In the pronouncements of Zechariah chapter 10, God denounces the actions of shepherds who feed themselves and mislead the sheep of their flock (a metaphorical expression referring to the nations or religious congregations they are in charge of). At the same time, God announces that He will ensure that the true shepherds prevail over them, with His help:
“Make your requests of Jehovah for rain in the time of the spring rain, even of Jehovah who is making the storm clouds, and [who] gives a downpour of rain to them, to each one vegetation in the field. 2 For the teraphim themselves have spoken what is uncanny; and the practicers of divination, for their part, have visioned falsehood, and valueless dreams are what they keep speaking, and in vain they try to comfort. That is why they will certainly depart like a flock; they will become afflicted, because there is no shepherd” (Zechariah 10:1,2).
Instead of seeking God’s help, as Zerubbabel, Joshua, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the prophets like Zechariah and Haggai did, these shepherds resorted to « teraphim, » magic, and occultism.
In another prophecy, that of Ezekiel, there is a declaration from God denouncing the political and religious shepherds of Israel who were feeding themselves before the exile of the people of Israel to Babylon:
“And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have become feeders of themselves! Is it not the flock that the shepherds ought to feed? 3 The fat is what you eat, and with the wool you clothe your own selves. The plump animal is what you slaughter. The flock itself you do not feed. 4 The sickened ones you have not strengthened, and the ailing one you have not healed, and the broken one you have not bandaged, and the dispersed one you have not brought back, and the lost one you have not sought to find, but with harshness you have had them in subjection, even with tyranny. 5 And they were gradually scattered because of there being no shepherd, so that they became food for every wild beast of the field, and they continued to be scattered. 6 My sheep kept straying on all the mountains and on every high hill; and on all the surface of the earth my sheep were scattered, with no one making a search and with no one seeking to find” (Ezekiel 34:1-6).
Nevertheless, as Zechariah’s prophecy states, the day will inevitably come when they will render an account for themselves to God:
“Against the shepherds my anger has grown hot, and against the goatlike leaders I shall hold an accounting; for Jehovah of armies has turned his attention to his drove, the house of Judah, and has made them like his horse of dignity in the battle. 4 Out of him is the keyman, out of him is the supporting ruler, out of him is the battle bow; out of him goes forth every taskmaster, all together. 5 And they must become like mighty men stamping down in the mire of [the] streets in the battle. And they must get engaged in battle, for Jehovah is with them; and the riders of horses will have to experience shame. 6 And I will make the house of Judah superior, and the house of Joseph I shall save. And I will give them a dwelling, for I will show them mercy; and they must become like those whom I had not cast off; for I am Jehovah their God, and I shall answer them. 7 And those of Eʹphra·im must become just like a mighty man, and their heart must rejoice as though from wine. And their own sons will see and certainly rejoice; their heart will be joyful in Jehovah” (Zechariah 10:3-7).
This text shows that it is God who truly cares for his flock by choosing the true shepherds who know how to look after them and who are ready, if necessary, to sacrifice themselves for him because, as the apostle Peter said in prayer centuries later, he knows hearts: “You, O Jehovah, who know the hearts of all, designate which one of these two men you have chosen” (Acts 1:24). Following Zechariah’s prophetic declaration, God promises that he will sow the nations with these true shepherds who will be concerned for the peoples and the congregations under their care:
“I will whistle for them and collect them together; for I shall certainly redeem them, and they must become many, just like those who have become many. 9 And I shall scatter them like seed among the peoples, and in the distant places they will remember me; and they must revive with their sons and return. 10 And I must bring them back from the land of Egypt; and from Assyria I shall collect them together; and to the land of Gilead and Lebanon I shall bring them, and no [room] will be found for them. 11 And he must pass through the sea [with] distress; and in the sea he must strike down [the] waves, and all the depths of the Nile must dry up. And the pride of Assyria must be brought down, and the very scepter of Egypt will depart. 12 And I will make them superior in Jehovah, and in his name they will walk about,’ is the utterance of Jehovah” (Zacharie 10:8-12).
While the world is currently infested with self-serving shepherds, both politically and religiously, who are more concerned with maintaining the organizations on which they feed, rather than the people and the congregations, God promises that he will cause the true shepherds to prevail over these profiteers: » I will whistle for them and collect them together (…) I will make them superior in Jehovah, and in his name they will walk about,’ is the utterance of *Jehovah (YHWH) » (Zechariah 10:8,12).
God will whistle for them to gather the true shepherds, to scatter them throughout the earth, so that they may lovingly care for the peoples and congregations under their care, as mentioned in Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the princes and shepherds on earth: » Look! A king will reign for righteousness itself; and as respects princes, they will rule as princes for justice itself. 2 And each one must prove to be like a hiding place from the wind and a place of concealment from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a waterless country, like the shadow of a heavy crag in an exhausted land » (Isaiah 32:1,2).
* YHWH is the tetragrammaton, or four-letter for the Divine Name. In the New World Translation of the Bible, it appears with the vocalization commonly used for centuries as « Jehovah ». This vocalization is doubly inaccurate because it inserts the pronunciation J instead of I (i) or Y, and the V corresponding to W, which is pronounced « U » or « ou » (not V). The correct vocalization of the Tetragrammaton is YeHou(W)aH, Yehouah. The inaccurate vocalization « Jehovah » is retained in the Bible translation used, just as the inaccurate vocalization of « Jesus, » pronounced Yeshua or Yeshoua, because they are the most known to readers (click on the link to examine the study on the Divine Name in more detail: The Divine Name YHWH is pronounced as it is written).
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