The Vision of the Horsemen

A study on Zechariah

The Vision of Horsemen

Zechariah 1:8-17

Theme: God gives Zechariah His message through vision.

Introduction: Three months after the first message, during the night of February 15, 519 BC, Zechariah had a series of 8 visions that God gave to encourage the remnant to finish rebuilding the temple. The visions center on God’s ministry to Israel and His judgment on the Gentile nations that afflicted Israel.

God gives Zechariah 8 visions in the opening chapters where one builds upon another until God gives the full picture of what He wants them to know. These were to encourage the people to press on with the work of the Lord. They were designed to bring comfort and hope to the remnant.

These were not dreams but communications to Zechariah by God in a vision. All eight seemed to have appeared in the same night.

In the first vision, there were four parts for our understanding.

I. The Angel of the Lord v.8, 11

A. The person

1. A man who is riding a red horse.

2. Revealed in v. 11-Angel of the Lord-often we meet with someone by that title in the Old Testament

“And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.” (Genesis 16:7) Hagar

“And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” (Genesis 16:10) The Angel of the Lord is going to do this great thing.

Abraham was to offer up his son Isaac and the Angel of the Lord called out

“And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” (Genesis 22:11–12)

“And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;” (Genesis 22:15–17)

This is the pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. He appeared to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, and Samson’s parents.

B. The horse

1. This red horse is stationary in the vision-bay or reddish brown horse.

2. It is standing in a ravine, possible in the Kidron Valley just outside of Jerusalem.

3. The color of the red horse may or may not be significant but would be considered a horse of war if indeed the color is.

II. The myrtle trees v. 8

A. Description

1. A myrtle tree is a common bush in Israel.

2. It is a beautiful shrub with glossy leaves and white star-like clusters of fragrant flowers.

3. The remarkable things about the myrtle is the rich , fragrant smell only when they are crushed.

4. The myrtle is tied the Hebrew name for Esther which is Hadassah

5. It is found growing wild in Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights.

B. Symbolism

1. The tree is a sign of the kingdom’s blessing for Israel.

2. The branches are used in the construction of the booths during the Feast of the Tabernacles which is looking towards a kingdom.

3. This symbol of the tree points to a lowly myrtle which is humble, unpretentious, and gives out sweet fragrance when it is bruised by the weight of affliction.

4. This bottom described here is like a hollow or low place which is insignificant, yet God will strengthen them.

5. The failures, the disappointments, and the losses will all be forgotten when Jesus Christ (the Angel of the Lord) is standing with His people.

III. The horsemen v. 9

A. Their identity

1. There is a talking angel answering Zechariah’s question.

2. What are these or who are these doesn’t seem to matter by the answer-it is not who they are messengers

3. If the color is important white would be for purity and victory, brown possibly be for both.

4. A vision is more like a parable that Jesus taught when He was on earth-it has one central truth.

B. Their ministry

1. Zechariah watches as the horseman report directly to the Angel of the Lord who is standing among the myrtle trees.

2. Their ministry is to patrol the earth and carry out the decrees of the Lord as given by Jehovah God who is the Lord of Hosts, the commander of the armies of heaven and earth.

IV. The interpretation vv. 12-17

A. Message of false peace v. 12

1. The message is that the Gentile nations are rest and peace.

2. After the upheaval of empires and Persia’s conquest of Babylon and other nations, this would appear to be an encouraging report, but it wasn’t.

3. These nations had severely treated the Jews for seventy years were enjoying a tranquil existence, while the people of God were still suffering the effects of their years in captivity.

4. The Angel of the Lord (God the Son) speaks to the Lord Almighty (God the Father)-how long will You withhold your judgment and shake the nations.

“My soul is also sore vexed: But thou, O Lord, how long?” (Psalm 6:3)

5. This teaches us that God is praying for His people we see that in John 17:9.

B. Message of true comfort v. 13

1. As the result of the pleading of the Angel of the Lord, God gives an encouraging message to His people.

2. God is going to return to the holy city.

3. The temple will be rebuilt and God will comfort His people vv. 16-17

4. God will also expand their nation and give them prosperity.

5. When our situation appears hopeless, we must remind ourselves that God identifies with our sufferings and is charge of the future.

Conclusion: Just as God knows the end from the beginning, He wants His people to know He has a great future in store for them. This will comfort them as they look towards the Holy One of Israel.