God’s reality we wish we could see (Zech 1:7-17)

As I write, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue and the rest of the world has troubles, too. Many are apprehensive about the future with the menace of war hanging over them. As we look at our world as Christians, we may wonder if God is aware of what is going on and if He cares about those caught up in conflict. I suspect, that for most of us, the latter question is more worrying. It is easier to believe that God Almighty is aware of events in the world, but we know from experience that the Lord allows wars and suffering, evil played out on the world stage. Sometimes we may wish we could see what is going on in the spiritual realm, the reality as God sees it.

God knows

For the returned exiles, the painstaking process of restoration has been discouraging. The fact that their dating system is linked to a foreign king’s rule (Darius; Zech 1:7) underlines their enslaved status. Yet, Zechariah’s first vision in a series of eight gives the prophet (and the people he speaks to) a glimpse of God’s reality.[1] Zechariah sees angelic patrols reporting back to their commander (the man/angel of the LORD among the myrtle trees; Zech 1:8, 11) reminiscent of the way the Persian empire sent out horsemen on patrol to inform the king of unrest or trouble spots in his domain. The vision uses anthropomorphic (human-like) language, since God, the Heavenly King is everywhere and all-knowing and need not rely on such reports. Nevertheless, what Zechariah sees is a visual expression of this idea in imagery familiar to the exiles from real life. God indeed knows exactly what is going on in the world.

God cares

Surprisingly, the settled (lit. ‘sitting’; NASB ‘peaceful’) nature of the earth (Zech 1:11) turns out not to be good news, because it speaks of ease among the nations who oppressed and hurt God’s people (Zech 1:15). While God used them to discipline His people, their cruelty and brutality was more than what the Lord intended. Their judgement will be explained in the next vision, but for now, the message is one of comfort for the returned exiles with restoration and rebuilding in view (Zech 1:16-17). God takes ownership (My temple, My cities), indeed He has chosen them, and far from being an unemotional, remote God, He shows compassion for the suffering of His people (v.16) and is angry about the injustice committed against them (v.15). While jealousy is a negative term in our world, God’s jealousy in biblical terms means His devotion and fervent love for His own. The intercession of the angel of the LORD crying out for compassion (Zech 1:12) also suggests that God’s people are not without an advocate in heaven. Although claiming that the angel here is the preincarnate Christ is perhaps reading too much into the text (the NT nowhere makes such identification and it is simply impossible to know), but as Christians we do know that Jesus interceded for His own (John 17:9-26) and so does the Spirit ‘with groanings too deep for words’ (Rom 8:26-27).

The love of God above understanding

Whether we look at the wider world and despair or feel discouraged in our personal circumstances, this passage teaches us about the immense power and love of our God. We may feel neglected, unseen by the Lord or, worse still, imagine that He cares little for our troubles, but it is not so. He knows of every heartache and sees our every tear. As Christians, we know better than the exiles ever could that God did not shun to enter our pain. Jesus knew rejection, contempt, hostility from the very ones He came to save, who not only threw His generous offer back in His face but wanted Him dead and out of the way. If He did not care about our lostness and suffering, why would He have put Himself through all this? No less than deep and enduring love could have spurred Him on to reach out to us when we were so unlovely and hateful. May the love of God take hold of our hearts, so that we may trust Him in all our circumstances.

For interest – details and symbolism in the vision

Horses, riders and the two angelic figures

While the main message of this vision is clear, some of the details are harder to follow. Only the horses are mentioned in v.8, but the fact that ‘they’ report to the angel of the LORD in v.11 suggests riders on them. There also seems to be two angelic figures and it is not always easy to identify which one is in view. Zechariah sees a man among the myrtle trees (Zech 1:8), who explains the patrols (Zech 1:10) and is called ‘the angel of the LORD’ (Zech 1:11). He seems to be the commander of the riders as they report to him (v.11). Additionally, Zechariah is accompanied by another angel, whom he initially asks about the meaning of the vision (‘the angel who was speaking with me’, Zech 1:9). It seems that it is this angel that is given comforting words for the prophet, which the latter must proclaim (Zech 1:13-14). The same angel will accompany him through most of the visions and give explanations along the way.

The colour of the horses

Another issue that is not always easy to discern is what details have symbolic significance. For instance, the colour of the horses has puzzled commentators but there is no consensus as to their meaning (compare Rev 6:1-8 where the associations are more obvious). Ideas range from suggesting that they are the component colours of fire, that they match the colours of the myrtle flowers or are prevalent in nature during the wintertime (February) when the vision is given, so that the horses are camouflaged as they do their patrolling.[2] They may also simply create a distinction between the three companies of patrols sent out and the colours mentioned (chestnut – the Hebrew ʾadom is a reddish-brown, sorrel, and white) are common among horses.

Myrtle trees

The myrtle tree grows near water, which elsewhere heralds the transformation of arid desert into fertile land as a sign of God’s restoration (Isa 41:19; 55:13).[3] Myrtle branches were also used to build booths during the Feast of Tabernacles (Neh 8:15). This festival looks back on the wilderness experience of living in temporary shelters (Lev 23:42-43) and implicitly celebrates how far Israel has come in being settled in the land. As the last major festival in the religious calendar, it came to be associated with final restoration and the coming of God’s Kingdom. Thus, the presence of myrtle trees in the vision may be a hopeful hint of the comforting message of restoration that is to come. Although Hebrew storytelling is very economical (details mentioned are usually significant), it is difficult to know whether we should read this much meaning into such a small detail. The explanation may be quite pedestrian and simply indicate that the meeting of the patrols took place in a secluded place, near some water (such as the Jordan valley),[4] where the depression and the trees would shelter the troops from discovery. If so, then the point is about the hidden work of God in the world, often not visible unless revealed.

The ravine

Another disputed word that tends to be translated as ‘ravine’ or ‘glen’ is the Hebrew metsulah, which means watery depth elsewhere. Some of the references recall God’s deliverance through the exodus when Israel came through depths of water while the Egyptians drowned in it (e.g. Exod 15:5; Neh 9:11; Ps 68:22), others speak more generally of watery depth as a place of distress (e.g. Ps 69:2, 15; Jonah 2:3). If this is significant, and Zechariah 10:11 will use it to describe salvation in exodus-like terms, then this again hints at the hopeful message to come. Otherwise, it may contribute to the secrecy motif together with the myrtle trees.

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[1] Given that the eight visions are introduced in Zech 1:7 with the one date and follow each other without a major break, it is generally thought that they were revealed to the prophet on the same night (Zech 1:8). The eight visions are the horse patrols (Zech 1:7-17), four horns and four craftsmen (Zech 1:18-21), the man with the measuring line (Zech 2:-13), Joshua cleansed and the Branch (Zech 3:1-10), golden lampstand and two olive trees (Zech 4:1-13), the flying scroll (Zech 5:1-4), the woman in the measuring basket (Zech 5:5-11), and the four chariots (Zech 6:1-8).

[2] For a brief summary of views, see Anthony R. Petterson, Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi, AOTC 25 (Downers Grove: IVP, 2015), 115.

[3] Barry Webb, The Message of Zechariah, BST (Nottingham: IVP, 2003), 67. Isaiah 40-55 addresses the Babylonian exiles with encouragement and the hope of restoration. It calls them to return from Babylon in language reminiscent of the exodus (Isa 48:20-21), mentions Cyrus by name (Isa 44:28; 45:1; the Persian ruler who allowed the exiles to return home) and promises the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple (Isa 44:26, 28).

[4] Petterson, Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi, 114.

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