As the burden continues, God promises blessings mixed with chastising refinements. God promises judgments from which great blessings come.
Remember that in v. 1 God promised to open up a fountain of blessing, a blessing of true forgiveness. As a result, wonderful things would happen — but this is not to say that utopian things would happen. There is a great blessing in reformation — when God is pleased to grant repentance, the great idols fall. Not only will they fall, but they even fall out of memory (v. 2). And when the land is cleansed from false prophets and unclean spirits, God is the one who causes the cleansing (v. 2).
In this time of reformation, there is true zeal. When someone prophecies falsely, even his own family will turn on him (v. 3). Speaking lies in the name of God is a most serious offense, and in times of restoration, even a father and mother will see this. No doubt Zechariah has in mind an application of the requirement found in Dt. 13:6-11. If anyone in the family entices others to idolatry, the response was to be pitiless. “You shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.”
There is also true shame. In that day, even the false prophets themselves will be ashamed of themselves, and abandon the pretence of having been prophets (v. 4). The liberal clergyman will tear off his clerical collar, and get an honest job driving a truck (v. 5). When asked about his wounds, he will answer, truthfully, that he was wounded by his friends (v. 6).
The word comes that the shepherd will be struck. The Lord calls for a sword, a judicial instrument, to be brought against His shepherd. This shepherd is the true Companion of the Lord, and yet the sword comes against Him. The Lord Jesus unambiguously applies this passage to Himself.
The sword comes against the shepherd, and the sheep are scattered. But God remembers His kindness, even then, and resolves to refine those who remain faithful. But two thirds die — God has determined to cut off His people, while preserving a relatively small number of them (vv. 7-9). This was foretold by the prophets, and understood by the apostles (Rom. 9:27-29; 11:5). One third were refined — a faithful remnant among the Jews were preserved, even though most of that nation followed after folly and were destroyed. Trial refines the faithful, and it was no different for the early Jews, like Paul, who had believed the gospel. And the principles involved in all this are constant as well.
This is a covenant gospel. God loves to promise that He will be our God, and that we will be His people. This can only be comprehended by faith. Each one will say, “The Lord is my God.” That is, each one who believes will say, “The Lord is my God.”