Zechariah 11:7
And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
The prophecy in chapters 9-14 predicts Christ's kingdom, the great day of the Lord, and the punishment of the wicked. Israel's spiritual leaders are presented as shepherds responsible for leading as well as feeding God's flock, the work of feeders embracing both duties. This forms the background for Jesus' description of the good shepherd in contrast with Israel's unfit religious teachers.
A shepherd's two staves show his twofold work of leading the flock and defending it. The staff draws sheep back from dangerous places, while the rod protects the sheep by killing wild animals that attack them. In this verse the prophet acts out Christ as the true Shepherd ministering to the Jews and feeding the flock, especially the poor of the flock, amid Israel's unfaithful shepherds. The prophecy concerns both Christ's work and the destiny of the Jews.
The verse introduces two staves named Beauty and Bands as signs and means of God's care in feeding the flock. The flock of slaughter is the poor, faithful members of a flock otherwise marked for destruction, whom God feeds and cares for. He thereby assures them of his care through the time of confusion and strife. The food God gives through the two staves is spiritual nourishment, namely his Word given to both Jews and Gentiles, by which believers grow.
The staff called Beauty represents God's graciousness, favor, and promised protection resting on Israel. That favor was shown in the nation's preservation and prosperity until the Son of David came, and in the promise to protect Jerusalem if the people received Christ as their king. When they rejected him at his entry into Jerusalem, that favor and protection were withdrawn and broken. Jerusalem and its temple were therefore destroyed as Christ had foretold, despite Titus's order to spare the temple. In this sense Israel itself was the first staff, chosen to receive God's Word through the prophets and share it with the world. Had Israel been faithful it would have been a thing of beauty in God's hand and a means of bringing the Gentiles to his light, but instead Israel kept God's blessings for itself and refused to feed the flock, so God broke that staff and carried out his purpose another way.
The laws and rules that bound the people together are also symbolized by the staves. The second staff, called Bands, represents the Christian church made up of Jews and Gentiles and united across different peoples. As the church receives and shares God's Word of truth, it serves as his instrument for feeding the world. The Lord's care for the poor of the flock applies to believers who are scattered and unable to meet with others, who can still look to the Lord for help and guidance. The poor of the flock, called the flock of slaughter, are people in hardship who are fed and find help and comfort in what they receive.