INTRODUCTION:

            After giving God’s call for repentance, Zechariah did not receive new revelation from God for about three months.  The word of the LORD that he received came in the form of visions, in a single night Zechariah received eight visions that outlined God’s dealings with Israel from the time of their judgment by God under the Gentile rulers until they are restored to their land with a rebuilt city and temple under the Messiah King.  These visions are arranged in what is called a chiasm, where the first vision and the last vision correspond; the second and the seventh visions correspond; the third and the sixth correspond; the fourth and the fifth correspond.  In such an arrangement the center provides the main emphasis.  In this case, the center visions are about the Messiah, who is central to everything in God’s plan.

            As we consider these eight visions, two questions must be answered.  First, is there a practical purpose for these visions?  The second question: All eight visions begin with Zechariah 1:7, which sets the date, the very night that Zechariah witnessed all eight visions.  Is there any point to knowing the date, or is it an unimportant detail?  Since we understand and believe that the Bible is God-breathed and entirely profitable, no detail of Scripture is unimportant, and the date of Zechariah’s visions is no exception to this rule.  It is in understanding the timing and the setting of Zechariah’s visions which shows us how relevant they truly are.  Let’s pray and then get into the first part of the first vision.

--PRAY--

 

SCRIPTURE:

            Turn in your Bibles to Zechariah 1:7-13, our passage for this morning.  Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God, and follow along as I read.

     Zechariah 1:7-13,

            “On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. Then I said, ‘My lord, what are these?’  And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, ‘I will show you what these are.’  And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, ‘These are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’  So they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.’  Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?’  The Lord answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words.” (Zechariah 1:7–13, NASB95)[1]

THE WORD OF THE LORD (Zechariah 1:7)

            Zechariah begins his second prophecy by giving us the date of the 24th day of the 11th month.  Zechariah received the visions on this day by divine design because several important events had taken place on the 24th day of earlier months.  For example, the rebuilding of the temple was restarted on the 24th of the sixth month.  Haggai 1:14-15 records, “So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.” (Haggai 1:14–15, NASB95)[2]  Since rebuilding the temple was a main focus for Judah at this time in history, this date was an important day in God’s plan.  Exactly three months later, on the 24th day of the ninth month—God commanded Haggai to encourage the people to persevere in obedience.  He revealed that the Lord would bless them and their work of rebuilding the temple.  (Haggai 2:10-19)  So when Zechariah announced that the Word of the LORD came to him on the 24th of the eleventh month, people would have known that God was revealing another message related to the rebuilding of the temple.  This message would again strengthen and encourage them to persist in the rebuilding even though it was a struggle.  There were opposition and dangers from the neighboring peoples, the remnant themselves were prone to distraction and apathy.  Added to this was the disappointment that the temple was smaller and not as glorious as Solomon’s.  Some even wondered if all the effort, risk, and spiritual struggle was worth it for a structure that was insignificant compared to the former one.  So, five months after the rebuilding had started on the 24th day of the eleventh month, the people again needed to be built up with confidence that God would honor their obedience and strengthen them in all their efforts.  This is why Zechariah recorded this specific date for us. The visions he received showcased God’s promises and plans to assure His people that they were doing what was necessary and meaningful no matter how hard it was.

            Even for us today, though we are not called to build a physical temple, Zechariah’s visions are a reminder that it is the future that drives believers to persist in whatever work the Lord has called them to do.  Paul, like Zechariah, revealed God’s plan for the future in 1st Corinthians 15—the resurrection and rapture of the saints in glory.  Then his conclusion to knowing the future was given in verse 58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NASB95)[3]  Knowing what God has planned for the future produces confidence that present obedience matters.  Zechariah’s visions present an elaborate picture of the truth that God remembers His promises and the glorious plans He has for His people.  This should be an admonition to believers at any time in history that God will honor obedience.

