*Scripture: Zechariah 10:1--11:3 (NKJV)* 10:1 Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone. 2 For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, and tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
3 "My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goatherds. For the LORD of hosts will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His royal horse in the battle. 4 From him comes the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. 5 They shall be like mighty men, who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be put to shame. 6 I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the LORD their God, and I will hear them. 7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the LORD. 8 I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased. 9 I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries; They shall live, together with their children, and they shall return. 10 I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, until no more room is found for them. 11 He shall pass through the sea with affliction, and strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart. 12 So I will strengthen them in the LORD, and they shall walk up and down in His name," says the LORD. 11:1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars. 2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has come down. 3 There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins. *Devotion* False teachers are a danger to Christ's flock. Even though a group may abide by God's Word in some ways, their other teachings, where the wicked shepherds teach idolatrous delusions, are a poison to Christ's lambs. It is good for the Lord to come with the strength of His Word and chastise those shepherds who neglect the truth. It is better for these flocks to be called back to the full counsel of God before they stray too far and lose even the most basic truths so that they die from lack of the green pastures and still water of the Gospel. It is a testament to the Lord's mercy that He desires wicked shepherds to be held accountable for their mistreatment of His flocks. The Lord Himself is not negligent towards His lambs; neither should His undershepherds be allowed to trouble them. This is why discipline and doctrinal scrutiny are so important in the Church. It is dangerous and unkind to turn a blind eye toward those who let Christ's sheep wander into the trouble of false doctrine and practice. The sheep may be all right for a time, subsisting on dried stubble and muddy water, but that is not the Lord's will for them! He does not want them to risk becoming sick or to wander wherever they please. Satan's poison and deadly cliffs are everywhere. Thanks be to God for His zeal for the welfare of His flocks. May He keep us truly steadfast in all that Christ Jesus has commanded us, focused squarely on the Gospel and all His blessings that come with it through His Word. Amen.
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