Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Zec 1.8 and following. Indeed, the prophet reports a series of strange visions. Their general theme is the government of God through the nations (the rider and the horses) and in the background, the restoration of Israel (the myrtles, an allusion to the feast of tabernacles and a figure of restoration that follows repentance). For God always has for his own in trial and weakness, “good words, words of consolation”. They are as certain and immutable as the announcement of one’s judgments.
For Zechariah seems to have had all his visions in one night and any soul that considers prophecy is in the same condition as the prophet. To understand prophetic events we must realize that the world we are in is plunged into the deepest darkness. But God does not leave us there without help, and the prophetic lamp directs us there. This lamp is certainly not the brightest clarity that the word of God presents to us, for this same Word introduces us into the full light of His presence, but if we want to know the future of the world, we cannot do without prophecy.
So Zechariah sees the history of the people from a very limited angle. He speaks only of Jerusalem in his relations with Judah, as if the eyes of jehovah had to narrow their horizon more and more, and finally stop only on Jerusalem, a miserable pile of ruins, of which the Lord, faithful to his promises, wanted to remove all the rays of his future glories. In the time of Zechariah, the temple was rebuilt, but it was not yet the temple of the Messiah; the city is rebuilt, but is not yet the city of the great King; the people dwell in their country, without yet being the “people of frank will” that God will recognize in the millennial glory.
Thus, the prophet sees “a man mounted on a red horse”; verset 11 teaches us that this man is “the angel of the Lord”. This name is applied throughout the Old Testament to the symbolic representative of Christ, before his manifestation as a man in this world. The red horse on which he is ridden and the horses that follow him are the spirits who providentially administer the empires of the nations. The spirit of the Angel of Jehovah presides over the action of all the other angelic powers employed by God for this purpose.
The angel “stood among the myrtles.” The four passages of the Word where myrtles are spoken of all relate to the restoration that follows the judgments: In Neh. 8. 15, the people, partially restored, are called to bring branches of olive trees, myrtle and palm trees to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. In Isa 41. 19, jehovah puts an end to the desolation of Israel, restores it, and grows cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees in the wilderness. In Isa 55. 13, when all the judgments are finished, it is said, “Instead of the nettle will grow the myrtle, and it will be for the Lord a name, a sign forever, which will not be entrenched.” In our chapter, the myrtles must remind the prophet that the restoration will come when the horses have accomplished their task, but it is above all the angel who stands in the midst of the myrtles who continually has before his eyes the final blessing, the true feast of tabernacles (Za 14. 16), with which the history of Israel will end. “The myrtles were in the background” to indicate that this restoration was still in the background, and that many events had to happen before it.
Do we not also have a great interest in considering the angel who stands in the midst of myrtles? We now know him in the person of Jesus who does not stop his eyes on our ruin, but rejoices at the moment when he will present himself to his bride without blemish, wrinkles, or anything like it, and we find in this thought a precious encouragement for our souls. “After the angel there were red, tawny, and white horses.” As we have indicated, horses are, in symbolic language, providential agents, whatever their character: kings or princes, governments, angels, etc., who under the presidency of Christ, fulfill God’s purposes in the administration of empires and, so to speak, represent them.
That is why we see them here taking on the character of the various universal dominations, which have succeeded one another in the history of the world. The prophet, in a night vision, has his eyes open to see them and the angel of Jehovah who presides over their movements. By the days of Zechariah, the empire of Babylon had fallen and been replaced by that of the Medes and Persians. The angel of Jehovah rides a red horse, emblem of cyrus’ grace towards the captives of Judah. That is why also the first horse is redheaded as providential administrator of this empire.
The prophet attends the report of the providential agents, on the moral state that characterized then and will characterize in the future these empires: “We have traveled the earth, and behold, the whole earth is at rest and quiet”. One might think that this report must have been pleasing to the angel. Not at all, because the tranquility of empires was based on the lowering and enslavement of Israel. While he was oppressed and trampled underfoot, they were at ease, satisfied with their condition, ruthless to the pains of God’s scattered people. No doubt the faults of this people had been the cause of God’s judgment; but he was nevertheless the object of unrepentant promises, and of the bowels of mercy that would be moved in the end in his favor. “And the angel of Jehovah spoke and said, ‘Eternal of hosts, until when shall you not use mercy towards Jerusalem, and towards the cities of Judah, against which you have been outraged these seventy years?» This “until when” is the cry of faith, and of the certainty that a time of future restoration will come for Judah and the beloved city. In the Psalms, the faithful who are going through the great tribulation constantly utter this cry; here he has in view Jerusalem and Judah, the capital subject of this prophecy.
