In this enlightening episode of ADDBIBLE, we delve into Zechariah chapter 10, an empowering prophecy that reassures God’s steadfast commitment to His people. Led by Brian Taylor, Vice President of Salem Communications, the session uncovers a vivid depiction of divine redemption and restoration. This passage of scripture offers a poignant reminder of God’s promise to gather His scattered flock, transforming them once more into mighty warriors blessed under His guidance. With real-world reflections from Allen J. Huth’s personal journal entries, the episode provides thought-provoking insights on how ancient texts apply to modern life, especially for those in leadership roles.
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today is Zechariah chapter 10. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Brian Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of Salem Communications, read Zechariah chapter 10. Salem Communication Corporation is America’s leading Christian and conservative multimedia corporation serving millions of listeners nationally. Brian Taylor is the leader here in Denver. He’s our guest reader on Zechariah chapter 10. We’ll listen to the 12 verses.
SPEAKER 01 :
The book of Zechariah chapter 10. Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, as he will give them showers of rain to everyone the vegetation in the field. For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies. They tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep and are afflicted for their lack of a shepherd. My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders, for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle. From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler, all of them together. They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them. the nephraim shall become like a mighty warrior and their hearts shall be glad as with wine their children shall see it and be glad their hearts shall rejoice in the lord i will whistle for them and gather them in for i have redeemed them and they shall be as many as they were before Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead, and to Lebanon, till there is no more room for them. He shall pass through the sea of troubles, and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart. I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name, declares the Lord.
SPEAKER 02 :
In 1991, I read Zechariah 10-14 on the same day, and I had one reference concerning chapter 10, and that’s referencing verse 12. And in his name they will walk. In 2001, I read Zechariah 10-12 on the same day, and on chapter 10, I applied it to a circumstance in my life, so let me go through this journal reading with you. I wrote, People are in trouble because there’s no shepherd, and God’s anger burns against the poor leadership of the shepherds. Chapter 11 may be a message to me about my current employer. The shepherd, the leader, does not shepherd or lead the flock, the team. He uses us for his own personal gain, fattened for the slaughter. Let what is dying die. And I thought, well, maybe that’s my relationship with the company I was working for. We are asking, give us due respect on wages. And he responds with price of a slave or we are not worth much to him. So the sheep and the shepherd are being destroyed. Is God breaking the bond between him and the staff? What to do, Lord? What do I do? Yes, the Word of God is applicable. As I read the scriptures, it’s amazing how often they directly impact and apply to the circumstances in my life. I can tell you, not only was Zechariah a prophet, but those words that I wrote were somewhat prophetic. I ended up leaving this company early in 2002. In 2011, I also read Zechariah 10-12 on the same day, and I wrote, God’s love. I will bring them back, because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them. And that’s referring to verse 6. And I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name, declares the Lord. And that’s verse 12. God restores. He makes us strong. Let’s look into a couple of key principles in Zechariah 10. We’ll look at verse 2. The people wander like sheep. They’re afflicted for lack of a shepherd. Verse 3 goes on to say, My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the Lord of hosts cares for his flock. the house of Judah. Yes, God cares about leaders. He cares about how we treat other people. So if you’re in leadership, take these words as a warning. God cares for those we shepherd. It’s our responsibility to lead them and shepherd them in proper ways according to the word of God. And when leaders don’t lead, people are somewhat like sheep and they just wander or they go astray. So it’s the shepherd’s responsibility to keep track of the sheep, to guide the sheep, to provide for the sheep, and to protect the sheep. If you are a leader, today, based on this chapter, is a good day to take stock of how you are taking care of the sheep God has entrusted you with. Referring to the context that this chapter is written, Zechariah, remember, is encouraging the people to get back to work, to build the wall and build the temple. And God is saying through Zechariah that he will repopulate Jerusalem. Let’s look at verse 6. I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them. For I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them. Verse 8 says, I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. I will bring them home from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. And I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon till there is no room for them. And the chapter closes with verse 12. I will make them strong in the Lord and they shall walk in his name, declares the Lord. Zechariah paints a beautiful picture of a restored Jerusalem filled with people coming back from all the lands of captivity. Maybe you have been away from the Lord. Maybe you have been away from Jerusalem. Maybe God is saying through Zechariah, come back, come back, and I will take care of you. Come back and walk in his name, and he will make you strong once again. friends if that’s the case for you take a little time today to reflect on your walk with the Lord have you walked away has your spiritual life been scattered today is a great day to make your way back to the Lord today is a great day to pray Ask for His forgiveness. He is a God of forgiveness and a God of restoration. And He will restore you. Pray that you will walk once again with Him and allow Him to make you strong. And by the way, if you do something like that and this podcast affects you, Zechariah chapter 10 affects you in a positive way? Let us know. We love to hear testimonies and stories about how ADDBIBLE is touching your life. So just contact us at EzraProject.net. There’s a contact page and you can tell us your story. We’d love to hear it. Father, we pray for any who have wandered away from you, who have been scattered. We pray, Lord, that you invite them back. They hear your invitation. They confess their sins and come back to you today. We thank you that you are a God of restoration. We thank you that you’re a God who can make us strong in you once again. Thank you for your love and your faithfulness to us. In the name of Jesus, we pray it. Amen. Thanks for listening to ADDBIBLE today. We have been on the air for almost a year and we hope you enjoy our program. If so, we need your financial partnership to continue. I am not a pastor, so I have no church supporting this program. The Ezra Project was led by the Lord to produce ADDBIBLE and we obeyed. He provided in the past to get the program produced and aired. We always believed he would use you, the listeners, to sustain the financial means going forward. That time has come as the major donation to get us this far is coming to an end in September. 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For example, there are the writings of Moses, the writings of Solomon, the writings of the minor prophets and the writings of the major prophets, the writings of the Old Testament historical books, and the writings of Old Testament leaders. Covering the New Testament, we have the writings of Matthew and Luke, the writings of John, the writings of Paul, and the writings of Mark, Peter, James, Jude, and Hebrews. So this 11-book series covers all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter. So if the radio program was on 1 Samuel, you would find the written version in day by day through the Bible, the writings of Old Testament historical books. If the radio program is covering Daniel or Jonah, you would find all the minor prophets in the writings of the minor prophets. But say you’re studying the gospel of John in your own personal quiet time. You can find our coverage of John’s gospel in the writings of John, which includes not just his gospel, but other writings like 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and Revelation. Or you are going to be reading one of Paul’s epistles. You could find them all in the writings of Paul. Our Day by Day through the Bible series is a tremendous resource as you read and study any book of the Bible. It will deepen your understanding of God’s Word and enhance your personal quiet time because each book breaks down the passage with comments from my personal Bible reading journals, offers life applications, and prayers related to the passage. If you want more from your time in God’s Word, visit EzraProject.net and try one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. Any of the 11 books are a great place to start. Or get the full set to use wherever you are in the Bible today or wherever you are heading in your Bible reading. I know you’re going to enjoy it.
