INTRODUCTION.
Last month we started our exploration of the prophecies of Zechariah, looked at Chap 1:1-6 and the message that God will respond to his people when they come to Him and repent.
This was the opening part of the first eight chapters, which reveal how God prepares His people, Israel, for the coming of the Messiah.
In these first 8 chapters, God gives His Jewish people 7 messages about His power, love, wisdom and holiness, so that they can be prepared for this most momentous event in the whole of creation. Sadly, many missed the event and many Jews are still preparing themselves for the coming of the Messiah, because they did miss it.
God wanted His people to be spiritually ready for the coming of the Messiah when He finally appeared, so that they did not miss Him, and so that they could respond to Him in the right way.
In chaps 1:7 – 6:8 we are presented with 8 visions, all of which were seen on the night of 24th Shebat. These were visions, not dreams; Zechariah was fully awake when God gave him these visions.
The 8 visions are in a chiastic format, that is, the last four are a mirror reflection of the first four. The 1st is reflected in the 8th, the 2nd in 7th, 3rd in 6th 4th in 5th.
Today we are going to look at the first 3 visions together. There is enough in each of these visions to take them individually, but it would mean that we would take a few years to go through the book of Zechariah.
The first of the seven messages: God Overrules the Affairs of the Nations
We have three visions:
1. The man among the myrtle trees (1:7-17);
2. The four horns and the four craftsmen (1:18-21);
3. The surveyor (2:1-13).
1. The man among the myrtle trees
God’s people were in fear from the nations surrounding them and oppressing them. They had very powerful enemies – but God is assuring them that He is in charge of the affairs of the nations.
God is not a distant creator. He did not make this world and the universe as we see it, and then populate it with vegetation, fish, animals, insects and people and then walk away and leave it to get on by itself.
He is directly involved. He is a creator God who cares for His creation.
This is something that the children of God need to remember today. Israel is surrounded by many powerful enemies: Egyptians, Syrians, Iranians and Palestinians (Hamas) being some of the most significant at the moment. Their enemies stretch out far wider though, throughout the world. God is saying to them ‘Yes, be on your guard, but do not fear. I am in charge of all the affairs of the nations. They cannot do anything to destroy My people.’ (2:13) “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”
We are surrounded by powerful enemies, in the physical world as well as the spiritual world. We are constantly warned about terrorists. The politicians are raising our awareness of the problems with Iran and the development of nuclear weapons.
We have seen on the news and read in our newspapers of the turmoil around the Mohammed cartoons. I agree that these cartoons are wrong; they should not have even entered the mind of man to draw them in the first place. They demonstrate the corruptness of mankind and the way in which Satan has perverted and debased the mind of man. But do I remember reading about any similar acceptance that the Jerry Springer Show – the Opera is also blasphemous, of Christ and God? In fact, don’t I remember that the BBC televised and broadcast that blasphemous programme? Where was the outcry? There is only a muted demonstration in Plymouth. The newscasters appear to support the Islamic faith in its outcry against blasphemy, but decry any protest against blasphemy of Jesus Christ.
We need to heed the words of Paul to the Ephesians (6:11-13) “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Are we prepared for the daily battle with Satan and all that he wants to throw at us?
We may say that we have peace in our land. What happened in the first vision? (1:7-17) Zechariah saw a group of riders in some myrtle trees. The myrtle tree is a symbol of Jerusalem. Myrtle trees grow in the valleys around Jerusalem, and are characterized by their dark, green, glossy leaves. They are adorned with flowers and during Zechariah’s time were often used as wedding decorations and at the Feast of the Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:15). Perfume also was made from myrtle trees. The green leaves point to Israel’s hope and future. Jerusalem will not fade. It will bloom before the Lord forever.
Where were these myrtles located? In a deep ravine. Many expositors consider this to be the Kidron Valley. The "ravine" symbolizes Israel’s position among the nations. The time of the Gentiles began with Jerusalem’s first destruction by the Babylonians. Jerusalem never really has been free since then. Jerusalem was ruled by the Romans when Jesus was here the first time. This occupation will last until Jesus returns as Israel’s Messiah: (Luke 21:24) "...Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.". Jerusalem (Israel) is like the myrtle tree, which grows modestly in a shady, low place. Accordingly, Israel is a people despised by the nations even today. Jerusalem is contested and hated, and the nations would like to take the country back from the Jews.
