Bird's-eye view
In this brief but potent passage, the prophet Zechariah lays out a stark contrast for the people of God. It is a choice that every generation must face, and which confronts us today as squarely as it did the returning exiles. The choice is between Yahweh, the source of all life and blessing, and the pantheon of worthless idols that promise everything and deliver nothing but affliction. The central issue is one of trust and dependence. Where will you look for sustenance? To whom will you turn for guidance? Zechariah tells us to ask the Lord for rain, a tangible symbol of His covenant blessing, and then immediately warns against the teraphim and diviners, the sources of vain comfort and empty promises. The result of turning to these false sources is pastoral disaster: the people are scattered and afflicted, like sheep without a shepherd. This, of course, sets the stage for the coming of the true Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Outline
- 1. The Divine Source of Blessing (v. 1)
- a. The Command to Ask (v. 1a)
- b. The Character of the Giver (v. 1b)
- c. The Certainty of His Provision (v. 1c)
- 2. The Vain Sources of Affliction (v. 2)
- a. The Emptiness of Idols (v. 2a)
- b. The Futility of False Comfort (v. 2b)
- c. The Consequence of Shepherdless Folly (v. 2c)
Ask the Right Person
1 Ask rain from Yahweh at the time of the late rain, Yahweh who makes the storm clouds; And He will give them showers of rain, the plant in the field to each man.
The instruction here is direct and simple. If you need rain, ask the one who makes the rain. This is not complicated. The "late rain" in the spring was essential for a full harvest, and so this was a matter of life and death, a matter of prosperity or ruin. God commands His people to bring their real needs to Him in prayer. This is not because He is unaware of their needs, but because the act of asking is an act of acknowledging dependence. It is a confession that He is God and we are not.
Notice also that this is a direct polemic against the Canaanite fertility gods like Baal, who were thought to control the weather. Zechariah says, no, it is Yahweh who makes the storm clouds. He is the sovereign Lord of the weather, the economy, the stock market, and your child's persistent cough. Do not turn to the modern idols of meteorology, financial expertise, or WebMD as your ultimate source of hope. Go to the source. Ask Yahweh. And His provision is not stingy or haphazard. He gives "showers of rain," an abundance, and it is personal, "to each man." God's sovereign care is not a blanket, impersonal force; it is attentive to the needs of every one of His people.
The Folly of Mute Idols
2 For the teraphim speak wickedness, And the diviners behold false visions And speak worthless dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people journey like sheep; They are afflicted because there is no shepherd.
The word "For" connects this verse directly to the previous one. Why must you ask Yahweh? Because the alternative is not just a neutral option; it is an exercise in utter futility that leads to ruin. The teraphim were household idols, little gods that people consulted for guidance. Think about the foolishness of this. You carve a piece of wood, set it on your mantle, and then ask it for advice. It is, by definition, wickedness, because it is an attempt to get guidance from a source other than the living God. It is a rejection of His sufficiency.
The diviners, the visionaries, the dream-interpreters, they are all peddling the same worthless product. They offer a vision for your life, a path to success, a secret knowledge, but it is all smoke. It is worthless because it is not from God. And yet, people flock to them. Why? Because "They comfort in vain." Idolatry offers a false comfort, a temporary soothing of anxiety. It tells you what you want to hear. It provides a sense of control. But it is vain comfort, empty comfort. It cannot deliver. It is like drinking salt water to quench your thirst.
And what is the result of all this? "Therefore the people journey like sheep; They are afflicted because there is no shepherd." When a people reject the true Shepherd, they do not become their own masters. They become lost. They wander aimlessly, driven by every new fad and false promise. They are afflicted, and the affliction is a direct consequence of their idolatry. They have no shepherd because they have rejected the only one who could lead them. This is the state of every man, every family, every nation that turns away from God. And it is into this desperate, shepherdless condition that our Lord Jesus came, having compassion on the crowds because they were "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36). He is the good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, and He is the only true source of rain, of life, and of blessing.