Welcome to this daily PBJ devotional. Read 2 Chronicles 27 and 28 today and Zechariah 10. This devotional is about Zechariah 10. Ask the Lord for rain in springtime. The Lord makes the storm-clouds, And he will give everyone showers of rain And crops in the field. For idols speak deceit, and diviners see illusions. They tell false dreams, and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, Oppressed for lack of a shepherd. My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the Lord of hosts attends to his flock, the house of Judah. He will make them like his royal steed in battle. The cornerstone will come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together. They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame. I will strengthen the house of Judah, and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them. Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful, their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. I will whistle for them to gather, for I have redeemed them, and they will be as numerous as they once were. Though I saw them among the nations, they will remember me in distant lands. They and their children will live and return. I will bring them back from Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, until no more room is found for them. They will pass through the sea of distress, and strike the waves of the sea. All the depths of the Nile will dry up, the pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart. I will strengthen them in the Lord, and in His name they will walk, declares the Lord. This is God's word. One of the metaphors that repeats throughout scripture is that people are like sheep. Like sheep, people are given to wandering off on their own. They will follow the voice of a leader, a shepherd. They trust, but without a shepherd, they will tend to wander into trouble. A good leader of people, then, both provides a clear voice for the people to follow and watches out for them to keep them from straying too far from the group. When sheep stray too far from the herd, they are vulnerable to predators and to accidents. A good shepherd leads his sheep and watches out for them. Here in Zechariah 10, 3, God expressed anger toward the leaders of his people. The reason for his anger is that these shepherds give voice to lies. Verse 2 in the NIV says, the idols speak deceitfully. Diviners see visions that lie. They tell dreams that are false. They give comfort in vain. The result of these false, destructive, deceitful instructions was that the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd. And again, that's the end of verse 2 in the NIV. God promised to provide the leadership that the kings and priests and prophets were not providing. Verse 3 C and D says, the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah. But notice the result of that leadership in the next phrase of verse 3. It says, and make them like a proud horse in battle. The metaphor changes, then, from the people being like wandering sheep to becoming strong, able horses in battle. This suggests that God's leadership takes us when we're weak, foolish, and vulnerable, but develops us into strong, capable creatures. Jesus was the shepherd God had in mind for this, as we see in verse 4a, which says, from Judah will come the cornerstone, which is one of the images used to describe Christ. Christ has become the good shepherd according to John 10, 1 through 18. He is the cornerstone on which God's people and our lives are built, according to 1 Peter 2, 6 and 7. Part of the leadership Jesus provides is to give under-shepherds, according to 1 Peter 5, 2 and 3, to his people. and those under shepherds serve the chief shepherd according to 1 Peter 5.4. The elders of our church then are here to provide you with the spiritual leadership and nourishment you need to make you strong and able to serve the Lord like a war horse in the spiritual battles we face in this life. Thank you for spending the time to read the Old Testament with me this year and to meditate with me on the meaning of these texts each day. I trust that this has been helpful to your life and that you're using the Word to grow your faith. But be sure to put what we're learning into practice in your life. That's the goal of spiritual growth, to make us useful to God and to His cause. So what have you learned as a believer this year? How have you grown in your faith? Where are you serving the Lord more capably than you were before? Think about these questions and then think about them for the coming year. Where would the Lord like to grow you in your faith? These are great questions to consider and to prayerfully take before the Lord now. So do that and I'll see you next time. May God bless you. I hope you have a great day today.