Amongst those riders is one on a red horse, who reports "We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace."(11) this is not good news. The Messiah will return during times of great trouble, not times of peace. Look again at those words from Luke 21, Jesus is talking about the time for His return vv10-28. a time of great turmoil and trouble, heralding the return of our Messiah to rule the earth. Hag 2:6,7 “"This is what the LORD Almighty says: `In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, …””.
How long will God withhold His mercy from Jerusalem? Let us look at the second vision.
2. The four horns and the four craftsmen (1:18-21)
The four ‘horns’ represent the nations that had come to devastate Israel. The horns represent power, even ‘brute power’. The nations were like bulldozers bludgeoning their way through the land of Israel, pushing out all that is before them.
The four craftsmen are other pagan nations, whom God uses, to destroy the ‘horns’, the nations that have plundered the Holy Land.
The ‘horns’ and the ‘craftsmen’ have been used by God to punish the unrepentant people of Israel. They have been used by God as instruments to shape the course of history to welcome the time of Christ’s return.
3. The surveyor (2:1-13)
Next there comes a man who is going to measure Jerusalem. Zechariah would have known that the city had grown; it had become so large and secure that it had grown beyond the city walls, and it had no fear. It would be as God declared through the prophet Jeremiah (31:38-40) "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished."
Did it need to fear? No, because God would be “a wall of fire around it” (5). Yes, the Jews who had not yet returned from the land of Babylon could return in safety. The exiles should return to Jerusalem, (6, 7). "Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north," declares the LORD, "for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven," declares the LORD. "Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!"
Those of us who have drifted away from our faith in Christ can return. God will forgive all those of us who repent at the foot of His throne and seek His forgiveness. He will not send away the repentant sinner; He will welcome each one, with love. He will gather them in to the spiritual Jerusalem in His heart, and there will be “a wall of fire around it” to protect each of us.
But, there is more. God promises that there is a future, a time when He will live among us, (10, 11) “For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.”
There will be a time when God will again send His angel to measure a city, (Rev 21:10) “… Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven ...” (Rev 21:15, 16) “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod …”
That is the Jerusalem for each one of us!
Conclusion.
This first message to the People of Israel is of encouragement. God has great plans for His people, Israel. He will overrule the affairs of the nations; He will use their hunger and greed for power and wealth to protect His people.
We, as those chosen by Christ to be co-heirs with Him, are counted amongst God’s people of Israel. (Rom 8:16, 17) “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Again, (Gal 3:29) “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” God has brought we gentiles into union with Israel to make one Holy Israel, one Kingdom of God (Eph 3:6) “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
These three visions are an encouragement to us. God has great plans for us and the nations of the earth cannot hold sway, because He will overrule the plans of our enemies, whether they are earthly or heavenly enemies.
A traveller fell into a deep pit and couldn’t get out. Several persons came along and saw him struggling in the pit.
The sensitive person said, "I feel for you down there."
The reflective person said, "It’s logical that someone would fall into the pit."
The aesthetic person said, "I can give you ideas on how to decorate your pit."
The judgmental person said, "Only bad people fall into the pit."
The analytical person said, "Help me measure the depth of your pit."
The curious person said, "Tell me how you fell into the pit."
The perfectionist said, "I believe you deserve your pit."
The evaluator said, "Tell me, are you paying taxes on this pit."
The self-pitying person said, "You should have seen my pit."
The specialist in meditation said, "Just relax and don’t think about the pit."
The optimist said, "Cheer up! Things could be worse."
The pessimist said, "Be prepared! Things will get worse."
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the miserable pit.
It doesn’t matter what people throw at us in life, Jesus is there to lift us out of the pit and put us back on the road. God will gather all His people into His Jerusalem, because God is in control, all the time. He rules over all the affairs of the nations.
