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They turn in your Bibles to Zechariah 
chapter one. Zechariah chapter one, continuing 
our study in the minor prophets, a bit of review, our introduction. Remember that Haggai and Zechariah 
prophesied around the same time. They were called post-exilic 
prophets. They were prophets after the 
exile. Remember that Jerusalem was sacked 
by Babylon in 586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar and his armies 
took the inhabitants of Jerusalem away to live in Babylon. And in 538, Cyrus, the king of 
Persia, made a decree or issued a decree 
that the Jews could leave Babylon and go back to Jerusalem or go 
back to their land. And their first return again 
was recorded in the book of Ezra. Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah 
and Malachi are all men who taught or prophesied post-exile after 
the Babylonian captivity. Well, when they first returned, 
they began by rebuilding an altar because they knew they needed 
to worship and to sacrifice. And then they started to lay 
the foundation for the temple, but there was a lot of opposition. 
And so they basically put that process on hold for 16 years. 
Enter Haggai. Haggai comes and he chides or 
reproves the people because they were sitting in their houses 
that were paneled, that were very comfortable and very, very 
efficient for their needs. And he calls them to forsake 
their laziness and to forsake their wickedness and to rebuild 
the temple. So the foundation was already 
there. So they began the building process 
and they finished in 516 BC. Zechariah prophesied 520-518. So these two, Haggai and Zechariah, 
were prophets prophesying to the people to encourage them 
in the work of temple building. Now, later on, there would be 
another return to Jerusalem. That's what Malachi deals with. 
And that's what Nehemiah deals with. Nehemiah gets word, gets 
news that the walls are still broken down. The city is still 
in ruins. And so that is the thrust of 
his book. So, just to set ourselves in 
the proper context, just an overview of the book of Zechariah. Again, 
by way of reminder, it's been a couple of weeks since we've 
been in Zechariah 1. The first section, verses 1 to 
6, are introductory, and we see the specific call from God through 
the prophet to the people in chapter 1, verse 3. Therefore, 
say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts. Return to me, says 
the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord 
of hosts. The great problem, the great 
tragedy in the Babylonian captivity was not necessarily the captivity. It was not necessarily the destruction 
of the temple in Jerusalem. It wasn't necessarily the destruction 
of the city of Jerusalem. The big tragedy was God's withdrawing 
his presence from his people. Remember, in the book of Ezekiel, 
chapters 8 to 11, the prophet sees the glory of the Lord gradually 
removing himself from the temple and leaving it vulnerable to 
the attack by the Babylonians. So God, from the outset, calls 
these people not just to build the external edifice, not just 
to have this structure, but to genuinely return to the Lord 
God Most High. And he promises that he would 
return to them. And then in chapter one, beginning 
in verse seven, all the way to the end of chapter six, we find 
symbol, we find vision. There is a series of eight night 
visions that the prophet received. We're going to look at the first 
three this evening. And then in chapters 7 and 8, 
there's more just an instructive portion or what men call a didactic 
or teaching element. And then from chapters 9 to 14, 
it is prophetic. It is highlighting what God is 
going to do in the future in redemptive history. So, I'll 
just pick up reading in chapter 1 at verse 7. We'll read to the 
end of chapter 2. I understand that's a lot of 
material. We will not look at every jot 
and tittle just to try to get the main teaching out of these 
visions to see how God, through Zechariah, is encouraging the 
people of God. Zechariah 1.7. On the twenty-fourth 
day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second 
year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son 
of Berechiah, the son of Edo the prophet. I saw by night and 
behold a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the 
myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were horses, red, 
sorrel and white. Then I said, my Lord, what are 
these? So the angel who talked with me said to me, I will show 
you what they are. And the man who stood among the 
myrtle trees answered and said, These are the ones whom the Lord 
has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth. So they answered the 
angel of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees and said, We 
have walked to and fro throughout the earth and behold, all the 
earth is resting quietly. And the angel of the Lord answered 
and said, Oh, Lord of hosts, how long will you not have mercy 
on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah against which you were 
angry these seventy years? And the Lord answered the angel 
who talked to me with good and comforting words to the angel 
who spoke with me, said to me, proclaim saying, Thus says the 
Lord of hosts. I am zealous for Jerusalem and 
for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the 
nations at ease, for I was a little angry and they helped, but with 
evil intent. Therefore, God says, the Lord, 
I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy. My house will be built 
in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a surveyor's line shall be 
stretched out over Jerusalem again, proclaim saying, thus 
says the Lord of hosts. My city shall again spread out 
through prosperity. The Lord will again comfort Zion 
and will again choose Jerusalem. Then I raised my eyes and looked 
and there were four horns and I said to the angel who talked 
with me, what are these? So he answered me. These are 
the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. Then the Lord showed me four 
craftsmen and I said, what are these coming to do? So he said, 
these are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could lift 
up his head. But the craftsmen are coming 
to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that 
lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter 
it. Then I raised my eyes and looked 
and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, 
where are you going? And he said to me, to measure 
Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length. 
