Sharper Iron — The Post-Exilic Prophets - Zechariah 10:1-12: The Cornerstone, Tent Peg, and Battle Bow

Zechariah proclaims that the LORD alone provides rain for the fields; idols are worthless. Because the leaders of God’s people have pointed them toward idols, the LORD of hosts will punish them, and He will send the Savior as the cornerstone, the tent peg, and the battle bow. Through this Savior the LORD will save all His people and bring them back to Himself, even from the farthest reaches of the world.

Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hanover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Zechariah 10:1-12.

“The Post-Exilic Prophets” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Through the preaching of these faithful men, the LORD sent His Word to His people who returned home after their exile in Babylon. Not only did the LORD encourage His people in the work of rebuilding the temple, but even more than that, He pointed them forward to the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises in the coming kingdom of our true King and great High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

Zechariah 10:1-12

The Restoration for Judah and Israel

10 Ask rain from the Lord
    in the season of the spring rain,
from the Lord who makes the storm clouds,
    and he will give them showers of rain,
    to everyone the vegetation in the field.
²For the household gods utter nonsense,
    and the diviners see lies;
they tell false dreams
    and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
    they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

³“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;^[a]
for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
    and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
⁴From him shall come the cornerstone,
    from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
    from him every ruler—all of them together.
⁵They shall be like mighty men in battle,
    trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

⁶“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
    and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
    and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
    for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
⁷Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
    and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
    their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

⁸“I will whistle for them and gather them in,
    for I have redeemed them,
    and they shall be as many as they were before.
⁹Though I scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far countries they shall remember me,
    and with their children they shall live and return.
¹⁰I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
    and gather them from Assyria,
and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
    till there is no room for them.
¹¹He shall pass through the sea of troubles
    and strike down the waves of the sea,
    and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
    and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
¹²I will make them strong in the Lord,
    and they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Zechariah 10:3 Hebrew the male goats

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).