Zechariah 1:18-21 says,...Bible reading week 29, day 3

Today's verses are Zechariah 1:18-21, which read,

18 - Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. 

19 - So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.” 

20 - Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 

21 - I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”

We have a shorter vision this morning from God through Zechariah.  The first vision dealt with God's promise to restore them to their land with a focus on His house being rebuilt.  His house is the temple but it signifies the worship of Him.  A judgment was coming on all from God and they would either hear His angry words or His words of kindness and comfort.  This vision plays off of the first by giving some instruction on how this judgment was going to be fulfilled.

The four horns are those nations that have overthrown Israel up to this point.  They would be Egypt and the Exodus event during the time of Jacob and Joseph, Assyria of the north affecting the northern tribes of Israel, and Babylon and Medo-Persia to the east affecting the southern tribes of Judah.  These four brought great oppression upon the Israelites.  The horn is an instrument of battle and it was blown against the Israelite nation 4 major times displacing them into other lands for a time.  They were exiles, foreigners longing for their homeland, the Promise Land covenanted to them all the way back to father Abraham.  Jerusalem is mentioned as the capital city or the holy city were the central worship of God was established.  

The second part of the vision is to notice four craftsmen who appear.  Zechariah asks the angel, "Who are they?" and the response is that these four craftsmen have come to terrify the four nations that have come against Israel.  One craftsman for each horn to deliver the people of Israel from the bondage that they were in that was keeping their heads looking down at the ground.  These four horns of nations would be defeated who once defeated Israel.  A judgment was coming upon them that was not from the people of Israel but from God.  He was providing the four craftsmen to deal with the four horns.  

Some believe that these 4 horns and 4 craftsmen could also correspond with the visions of Daniel and therefore take them into the future at this point.  Daniel's reported foes correspond with the world powers of Babylon, Persia, a coming Greece and a coming Rome.  To lay this out with this explanation would be to say that the first horn would be Babylon defeated by the first craftsman who would by Cyrus.  The second horn would be Persia defeated by the second craftsman who would be Alexander.  The third horn would be Greece defeated by the third craftsman who would be Judas Maccabeus.  The fourth horn would be Rome defeated by the fourth craftsman who would be Jesus.

Put aside the prophesy that is given here I can't help but see that a horn that represents the power of a nation and its mighty army is taken out by a craftsman and his tools.  What is the downfall of the powerful nations is something that is coming out of the shop.  The craftsman is looking at this from every angle and measuring twice before making a cut.  He has all kinds of tools at his disposal and is known for making it right the first time because he is an artist at work with the chisel in his hands.  It is very different than the horn that yells charge and coming with brute force.  The craftsman looks over the situation many times before committing to a final blueprint and making that first cut.  The horn is like the hare and the craftsman is like the tortoise and we know which wins that race.  

So ultimately God in His righteous judgment is like the craftsman who has thought through this whole plan.  He is in His workshop with all of His tools bringing about the fulfillment of what He has put in motion while Satan is blowing his horn and overpowering people for a time.  God, the craftsman, the bring about a victory over Satan that will terrify him.  Remember the reactions of the demons when they encountered Jesus?  They shrieked; they fell down; and they cried out about what was to become of them.  Word pictures help us to see better how God is and how He operates in our lives.

What does God need to work on in your life today?  What horn needs to be silenced that has overtaken you and has exiled you from where you should be with Him?  The tools are at our disposal to use.  We have the tool of His Word, the Bible.  We have the tool of communication with Him, prayer.  We have the tool of the church with counsel from godly people following after God.  We have the tool of worship that draws our focus on Him and Him alone.  We have the tool of service that keeps us other focused rather than self focused.  The tools in the shop are to be used when the horn of the enemy is sounded and the tools of God will triumph in the end.  Let's make it a point to go to God's workshop today and pick up some of His tools.  Let us pray.

"Lord, thank You that You are in charge.  Thank You that You have the answer to the blowing horns of the enemy.  Help us to avail ourselves to the tools of Your shop but also that You will bring all in perfect alignment and fitted together as it should be.  Amen."

Pastor Adam