Zec 10:11 | KingComments | STEP | In order to remove all doubt about the fulfillment of this promise, the liberation of Ephraim is described in even more detail in this section. Several times in these verses we read the expression “I will”. God says He will do it, so it will happen. Who will be able to thwart it? The LORD will whistle the people to Himself. The people in scattering will recognize the shepherd’s flute. God redeems to gather His people together. He will also make them as numerous as they have been. He will make good all loss. He had to “scatter them among the nations” because of their sins. It is remarkable that God says this here in Zechariah after an earlier scattering, that is after the exile in Babylon. This seems to be a new scattering. Perhaps we can think of what happened in the year 70 AD, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In those distant regions, far away from the promised land, they and their children will repent. This will happen in the future. They will think of Him again ( ; ), and then He will let them return. All the peoples of are represented by Egypt, the southern neighbor, and Assyria, the northern neighbor. From all these nations the LORD will bring them into His land. Gilead and Lebanon represent the whole land of Israel on both sides of the Jordan ( ; ). Many will be born in Israel, so that the land will become too small ( ; ; ; ). Then the land will have the borders that God promised Abraham and never had ( ). In we have a reference to the passage through the Red Sea, the former salvation, as a symbol for the future salvation. By “the sea [of] distress” is meant the sea of nations. In that sea God’s people have been in fear. But the LORD Himself will go through that sea and dry up every obstacle on the way to liberation and the land. He will precipitate the waves that threaten to engulf them and take away the waters of fear. The people will be strengthened in the LORD ( ) for their spiritual needs. Their whole life (walk) will be pervaded by the thought of the glory and honor of the LORD ( ). Here is the climax. Walking “in His name” can mean that they are His representatives or ambassadors. It can also mean that they will live in accordance with what He has shown of Himself. They will live everywhere and continuously under His protection and according to His will.

‏ Zechariah 10:11

I Will …

In order to remove all doubt about the fulfillment of this promise, the liberation of Ephraim is described in even more detail in this section. Several times in these verses we read the expression “I will”. God says He will do it, so it will happen. Who will be able to thwart it?

The LORD will whistle the people to Himself. The people in scattering will recognize the shepherd’s flute. God redeems to gather His people together. He will also make them as numerous as they have been. He will make good all loss.

He had to “scatter them among the nations” because of their sins. It is remarkable that God says this here in Zechariah after an earlier scattering, that is after the exile in Babylon. This seems to be a new scattering. Perhaps we can think of what happened in the year 70 AD, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In those distant regions, far away from the promised land, they and their children will repent. This will happen in the future. They will think of Him again (Deu 30:1-2; Jer 31:27), and then He will let them return.

All the peoples of Zec 10:9 are represented by Egypt, the southern neighbor, and Assyria, the northern neighbor. From all these nations the LORD will bring them into His land. Gilead and Lebanon represent the whole land of Israel on both sides of the Jordan (Jer 50:19; Mic 7:14-15). Many will be born in Israel, so that the land will become too small (Eze 1:7; Jer 30:19-20; Eze 36:11; Isa 49:20 ; Isa 54:3). Then the land will have the borders that God promised Abraham and never had (Gen 15:18).

In Zec 10:11 we have a reference to the passage through the Red Sea, the former salvation, as a symbol for the future salvation. By “the sea [of] distress” is meant the sea of nations. In that sea God’s people have been in fear. But the LORD Himself will go through that sea and dry up every obstacle on the way to liberation and the land. He will precipitate the waves that threaten to engulf them and take away the waters of fear.

The people will be strengthened in the LORD (Zec 10:12) for their spiritual needs. Their whole life (walk) will be pervaded by the thought of the glory and honor of the LORD (Mic 4:5). Here is the climax. Walking “in His name” can mean that they are His representatives or ambassadors. It can also mean that they will live in accordance with what He has shown of Himself. They will live everywhere and continuously under His protection and according to His will.