Zechariah 11:9

 Zechariah 11:9 says, Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.  God said He was no longer going to protect the people of Judah and provide for their needs.  This also applies to all who rejected or will reject the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Verse ten adds, And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.  God said that when the people who had entered into a covenant relationship with Him failed to keep their part of the covenant with them, He no longer was going to keep His covenant with them.  We have to realize that God is in charge, and we do not determine the conditions of our covenant with Him.  Verse eleven adds, And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.  The rich and powerful did not understand God's covenant, but the poor and lowly did.  This does not mean that someone must be poor to obey God's commandments and keep His covenant, but too often the rich and powerful put their faith in the things of this world instead of putting their faith in God.  Verse twelve continues, And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.  God said that He told the people of Judah that if they thought of Him as being good, then they should pay Him what He asked for His blessings.  If they didn't think God was worth His wages, then they could pay Him what they wanted and He would be on His way.  They paid Him thirty pieces of silver, the sum paid to Judas to betray Jesus and a slaves wage.  Now, we really cannot buy God's good graces, but the question really is how much do we value God's gift of salvation.   Do we only look to God for blessings and send Him away if we get what we want?  Verse thirteen declares, And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.  God instructed Zechariah to give the thirty pieces of silver to the potter.  If God's people value their relationship with God so little as to attempt to buy Him with the price of a slave, He says they might as well give what they were offering Him to the potter.  It was of no use to God, and if we attempt to give as little as possible to God today, we will see that it is unacceptable to Him.  God expects us to give Him our best and our all if we have accepted salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fourteen adds, Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.  God said He had already broken His staff called Beauty, and now He broke the one called Bands.  The first had denoted their ruin of the church by polluting their covenant with God and the second denoted the breaking of the brotherhood between God's people.  If we allow sin to rule our lives, we break our covenant relationship with God and with our fellow believers.   Verse fifteen states, And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.  God told Zechariah to take away the instruments of the foolish shepherds, and if we fail to use the gifts that God has given to us today for His glory, He may take them away from us.  Verse sixteen adds, For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.  God said that He would set a harsh shepherd over them who would make life almost unbearable.  If God's shepherds do not follow His will, they will put unnecessary burdens and restrictions on His people, as the scribes and Pharisees did in Jesus day.  God did not instruct them to do these things, but He did allow them the free will to do so.  Verse seventeen concludes,  Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.  God pronounced woe on the false shepherds, and those today who claim to be God's shepherds who do not even put their faith in Him will one day feel the woe of the judgment of God.