Seder 41: Zechariah 10-11---Shepherds Good and Bad

 In the Ancient Near East, rulers were often referred to as shepherds.  

This is a familiar image in the Bible, where God is often likened to a shepherd (Ps 23:1; 80:1; Isa 40:11; Jer 31:10; Eze 34) and the Messiah is pictured as a Shepherd (Eze 34:23; 37:24; Micah 5:4).  It is fitting, then. that Jacob and his sons were shepherds ( Ge 46); and that David, an ancestor of the Messiah, was a shepherd as well.  

Zechariah 10, like Ezekiel 34, laments the poor leadership of Israel's human shepherds and contrasts their unreliability with the faithfulness of God, Israel's true shepherd (verses 2-3).  

Another similiarity between Zechariah 10 and Ezekiel 34 is that both of these prophecies speak of the Messiah.  In Ezekiel 34:23 the Messiah is a good shepherd from the line of David.  In Zechariah 10:4, the Messiah is a descendant of Judah who is "the cornerstone,", "the tent peg," and "the battle bow," metaphors that describe his leadership and strength.  

In Zechariah 10:6-12 God promises a future restoration of Israel, with people returning to the Promised Land in a new Exodus.  

Zechariah 11 seems to indicate that before a final restoration, Israel would come under divine judgment.  Shepherd imagery is again prominent in this chapter, as the prophet Zechariah apparently is asked to act out the part of a shepherd.  He takes up two staffs called "favor" and "union."  He reports, "and I tended the sheep" (v. 7), presumably meaning that rhe epresents a good shepherd.  

Zechariah goes on to say, "In one month I destroyed the three shepherds" (verse 8).  Lots of possibilities have been suggested for the identities of these three shepherds.  Commentator Kenneth Barker (EBC) mentions several, including 

• Eleazar, John, and Simon, leaders of three factions during the disastrous revolt of 66-73 AD;
• Seleucid leaders Antiochus IV, Heliodorus, and Demetrius during the time of the Maccabean revolt; 
• Corrupt high priests Jason, Menelaus, and Alcimus of the early second century BC;
• Three classes of leaders---prophets, priests, and kings.
  

Zechariah then mentions that he was detested as shepherd, an indication of Israel rejecting a good shepherd.  As a result, Zechariah breaks the staff called "favor," a symbol of a time of divine protection coming to an end; and also breaks the staff called "union," symbolizing disunity in Israel.  

This is one of the Bible's most cryptic prophecies, so we should not be dogmatic about what constitutes its fulfillment.  Overall, we see a familiar pattern of judgment followed by restoration, with the message that God, our faithful Shepherd, is in charge.  

Seder 27: Genesis 28-29---Jacob Enters a Time of Growth

 At age 77, Jacob reached a critical juncture in his life.  He would be leaving the land of Canaan, where he had lived his whole life, and heading over 500 miles away to Haran, where his mother had grown up.  At this time God brought encouragement, appearing to Jacob in a dream to emphasize that he would be with him throughout his travels (Ge 28:12-15).  

We have not been told anything up to this point about Jacob's relationship with God.  There are a couple of details that may indicate this relationship was not yet well developed. One is the fact that God revealed himself to Jacob in a dream---as he did to people like Abimelech (Ge 20:3) and Pharaoh (41:1)---rather than in, say, a vision, as he had appeared to Abraham (15:1).  

Fifty three years later, God did appear to Jacob in a vision (Ge 46:2).  By that time Jacob had been walking with God for many years.  

A second detail is the vow that Jacob makes after his dream.  Jacob vows that if God is with him and brings him back home, then he will worship God and give him a tithe (verses 20-22).  At this point Jacob's relationship with God seems rather transactional; the wording of the vow suggests that Jacob is trying to "cut a deal" with God.  

After receiving reassurance from God, Jacob makes the long walk to Haran with spring in his step.  Genesis 29:1 says that he "lifted his feet" as he continued his journey.  He will have many lessons to learn during his sojourn with Laban.  Some of them he will learn the hard way.

In particular, Jacob the deceiver will be the victim of deception.  When Jacob believes he is marrying Laban's daugher Rachel, Laban subsitutes his older daughter Leah on the wedding night.  One midrash imagines a later conversation between Jacob and Leah.  When Jacob asks Leah why she posed as Rachel, she reminds Jacob that he had once posed as Esau.  He had received a classic "measure for measure" consequence of his actions.  (Whoever was being deceived in Genesis 27, Jacob's intent had been to deceive his father.)

Through this lesson and others, Jacob will grow through experience.  

