If I were someone reading Zechariah 13:7 thousands of years ago…
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the LORD of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
(Zechariah 13:7 ESV)
…I’d be thinking WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?! By just looking at this prophecy alone I would have never understood the true meaning of this until…
…this prophecy is fulfilled and becomes a reality.
Wait a minute. Let’s gather our thoughts here. Does that mean that there will be an actual sword that would be awaken from its sleep to strike a shepherd causing all the sheep to be scattered??? Uh…wha…what? Perplexed?
It can’t possibly be talking about an actual shepherd and sheep. Right??? Here, instead of presenting my case…let’s let the Bible do the talking!
On the night of the Passover…
[30] And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. [31] Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ [32] But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” [33] Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” [34] Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” [35] Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
(Matthew 26:30-35 ESV)
Think about it. All of the disciples are enjoying a nice Passover meal with Jesus, eating warm bread and drinking delicate wine. And after the making of the new covenant and singing a hymn, Jesus, all of a sudden, declares to the twelve “You will all fall away.” Ouch, a little harsh isn’t it? Jesus directly explains “For it is written” and cites Zechariah 13:7 implying that in order for Scripture to be fulfilled, the disciples will fall away and deny Jesus. Peter, emotional as he was known to be, asserts that he will never deny Jesus even if he had to die. But in the end, before that rooster cried, Peter denies Jesus three times. The Scriptures had to be fulfilled.
Through the prophecy fulfillment, we can easily detect and understand the true meaning of Scripture. God was not trying to express to us through his prophets about literal shepherds and sheep but about the crucifixion of Jesus and the disciples’ denial.
Thankfully and graciously enough, I am not that guy reading Zechariah 13:7 thousands of years before. And since this word came to fulfillment and became a reality, I, the guy living in the present age of 2012, am able to understand what this is actually talking about. I am sure all of you are thankful as well, right?
Ask questions, leave a comment, and share your thoughts! And also keep checking back with us for DAILY posts about more eye opening observations of the Bible!
CloudIn 
Thankful for the understanding of scripture that he gives? Yes. Thankful that that understanding is something I can use today, now? Yes. Insightful post. Thank you.
Couldn’t agree more!
To take your thoughts a little further, consider the striking of the shepherd by the sword–Jesus, precious Savior, whose side was pierced with the sword. Great post!
Good point. Looking at these Scriptures again reminds me of how grateful I am of that cross.
Amen–what a wonderful Savior!
My dad told me once that prophecy is less about knowing the future and more about, as the future reveals itself, knowing that God knows what is going on and He is in control. As I’ve grown older and looked at signs I felt God is giving me, I have decided that I can very rarely interpret them correctly at the time. What happens, in retrospect, is that I find that He was speaking to me through the sign, but usually in a different way than I could discern when He gave me the sign.
Interesting. I believe for us to be able to witness God’s word come to fulfillment is one of the greatest signs we can ever encounter. Thanks for the post!
We may not be the original audiance of the Old Testament prophets, but there is still one prophetic book yet to be fulfilled… Revelation. We scratch our heads about John’s vision just as the Jews scratched their heads over Zechariah and the other OT prophets. At least we know that the fulfillment will be beyond our understanding until the day of that fulfillment.