Zechariah 10:7-12

Zechariah 10:7

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.

 

When the northern kingdom was taken into captivity in 721 B.C. the people were dispersed all over the Assyrian kingdom.  Here in this verse God is stating that those who did return to Judah with those of the southern kingdom would become like a mighty man.  Notice the wording “a mighty man” as if it is one man but what is in view is the fact that the “one man” in view is the body of believers which stand in this world as one man and not a fragmented body.  And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.  (Ezekiel 37:24)  They will rejoice in the LORD as one who has much wine in his system except there will be no hangover.  They will rejoice because they are rejoicing in the salvation of the LORD.  The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.  (Psalm 118:15)  The children means the generation who will see the Lord Jesus Christ come to his temple and then die for the sins of his Elect.  The children will rejoice because they are saved by grace and not having to keep the law because once the temple is destroyed, then there is no way to perform a sacrifice and then they would be guilty of the whole law but in Christ it is as if they had kept the entire law of God perfectly.

 

Zechariah 10:8

I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.

 

This is the only place in the Hebrew scriptures where the hiss is used in a positive way.  All the other ways are in the negative.  Here God is stating that he will hiss or whistle for them for the purpose of gathering them.  The gathering is the call of the gospel to those who are the Elect within national Israel at that time.  Redemption speaks of being redeemed by the true gospel because the law could not redeem anyone under it.  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  (Galatians 3:13)  The increase will be concerning the body of believers as it goes forth throughout the world.  On the first Pentecost three thousand souls were saved which began the increase in saved souls.  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  (Acts 2:41)  Then within the next few days five thousand more were added to the body of believers. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.  (Acts 4:4)  So here we have eight thousand new believers who will go back to their homes and countries and begin the task of evangelizing the whole world.

 

Zechariah 10:9

And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.

 

These people who will become saved will be sown among their own people and then the body of Christ will expand to the entire world.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  (Acts 1:8)  These true believers will live with their children and will not be cast out by them because they too will turn again unto the LORD through the preaching of the true gospel which will in turn bring them eternal life.  The phrase “turn again” in this instance may also be speaking of the fact that the children of Israel that were displaced because of the diaspora would once again return to the land for the coming of Messiah.

 

Zechariah 10:10

I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

 

Here we have an imagery of a new Exodus.  Instead of the true believer looking for a place on earth they will be seeking the Heavenly home.  Then those who were taken to Assyria a remnant of them will be brought back into the land to continue building it and strengthening it under the hand of the LORD.  The lands of Gilead and Lebanon would not be a place for them because that was not the land the LORD gave them because the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem and not one of the cities in Lebanon or Gilead.  Another reason that a place is not found is because of the immensity of the numbers which will return to the land.  Some had lingered behind in Assyria and Babylon which means that many of them did not return but when they start returning, they will have room in the land of Israel which will be bigger and have more cities.

 

Zechariah 10:11

And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.

 

Passing through the sea with affliction would point to the true believer who would go through this world but would face affliction as they continue to spread the gospel and increase the size of the body of believers.  {12} Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!  {13} The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.  (Isaiah 17:12-13)  The Lord himself will completely smite the opposition to the true gospel as no one can prevent the spread of the gospel to the Elect of God.  However, all the rantings and opposition of the world to the true gospel will come to nothing as the rivers that dried up which pose no threat to either man or animal and can be crossed without any problem.  For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.  (Nahum 1:10)  Nahum prophesied that those who oppose God will be as dry stubble which would be fully consumed by flames.  The pride of Assyria which is the pride of man who thinks they have absolute rule over the world and that nothing can stop them.  The sceptre of Egypt denotes the nations of the world who think they rule and have total control over the body of believers and make an attempt to persecute them out of existence like the Roman Empire did and some of the nations of today like China or North Korea will depart away, that is, will be destroyed by God on the last day.

 

Zechariah 10:12

And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

 

These believers will be strengthened in the LORD and that will be done by the spirit of God.  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.  (Zechariah 4:6)  Physical might nor power will strengthen these believers but only the indwelling spirit of God will do that.  Then by that same power they will be able to order their lives properly dealing honestly in business and with other people.  They will be able to exude godly wisdom through the understanding given them by the Spirit of God.  To walk up and down in his name is to order their total lives according to the strength given them by the spirit of God whether it be political, financial, spiritual, or any phase of life but all will be done according to the word of God.

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