Zechariah receives a Word from God just two months after his fellow prophet Haggai received one. Ezra 5:1 speaks of “Haggai and Zechariah” prophesying “to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the Name of the God of Israel, who was over them.” Ezra 6:14 says that “the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah...” The Jews rebuilt the temple of the Lord, and did so in accordance with God’s commandments, and in accordance with the commands of the kings of Persia. God prospered them as they listened and followed the directions that had been given to them.
In Matthew 23:29-36, Jesus blamed the likes of religious hypocrites on the bloodshed of righteous people from the time of Abel until the time of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah.
Zechariah was slain between the temple and the altar. Abel was the first martyr mentioned in the Old Testament. 1 John 3:12 says that Cain murdered his brother because his (Cain’s) works were evil and his brother’s (Abel’s) righteous. Zachariah is the next to last prophet who wrote a book of the Old Testament. He was likely the most well-known martyr from that era. He was slain between the temple and altar. He was likely serving God when a fellow priest murdered him.
Matthew 27:18 says that Pilate “knew that they (the Pharisees) had handed Him (Jesus) over because of envy.”
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. John 12:6 says that Judas was a thief who stole from the ministry’s money box.
Religious imposters, wolves in sheep’s clothing, murder God’s prophets to prevent them from exposing their true identity.
Zechariah called the Jews to return to the Lord. He urged them not to be like their fathers who did not listen to the Lord. He reminded them how God faithfully fulfilled past prophecies. Past prophecies about Babylonian captivity came to pass. Jeremiah prophesied that the Jews would be in captivity for 70 years before returning to the Promised Land. These prophecies spoke by true prophets of God did happen.
“On the 24th day of the 11th month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow. And behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. Then I said, ‘My Lord, what are these?’ So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, ‘These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth. So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.’” Zechariah 1:7-11
The Lord gave Zechariah a vision of myrtle-trees in a low place... a hollow. He sees a man on a red horse with horses of various colors behind him. Matthew Henry’s Commentary declares the man on the red horse to be the preincarnate Messiah, and that the other horses represent angelic horsemen who observe what is happening on the earth and report back to Him. They call Him the messenger of the Lord. Angel is the Hebrew word for messenger. The report from the other horses is that the earth is resting quietly. The purpose of the vision is to say to the Jews that they need not fear harm at this time.
The Lord does hide His identity from people at times. In this vision, He is among myrtle trees in the night. Isaiah 45:15 says, “Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!” In Luke 24:13-16, Jesus walked with two disciples who knew Him, but His identity was hidden from them. Luke 24:16 says, “Their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” In John 20:14-16, Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus after His resurrection. She supposed Him to be a gardener. After Jesus addressed her directly by name, she knew it was Him. It was likely the preincarnate Christ who appeared to Joshua in Joshua 5:13-14. He appeared to Joshua as the Commander of the army of the Lord. Joshua fell on his face and worshipped Him and He accepted worship from Joshua. In these incidents, the Lord initially hid His identity from people.
In Zechariah 1:9, Zechariah addressed the man on the red horse as Lord. He learned that the other horses patrolled the world for God. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” The angels reported back to Christ, saying, “The earth sits still and is at rest.”
“Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these 70 years?’ And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words.” Zechariah 1:12-13
Here, the Angel or Messenger of the Lord intercedes for the capital city of Judah (Jerusalem) and its surrounding cities. He prays, “How long will You not have mercy?” In Revelation 6:9-10, those who have been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held also cry out. They ask the Lord, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth.” In Zechariah 1:13, the Lord spoke good and comforting words to Zechariah. In Revelation 6:11, the Lord provided “a white robe” to the martyrs and told them “to rest a little while longer.”
“So the angel who spoke with me said to me, ‘Proclaim, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease. For I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent. Therefore thus says the Lord: I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.’” Zechariah 1:14-16
As a husband is jealous for his wife when she is wronged by others, so the Lord is jealous for Judah. She has been horribly treated by the pagans. The Lord assures Zechariah that He is zealous for Jerusalem. He is angry with the nations who are at ease and have not repented of what they did to His people. His mercy on Jerusalem will be His way of dealing with her misbehaving neighbors. God’s house which is not yet rebuilt shall be rebuilt. God has His surveyor’s line out and is ready to get the work started. When God wants something done, it gets done.
“Again proclaim, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again spread out through prosperity. The Lord will again comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:17
God’s house will be rebuilt and the cities of Judah will also be rebuilt. They will have a newly built place of worship as well as newly built homes to dwell in. They shall be comforted. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these?’ So he answered me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’” Zechariah 1:18-19
To shepherds horned animals were the strongest of the herd. So in this prophecy as well as in Revelation 17:3, 12, the horns represent the ruling powers of the world. “The number four in Zechariah’s time referred to the four cardinal points of the horizon. The four horns symbolize four world empires: Babylon, Persia (both already risen), plus, the empires of Greece and Rome (still yet to come). These empires scatter the Jews throughout their lands.
“Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. And I said, ‘What are these coming to do?’ So he said, ‘These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.’” Zechariah 1:20-21
The word for craftsmen in Hebrew is חָרָשׁ (Charash) which can be translated craftsman, artisan, engraver, or a fabricator of any material. These craftsmen or smiths are God’s instruments, who with their mallets and hammers break these hard and strong horns which would overthrow God’s work. They may represent technological breakthroughs or skilled leaders. It is interesting that The Maccabees, led by Judas Maccabeus, recaptured the Temple from the Greeks and cleansed it. The named Maccabeus is derived from the Hebrew word “hammer.” It was really a miracle how God placed in the Maccabee family a zeal for God’s house to restore it to holiness after Antiochus Epiphanes had it defiled.
Both the Prophecy of Zechariah and the Book of Revelation were written during seasons when powerful empires were ruling the world. The meaning of these books are revealed to those who know the Lord and study them, but nearly impossible for outsiders to understand. In Matthew 11:25, Jesus prayed, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” God graciously reveals the meaning of these prophecies to people who humble themselves before Him.
We should ask the Lord to reveal the meaning and relevance of these prophecies for us today. The names of empires change, and so does technology, but when it is all said and done, the battle is the same. Sin, Satan and the world seek to sabotage faith in God. We need to be a people of the Bible to overcome the deceptions. We need a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the revealer of truth.
Revelation 1:3 says, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 22:6-7 says, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
The Lord prospers us as we act on His prophetic words. In 1 Timothy 1:18, Paul urged Timothy to wage war by the prophecies previously made. The most vital battle to win is to be forever with the Lord. Revelations from Jesus Christ help us to win this battle.
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