Zechariah 1:18-21

 

Zechariah 1:18-21

The Logos Will Break the Oppressors of His People

 

Zec 1:18  Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 

Zec 1:19  And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 

Zec 1:20  And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. 

Zec 1:21  Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. 

           1.     Another Visions Begins – vs 18a

a.     The visions begins with Zechariah lifting up his eyes. This will be a reoccurring line throughout the book symbolizing the beginning of another vision

                                               i.     Zechariah 2:1 

                                             ii.     Zechariah 5:1 

                                           iii.     Zechariah 6:1 

         2.     Zechariah Sees Four Horns – vs. 18b

a.     Horns are symbolic of an animal’s power and might

                                               i.     Genesis 22:13 

b.     Horns are also symbolic of a nation’s power or might

                                               i.     Daniel 7:24 

c.     Both the wicked and the righteous have horns or power

                                               i.     Psalm 75:9-10 

d.     God ultimately is our Horn and defense

                                                 i.     2 Samuel 22:3 

          3.     Zechariah Receives an Interpretation of what He Sees – vs. 19

a.     The Angel Interpreter helps Zechariah understand what he is seeing, the same Angel Interpreter is the one who helps Daniel understand his parallel visions

                                               i.     Daniel 7:15-16 

b.     The four horns in Zechariah’s vision are the same as the ones in Daniel’s vision

                                               i.     Babylon

1.     Daniel 7:2-4 

                                             ii.     Medo-Persian Empire

1.     Daniel 7:5 

                                           iii.     The rise of Alexander the Great (the Greeks)

1.     Daniel 7:6 

                                            iv.     Rome

1.     Daniel 7:7 

          4.     Zechariah Sees Four Carpenters – vs. 20

a.     Some translations render the word carpenter as craftsmen. Just like there are four horns there are also four craftsmen or carpenters destroying the power of the previous rising nation. The Medo-Persian Empire destroys Babylon as Daniel predicts (539 BC). The Medo-Persians are conquered by Alexander the Great and his armies (333 BC). Finally, Rome eventually destroys Greece (first or second century BC), and we are left with the Roman Empire still standing. Rome, however, is not destroyed by an army but by a humble Carpenter who is crucified on a cross.

                                               i.     Daniel 7:9-12 

         5.     Zechariah Receives Further Interpretation of what He has Seen – vs. 21

a.     Jesus is the final Carpenter who will destroy all the kingdoms of the earth. He is also the Stone, that is not made with hands, as Daniel earlier describes Him to Nebuchadnezzar.

                                               i.     Daniel 2:34-35 

b.     Jesus is the Stone which the builders rejected

                                               i.     Psalm 118:22-23 

c.     You are to become a part of what the Carpenter is building

                                               i.     1 Peter 2:4-9

 

Zechariah 1:12-17

 

Zechariah 1:12-17

The Intercession of the Logos

 

Zec 1:12  Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? 

Zec 1:13  And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 

Zec 1:14  So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 

Zec 1:15  And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. 

Zec 1:16  Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. 

Zec 1:17  Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. 

 

1. The Angel of the Lord (Jesus) Intercedes for God’s People – vs. 12*
1. John 17:1-10 
2. Jehovah Gives Comfort Through His Son, Jesus Christ – vs. 13*
1. Angel who has been communing with Zachariah, who is also the Angel of the Lord, gives us comfort through His intersession for us.

                                               i.     Hebrews 4:14-16 

3. The Angel of the Lord, which Has Been Communing with Zechariah, Gives Him a Message From God. – vs. 14-17*
1. God jealously loves His People. – vs. 14*

                                               i.     Zechariah 8:1-3 

2. God is angry with those that have worsened the judgment that His People have endured. – vs. 15*
3. God plans to return to His People with mercy. – vs. 16a*

                                               i.     Hosea 14:1-7 

4. God plans to dwell with His People. – vs. 16b*

                                               i.     John 15:1-5  

5. God plans to rebuild His People. – vs. 16c*

                                               i.     Hebrews 12:5-8 

6. God plans to prosper His People. – vs. 17a*

                                               i.     Isaiah 51:3 

7. God plans to comfort His People. – vs. 17b*

                                               i.     Isaiah 40:1 

8. God plans to restore His People. – vs. 17c*

                                               i.     Isaiah 54:5-8 

Zechariah 1:7-11

 

Zechariah 1:7-11

The Revelation of the Logos

 

Zec 1:7  Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 

Zec 1:8  I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 

Zec 1:9  Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 

Zec 1:10  And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 

Zec 1:11  And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. 

