Zechariah 10 (NIV)
The LORD Will Care for Judah
1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to all people,
and plants of the field to everyone.
Ancient Israel had no irrigation system, and relied on both the former rain (falling in autumn) and the latter rain (falling in spring) to water their crops. Plentiful rain meant abundance for everyone.
2 The idols speak deceitfully,
diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
they give comfort in vain.
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 Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.
Verse 4 has long been considered a messianic prophecy:
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,
Psalm 118:22 (ESV)
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
from him the tent peg,
Isaiah 22:23-24 (ESV)
And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house. And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.
from him the battle bow,
Revelation 19:11-15 (ESV)
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
from him every ruler.
Revelation 19:16 (ESV)
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
5 Together they will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.
They will fight because the LORD is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.
6 “I will strengthen Judah
and save the tribes of Joseph.
God has strength for us also. Ephesians 6:10 tells us that we can draw on His resources for strength: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
“The Lord does not say, ‘I will take you away from your labors,’ but ‘I will strengthen you, so that you will be able to perform them.’ ”
–Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God
and I will answer them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy CarmichaelZechariah 10:6-7 (KJV)
And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.
And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.
There are wonderful words of assurance and comfort scattered about in the prophets, which seem to be written specially for discouraged hours. Even though they refer first to the return of the Jews to their own land, they are for us too, in a spiritual sense. They lift us up when we are cast down and feel “cast off.” They are among God’s glorious “Fear nots.”
Have you noticed the perfect ending to today’s promise? God knows that it is our children’s good that we most desire. And so He says, Their children shall see it, and be glad.
8 I will signal for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,
and there will not be room enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Assyria’s pride will be brought down
and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.
12 I will strengthen them in the LORD
and in his name they will live securely,”
declares the LORD.
John Wesley wrote: They shall manage all their affairs by power and wisdom given from above, to the glory of our God, and our Redeemer.
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Music:
HERE is “Unchanging” by Chris Tomlin. How wonderful that our God is utterly dependable, that He never backs down from a promise, that He always loves us!
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DWELLING in the Word 
