Thanking God for the Loot

It is one thing to be a thief; it is another to be a thief who thanks God for the loot.

In Zechariah 11:5, the prophet pulls back the curtain on a terrifying scene of religious exploitation: “Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.”

The phrase that stops you in your tracks is that pious little doxology: “Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich.” The Hebrew word for rich is ‘āšar H6238—to wax wealthy, to accumulate. These sellers have commodified the people of God, lined their pockets with the proceeds, and then walked out into the sunlight with clean hands, attributing their predatory profit to divine favor. They have baptized their greed and called it providence.

Notice the psychological rot at work: they “hold themselves not guilty.” The Hebrew root is ’āšam H816, the very word the Law uses for the trespass offering—the sacrifice required when sacred boundaries are violated. The profound irony is that these leaders are committing sins that scream for atonement, yet they feel completely justified. Because they hold power, they assume they have permission. They have lost all ḥāmal H2550—all pity—for the flock entrusted to their care.

Centuries later, Jesus stood before the spiritual leaders of His day and called them what they were: hirelings and thieves John 10:8-13. The hireling runs when the wolf approaches because he “careth not”—in the Greek, mélō G3199, it is simply no concern of his. To the hireling, the sheep are a paycheck. To the seller, they are livestock. Neither has a heart tied to their survival.

Here is the sharp edge of Zechariah’s vision: the difference between a shepherd and a predator is not a title, but a breaking point. A predator sees the flock as a means to sustain his life; a true shepherd sees his life as a means to sustain the flock.

Consider the spheres where God has given you influence—your family, your team, your church, your neighbors. Are you using people to feather your nest while giving God the credit, or are you laying down your comfort so they might flourish? We serve a Good Shepherd who did not harvest the sheep to make Himself rich. He emptied Himself so that the flock might live John 10:10. May our care for others reflect His scars, not our appetites.