            Zechariah’s visions gave his people hope in their present struggle.  These visions took place in the month of Shebat, the Babylonian name for the eleventh month.  Using the Babylonian calendar was a reminder that even in their homeland they were ruled by pagan, Gentile rulers.  This fact was driven further home by identifying the year as the second year of Darius, another reminder that Israel was not free from bondage.  Through the prophets, God had promised that one day they would be free, and that the Messiah would rule the entire world.  Zechariah’s visions came at an important time when things were hard and there was widespread disappointment.  These visions were like bright, flashing reminders of God’s promises of divine blessing.  They gave the people hope so that the people could be comforted and strengthened to persevere as they looked with confidence to the coming day of blessing.  But even today Israel does not enjoy all that God promised.  The nation does not dwell in peace, the people have not repented, and they do not know their Messiah.

            In much the same way, Peter reminded his readers that they were aliens and exiles in the world because Christ has not yet returned and fulfilled all His promises.  Even today we feel the reality that everything has not been made right.  We too, need to be reminded that God’s covenants and promises will be fully realized, just as He promised.  Zechariah’s visions sustain that hope.

            When people are struggling and fighting disappointment, they do not need opinions or speculations, they need divine revelation.  They need truth, and that is exactly what God provided.  The word of the LORD or the word of Yahweh came not merely bringing information but came as a person, the Son of God.  At a time when Judah was exhausted and discouraged, the pre-incarnate Christ took action for them.  He was working on their behalf even though they as a nation did not know Him.  The Lord Jesus sent a message through a prophet whose name and heritage was related to God’s faithful remembrance (Zechariah) God’s gracious blessing (Berechiah) and in His sovereign timing (Iddo).  For those wondering if their work was in vain, they needed reassurance that God remembered His promises of blessing.  For those wondering if their bondage would ever end, they needed to know that God had not forgotten, and at the right time He would set them free.  God’s remembrance, blessing, and timing are vital truths for His people to hope in during seasons of suffering.  These themes will run through all of Zechariah’s visions and show us that not one word of all that God has spoken will fail.  The Lord’s unfailing faithfulness to His promised plan should drive His people to persist in the work of obedience and persevere in times of trouble.

 

THE LORD IS ALWAYS ACTIVE (Zechariah 1:8)

            In verse eight Zechariah tells us that he saw his visions at night.  God granted the prophet spiritual sight into realities beyond what anyone can naturally observe.  The images that he was about to see would show to him the purposes of God, purposes that would take place in the prophet’s time and at the end of history.  These visions also showed Zechariah that God had not forgotten His people or His promises.

            As the first vision began, Zechariah’s attention was immediately drawn to a man at the center of the scene.  The prophet does not describe the man, but simply states, “Behold, a man, with no other description, leaving the man’s identity a mystery.  Later in this vision we will discover that this man is the Angel of the LORD or the Angel of Yahweh, this is the pre-incarnate Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity.  The fact that the Angel of Yahweh, God Himself, is describes as a man should not surprise us if we are reading our Bibles.  In the book of Daniel, the prophet described the Messiah this way, calling Him “one like a Son of Man” in Daniel 7:13, because He is the final Adam.  The Apostle Paul also spoke of Christ like this, describing Him as the Adam to come in Romans 5:14 and the last Adam in 1st Corinthians 15:45.  So, when God showed Zechariah a man in his vision, He did so to reiterate what He had previously revealed to Daniel, that the Son of Man is the final Adam.

            Zechariah goes on to describe that this man, the Angel of Yahweh was riding on a red horse.  The red color of the horse is often associated with blood, judgment, and vengeance.  The Messiah will ride into battle against the enemies of His people and will triumph over them.  Having ridden into the scene the Man stops His horse, and they stand still and they were standing among the myrtle trees which were in a ravine.   He is ready for battle, but He has not yet ridden into the war. He was not just passively standing there, but ready to receive a report in order to spring into action.

