Building God's House #6: God of All Comfort, Zechariah 1:7-21

Intro: Picture this- little bitty Jeremy, on Granny’s porch, riding his little toy trike, my dad sitting in one of the chairs with his feet propped up in front of him, when Jeremy gets a wild hair- I’m about to play CHiPs. So, I start peddling my little trike as fast as I can until I get to dad’s legs at the other end of the porch, I reach up & grab them & hang on for dear life as my trike goes off the edge of the porch. That’s my earliest memory of Granny’s porch. The 2nd memory is of me on the same porch, playing, I think on the same trike, when I see my dad rush out on the porch, lean his arms up on one of the cross beams, & start crying. It was the 1st time I remember seeing my daddy cry. I can’t remember if it was because Aunt Betty just passed, or pawpaw, but it was one of them. The memory of seeing my dad crying, in need of comfort, is etched in my brain.

Have you been there? Do you have a similar memory? Have you, yourself, ever been in dire need of comfort? If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. At some point, for some reason, you will find yourself at some time in your life in need of comfort. Where does it come from? How do you get it? And when you receive it, what will you do with it? Those comfort questions, I think our text for today has the answers.

Zechariah 1:7-17, 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 son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: 8 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. 9 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.” 10 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.” 11 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.”

12 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 seventy years?” 13 And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. 14 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. 15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, And they helped—but with evil intent.” 16 ‘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.” ’ 17 “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.” ’ ”

We’re starting a new section in our series in Haggai+Zechariah. The two books begin with 5 messages- 2 from Haggai, 1 from Zechariah, then 2 more from Haggai. That ends the book of Haggai, only 2 chapters long.

After those 5 messages comes a series of 8 visions from Zechariah. Zechariah’s visions are full of symbolism (e.g., animals, numbers, horns, craftsmen), & we don’t always know what the symbols mean. I’m not sure it matters though because at the heart of the vision is a word from the Lord, & that’s where we get the main theme- God of All Comfort.

1. GOD’S COMFORT BRINGS PEACE, 7-11

Vss. 7-11- Vision of the Horses. Zechariah saw a man on a red horse (a Red Raider perhaps?) standing among myrtle trees. This man is later identified as the Angel of the Lord in vs. 11. Behind the man were other horses (red, sorrel: reddish-brown/brownish-orange, white). There is another angel, Zechariah’s guide, to whom he asks what they are. The man on the red horse, aka the Angel of the Lord said- these are the ones the LORD sends to walk to & fro in the earth (ILL: patrolling sentries sent to secure peace). The horses’ riders (I assume) answered- we have walked throughout the earth & it is resting quietly.

Resting Quietly: resting = to sit, remain sitting, in the sense of continuing in a certain state or condition. In this case, the condition is one of rest, of peace & quiet. It means everything is still or calm.

In the context of this passage and the historical time period, this peace & quiet is probably a reference to the military & political stability that came as Darius consolidated the Persian Empire under his power.

Remember, the recipients of Zechariahs’ prophecy were the remnant of the exiles that were taken captive by Babylon but had returned home. God used Babylon to punish His people for their disobedience, but He always intended for them to go home (more on that in the next point). In order to bring them home, God overthrew Babylon. He used Babylon to punish His people, but then He used another people to punish the Babylonians. This was the nation of Persia, or the combined forces of the Medes-Persians. God raised up a Persian king named Cyrus to send His people back home to Jerusalem in peace. Now, the military peace wouldn’t last forever, but at least at this time, the earth was resting quietly. This is what God’s comfort does, it gives you peace.

You may not be aware of this, but in our natural state, lost in our sins, we are at war with God. Ephesians 4:18, teaches that because of our sins, our understanding is darkened, we are alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance in us, because of the blindness of our hearts. Now I know you may not think that, perhaps you don’t feel that, but what are you going to believe, God’s Word or your feelings?

According to Romans 5:10, we are enemies of God, but God did something to make peace with us (a treaty)- Romans 5:10, For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Reconciliation with God is where peace begins. Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… When you have peace with God, then you can rest quietly in the peace of God. God’s comfort brings us peace, & purpose.

2. GOD’S COMFORT BRINGS PURPOSE, 12-17

In the vision, the Angel of the Lord (i.e., the pre-incarnate Christ) asks God how long it will be before He shows mercy on Jerusalem & Judah. Remember, they were exiled for 70 years, they’ve been back about 16 years. God responds with good & comforting words. Good (tob)- pleasant, agreeable, friendly, good. Comforting- comfort, compassion, sympathy for another’s suffering (e.g., what I felt for dad as a child, & even more so now, he was 24 when Betty died, 27 when papaw died).

God told the angel, the angel told Zechariah, & he is to tell the people:

• I am zealous for you (human- jealous); God is envious for His people, to be exclusively His.

• I am angry with the nations at ease (carefree & feel secure)- His anger with Judah was subsiding (a little angry), but the time for His judgment on the nations was near (they had evil intent)

• I am returning with mercy (compassion), His anger towards His people was only temporary

• My house will be built, & so will the city (e.g., surveyor’s line, i.e., measuring tape for construction) | Nehemiah- rebuilt city

It always was God’s intention for a remnant to RETURN, for the temple to be RESTORED, for the city to be REBUILT. Jeremiah 29:10-11, For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Thoughts- intentions & plans of God; a series of steps to bring about this end; Future- end, a time that was yet to come, i.e., their time in Babylon wasn’t the end, it was a means to an end; the FUTURE God intended is NOW. They’ve not only resumed the work of rebuilding God’s House, but they’ve also returned to worshiping Him. There is a renewed sense of purpose among His people. Where there is a renewed sense of purpose, God will renew the prosperity (tob- good) of His people.

We are studying Haggai and Zechariah for this reason- God has a purpose for us in Building His House, both personally as individuals and corporately as His church. One of the ways that God Builds His House is Comfort- peace with Him through His Son & our Savior Jesus; purpose for us as His church builds His Kingdom here. The Lord’s comfort gives us peace, He gives us purpose, and He gives us promise.

3. GOD’S COMFORT BRINGS PROMISE, 18-21

Zech 1:18-21, Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. 19 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.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.

21 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.”

Animal horns- symbols of political and military power, they represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, & Jerusalem. They may represent four specific nations- Assyria, Babylon, Greece, & Rome; or they may symbolize four directions of the compass- N, S, E, W

Craftsmen- skilled laborers, e.g., carpenters, blacksmiths, jewelers, stonemasons, etc. The craftsmen are the ones whom the Lord will use to repay His enemies- to terrify and cast out (throw down in defeat). The craftsmen may refer to the nations that dispelled one another.

The hope of God’s people is the promise of their vindication and His victory over His enemies. One day God’s people will be vindicated when He stands in victory over His enemies. The Lord Jesus will come riding out of heaven on a white horse, His name is Faithful and True, in righteousness, He judges & makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, His head is covered with crowns, His robe is dipped in blood, His name is The Word of God. A sharp sword comes out of His mouth, & with it He strikes the nations and rules them with a rod of iron. He will defeat Satan, He will defeat the nations, He will defeat death & hell (Rev 19-20).

1 Corinthians 15:26, The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. Revelation 21:4, And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

What a great promise! The title of this sermon is from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Oh, how I wish I could have known that promise as a child. But you can’t give what you don’t have. If you don’t have peace with God, you can’t bring the peace of God. If you’ve never lived through the need for God’s comfort, you can’t share the purpose of comfort for others. If you don’t have the promise of God’s comfort, I invite you to receive it today.