Zec 11:17 | KingComments | STEP | In we suddenly find ourselves in the end time. If Christ is not valued, the people will accept “a foolish shepherd”, the antichrist ( ). They will value him. They will get someone who does nothing for them, but uses them to feast. Zechariah must change clothes ( ). He has to dress again as a shepherd ( ). The equipment of the good shepherd is exchanged for that of a foolish shepherd, that is the antichrist, the false messiah ( ; ). With this, Zechariah depicts that Israel forced the good Shepherd to lay down His work because of their sins. After that, the people are not left to themselves, but will be surrendered by the LORD Himself into the hand of a foolish shepherd ( ). In the place of the good shepherd comes a foolish shepherd. Foolish means someone who does not take God into account. “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God”” ( ). This shepherd has no moral awareness, no moral standards. He tramples all God’s institutions underfoot. He is the complete opposite of the good Shepherd and can be compared to thieves and robbers and the mercenary ( ). The thieves and robbers are overt opponents. They do their work secretly, but their intentions are clear. They are out “to steal and kill and destroy” the sheep ( ). They feast upon the sheep and eat the flesh of the fat animals. He also mutilates them by tearing off their hooves so that they can no longer walk properly. The mercenary seems to care about the herd and is only revealed when difficulties arise. Then it turns out that he does not care for the sheep. He abandons the sheep, he leaves them “and flees” ( ). He has no concern for the sheep. If they are threatened, he does not look after them. He does not look for the young, inexperienced animals that are lost and cannot rejoin the flock on their own strength. If a sheep can’t go on because it has a broken leg, he won’t do anything that can cause healing. Everything a good shepherd does, he does not do. The antichrist is truly a “worthless shepherd” ( ). God pronounces the “woe” over him, because he “leaves the flock”. This “woe” is underlined by the judgment with which God will strike him. His arm and his eye are struck by the sword of judgment. His arm is the symbol of the power on which he is famous. His right eye is the symbol of his insight or intellect on which he has boasted. By the judgment, his arm will “be totally withered” and therefore become completely unusable (cf. ). He will also lose all insight and intellect and go his way in darkness. At the same time this puts a great defamation on him ( ).

‏ Zechariah 11:17

The Judgment on the Antichrist

In Zec 11:15-17 we suddenly find ourselves in the end time. If Christ is not valued, the people will accept “a foolish shepherd”, the antichrist (Jn 5:43). They will value him. They will get someone who does nothing for them, but uses them to feast.

Zechariah must change clothes (Zec 11:15). He has to dress again as a shepherd (Zec 11:7). The equipment of the good shepherd is exchanged for that of a foolish shepherd, that is the antichrist, the false messiah (Dan 11:36-40; Rev 13:11-18). With this, Zechariah depicts that Israel forced the good Shepherd to lay down His work because of their sins.

After that, the people are not left to themselves, but will be surrendered by the LORD Himself into the hand of a foolish shepherd (Zec 11:16). In the place of the good shepherd comes a foolish shepherd. Foolish means someone who does not take God into account. “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God”” (Psa 14:1). This shepherd has no moral awareness, no moral standards. He tramples all God’s institutions underfoot.

He is the complete opposite of the good Shepherd and can be compared to thieves and robbers and the mercenary (Jn 10:8 ; 10a ; 12). The thieves and robbers are overt opponents. They do their work secretly, but their intentions are clear. They are out “to steal and kill and destroy” the sheep (Jn 10:10a). They feast upon the sheep and eat the flesh of the fat animals. He also mutilates them by tearing off their hooves so that they can no longer walk properly.

The mercenary seems to care about the herd and is only revealed when difficulties arise. Then it turns out that he does not care for the sheep. He abandons the sheep, he leaves them “and flees” (Jn 10:12). He has no concern for the sheep. If they are threatened, he does not look after them. He does not look for the young, inexperienced animals that are lost and cannot rejoin the flock on their own strength. If a sheep can’t go on because it has a broken leg, he won’t do anything that can cause healing. Everything a good shepherd does, he does not do.

The antichrist is truly a “worthless shepherd” (Zec 11:17). God pronounces the “woe” over him, because he “leaves the flock”. This “woe” is underlined by the judgment with which God will strike him. His arm and his eye are struck by the sword of judgment. His arm is the symbol of the power on which he is famous. His right eye is the symbol of his insight or intellect on which he has boasted. By the judgment, his arm will “be totally withered” and therefore become completely unusable (cf. 1Kgs 13:4). He will also lose all insight and intellect and go his way in darkness. At the same time this puts a great defamation on him (1Sam 11:2).