            The man was not alone, with Him were red, sorrel, and white horses.  Sorrel most likely referred to a speckled horse of both the red and white of the other horses.  As already mentioned, the red color refers to bloodshed and judgment.  White is associated with purity and holiness and also a sign of triumph.  When Christ returns He will be on a white horse of triumph. These horses and their riders were gathered around the Angel of the LORD.

            Zechariah’s vision shows us that at all times God is working toward the fulfillment of His plan.  Not only is His plan active, but the main Person in the plan is the coming Messiah, the last Adam, the Supreme Ruler over all creation, and He is poised and ready when the time is right.  He is not alone but has His hosts with Him.  His final victory is assured and will unfold exactly as God has sovereignly ordained.  The LORD has not forgotten His people, He has remembered His promises and is always moving and working towards the fulfillment of His plan and the blessings that will come with it.  This truth should give confidence to all believers, whether those in Zechariah’s day or those living today in the age of grace.

 

THE LORD IS FULLY AWARE (Zechariah 1:9-11)

            Having seen in the vision the Messiah and the host around Him, all on horseback, Zechariah asked “My lord, what are these?” (Zechariah 1:9a, NASB95)[4]  This is the first that we know that there is someone else with Zechariah.  The term “My lord” that Zechariah uses to address the angel that is with him is not the title for God that we translate as Lord, but this is a related word that is often used to show respect to the one to whom you are speaking.  Zechariah’s question was simple; it was not about the identity of the objects in the vision in front of him.  He knew he was seeing different colored horses and myrtle trees and a man who had ridden into the trees in the ravine and was now standing still.  His question was in regard to the significance of these things.  What purpose did God have in revealing this vision to him?

            As I stated, there is someone that was not mentioned before, this someone is an angel who was speaking with Zechariah.  This is not the Angel of the LORD that was among the myrtle trees in the ravine.  This is an angel that is with Zechariah, an interpreting angel sent to give the prophet understanding into the meaning of the vision.  The prophet Daniel also had interpreting angels come to him to explain the visions that he saw.  This angel will appear throughout Zechariah’s prophecy a total of eleven times.  This interpreting angel responded immediately to Zechariah’s inquiry.  He said, “I will show you what these are.” (Zechariah 1:9b, NASB95)[5]  This question and answer illustrates both the necessity and graciousness of divine revelation.  For Zechariah revelation was necessary because he could not grasp the meaning of the vision.  God had to reveal the meaning through this angelic messenger.  By asking respectfully, Zechariah was not demanding an explanation but instead believed that since God had allowed him to see the vision, God would also give him an explanation of it.

            Even though Zechariah directed his question to the angel that was with him, and who said he would show him what these are, it was the man who was standing among the myrtle trees that gave the answer.  As we already discovered this man is the Messiah.  He is among the myrtle trees; it was the boughs of these trees that Israel used to make their booths for the feast of tabernacles that celebrated God’s faithfulness in delivering them from Egypt.  It is as if the Messiah is anticipating Israel making these booths again to celebrate God’s faithfulness in the millennial kingdom.  While that will be the future outcome, in the vision the man was standing and had not engaged in action.  But He was the one who answered Zechariah.  “These are those whom the LORD (Yahweh) has sent to patrol the earth.” (Zechariah 1:10b, NASB95)[6]  These horses that Zechariah  saw were on patrol.  The people of Judah would have understood this because the kings of Medo-Persia used horsemen to patrol their kingdom and report back what they observed.  The LORD’S holy hosts patrol the earth to do His will, serve His people, and assess the enemy.  Yahweh Himself sent forth these hosts for this purpose.

