11:1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
11:2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.
11:3 [There is] a voice of the howhng of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
11:4 Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
11:5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed [be] the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
11:6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour'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].
11:7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, [even] you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
[1] {two staves} The scene belongs to the first advent. beauty and Bands--literally "graciousness and union"; the first signifying God's attitude toward His people Israel, in sending His Son # Mt 21:37 the second, His purpose to reunite Judah and Ephraim # Eze 37:15-22 Christ, at His first advent, came with grace # Joh 1:17 to offer union # Mt
4:17 and was sold for thirty pieces of silver # Zec 11:12,13
"Beauty" (i.e. graciousness) was "cut in sunder" (vs.
10,11), signifying that Judah was abandoned to thedestruction foretold in verses 1-6, and fulfilled A.D. 70. after the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver
(vs. 12,13) "Bands" (i.e. union) was broken (v. 14),signifying the abandonment, for the time, of the purpose to reunite Judah and Israel. The order of Zech. 11. is, (1) the wrath against the land (vs. 1-6), fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem after the rejection of Christ # Lu
19:41-44 (2) the cause of that wrath in the sale and rejection of Christ vs. (7-14); (3) the rise of the "idol shepherd," the Beast # Da 7:8 Re 19:20 and his destruction (vs. 15-17)
[2] {the one} The O.T. Parables: Summary. A parable is a similitude used to teach or enforce a truth. The O.T. parables fall into three classes: (1) The story-parable, of which # Jud 9:7-15 is an instance; (2) parabolic discourses; e.g. # Isa 5:1-7 (3) parabolic actions; e.g. # Eze 37:16-22
11:8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
11:9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
11:10 And I took my staff, [even] Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
11:11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it [was] the word of the LORD.
[3] {poor} The "poor of the flock": i.e. the "remnant according to the election of grace" # Ro 11:5 those Jews who did not wait for the manifestation of Christ in glory, but believed on Him at His first coming, and since. Of them it is said that they "waited upon Me," and "knew." Neither the Gentiles nor the Gentile church, corporately, are in view: only the believers out of Israel during this age. The church, corporately, is not in O.T. prophecy # Eph 3:8-10
11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give [me] my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty [pieces] of silver.
11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty [pieces] of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
11:14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, [even] Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 11:15 And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
[4] {And the Lord} The reference to the Beast is obvious; no other personage of prophecy in any sense meets the description. He who came in His Father's name was rejected: the alternative is one who comes in his own name # Joh 5:43 Re 13:4-8
11:16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, [which] shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
11:17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword [shall be] upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
