Zechariah 10:1-12
"the Lord will care for Judah"
Zechariah begins comparing God to the baals. God brings the rains, crops and storms while the baals bring only lies. Because of their reliance on the baals, not God, the Israelites hev been wandering like sheep without a shepherd.
The Lord then turns his anger against these missing shepherds, these leaders of his people. Instead, He will care for Judah, making it once more a proud tribe. After all, the tribe of Judah will bring forth the capstone, the tent peg, the battle bow, the ruler (each of these is a reference to Christ). The Lord will be with Judah and because of this, they will be triumphant in the face of enemies.
The Lord then speaks of strengthening Judah in such a way that it will be as if He had never rejected them, as if they had never been weakened. The Ephraimites also will be strengthened by God as He signals for all of the exiled Israelites to return, making the tribes of Judah and Ephraim as populous before the exile. Those living in exile in far lands will remember the Lord and teach their children of them and they and their children will survive and return to their homeland, under God. He will bring them from all the lands of exile and they will be so many that Zechariah describes it as there not being enough room for all of them. Also, in this process of returning, God will overthrow the Assyrians and the Egyptians
The Lord fulfills his promises and is faithful as well as possessing justice and mercy.
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