            The angelic horsemen have returned from patrol with their report, and they brought their report to the Angel of Yahweh who was standing among the myrtle trees.  This description of the Angel of Yahweh here in verse eleven matches exactly the description of the man in verse ten.  That both were standing among the myrtle trees indicates that they are one and the same.  The last time the Angel of Yahweh appeared was in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, roughly two centuries earlier, at that time He struck down 185,000 Assyrians to deliver Judah.  Just as He had come to accomplish a massive deliverance for His people in Hezekiah’s time, so He appeared in the vision of Zechariah ready to act on His people’s behalf. 

            Given the Messiah’s readiness for battle, the report of the patrol was unexpected.  They said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.” (Zechariah 1:11b, NASB95)[7]  Despite the anticipation to see God’s end time plans fulfilled, the condition of the earth was not yet ready.  The words “and behold” expressed the patrollers’ surprise that all the earth is peaceful and quiet.  While this is usually considered a good thing, in this case it is troubling because the prophets had predicted that before God establishes His kingdom on earth, there would not be peacefulness and quiet but immense turmoil and upheaval.  There would be a great battle, along with the judgment of nations as the Messiah would go to war and win the victory for His people.  That is anything but peaceful and quiet.  So, when this was the report, the implication was the world was peaceful and quiet in all the wrong ways.  The earth was sitting still as opposed to being shaken by God.  While the word quiet can mean a relaxed and tranquil state, such quiet can also be used to describe a smug sense of self-security.  In their arrogance, the pagan nations assumed the serenity they enjoyed would continue indefinitely.  The promised upheaval signaling the culmination of history had not yet begun.

            So far, this first vision of Zechariah revealed that God had a marvelous plan for His people and that He was actively advancing that plan.  Here, however, it also showed that the timing of that plan, in terms of fulfillment, was yet along ways off.  Just like the patrollers, the people of Judah would have understood this reality as well.  They knew the nations around them were peaceful and quiet, while the people of God were distressed and discouraged in their efforts to rebuild the temple.  Undoubtedly, they wondered if God was aware of their circumstances.  This vision declared to troubled Israel that God knew fully what they were facing.  The Lord had thoroughly and supernaturally surveyed the scene, both in Israel and throughout the entire world.  This provided assurance to the people that their current experience was within God’s plan for the nation, perfectly moving toward their deliverance and triumph through the Messiah.

 

THE LORD IS OUR ADVOCATE (Zechariah 1:12-13)

            While the world was peaceful and quiet, many in Judah may have wondered if God were doing anything on their behalf.  It seemed that whatever they did, it was met with opposition and affliction.  In response to this, an awesome act began in Zechariah’s vision.  The Angel of Yahweh took up the cause of His people.  The second Person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Son of God, the Messiah who is the Advocate, took His place as the intercessor.  An Advocate is one who speaks on behalf of another, one who supports and advances the cause of another.  God the Son is the great Advocate of His people before the Father, before Yahweh of hosts.  So, while the world seemed at a standstill, the Son of God advanced redemptive history by interceding for His people.  He took up the plight of His people and spoke on their behalf.  We may be familiar with Christ’s intercessory work for His people after the cross.  But this intercessory work has been ongoing from ancient times.  Job declared in Job 16:19, “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high.” (Job 16:19, NASB95)[8] And here we see it in the time of Zechariah, and we know it continues on to this day.  The Lord Jesus has always been pleading for the well-being of His own.  At a time when Judah might have been tempted to wonder if God had abandoned them, the Lord revealed that their cause was still championed not only by the most able Advocate, but by the most glorious and honored representative ever.

            The Son, the Angel of Yahweh said to the Father, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah?” (Zechariah 1:12b, NASB95)[9] This prayer reveals the nature of the Lord’s intercession as He prayed to His Father to show compassion toward His people.  First, He appealed on account of the character and nature of God, noting both His might and resources as the Commander of heaven’s armies, and His Person and promises as the covenant God of Israel (Yahweh).  Since God had committed His name—Yahweh of hosts—to restore His people, the Angel of Yahweh appealed to God the Father to act on what He had pledged Himself to do.

