Zechariah 11:17
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
I saw for the first time today that the Scripture says "idol shepherd" and not “idle shepherd.”
My Pilgrim Study Bible says this is a reference to the Anti-Christ. Barnes and Gill both say this is the "shepherd of nothing" or the good for nothing shepherd.
I can see several ways a shepherd could be good for nothing.
First, if he is a worshiper of idols himself.Too many pastors are after the dollar today. It seems to me like the bulk of the pastors are in the ministry more as a job function. They are after the same things most of the worldlings are; pay raises, bigger and better benefits, etc. The things of the world are their idols.
Second, if he turns the ministry into idolatry
There are those pastors who have success in the ministry as their idols. They are all about growing their own church at the cost of any kind of conviction. They will use whatever worldly means will get the most people in the church, they will run over whomever they must in order that they can claim to have the fastest-growing, the most friendly or the largest attendance this side of glory.
Third, if he turns himself into an idol.
And there are those pastors whose drive is that their congregation sees them as a being to be worshiped. They would never use those terms of course, but the difference is still the same. People worship God by worshiping them.
These idol shepherds are good for nothing in the eyes of the Lord. They arm is of flesh and will not help their followers in eternity. Their eye is darkened and cannot see the light of God's truth.
Woe to this idol shepherd.
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
I saw for the first time today that the Scripture says "idol shepherd" and not “idle shepherd.”
My Pilgrim Study Bible says this is a reference to the Anti-Christ. Barnes and Gill both say this is the "shepherd of nothing" or the good for nothing shepherd.
I can see several ways a shepherd could be good for nothing.
First, if he is a worshiper of idols himself.Too many pastors are after the dollar today. It seems to me like the bulk of the pastors are in the ministry more as a job function. They are after the same things most of the worldlings are; pay raises, bigger and better benefits, etc. The things of the world are their idols.
Second, if he turns the ministry into idolatry
There are those pastors who have success in the ministry as their idols. They are all about growing their own church at the cost of any kind of conviction. They will use whatever worldly means will get the most people in the church, they will run over whomever they must in order that they can claim to have the fastest-growing, the most friendly or the largest attendance this side of glory.
Third, if he turns himself into an idol.
And there are those pastors whose drive is that their congregation sees them as a being to be worshiped. They would never use those terms of course, but the difference is still the same. People worship God by worshiping them.
These idol shepherds are good for nothing in the eyes of the Lord. They arm is of flesh and will not help their followers in eternity. Their eye is darkened and cannot see the light of God's truth.
Woe to this idol shepherd.
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