Lord would not deliver His people out of the hands of the oppressors.

In keeping with the instructions which the Lord gave the prophet in verse 4 regarding feeding the flock, the Prophet Zechariah went to the temple and enacted the role of a true shepherd. One should read verses 7-14 in this connection in order to see the import of his symbolic actions and definite predictions. One also should read carefully Ezekiel 34 which foretells the time when Jehovah himself will come and be the Shepherd of Israel in order to appreciate fully this drama found in the verses just cited.

As the prophet played the role of the shepherd, he went forth into the presence of the people at the temple with his two staves. On one the name "Beauty" was written, and on the other, "Bands." In this symbolic action he fed only the poor of the flock. The "poor of the flock" can be none other than those who are poor in spirit, the meek ones, who realize their utter dependence upon God. They are the only ones who are open to receive the real message of the Lord.

After his symbolic act of feeding the flock, the prophet by some movement signified that he would cut off three shepherds in one month and stated, "... for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me." These shepherds who are cut off can be none other than the leaders of Israel of the time which was before the prophet's mind.

Let us remember that this is a symbolic act, setting forth the real facts as they would occur when the true Shepherd of Israel would appear in the midst of the nation and would endeavor to feed the poor of the flock.

The people in the prophet's audience loathed the shepherd. When they took that attitude toward him he became weary of them. At this point in the drama the shepherd declared, "I will not feed you; that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another." Having made this statement, the prophet, with characteristic action, took his staff Beauty and cut it asunder, which act signified his breaking the covenant with all the peoples. In this language is couched the following thought: Messiah, the true Shepherd of Israel who was in this action impersonated by the prophet had made a covenant with all the nations to the effect that they could not injure His flock. When however they loathe Him, as seen by their attitude toward the prophet, He releases these nations and allows them to come and destroy the flock.

When Zechariah broke his staff Beauty, the poor of the flock, the humble ones, gave heed unto him and knew that that was the word of Jehovah.

At this point of his dramatic action the prophet spoke to his auditors saying, "If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear." By this time his auditors knew without doubt that he was impersonating Jehovah, the Messiah. They doubtless recalled the prediction found in Ezekiel 34. They had such contempt for Jehovah, the Almighty, and for Messiah that they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver the price of a slave. By so doing they showed their utter contempt for the promise of Messiah's coming and the Word of God. When they took that attitude toward Him, Jehovah spoke to the prophet saying, "Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them." The flow of thought shows that the prophet as he played the role of the shepherd was unmistakably impersonating Jehovah himself who would, according to promise, come and shepherd His flock Israel. But as the dramatic action had already shown, the leaders would not accept the divine care and attention. Then the prophet took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them unto the potter in the house of Jehovah. Following this action, he cut asunder the second staff, namely, Bands, which act signified the breaking of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

The prophet in obedience to the command given him, as we have already seen, went into the temple and before the people and the leaders enacted this little drama which foreshadowed the kind, tender shepherding which the Messiah would exercise when He appeared upon earth. These leaders did not care for Him or what He would do; hence they rebuffed Zechariah, considering Messiah nothing more than a slave. He therefore gave his attention to the poor, humble ones. When they thus treated him in such a manner, he broke with his audience, foretelling the judgment of condemnation to fall upon the nation. Clearly this was a prediction of the rejection of Messiah by His own people. As punishment for this attitude and action, the Lord brought upon the nation the judgment set forth in the first three verses of the chapter the destruction of the Jewish state, when they rejected Jesus of Nazareth their true Shepherd. (Matt. 26:14-16)

In the last three verses we have a prediction, concerning the false shepherd of Israel, the one who claims to be the deliverer of the Chosen People, but who is in reality the false, foolish shepherd that is seeking his own interests and is unmindful of the welfare of the race. It is quite likely that this one is none other than the deadly wounded, wicked one, the prince of Israel, in the time of the end of whom Ezekiel in chapter 21:24-27 speaks. This one may be he who is represented by the second beast of Revelation 13, and who is the aide of the world emperor in the time of the end.