            Second, He appealed on account of God’s love for His people.  The Son called on His Father to consider the length of Israel’s suffering, saying, “How long will You have no compassion?”  This rhetorical question expressed the Lord’s sympathy for His people even as it assumed God’s compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah.  Compassion relates to the intensity a mother feels toward her newborn child.  This describes deep and tender affection, connection, and care.  Such compassion will do anything and everything to defend, protect, and comfort.  The prophets proclaimed that God would demonstrate His compassion on Jerusalem and Israel in the end times.  They prophesied that one day He would see Jerusalem in great distress and, motivated by love, take action to defend her and deliver the people.  With divine knowledge of the deep love of the Father for His own, the Son cried out, “How long?”  As their Advocate, the Son interceded for Israel, asking the Father to save and bless His people.

            Third, the Son’s intercession was based upon the will of the Godhead.  His plea, “How long?” was particularly appropriate given the circumstances of Judah in Zechariah’s day.  The Son acknowledges God had been indignant these seventy years, referring to the Babylonian captivity.  Indignant is a strong word reflecting the wrath that comes before judgment.  God carried out such indignation against His people during their time in exile.  But before Judah even went into exile, Jeremiah predicted that the Jews would be brought back to the land after seventy years.  Now the seventy years had passed, the divine Advocate was appealing to His Father because the time of indignation had been completed.  The time had come for God to renew His compassion toward His people.  The Son’s plea was grounded and based upon the singular will of the Godhead revealed in Scripture.  Though the world was peaceful and quiet, God’s Son was personally interceding for Judah even the way that He intercedes for His beloved church today.

            Not only did God’s Son plead for His people, but Yahweh answered the Son’s plea.  The Son’s perfect intercession is always effective.  In response, the Father spoke to the angel who was speaking with Zechariah.  God spoke to this angel because he was the one given the task of explaining the vision to Zechariah.  God the Father’s answer consisted of gracious words, comforting words.  Gracious words reveal that God was giving a positive answer in response to His Son’s petition.  They are also comforting words, a divine message that provides soothing relief to those experiencing anguish and despair.

            Previous revelation fills in the content of these gracious and comforting words.  Isaiah in the latter part of his prophecy used the word “comfort.”  He proclaimed in Isaiah 40:1, “Comfort, O comfort my people”  According to Isaiah, the Lord will provide comfort to Israel by saving them through the atoning work of His Servant, bringing His people home, providing peace across the world, and filling the earth with His glory. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; 60:4-14; 60:18-22)  When the Father spoke words of comfort to the angel who was with Zechariah, He was not speaking something new, but that which had already been revealed.  God promised comfort to His people—comfort that would heal the wounds of exile, ensuring a glorious future for the nation, and that would all be acquired by the saving work of the Son.  In speaking gracious and comforting words to the angel, God relayed to Zechariah that His plan for His people had not changed.

 

CONCLUSION:

            The Lord revealed to His prophet that though all appeared to be peaceful and quiet, God was advancing His purposes.  The Lord was always and is always at work, even when people could not see all that He was doing behind the scenes.  He was fully aware of the circumstances of both what was happening to Israel at that time and the timing of events in keeping with His plan for world history.  Additionally, the Son was personally advocating on behalf of His people, interceding for them before the Father.  In response to the Son’s intercession, the Father confirmed that He would bring comfort to His people even as He had promised in the past.  For these reasons, the people of Judah could take courage, confident that Yahweh had not forgotten or abandoned them.  Yahweh was a work on their behalf, even if they could not see it visibly. 

In our Scripture reading this morning the Apostle Peter reminded his readers that the Lord is never slow in keeping His promises but always has a purpose for what He does and when He does it.  That truth, reflected in Zechariah’s vision, would have been great encouragement to the Jews as they turned to the Lord and trusted in Him.  For believers in any age, that truth brings the comfort and courage needed to live by faith and walk in obedience.

 

[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.