What does Jehovah respond to this cry of “the man who stood among the myrtles”? “The Lord answered the angel who spoke with me, good words, words of consolation.” When what was God’s people, dying, barely daring to raise its voice to proclaim its sorrows, is alone not to be resting and quiet, God’s heart is not indifferent to its sorrow. Judgment was necessary, but Jehovah has good words for Israel: “Console, console my people” (Isa 40).
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Horses:
· Angels, apparitions of the messengers of God
Gen 32:2 Seeing them, Jacob said, This is God’s camp! And he gave this place the name of Mahanaim. Jg 2:1 An envoy of the Lord went up from Guilgal to Bokim, and said, I have taken you out of Egypt, and I have brought you into the land which I swore to your fathers to give you. I said: I will never break my covenant with you; Mt 1:20 As he thought, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take with you Mary, your wife, for the child she conceived comes from the Holy Spirit; John 20:12 and she saw two angels dressed in white, sitting in the place where Jesus’ body had been laid down, one at the head, the other at the feet. Acts 8:26 An angel of the Lord, addressing Philip, said to him, “Rise up, and go to the side of the south, on the path that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza, the one that is deserted.
· Docility manifested by the disciples when they sought to register
Mt 13:36 Then he sent the crowd away, and entered the house. His disciples approached him, and said: Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. Mk 4:10 When he was in particular, those around him with the twelve questioned him on the parables. Luke 3:12 He also came from the publicans to be baptized, and they said to Him: Master, what should we do? John 6:28 They said to him: What must we do to do god’s works?
· Social peace in the history of Israel
Jos 11.23 Joshua took over the whole land, according to everything Jehovah had told Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel, to each his portion, according to their tribes. Then the country was at rest and without war. Jos 14:15 Hebron was once called Kirjath Arba: Arba had been the tallest man among the Anakim. The country was then at rest and without war. 1 Ch 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born unto you, who shall be a man of rest, and to whom I shall give rest by delivering him from all his enemies in the vicinity; for Solomon shall be his name, and I shall bring peace and tranquility upon Israel during his life. 2 Ch 14:6 He said to Judah: Let us build these cities, and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars; the land is still before us, for we have sought the Lord, our God, we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on all sides. So they built, and succeeded.
· Intercession
Gen 25:21 Isaac implored Jehovah for his wife, for she was barren, and Jehovah answered him: Rebecca, his wife, became pregnant. Ex 8:26 Moses came out of Pharaoh’s house, and he prayed to the Lord. Rom 8:26 But if we hope for what we do not see, we await it with perseverance. Heb 7:25 This is also why He can perfectly save those who draw near to God through Him, always being alive to intercede on their behalf.
From all the above, we note that since Jerusalem received from my hand double for all its sins, I can console it, says the Lord. Can we not also apply these words to ourselves? The house of God is the object of His judgment. From the bosom of its ruins we cry out: Until when? Will we receive a ruthless response? On the contrary, the Spirit brings us good words, words of consolation and hope. God adds: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous of great jealousy of Jerusalem and of Zion; and I am angered by a great wrath against the nations which are at their ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped evil.” “A little angry”. God’s wrath covered a love, sorry for the ingratitude of his people. His anger was not without mixing, his love sought a legitimate opportunity to manifest himself without harming his holy justice. For Israel, as for us, the cross brought together these seemingly irreconcilable characters of God’s glory. “Therefore, so says the Lord, I returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house will be built there, says the Lord of hosts, and the cord will be spread over Jerusalem.” The myrtles will then bloom, the Roman Empire is only “wounded to death” and will be reborn in future time in its imperial form. Only then will he undergo his final judgment; the house of the Lord, as well as the city of Jerusalem, may be established on an indestructible foundation; the cities of Judah “will still be full of goods, and jehovah will still console Zion, and choose Jerusalem again. »
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the vision of the Man with the Rope to Measure or the parable of the renewal of Jerusalem.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.