Zechariah 10:7-12

Last time, we saw God’s promise to return to Judah in 10:1-6. God said He would have compassion on Judah, punish their evil shepherds, and lead them in war against their enemies. But there are 11 other tribes that also inherited God’s eternal promise to Abraham. Will they receive their King, or will they be “lost” forever?

Zechariah 10:7-12 answers this question, referring to the 11 northern tribes as “Ephraim”. As you read, you will see that God plans to call them from the nations. They will make the journey back to Him. Once they return to Him, He will include them in His army.

7 Ephraim will be like a warrior,
and their hearts will be glad as if with wine.
Their children will see it and be glad;
their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.

8 I will whistle and gather them
because I have redeemed them;
they will be as numerous as they once were.

9 Though I sow them among the nations,
they will remember me in the distant lands;
they and their children will live and return.

10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
but it will not be enough for them.

11 The Lord will pass through the sea of distress
and strike the waves of the sea;
all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
The pride of Assyria will be brought down,
and the scepter of Egypt will come to an end.

12 I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they will march in his name—

this is the Lord’s declaration.

God’s opening line in verse 7 states His ultimate goal: to make the 11 tribes of Israel “like a warrior” whose "hearts will rejoice in the Lord". They will become His army against the nations who stand against Him. That means that they, as well as Judah, will come to trust in Him as their King. This is Israel's political and spiritual reformation.

Zechariah 10:8-12 describes the process God uses to reach this goal.

First, God will “whistle” for His people (8) like a shepherd who calls His sheep by name. He whistles for them to come to Him in Jerusalem because He has “sown them among the nations” (9). He had done this as a punishment during the Assyrian conquest of the northern tribes. After conquering Israel, Assyria exiled them throughout the empire (2 Kings 17:5-6). But this isn't their permanent status.

Second, after God whistles for them, Israel will respond to Him with trust, “they will remember me in the distant lands.” (9) Two lands are identified as places from which Israel will return, Egypt and Assyria (10). Egypt lies southwest of Israel; Assyria was northeast of Israel in Zechariah’s time. Together, this picture shows Israelites coming from both directions along the roads that pass through Israel. It is a complete return of His people.

Third, God promises to intervene supernaturally to ensure these Israelites can return to their homeland: “The Lord will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea” (11a). This means the return to Israel will be like a second exodus. Nations will be as powerless to stop it as Pharaoh was at the Red Sea. God will personally defeat both major nations to accomplish this (11b).

Finally, verse 12 forms a bookend with verse 7: God will strengthen these returned Israelites and then cause them to march in His name. This means they will be His army once again, as they were in the time of Joshua. 

When you look at modern day Israel, you see a nation very different from the one Zechariah sees. While it is filled with ethnic descendants of Abraham, it is a nation that hasn’t placed its collective faith in its King. Consequently, it is embattled on all sides and perpetually in a defensive posture. God is patiently preserving His people until they trust in Him.

But in the future, there will be a spiritual and political awakening in this land. As Zechariah puts it, “their hearts will rejoice in the Lord”. As Christians, we look forward not only to this, but also to a time when we will rejoice in Christ's return as well.

Pastor David