Zechariah 6:1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
In this chapter we have the tenth vision God gave to Zechariah. Zechariah saw the vision, but he did not understand it. This time he saw four chariots between two mountains and the mountains were made of brass. We know that chariots are a swift way of maneuvering. God told the kings of Israel they were not to multiply horses and chariots. They were to trust in the LORD for their protection and success. We also know that Solomon accumulated a large number of horses and chariots. He was misguided in several ways.
We also know from Scripture that brass is often used to symbolize judgment. God commanded Moses to make a brazen altar as the place where the priests were to offer the sacrifices of the people. The people were judged at that altar and if they brought the appropriate sacrifice, their sins were atoned for. This was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a lost sinner turns to God in repentance, and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, his sins are not only atoned for, but they are removed.
In verses 2 and 3 Zechariah described the four horses. The first chariot had red horses pulling it. The second had black horses. The third had white horses and the fourth chariot had grisled and bay horses.
Zechariah saw all this, but he did not understand what it meant. Thus he did the only right thing he could do. He asked for understanding. In this case he asked the angel that God had sent to him. We do not ask angels today. We pray to God the Father in Jesus’ name.
In verse 5 the angel answered Zechariah. The four chariots and their horses are the four spirits of the heavens. These go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. They again depict the fact that God is all seeing, and all knowing and all powerful. He moves swiftly. There are no traffic jams with the Lord. There is no storm that can interfere with His work.
In verses 6 and 7 we see the assignments given to the horses. The black horses go to the north country. The white ones go after the black ones. The grisled horses go to the south country. The Hebrew word translated as grisled means spotted or marked. The bay horses went forth looking for a place to go through all the earth.
Obviously there is unfinished business here. God will continue to reveal what is taking place here. As mentioned, this is symbolic of God’s actions across the entire world, and more specifically across the entire land of Israel. Israel has many vulnerable places at this time. Hamas proved that just over two years ago. The reason for the vulnerability is because Israel has rejected their Protector, their God. This will change in the future. God will not allow Israel to be destroyed, but He will allow them to suffer more yet for their rebellion against Him.
Those who assume that God is playing favourites with Israel, obviously do not read the Bible. There is no people that has suffered like Israel has. God chose them from nothing. Abraham lived in an idol worshipping land. God chose him, not because he was such a great man, but because God chose him. God told him to leave his land and take his wife and go to a new land that He would show him. Abraham was reluctant to obey God and God had to further separate him from his father and his nephew. Abraham doubted God’s ability to protect him and lied twice regarding his relationship with his wife Sarah. God showed him that he did not need to do that. God protected him and showed him the importance of trusting in Him. Others also learned the importance of fearing God.
God blessed the nation of Israel greatly and yet, they rejected Him. Sadly, that is still true for them today. They are a stubborn and stiffhearted people. However, God knows how to break them. He is showing the entire world His goodness and His holiness. We, Gentiles, can know that God is faithful and we can trust Him fully. It is important to trust Him and serve Him. That is the only way of blessing.
Pastor Bartel