Today in God's Word—December 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
December 23, Zechariah 6
And say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on this throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."' - Zechariah 6:12-13
If you are troubled by words about chariots and colored horses that you do not understand, remember that this eighth and final vision in Zechariah is like the ones that preceded it. The elements of these visions are like the symbols and signs in other apocalyptic literature. They are not so much about the literal object described, how many or what color they are. They are like code characters that signify something else. Please do not allow such questions about these mysterious images to distract you from the most important matters in this chapter.
We need to be humble like Zechariah was when he saw these chariots and horses. We may need to ask as a little child might ask his parent, "What are these?" One clue about the chariots here is the way David described the swift and powerful angels of God as chariots in Psalms. The horses may remind us of the colored horses that we find in Revelation, where the different colors seem to signify war, death, famine and triumph, all tools of God's judgment against evil. God authorized these angels to patrol the whole earth. The whole picture of the chariots and horses seems to be about God's sovereignty over all the world, far beyond the borders of Israel.
God exercised patience in unleashing these instruments of destruction and death. The angels were ready to go on their mission, but they didn't go until God released them.
The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews wrote that God spoke to the fathers by the prophets in varied ways. In addition to the visions, God also spoke directly to Zechariah in the second half of this chapter. The subject of this revelation from God is not a mystery. It is about Messiah, the Branch of David who would rule as a king and minister as priest. God instructed Zechariah to go to some returned exiles who had God-honoring names, and take both gold and silver from them to make a crown to set on the head of Joshua, the high priest. The Lord told Zechariah to explain to these men how the One symbolized by this crown on the priest's head would indeed be both king and priest in one to his people. Messiah would rule over the kingdom and bring peace to his people. The temple he would build would incorporate both Jews and Gentiles. God assured Zechariah and his companions that all these things would come to pass, if they diligently obeyed God's commands.
While Joshua was wearing the crown, the prophets told the men with him, "Behold the man." Pilate would say the same thing about Jesus when he brought him out beaten and bloodied and proclaimed him to be innocent.
That's good instruction for all of us as we read this chapter and contemplate Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all that Zechariah and the other prophets foretold about him. God will keep his promises. What he says will surely come to pass. There's no question about that. The "if" of the closing verse is not about us understanding every symbol. Instead it's an admonition to obey the commands of God that are clear.
So don't be frightened or discouraged by challenging symbols and signs. Instead, let’s think of all the promises God has made, and the blessings and rewards he wants to give us. Think of what Jesus did at the cross when he bore our sins to give us abundant and finally eternal life. All those rich promises will come to pass. God is faithful; he will do what he promises to do. We each should ask ourselves in every situation and day of our lives, “Do I trust the Lord? Will I diligently obey the voice of the LORD my God?"
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Comments