June 30

Introduction

Zechariah 10:1–12: The people of Israel and Judah are described like lost sheep without a shepherd to lead them, but the LORD promises to have compassion on them, care for the people, and punish their enemies. (See also Matthew 9:36 that speaks of Jesus’s pity for the people “because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”)

Today’s Key Verse: Zechariah 10:12

“I will make my people strong; they will worship and obey me.” The LORD has spoken.

Reading

10 Ask the Lord for rain in the spring of the year. It is the Lord who sends rain clouds and showers, making the fields green for everyone. ² People consult idols and fortunetellers, but the answers they get are lies and nonsense. Some interpret dreams, but only mislead you; the comfort they give is useless. So the people wander about like lost sheep. They are in trouble because they have no leader.

³ The Lord says, “I am angry with those foreigners who rule my people, and I am going to punish them. The people of Judah are mine, and I, the Lord Almighty, will take care of them. They will be my powerful war-horses. ⁴ From among them will come rulers, leaders, and commanders to govern my people. ⁵ The people of Judah will be victorious like soldiers who trample their enemies in the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will defeat even the enemy cavalry.

⁶ “I will make the people of Judah strong;
    I will rescue the people of Israel.
I will have compassion on them
    and bring them all back home.
They will be as though I had never rejected them.
    I am the Lord their God; I will answer their prayers.
⁷ The people of Israel will be strong like soldiers,
    happy like those who have been drinking wine.
Their descendants will remember this victory
    and be glad because of what the Lord has done.

⁸ “I will call my people
    and gather them together.
I will rescue them
    and make them as numerous as they used to be.
⁹ Though I have scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far-off places they will remember me.
They and their children will survive
    and return home together.
¹⁰ From Egypt and Assyria I will bring them home
    and settle them in their own country.
I will settle them in Gilead and Lebanon also;
    the whole land will be filled with people.
¹¹ When they pass through their sea of trouble,
    I, the Lord, will strike the waves,
    and the depths of the Nile will go dry.
Proud Assyria will be humbled,
    and mighty Egypt will lose her power.
¹² I will make my people strong;
    they will worship and obey me.”

The Lord has spoken.

Reflect

According to verse 2, whom do the people consult? Why are the people compared to lost sheep? In what ways does the LORD promise to care for the people? In what ways does God care for you?

Pray

Lord God, you alone revive my soul, and you surround me with your loving presence. You fill my heart with joy, and I promise to worship and obey you. Amen.

Tomorrow’s Reading

Isaiah 49:1–12: Israel is called to be a light to the nations.