Zechariah 11:1-6: a reflection

1Open your doors, Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars. 2Wail, cypress tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the stately ones are destroyed. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest has come down. 3A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed—a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined. 4The LORD my God says: “Feed the flock of slaughter. 5Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich;’ and their own shepherds don’t pity them. 6For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the LORD; “but, behold, I will deliver every one of the men into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.”

Zechariah is given a bleak picture of a flock destined for slaughter, and of those who handle it without pity. Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich; and their own shepherds do not pity them. The people are treated as merchandise, bought and sold for profit, while those who profit feel no pity, even thanking God for the wealth they gain by it.

Notice the chilling detail: those who grew rich from the suffering of the flock felt no pity, and even blessed God for their gain. Their hearts had become so hardened by the pursuit of profit that they could exploit others for wealth and feel nothing, even wrapping their greed in the language of thanksgiving. The pursuit of gain had killed their compassion; they could profit from harm and not be troubled by it.

That is a warning about what the love of gain can do to the heart. The pursuit of profit and wealth, unchecked, can harden us, so that we grow able to benefit from others' harm without pity, to pursue our own gain while losing our compassion for those it costs. Guard your heart against a greed that has no pity. Do not let the pursuit of gain make you callous to those affected by it, able to profit from harm without being troubled. Keep compassion alive alongside whatever you pursue; care about the effect of your gain on others, and refuse to grow rich in ways that harm people without pity. A heart that can profit from others' suffering and feel nothing has lost something precious; keep your pity, and let it check your pursuit of gain.

Lord, Zechariah pictures those who grew rich from the suffering of the flock and felt no pity, even blessing you for the wealth they gained by it; the pursuit of gain had killed their compassion. Warn me by that about what the love of gain can do to my heart. The pursuit of profit and wealth, unchecked, can harden me, so that I grow able to benefit from others' harm without pity, to pursue my own gain while losing my compassion for those it costs. Guard my heart against a greed that has no pity. Keep me from letting the pursuit of gain make me callous to those affected by it, able to profit from harm without being troubled. Help me keep compassion alive alongside whatever I pursue, to care about the effect of my gain on others, and to refuse to grow rich in ways that harm people without pity. Keep my heart tender, and let my pity check my pursuit of gain.