Shepherd-less Sheep Are Vulnerable

Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd. [Zechariah 10.2]

If we understand this verse looking for modern application, we necessarily need to interpret each of the things listed in their modern forms.

Household gods: "Household gods" carries the implication that they are common to most households. What might these be? Debt, insurance, medicine and technology. Hardly a household is without them. Debt says you can have what you cannot afford. Insurance says you can have what is taken restored. Medicine says you can have wellness without delay. And, technology says you can have ease from hardship. These all give their worthless advice that there is relief without repentance. Instead of addressing the sin-cause of why one is poor, tragedy stricken, sick or experiencing hardship (as pointed out in Deuteronomy 28.15-68), these household gods offer practical solutions of worldly device requiring no spiritual introspect.

Fortune-tellers: Household idols almost all have their own fortune-tellers. These proponents of various household idols predict good outcomes based on dependence upon whatever idol they promote in particular. We might understand these fortune-tellers as advertisers. We might also understand these fortune-tellers as scientists who predict outcomes based entirely upon science. If we can see it, many religious leaders today are nothing more than fortune-tellers predicting Biblical outcomes while making no effort to encourage repentance.

Interpreters of dreams: All through the Bible, God spoke to people many times through dreams. Joseph in the Bible was not unclear about this topic:

And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.” [Genesis 40.8]

Anyone who reduces dreams to nonsensical brain activity with no meaningful basis denies God's hand in them. Any interpretation of a dream that sidesteps God's hand in it is simply mistaken.

All these things have one thing in common: God is removed. And, consequentially, repentance is removed. No wonder Zechariah points out that God's people are like lost sheep under attack because they are shepherd-less.

To believe mankind has advanced to the point that household gods, fortune-tellers and interpreters of dreams are only the subjects of fictional literature, movies and reality shows is gross spiritual blindness. Mankind's move away from repentance and accountability to God is the highly-calculated deceptive work of Satan. The more man moves away from repentance, the more Satan's alternatives to God find necessity thus yielding self-perpetuating exponential godlessness. Shepherd-less sheep are vulnerable.

There is only one solution: Return to the Shepherd (repent and believe ONLY in Jesus).

Father, may our eyes and ears be opened to Your Truth. And, may we easily recognize when we finally come to "seeing and hearing" when repentance is our natural response to our brokenness before You. Holy Spirit, only You can apply the necessary conviction for this to happen - please do so!