Chapter 10 continues the theme of restoration, going into greater detail about the Lord’s plans to regather and reestablish the His people. The chapter opens with an invitation to the nation to “ask rain from the Lord in the season of spring rain” (10:1). Rather than assume the rains come automatically, God’s people must understand the Lord “makes the storm clouds” and sends the “showers of rain” which cause crops to grow (10:1). God’s people should turn to Him for blessing, rejecting the “household gods” and the false religious leaders who “tell false dreams and give empty consolation” (10:2). By uttering “nonsense”, these senseless shepherds cause people “to wander like sheep” (10:2). The Lord’s “anger is hot against these shepherds” and He will “punish” them (10:3).
Because He “cares for his flock”, the Lord will strengthen them, making them “like his majestic steed in battle” (10:3). From Him will come rulers who will be like a “cornerstone”, “tent peg”, and “battle bow”—bringing stability and strength to the nation (10:4). His people “shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets” (10:5). Their courage to defeat their enemies comes from the assurance that “the Lord is with them” (10:5).
Although the Lord’s people become valiant and victorious, there will be no doubt about the reason for their success. The Lord has chosen to “strengthen the house of Judah” and “save the house of Joseph” (10:6). In His great “compassion” the Lord says, “I will bring them back” and treat them “as though I had not rejected them” (10:6). He is “the Lord their God” and will make His people become “like a mighty warrior” (10:7). As a result, the hearts of His people rejoice in Him, and their children will be glad (10:7).
Although in the past the Lord “scattered them among the nations,” He promises to redeem and regather Israel as His people remember Him (10:8-9). He will bring them home with their children “till there is no room for them” (10:10). His chosen people will experience another “exodus” from the lands of their exile, passing through “the sea of troubles” as they “strike down the waves of the sea” and as “the depths of the Nile” are “dried up” (10:11). Not only will the exiles return from Egypt, but also from Assyria. For the Lord will humble “the pride of Assyria” and lay low “the scepter of Egypt” (10:10, 12). He will strengthen His people, making them “strong in the Lord” so that they can “walk in his name” (10:12).
Knowing God: Understanding His Person and Ways
The Lord cares for His people and will punish spiritual shepherds who don’t. The Lord’s “anger is hot” towards spiritual leaders who fail to fulfill their calling (10:3). Their lack of concern causes God’s people “to wander like sheep” (10:2). The Lord promises to punish those who dispense “lies” and “false dreams”, giving His people “empty consolation” (10:2) Since He is a good shepherd who “cares for his flock”, He will intervene to strengthen His people (“like a majestic steed”) and give them better rulers (10:3-4). We find true consolation in knowing the Lord is our shepherd (Psalm 23) and His Son, Jesus, is the “great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb 13:20; John 10:11-18).
The Lord will redeem and regather His people to their homeland. Though He had scattered them for their unfaithfulness (10:9), the Lord still “cares for His flock” (10:3). In His compassion, He promises to redeem and regather them, bringing them home from exile (10:6, 9-10). So many will return that the land will be overflowing with men, women, and children (10:9-10). In the end, “they shall be as though I had not rejected them” (10:6). There is a future hope for the nation of Isreal. There is also hope for all of God’s people—Jews and Gentiles; we will all be brought to an eternal homeland in the new heavens and new earth (Rev 21-22).
The Lord brings salvation, strength, and stability to His people. The Lord provides all His people need to flourish—salvation, strength, and stability. “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph” (10:6). He rescues His scattered people and empowers them to “fight because the Lord is with them” (10:5). He brings stability to them, giving them the right leaders who serve as “the cornerstone”, the “tent peg”, and the “battle bow” (10:4). No wonder the psalmist exclaims: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps 33:12). What is true for nations, is also true for families and churches. We find our flourishing in the Lord.
Joining God: Moving with God on Mission
We are to intentionally ask God for what we assume happens naturally. The Lord calls His people to pray for rain in the “season of the spring rain” (10:1). Rather than simply assume rain comes in the rainy season, we are to pray, remembering God “sends the rain on the just and unjust” (Matt 5:45). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jam 1:17). We should always be consciously dependent on God and “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17).
Without shepherds who speak His Word, God’s people wander like sheep. When spiritual leaders give “false dreams” and “utter nonsense” those they lead suffer. “Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd” (10:2). Matthew 9:36 explains that this same situation was happening in Jesus’ day: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.” There is an ongoing need or spiritual shepherds who care for the flock like the Chief Shepherd (10:3; 1 Pet 5:4). Godly shepherds will speak God’s Word to the people instead of the nonsense of false dreams (2 Tim 4:1-5).
The Lord’s people must be strengthened for battle in a world filled with adversaries. While the vision God gives His people for their future ends in a joyful regathering to their homeland (10:8-10), it also includes being empowered to become “mighty men in battle” (10:5). “Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior” (10:7). They shall “fight because the Lord is with them and they shall put to shame the riders on horses” (10:5). While they long for peace, God’s people must be prepared for battle. We still live in a world locked in a clash of kingdoms; our fight is not “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). Christians must still be strengthened to “fight the good fight” (1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7) as we wait for the Lord Jesus to return. He will ultimately bring us to our eternal home in the “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13).
Rick and Linda Reed 