Seder 41: Gen 46-47---A Joyful Reunion

 After 22 years apart, Jacob and Joseph were finally reunited in Egypt.  Gen 46:29 describes their joyful reunion:  "He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while."  

It's not clear in verse 29 which one wept on which one's neck, which may imply that each did so to the other.  

Jacob told Joseph that he could now die in peace, having seen his son again (v 30).  We see here a foreshadowing of  a later event, when the elderly Simeon had the opportunity to hold the baby Jesus (Luke 2:25-32).  

Jacob also had the opportunity to meet Pharaoh (Gen 47:7-12).  Jacob was not overly intimidated by the monarch, as indicated by the fact that he blessed Pharaoh twice.  Jacob knew who he was, one through whom the nations would be blessed.  And Pharaoh accepted the blessings from Jacob, showing both his respect for Joseph and his respect for the wisdom of the aged. 

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 23. 2021, Kyle Kettering reflected on arrivals and departures, times that cause much anxiety and also hold great potential.  The way to make the most of that potential is to walk in love, Kyle emphasized.    

A further example of the mission of Abraham's descendants to bless the nations is seen in Joseph's administration of the grain supply during the 7 years of famine (Gen 47:13-26).  Joseph's policies saved many lives and also enriched Pharaoh.  

There are some ironies here.  Joseph, who arrived in Egypt as a slave, ended up seeing many people in Egypt become sharecroppers, while his own family fared better.  It has been argued that his policies helped lay the groundwork for the eventual enslavement of the family of Israel.         

Joseph's treatment of the poor was not harsh, especially considering the context of the times.  (Ancient tax rates tended to be pretty high.)  Those who became sharecroppers were still grateful to Jacob for helping them through the famine (v 25).  

We can see Joseph as an example of the "faithful and wise servant" described by Jesus in Matt 24:45-47.

In Egypt the children of Israel "were fruitful and multiplied greatly" (Gen 47:27).  They were carrying out the mandate of Gen 1:28.  A return to Eden had not yet occurred, but God's plan to restore blessing to the world was well underway. 

Seder 40: Gen 44-46----Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers

In Gen 44:18-34, Judah comes before the Egyptian official on behalf of Benjamin, pleading to be allowed to take Benjamin's place as a slave in Egypt.  He explains that it would kill their father, who was still mourning the loss of Joseph, to lose Benjamin as well. 

Judah's language in verse 22, because of pronoun ambiguity (see LEB or YLT, for example) even suggests that Benjamin could also be harmed by a separation from his father:

"Then we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, then he would die.' "  (Gen 44:22, LEB)

Judah also tells the Egyptian official something he probably didn't know before---that Jacob has believed all along that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (v 28).  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 16, 2021, Kyle Kettering noted that Judah approaches Joseph

• with initiative.
• humbly
• with no excuses or justifications
• seeking mercy.

Judah's impassioned entreaty causes Joseph, the Egyptian official, to finally break down and reveal his identity to his brothers.  To ease  their minds, he points them to the "big picture" as he has come to see it.  God had brought him to Egypt to save many lives  (Gen 45:1-8), so there was no sense in them feeling bad about the past. 

In his sermon, Kyle showed how both Judah and Joseph work toward "repairing the world."

To convince his brothers of his identity, Joseph speaks to them directly, without an interpreter (v 12).  One midrash suggests that he may have demonstrated to them that he was circumcised.  

Joseph urges his brothers to send for their father and bring the entire family to Egypt (vv 9-15).  Pharaoh readily agrees, and Joseph sends them back with plenty of provisions.  

As they are leaving, he instructs them, "Do not quarrel along the way" (v 24).  The Hebrew word for quarrel comes from a root that connotes shaking or trembling. One can shake or tremble from either fear or rage, so the verse has been interpreted in two different ways.  In one reading, he is telling them not to be afraid, because he will not be planting anything in their sacks this time (see NKJV, CEB, and NET).  In another reading Joseph wants them not to argue about how they will break the news to Jacob that they had deceived him about Joseph (as in the Amplified Bible).  Both readings seem valid.

Jacob is overjoyed to have an opportunity to see Joseph, but leaving the land is a big step.  He stops at Beersheba, on the southern border of Canaan, to seek God's will.  God assures Jacob that he should go ahead to Egypt, affirming that this move is in accord with his plan (Gen 46:1-4).

And so Jacob's extended family travels to Egypt.  Seventy members of the family are listed in Gen 46, a number that may symbolize Israel's mission to bring blessing to all nations.  Almost all of the names in the list are male.  One exception is Asher's daughter Serah.  The Bible says almost nothing about Serah,  but there are some fascinating legends about her.