Zechariah 1:7-17
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees [by the deep], and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ 11 And 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 remains at rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ 13 And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” [1]
As we heard in verse 7, this is the second time that the word of the Lord has come to the prophet Zechariah. This revelation occurs in 520 BC, the same year as his first revelation. His first word from God was quite plain. We could sum it up in one word: repent. But this revelation from God is in a quite different format. As we noted last week, this style of literature is called apocalyptic literature. Another way this second revelation is different from the first is that this revelation extends from verse 7 all the way through to chapter 6. It is one long vision with very different scenes that all form one long tapestry.
As his angel guide interprets these visions, he points out all these scenes that string together just like a video as these panels come alive with action. Notice this whole section is punctuated with Zechariah recounting how he looked at something, or how he looked up and saw something. His angel guide functions like a docent in the museum. He is the heavenly expert who points out the imported details we might otherwise miss. He is the divine art expert who understands the language of this tapestry.
We are dealing with symbols and types when we deal with apocalyptic literature, images that draw us in emotionally and prompt us to meditate upon how these images relate to other pictures and events in scripture. What do they reveal about God’s great plan for his people? But the fact of the matter is not all Christians like this kind of literature. Some prefer to read only the gospels, some prefer to read only Paul (especially when he’s laying down law and giving orders), some people prefer the Psalms. But God will not have us that way. He wants us to grow mentally and emotionally. Apocalyptic images, like all art, intend to provoke thought and emotion.
This first image is a picture of God’s purposes being worked out in all the earth. It breaks down into three parts. In verses 7-11, Zechariah sees angels, in the form of men, riding on different colored horses. And so he asks his interpreting angel about the significance of this image. Next in verses 12-13, Zachariah overhears speaking. It’s the voice of the Angel of the Lord speaking in profound intercession. Finally, in verses 12-17, the interpreting angel turns to Zechariah and explains the words of the one referred to as both God and the Angel of the Lord. And as we look at the words and images involved in these three parts, the significance of this first night vision becomes clear.
MAN, MYRTLES, DEEP (7-11)
First, in verses 7-11, we’re given a vision of several colored horses with angelic riders on them. Zechariah asked the question we would all presumably ask in such a situation. He asks his angelic interpreter to explain. We have several clues as to the identification of the rider on the red horse, the man among the myrtles. He appears again in verse 11 where he is called the Angel of the Lord. It is the Angel of the Lord who directly answers Zechariah’s question. These are the Lord’s angels patrolling the earth, come to report to the Angel of the Lord.
By verses 12 and 13, it becomes more and more clear who this man among the myrtles is. 13 And YHWH answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. Angels are mentioned many times in scripture, and it appears there are many different kinds of angels, or at least higher ranks of them. But the Bible also speaks of “the Angel of the Lord.” He first appears in Genesis chapter 16 and continues to make appearances throughout the record of the Old Testament. He appears to Moses at the burning bush, He appeared to Joshua as the Israelites entered the promised land, and He will make another appearance here in Zechariah chapter 3.
Whenever you read of the Angel of the Lord, at some point in the story the Angel reveals himself as God and will be addressed as God. He is separate from God, and yet he is God. You see that here in verses 11 and 13. In verse 11 he is the Angel of the Lord and in verse 13 he is the Lord and He speaks kind and comforting words to Zachariah. Wherever he appears in scripture the Angel of the Lord has the same purpose: to protect, to defend, and to deliver God’s people. He is always the one sent out by God on a mission of salvation.
As we stand on New Testament ground, it is not difficult for us to understand who this figure actually is. Looking back through the lens of the cross we can see the presence of Christ in this shadowy but real image of one sent by God, who is himself also called God, who becomes God present with his people to save his people from their sins. He preserves, protects, defends, and saves his people.
We also have a clue about God’s plan when Zechariah tells us the location of where the red horse rider is standing. He is upon a red horse. The horse is standing among the myrtle trees and by either a ravine or by the watery deep. When you see details in a biblical story that don’t need to be there, they are there for a particular reason and are to be interpreted according to the way we find those same images used throughout the rest of the Bible. In the world of visual arts it helps to have an expert who understands the history and techniques of visual art and can point out minute details that you might never see. Humans create art because God himself is an artist, and the divine artist is revealing a couple of details to us in this picture.
Myrtle trees have a special significance in the history of Old Testament prophecy. When Isaiah foresaw that God would do something glorious for his people, he foresaw the desert blossoming. Myrtle trees were considered a glorious, luxurious plant because they required copious amounts of water to thrive and blossom. They were also one of the trees considered acceptable for the covering of a tent when celebrating the Jewish Festival of Boothes. The people were to build temporary huts and cover them with particular kinds of tree branches considered glorious to emphasize both their connection to the earth and the glory of God that covered them.
The Angel of the Lord, seated upon a red horse of war, is the one who will turn the desert in which his people live into a luxurious garden with a major source of water. He is the one who will restore the Garden of Eden to the people of God. He brings forgiveness, renewal, restoration, and transformation. He is the one who, at the end of the book of Revelation, promises that he is making all things new. How does he do that? He turns the wilderness of the old earth into a beautiful garden.
Next we notice that the man among the Myrtle trees is also standing next to what the New International Version calls “the ravine” and the English Standard Version calls “the glen.” The word is best translated as “the deep” or “the watery deep.” The word is used again in 10:11, “He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.” [2] This man among the myrtles has control over that thing Israelites considered completely uncontrollable, utter chaos. The man among the myrtles controls the deep. Recall that the spirit of God hovered over the dark and chaotic waters of creation and spoke order and control to them.
So the man among the Myrtle trees standing by the chaotic waters of the deep is a symbol of the one who speaks order into chaos, the one who drew the earth out of the uncontrollable deep simply by the word of his power.
