Chapter 13 opens with a repeat of the phrase, “On that day” (13:1). The Lord promises “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (13:1). This comforting word is given to the nation of Israel as they mourn their sin of rejecting and “piercing” the Lord (12:10-14). Forgiveness flows for the repentant, cleansing them from the guilt and uncleanness of their sin.
The Lord will not only cleanse the nation from sin, but He will also clean out the idols and false prophets who induced His people to forsake their Lord. “And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness” (13:2). The Jew’s aversion to false prophets will be so strong, parents will denounce and “pierce” any of their children who prophecy “lies in the name of the Lord” (13:3; Deut 13:5).
As a result of this renewed allegiance to the Lord, anyone who claims to be a prophet “will be ashamed of his vision” (13:4). He will stop the practice of dressing in “a hairy cloak” to “deceive” people into thinking he speaks with the authority of Elijah or John the Baptist (13:4; 2 Kgs 1:8; Matt 3:4). These false prophets will also stop claiming prophetic status; they will admit, “I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil” (13:5). They will claim the wounds on their bodies where not self-inflicted (see 1 Kings 18:28) but were “received in the house of my friends” (13:6).
The theme and style of chapter 13 shifts in verses 7-9: from false prophets to the true shepherd and from prose to poetry. Verse 7 returns to the theme of one who is appointed as God’s “shepherd” (13:7). Although this shepherd/leader serves the Lord’s purposes (“my shepherd”—13:7), he is violently struck down: “‘Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,’ declares the Lord of hosts” (13:7).
When the shepherd is attacked and killed, apparently at the Lord’s command, the “sheep will be scattered” (13:7). The Lord himself will bring suffering to His people: “I will turn my hand against the little ones” (13:7). Two thirds of the people in the land of Judah will “be cut off and perish”; one third will survive (13:8). The Lord says he will put those who are “left alive” into the refining fire: “And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested” (13:9).
The fiery trials experienced by the Jews will have the desired effect of purifying their devotion to the Lord. “They will call upon my name and I will answer them” (13:9). No longer will they turn to idols and false prophets. Instead, the Lord will be able to say, “‘They are my people’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God’” (13:9).
Knowing God: Understanding His Person and Ways
Jesus is God’s shepherd was violently struck down. Jesus quotes Zechariah 4:7, applying these ancient words to Himself. In Mark 14:27 Jesus tells His disciples, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’” Jesus is the “man who stands next” to the Lord and still experiences the “sword” of a violent death (13:7). While Zechariah doesn’t specify who wields the sword, the prophet Isaiah does: “Yet is was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief” (Isa 53:10). The Lord uses the death of His shepherd to save the sheep who have “gone astray” (Isa 53:6). As Peter explains, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet 2:24).
The Lord’s prophets merge events from Jesus’ first and second coming. Like other Old Testament prophets, Zechariah’s future vision merges elements from the Messiah’s two comings: His first coming to deal with our sin by dying in our place and His second coming to set up His eternal kingdom. Chapter 13 contains events that were fulfilled when Jesus was struck down and crucified. It also contains elements that await the climax of history when Jerusalem is trampled under the feet of the Gentiles (13:8-9; Rev 11:2; 13:5).
The Lord uses the fires of testing to refine His people. The Lord puts the surviving Jews “into the fire” to “refine them as one refines silver and test them as gold is tested” (13:9). He uses affliction to shape His people’s affections, burning off the dross of disobedience and burnishing a true devotion. The Lord still uses suffering to shape His people for good. As Peter writes, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trail when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Pet 4:12). The Lord actively pursues purity in His people, even when that involves sending trials their way.
Joining God: Moving with God on Mission
Dedication to God involves destroying idols and detesting false prophets. When the Lord purifies His people, He purges their attachment to idols and the enticement of false prophets (13:2). The Lord is jealous for the allegiance and affections of His people. He will not tolerate compromised commitment or syncretistic devotion. Today, those of us who belong to the Lord must keep ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21) and turn away from false teachers (2 Tim 4:3-4).
Parent’s loyalty to the Lord must surpass their loyalty to their children. Dedication to the Lord also involves having a loyalty to Him that exceeds our natural loyalty to our own children. Those who have been “cleansed” from “sin and uncleanness” (13:1), will not tolerate spiritual defection in their own lives or the lives of their children (13:3). Love for the Lord must surpass our love for our own children. As Jesus told His followers, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:37).
We should not be surprised by fiery trials that God sends to refine our devotion. The Lord places His people in fiery trials to purge spiritual dross and purify spiritual devotion (13:9). Peter cautions believers not to be “surprised” when this happens. The Lord places a higher priority on a fire-tested faith than an easy, trouble-free life. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:6-7).
Rick and Linda Reed 