1. Zechariah Receives Another Word From the Lord in the Form of a Vision. – vs. 7*
2. Zechariah Sees a Vision of a Man in the Myrtle Trees. – vs. 8*
1. The Man is riding on a red horse.

                                               i.     When Christ comes the first time, it is on a red horse symbolizing the blood of His Sacrifice. Some day He will return again and the next time He comes it will be on a white horse symbolizing His judgment and power.

1.     Revelation 19:11-14 

2. The Man is found in the Myrtle trees

                                               i.     The myrtle trees are symbolic of the Jewish people. Although they are small like the myrtle tree, God plans to work through them. Also, it is to them first, He sends His Son.

1.     Zechariah 2:10-13  

2.     Isaiah 55:13

3. The Man is accompanied by an army of mounted angels.
2. Zechariah Asks His Angel Guide for an Explanation of the Vision. – vs. 9*

                                               i.     Zechariah 1:12-14 

4. The Man in the Myrtle Trees Identifies the Riders that Follow Him and Their Mission. – vs. 10*
1. The mission of the angel army is to see if the earth is ready for the coming of Christ. When they state that the earth is at rest in the next verse, I see this to mean Pax Romana (the era of peace under Roman Rule that Christ chose to come in.) The first advent of Christ would be His birth in Bethlehem under Roman rule.
5. The Followers of The Man in the Myrtle Trees Reveal the Timing of His Coming. At the Same Moment the Identity of the Man in the Myrtle Trees is Revealed. – vs. 11*
1. The Man in the Myrtle Trees is Christ who is the Angel of the Lord (the Logos). We find Him all through the Old Testament and Revealed Completely in the New Testament.

                                               i.     The Story of Hagar

1.     Genesis 16:7-13 

                                             ii.     The Story of Abraham

1.     Genesis 22:15-18 

                                           iii.     The Story of Moses

1.     Exodus 3:2-4 

                                            iv.     The Story of Joshua

1.     Joshua 5:13-15 

                                             v.     The Story of John

1.     John 1:1-3 

 

Zechariah 1:4-6

 

Zechariah 1:4-6

The Enduring Hope Found in the Logos

 

Zec 1:4  Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. 

Zec 1:5  Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 

Zec 1:6  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. 

 

1. Repent of Your Self Effort and Self Glory. – vs. 4*
1. Your fathers had a faithful witness to call them to repentance.

                                               i.     Jeremiah 16:19-21 

2. They were warned just like you to repent of your sin and turn to Christ.

                                               i.     Jeremiah 35:15 

3. Please do not repeat the same mistake and refuse to heed the call to repentance.

                                               i.     Acts 3:11-26 

2. Tradition Fails. The Memory of Great Men Fades. – vs. 5*
1. Nations come to an end, great men die, and religious systems crumble. Can your identity be taken away? If so, how would such an event affect your world view?
3. The Logos Endures Forever. – vs. 6*
1. God’s word endures to reveal Christ to every generation. The effect of the word, which reveals the Word, is as follows:

                                               i.     God’s word takes root in your spirit.

1.     John 10:14-18 

                                             ii.     You repent of your sins and live a changed life by His power

1.     Titus 3:4-7 

                                           iii.     You live to see the goodness and justice of God.

1.     1 Peter 2:24-25 

2.     “This then, is a brief outline of this first sermon of Zechariah: He first wishes to make the people pious and God fearing by means of threats and promises; and in order to frighten them, he offers them the example of their good deeds like these, he first wants them to be pious, so that they might not think that God would be satisfied with their work of building the temple and the city, as their fathers had thought that it was good enough if they sacrificed. No, my good man, rather than all good works he wants faith and a heart converted to him. That is all he is interested in. This must come first and be preached first: ‘Return to me, and after that build me a temple’ and not, ‘first build me a temple, and after that return to me.’ Good works inflate us and make us proud, but faith and conversion humble us and make us despair of ourselves.”         – Martin Luther