Hard Beds and Hearts

"You made your bed hard. Now you can lie in it." That was God's message to his people in Zechariah 11. But is it not also his word to us today? Do we not live in a world that stands condemned by our own choices? God is probably just as weary with America as he was with his people in Zechariah's day.

In this country, we choose our king. We choose our neighbors. We influence the culture we live in and are influenced by it. And the degree by which we influence (or don’t influence) our leaders and our neighbors is directly related to the amount of effort we put into the message we share with them. Is God handing us over to our neighbors and our elected officials (v. 6)? God has already given us a Shepherd to pasture the flock (v. 7). But the flock detests him (v. 8). Is God weary of us (v. 8)? Will God raise up a shepherd for this country who will consume us (v. 16)?

Yes, things looked bleak for his people in Zechariah 11, but even in this chapter we can see we are not utterly abandoned. Verse 17 holds a curse for the worthless shepherd. And chapter 12 prophesies that the enemies of his chosen people will be destroyed. It wraps up telling us that he will pour out his Spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12.10). And, in fact, God has already poured out his Sprit of grace and supplication through his Son Jesus, the one we pierced. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. We are not abandoned!