- This sermon handles the second vision (1:18-21) and the third vision (2:1-13).
- It is tempting to spiritualize the truths contained in this passage, but I think there is a larger truth that is well worth our time in focusing on the straightforward, long-term truth shared here.
- In some sermons I spend the majority of the message applying the truths. The structure of this passage requires us to spend most of the sermon unpacking the important idea that God is conveying to Zechariah. At the end, we’ll bring it all together with the application, so stick with me.
FOUR HORNS: Israel got overpowered by foreign powers.
- Zechariah 1:18-19.
- The vision starts with four horns. These are presumably not disembodied horns floating ghost-like in the air, but rather attached to an unspecified animal. The focus is on the horn, which is a symbol of strength and power in the Bible. The Gentile kings were indeed strong and powerful, as Israel knew all too well. After all, as v. 19b tells us, these are the powers that scattered Judah and Israel.
- Commentators spend a lot of time debating the identity of these four horns. Do they represent historic nations that led up to this moment? Are they four nations that Israel was dealing with at that moment? Are they really supposed to predict four nations that Israel will struggle with in the future? All interesting questions, but ones that really are a rabbit trail for our purposes this evening, so I’ll leave that for another time.
- What is certain and relevant here is that some Jews were coming back from captivity in Babylon to try to reestablish Jerusalem. God allowed Israel to be conquered as punishment for their sinfulness. So Israel deeply knew what it was like to be overpowered by a foreign power because that had been their lives for a long time.
FOUR CRAFTSMEN: For every horn there is a hammer.
- Zechariah 1:20-21.
- Now we come to a part of the passage that is a little confusing. Why are four craftsmen the response to the four horns? It is not immediately obvious.
- It will be a little clearer if we note what the craftsmen are doing. Another way to translate that word is “hammerers.” Of course, a craftsman is likely to use a hammer. The idea here with “hammerers” is not building but destroying.
- We have these four horns, but God says he is sending four hammerers. For every horn there is a hammer.
- This makes the meaning evident. Yes, these earthly kingdoms are impressive and have grown in power even as they have oppressed the Jewish people. But for every horn there is a hammer.
- This reminds us that while the kingdoms of this world are now imposing and powerful, God has the ability to destroy them. And God will bring that destruction at the appointed time.
- It’s a reminder to us to not get too impressed by the power of this world.
SURVEYING JERUSALEM: The City of God will not be the ruin that it was then, but great and powerful.
- Zechariah 2:1-5.
- We know that in this moment Jerusalem is nothing to look at, especially compared to the great kingdom of Babylon. But God gives a vision of the future.
- In verses 1-2, a man with a measuring line is going out to measure Jerusalem. Then we have a twist: the angels tell him that what he sees now is not a proper evaluation of what Jerusalem will be.
- What is the picture of this future Jerusalem?
a. It is a city without walls.
- This speaks to prosperity, as the next phrase indicates.
- This speaks to safety, as the city will be so powerful that it doesn’t need to be defended as one traditionally would have to be.
b. It is a prosperous city.
- Again, the men and animals.
c. It has a wall of fire.
- This speaks to God’s defense of the city. It will not have a traditional wall because God Himself will defend the city.
- Maybe one image that might help would be to think of a missile defense system. A city might look vulnerable until you realized that they had a state-of-the-art missile system and that any attacker would be wiped out.
d. God will be its glory.
- God Himself will be there to provide glory to the city. That’s about as amazing a climax statement as someone could make!
WHAT THAT MEANS TO DIFFERENT GROUPS:
1. To those enjoying the best of the world, the call is to flee.
- Zechariah 2:6-9.
- Let’s focus on a few phrases in these verses:
a. “Flee from the land of the north”
- v. 6.
- Here we have the first command of this section: “flee.”
- Babylon was east of Jerusalem, but when they attacked they came in from the north because of the Euphrates River.
- You might take this to be a command to abandon Jerusalem and flee from Israel except for what v. 7 tells us.
b. “Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!”
- v. 7.
- Here is becomes clear. The call here is not for those in Jerusalem to flee that land because of an impending Babylonian invasion. Rather, the call is for those Jews who live now comfortably in Babylon to flee that land before God’s judgment falls on it.
c. “the apple of his eye”
- v. 8.
- This now common phrase helps us to see the affection that God has for His people.
- In all, this presents a difficult choice for the Jews living in Babylon.
- Yes, they didn’t want to be taken there in the first place, but now they are living comfortably in one of the world’s great powers.
- Conversely, Jerusalem is still completely unimpressive.
- It’s easy in this moment to want to cast your lot with Babylon. It would take a lot of faith to believe this prophecy and abandon Babylon.
- This obviously points our thoughts to the comforts of the world we now live in today. It’s easy to want to hold onto them. It’s difficult to lay them aside toward pursuing something that perhaps has no immediate dividends.
- There is no doubt that large swaths of the American church are comfortably “living in Babylon.”
2. To the people of God, the call is to shout for joy.
- Zechariah 2:10-12.
- God calls His people to rejoice in this overwhelming future.
- Some elements:
a. “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion.”
- v. 10.
- Certainly the situation on the ground at this moment looks bad, but if you believe the promises of God are ironclad, then there is reason to rejoice.
- This is a shout by faith.
b. “For I am coming, and I will live among you.”
- v. 10.
- This puts our thoughts to the New Jerusalem and the promises made there.
- What a promise that is.
- Others might point this toward the church age or the Millennium.
- v. 11 is key in trying to discern which time is being referenced.
c. “The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.”
- v. 12.
- This is not to say that God abandoned Israel. Rather, it speaks to the fact that God gave them over to their justly-deserved punishment, but now He is again enjoying the relationship with them that He always desired.
- In response to the first command and the “fleeing” of this world, this second command makes it clear that we do not do that begrudgingly or with reservations, but rather we do it with joy and anticipation.
3. To all the world, the call is to stand still in awe.
- Zechariah 2:13.
- This final verse is not just a “be quiet” command. The command here is much fuller and broader than that. It is a command to stand in awe.
- Think of the power represented by these promises of God.
- Stand back and be awed at what God is able to accomplish. It was never a question of ability. Now, though, after the deserved punishment, God has “roused Himself” to work on His people’s behalf.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Which kingdom do you give your heart?
- Hebrews 11:8-16; 1 John 2:15.
- I said at the outset that this passage had a lot of details to cover before we got to the application. I think by now you know what that application is, but let me explicitly spell it out.
- Here was a situation where Jerusalem had little to recommend it (humanly speaking) and Babylon had much to recommend it (humanly speaking). There a difficult choice to be made. God is here calling His people to make that difficult statement of faith.
- I think there are two applications for us today:
a. We need to anticipate this future that we have.
- God is on the move. History is His story. We should be excited about it.
b. We need to choose the right kingdom now.
- We are tempted to get comfortable in Babylon. But this world is not our home.
