Zechariah 11:7
So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Zechariah 11:4-9
Moving along in our prophecy, Zechariah literally acts out the prophecy as God commanded him to do. He fed the flock marked for slaughter so that all the people could see him actively shepherding the sheep. Zechariah is a type of Christ who would shepherd His people Israel when he comes as the Messiah.
Jesus would shepherd the entire flock by teaching and preaching God’s word to them. But he would care particularly for the oppressed of the flock because this is God’s nature. Isaiah spoke about this as well:
“See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young” (Isa 40:10-11).
Jesus did in fact minister particularly to the oppressed people of Israel. It was one of his mission statements:
“He [Jesus] answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel’” (Matt 15:24).
“He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“’The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
“Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:16-21).
When Jesus sent out his twelve disciples with the power of the Holy Spirit to minister to the people, he sent them with similar instructions:
“These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give’” (Matt 10:5-8).
Jesus had a particular eye for the oppressed. He sought them out. It was the sick who needed a doctor and he is the Great Physician.
Zechariah was instructed to carry two staffs with him as he shepherded the flock. One was called Favor and the other Union. A staff is not something we are familiar with today but in those days, the staff was the shepherd’s tool. Jacob, Moses, Aaron and David all carried a staff as they were all shepherds.
The staff was used to guide the flock and save them when they needed rescue. The shepherd would use the hook on the end of the staff to lift the sheep out of precarious positions. For the sheep, the staff was a symbol of safety and protection just as David wrote in his psalms:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me” (Ps 23:1-4).
The two staffs Zechariah carried were symbols to the people of Judah. Favor represented God’s covenant with his people. We now call this the Old Covenant that was established through Moses. God promised to show favor on his chosen people:
“I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you” (Lev 26:9).
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands” (Ps 90:17).
The other staff Zechariah carried was Union. This represented the union or brotherhood between Judah and Israel. We will see later in our prophecy that both of these staffs would be broken just as we know that both the Old Covenant and the brotherhood between Judah and Israel were broken.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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