The third clue to the identity of the man among the myrtles comes from the response that he receives from God and delivers as God to Zechariah. In verse 10 the Angel of the Lord explains that the other angels are patrolling the earth and have come to report what they found. In verse 11 they report that the rest of the world is completely at ease with Israel’s discomfort. No other nation seeks to honor God by helping Israel rebuild her temple. While God’s people are in ruins and God’s temple is in ruins the whole earth is perfectly fine with it.
Here when the deep, dark, chaotic waters of famine and economic depression seem about to engulf God’s people, and no other human beings on the planet are remotely bothered by that, the Angel of the Lord’s hovers over the waters of chaos and breaths words of comfort to his people. Only two months before this vision, Haggai had preached with great clarity that God promised he was going to shake the nations. The Angel of the Lord stands in the glory of the myrtle trees (God’s glorious promises) watching over the waters of chaos with a deep sense of loyalty and protection for his people.
This image is meant to teach us one basic, simple lesson. Between all the events of human history, between all the conflicts of the nations against God’s people, there is a hidden history of invisible activity in which the Angel of the Lord, as the commander of God’s angelic army, maintains a divine reconnaissance over the world on behalf of his people. He is engaged in a mighty battle as he stands between the deep darkness of the powers of evil and the promise he has given to make his church blossom in the desert wilderness.
The apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6:12 explains this picture with great clarity: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.[3] The whole community of God’s people on earth is set in a context of great cosmic spiritual conflict. That will not change until God the Son comes to make all things new. In this present age, he is continuously working out his promise of Genesis 3:15 to crush the head of the serpent even as the serpent seeks to extinguish the seed of the woman (the Angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ).
That is why it was important for Zechariah to hear the Angel of the Lord interceding on behalf of his people to God the Father. “12 Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’” Almost every writer in the New Testament reflects upon the nature of the relationship between the Angel of the Lord and the Father in heaven. Here, the man among the myrtles makes intercession for his people. That’s a fancy way of saying he prays. God is praying to God.
The man among the myrtles prays for his people just like he prayed for Peter when Satan desired to sift him like wheat. Just like he prayed with great passion for the whole church, only the apostle John records the event (and he devotes an entire chapter to it). We have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous one (1 Jn. 2:1). The Angel of the Lord’s intercession is always heard. Jesus said of the Father that the Father always hears the Son. That is naturally so since they are both persons of the same Godhead. In fact, Jesus said that he and the Father were one.
13 And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. The Son intervenes with the Father and the Father answers with strong and comforting words. The Son then conveys that answer to the interpreting angel. He speaks words about God’s good purpose. Zechariah, and quite possibly his interpreting angel, are searching for God’s good purposes in a terrible situation. Much like you and I do today. God responds in a way that demonstrates to Zechariah and to us that all of his plans are good. It’s not important if Zechariah knows the details of God’s plan. But it is most important that we know that God is good all the time.
When we are in the presence of God, the only appropriate question is not whether God is for us or against us but whether we are bowed down before him in submission to him and his good purposes. Do you see what has happened in this text? Zechariah began by observing an event taking place in his dream, but now he has been drawn in. He becomes part of the tapestry.
MISSION (14-17)
The final thing we learn from our passage this morning is that Zechariah is given a mission in verses 14-17. “14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’”
In Ezekiel 16, God pictures Israel as an abandoned, dying baby girl to whom he gives life. And when she has reached the age of maturity, God makes her his bride, covering her with fine clothes, jewels, and a crown. 15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.”
As thankless and horrible as his bride was to him, nevertheless even in his anger he continues to love her and to pursue her and to promise her a new and better relationship with him, a new covenant to replace the one she cannot keep (because the law cannot empower what it commands). Still, despite her continual faithlessness, God remains jealous for her. All of us know what it is like to get jealous. But our jealousy arises from our sinful idolatry and constant demands for self-satisfaction. God is jealous with a pure, holy, love which tears at his heartstrings when his people reject him.
In the final section, God’s passionate jealousy for his people results in his pouring passionate wrath out upon their enemies. Zecharia’s job it’s to warn the nations that God’s wrath is coming and to speak God’s words of comfort to God’s people. God says the nations feel comfortable and “secure.” The same word is found in the 123rd Psalm. To feel “secure” is to arrogantly despise God, His Word, and his people. The God of love for his wayward people could not have that love unless he also had a powerful hatred of sin.
While God used gentile nations to discipline wayward Israel, He still holds those nations accountable for their own wanton desires to destroy God’s people. Now, he promises to shake those nations even as he re-establishes Jerusalem as his temple city. Those nations believe themselves to be their own gods. So, YHWH will come in holy judgment upon them (vv. 14-15), and he will come with blessings for his people (16-17).
Under Haggai’s preaching, the people began to repent, to return to the Lord. Now, through Zechariah, God announces to the people that he is returning to them. Ezekiel saw the completed temple in his visions and described the river running out from the temple into the streets of Jerusalem. The apostle John has a similar vision as he sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven like a bride adorned for her husband and from it follows a great river with glorious trees of life on either side.
One day long after Zechariah had gone on to his reward, the man among the myrtles, the Angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, joined himself permanently to human flesh, took on a human nature to accompany his divine nature, and willingly suffered and died to pay for all the sins of all his people. God came near. God delivered on his promises. For in Christ Jesus all God’s promises are yes and amen.
The man that Zechariah saw, the apostle John also saw not merely in the vision but walking and talking and eating and sleeping with his people. John put it this way:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. [4]
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Zec 1:7–17.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Zec 10:11.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 6:12.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Jn 1:1–4.
