Zechariah 1:7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.
9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
Things are happening in our world that are keeping things off centre. Mr. Trump surprised world leaders with an attack on Venezuela in which he captured the president and his wife. The U.N. was taken by surprise and is considering calling a special meeting. Other world leaders have responded to the attack. Some have expressed concern for the need to respect international law. Venezuela has been a problem on the world stage for some time. It is a small country, but wields much influence. It is heavily involved in illicit drugs. It has also stolen much from the U.S. with its handling of the oil situation. Venezuela could be a very prosperious country if not for its bad leadership.
We will see how this plays itself out. Mr. Trump is proving himself to be a shrewd man and he has the backing of his military.
This is just one of many conflicts taking place these days. In times like these it is important to have something firm to stand upon. God’s Word is the only firm foundation upon which to build our lives. Zechariah was called upon to speak to the nation of Israel in a time when they were not doing well. The problem was with them, not with God. God loved them then and He still loves them now. Israel is still struggling in spite of the boasting of their P.M. Israel will never fall, but sadly, they will face much trouble yet.
In our text we see that Zechariah is still in the same year as he was at the beginning of this book. This is now the month Sebat. That month is comparable to part of our January and February. It is called the eleventh month for Israel. It is also listed as the second year of Darius.
We are again reminded that what we are reading is inspired of God. The word of the LORD came unto Zechariah. We are also again reminded of who this Zechariah was.
In verse 8 Zechariah described a vision he was given by the LORD. He saw a man riding upon a red horse. He saw this horse among the myrtle trees and there were other red horses as well as speckled and white horses.
We see in verse 9 that Zechariah did not know what this was all about. Zechariah was not speaking directly with the LORD here. He was speaking with an angel of the LORD. This angel stated that he would show Zechariah what this vision was all about.
In verse 10 we read that there was a man standing among the myrtle trees. This man stated that these horses that Zechariah had seen were sent by the LORD to walk to and fro through the earth. God reminded Zechariah that He knows what is happening all across the world. There is nothing hid from Him. He does not need the angels to tell Him what is happening, but as we see here, He can enlist the angels to see what is going on in the world.
In verse 11 we read that the riders on these horses spoke to the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees. It is important to note that angels in the Bible are always males. Many religious people believe that angels can be females as well. The Bible does not support that assumption.
These riders stated that they had walked to and fro through the earth and they discovered that the earth was in peace and at rest.
This certainly does not describe the world today. As we noted above, Venezuela received a rude awakening. Russia and Ukraine are certainly not at peace. In fact Israel is not at peace with her neighbours. Even in Canada and the U.S., there is not a peaceful existence. We know that the world was not at peace as Zechariah was writing this. There was turmoil as Israel was to be busy building the Temple. Ezra chapter. 4-5 tell us this, yet the observation in our text is that the earth is sitting still, meaning it is peaceful and it is at rest. There is no trouble. That has not been the fact since the fall of man. However, when the Lord Jesus Christ reigns there will be peace, there will be rest.
Today, Jesus Christ brings rest to the heart of those who trust in Him.
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is another day in which we can choose to go where true rest is found and encouraged. That place is in a true local church on this day. God offers His rest to all those who will trust in Him.
The true local church teaches the Word of God. It does not compromise. It is not a social club. It is the place where God chooses to do business with all those who will follow the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit invites all people to find and attend a true local church on the Lord’s Day. Be sure you are one of those who listens to Him. You will be blessed in being able to know what God’s rest looks like.
You may be in turmoil right now. God wants you to know His rest. If you will surrender your will to Him, He will give you His rest. Don’t short change yourself.
Pastor Bartel