The Flock Detested Me

So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favour and the other Union, and I pastured the flock. In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them and said, I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let these who are left eat one another's flesh (Zechariah11:7-9)

When I read this passage in Zechariah, I was stunned. The imagery shouted TODAY, TODAY, THIS IS OUR TODAY!

Let us take a closer look at these verses, taken from my NIV study Bible:

• I pastured the flock
• The flock marked for slaughter
• Particularly the oppressed
• I took two staffs
• Called one Favour, the other Union
• I pastured the flock
• In one month
• I got rid of three shepherds 

🔥 God's people were marked for slaughter ... does this sound familiar?

🔥 It was the oppressed that were in danger ... can you hear a bell ringing?

God favours His people, and wants unity with them, as their Shepherd. Twice, He mentions that He has pastured the flock. God quickly, in one month, got rid of three shepherds ... the ones that were oppressing and marking the flock for slaughter.

Being rescued from murderous shepherds didn't seem to impress the senseless sheep, because the next bit of scripture describes a turn of events:

• The flock detested me
• I grew weary of them and said;
• I will not be your shepherd
• Let the dying die
• The perishing perish
• Let these who are left
• Eat one another's flesh

God is the Good Shepherd, and try as He might, it would appear that some sheep prefer to be left to their own baahhhd devices (I simply could not resist, dear reader), rather than trust in Him. What I know about God is, in His long-suffering, and with abundant love, He is merciful in ways we humans cannot fathom, nor are we inclined toward (we seek retribution more than reconciliation generally speaking, when we have been wronged).

God grew weary of the flock and declared, I will not be your shepherd. He was taking His protective covering off of the flock, and leaving them to die, to perish without His care, susceptible to their enemies. Let us be deadly clear, without the Shepherd leading us to safe pasture, and keeping predators at bay, we are prone to hunger and ultimately starvation. Historically, the Israelites ate their own children ...

        Let these who are left eat one another's flesh

One of the things I appreciate about the Word of God is His clarity. He lets us know in advance what will happen when we choose, by giving us a record of what happened to our ancestors when they were given choices, and warnings, and decided to be fleeced rather than enjoy God's Favour in Union under His Sovereignty as the Good Shepherd.

And here we are, dear reader, here we are. The demon driven false shepherds herd the flocks into a pen, not a pasture. They have marked the sheep for slaughter and in their oppression, the flock does not call out to the Lord: they know not that they are in danger, and oblivion makes them careless. They are dying, perishing, and God, the God of the Universe, is weary of being detested.

Imagine that ... God has had enough, again. 

Zachariah was a prophet, one of God's messengers. Since there is nothing new under the sun, we can learn much from the Bible, about how to proceed from here, from our now. Today is the day the Lord has made, and when the sun rises again tomorrow, and it shall, we get to choose, pasture or pen, God or demons, false shepherds or Shepherd King. 

Which do YOU choose, dear reader?