Graced to Live Like Christ

“Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ And the angel answered and said to me, ‘These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth. The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.’” Zechariah 6:1-6

As in the Book of Revelation 6:2-8, the four colored horses bring curses based on the Law of Moses against those who broke God’s Law.

As to the two mountains of brass, their height and their unalterable substance suggest strength and unchangeable righteousness. They won’t be swayed. Calvin explains the “two mountains” as the secret purpose of God from eternity that does not come into view until executed. It is hidden and kept back irresistibly until the fit time, as it were between lofty mountains. The Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary suggests that the “two” corresponds with the “olive trees – the two Anointed Ones” of Zechariah 4:3. Just as a mother bear has two depositions, one of tender care for her cubs, and another of ruthless rage for those who seek to harm her cubs, so Christ and His Spirit care for God’s own and vanquish those who seek to harm them.

The horses of the first chariot were red, signifying war and bloodshed. In Revelation 6:2-8, the white horse comes with a bow and a conqueror. The red horse takes peace from the earth so that people kill one another. The black horse brings famine and insufferable economic inflation. The pale horse is followed by Death and Hades. Cumulatively, they bring forth sword, hunger, and death.

Many today erroneously assume that God is no longer the same towards law breaking as He was in the Old Testament. It is true that God sent His Son into the world to pay the ransom for our sins, but what if we reject or neglect conformity to His will?

Hebrews 10:26-31 declares, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Like a mother bear, grace has two depositions, one of warmth towards those who live respective of what humanity’s sin did to God’s Son Jesus Christ, and the other of vengeance toward those who insult the Spirit of His grace.

In Romans 3:31, Paul wrote, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid! Yea, we establish the Law.” This means faith in Christ doesn’t nullify God’s Law, faith in Christ fulfills the Law. In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter wrote that God’s “divine power has granted us everything we need for life and godliness.” In 1 John 5:2, John wrote that commandment keeping is an expression of love among God’s people. “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands.” God and His Word are one and the same. We love God by loving what He says and by using His Word as the rule of practice by which we live.

The angel also calls the four horses the four winds of heaven. In Daniel 7:2, the four winds of heaven churn up the Great Sea, from which four great beasts (worldly empires) emerge. In

Revelation 7:1, four angels stand at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds until God’s servants are sealed, preventing harm. When they release the winds, disasters break out on the earth. The Hebrew word for wind (ruach) also means spirit or breath, connecting the winds to spiritual forces.

The black horses followed by white horses head toward the north country which is a reference to Babylon. The dappled horses head towards the south country, that is toward Egypt, which the Greeks will eventually conquer.

“Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, ‘Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.’ So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, ‘See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.” Zechariah 6:7-8

The strong (Hebrew) steeds, that is all four colors of horses, having completed their judgments on the first three empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Graeco-Macedonia, will walk to and fro the earth until the final foe of Israel arises, namely the Roman Empire in its various forms. This empire will continue in various forms until the second advent of Christ. Hence they “walk to and fro through the earth.” The last evil empire shall fall in like fashion to the previous three. See Ezekiel 39:1-29 and Revelation 19:17-21 for more details.

“Then the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord. Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule on His throne. So, He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.’” Zechariah 6:9-13

Three Jews named Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah brought gifts of silver and gold from Babylon to donate them for the rebuilding of the temple. A foreshadowing of the three Magi from the East who brought gifts to present to the newborn Messiah of Israel. Jesus Christ raised up a better temple than the people did in Zechariah’s days. Jesus makes each of His converts into a temple of the Holy Spirit where God dwells and brings forth His Word to the nations.

In Zechariah 6:10-11, the Lord tells Zechariah to bring the silver and gold to the house of Josiah and have him make of it a crown to be set on the head of Joshua. Then, Zechariah is to declare to him “the Man whose name is the Branch.” The Name of Jesus in Hebrew is Joshua. Joshua the high priest is a foreshadow of the High Priest Jesus who is to come. He is a type of the Branch, that is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the One who makes temples out of His people for God to inhabit. To Jesus Christ belongs all the glory. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords whose rule and kingdom shall know no end. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Joshua is a type of Christ during this season in which the Jews rebuild the temple. Thus, pointing to a singular Chosen One through whom God would save and preserve His people.

“Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the Lord for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Zechariah 6:14-15

The crowns are placed in the temple to honor the donors, and also as a sign that more people shall come from afar to contribute to the rebuilding of the temple. As these prophecies of Zechariah were fulfilled, the people knew that God had raised him up to give them these words, but they too must participate in the life of God. How? By diligently obeying the voice of the Lord. Zechariah modeled obedience to God’s voice among them.

What did Jesus say about obedience to God’s will? In John 7:16-18, Jesus said, “My teaching is not My own. It comes from the One who sent Me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a Man of truth. There is nothing false about Him.” We test tools by how they help us to accomplish our task. Jesus taught only what the Father gave Him to say. He did not speak to gain personal glory. He spoke truth. He said if we act on His Word, we will know that His words are from God.

While I was in my early twenties, the Lord moved on my heart to take His Gospel to another nation as He said to do. That nation was China. I did not have a salary or any certain place to live when I arrived there, but God supplied for my needs and for the needs of my family. During my ten years of service in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, I experienced many elements of the Lord’s Word come to pass in my life. Some days, it was like reliving the Bible. I sought to do God’s will and came to know assuredly that the teachings of Christ are from God. All Christians should aim to do God’s will by sharing the Gospel with the lost, praying for people and humbly serving God and in whatever way we can. This obedience glorifies God, and it helps both us and others.

Some references from Jamieson Fausset Brown and Matthew Henry’s Commentaries