And there was the angel who talked with me going out and another 
angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, Run, speak 
to this young man saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without 
walls because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For 
I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her and I 
will be the glory in her midst up. Up, flee from the land of 
the north, says the Lord, for I have spread you abroad like 
the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. Up, Zion, escape, you 
who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus says the Lord 
of hosts, he sent me after glory to the nations which plunder 
you. For he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. For surely 
I will shake my hand against them and they shall become spoiled 
for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord 
of Hosts has sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter 
of Zion, for behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst, 
says the Lord. Many nations shall be joined 
to the Lord in that day, and they shall become my people, 
and I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord 
of Hosts has sent me to you. And the Lord will take possession 
of Judah as his inheritance in the Holy Land and will again 
choose Jerusalem. Be silent all flesh before the 
Lord, for he is aroused from his holy habitation. Amen. Well, I know that this is a lot 
of material, and again, we won't look at every particular detail. 
Some of the visionary language is difficult at times to interpret 
with utter certainty. Often thought that men who think 
they have the complete understanding of visionary data in the scripture 
are probably the men who are the furthest from the truth. 
I often think that Zechariah is the book of Revelation of 
the Old Testament. As difficult as Revelation is 
in the New Testament, and as hesitant as we might be to address 
that particular book, certainly Zechariah occupies a place right 
alongside of Revelation. Zechariah and Ezekiel serve often 
as the backdrop or the context or the data that John the Apostle 
alludes to in the book of Revelation. The specific date is highlighted 
here in verse seven. This was February 15th, 519 B.C. Amazing that this man had eight 
visions in one night. We won't look at all eight visions 
because we'd be here all night. And I don't know that you are 
as liberal minded as our brother Zechariah. God used one night 
to communicate various lessons to this prophet. So it was eight 
night visions on February 15th, 519 B.C. was three and one half 
months after his initial message, that introductory section. It 
is two months after Haggai's final message, Haggai 2, 20 to 
23, and it's five months after the building of the temple commenced. So let us look, first of all, 
at vision number one. And as we look at each of these 
visions, we're going to draw one main lesson and we're going 
to look at some things along the way for our own application 
and for our own edification. The first vision involves comfort 
for the people of God. Comfort for the people of God. I actually believe that all eight 
visions are structured in a very patterned way. If you're interested 
in that pattern, you can ask me afterward. It's a little bit 
difficult to try and explain in a setting like this. If we 
had a chalkboard or something, we could we could display something 
of the pattern. But in this first vision, the 
overall or arching concern is to communicate comfort for the 
people of God. We see the vision proper in verses 
eight and nine. He sees these men. He sees this 
rider on a red horse. He also sees a white horse and 
a sorrel horse. Now, I don't know if your translation 
uses that word sorrel. I had to look it up. It's almond 
color basically is what it is. And so he sees this rider on 
the red horse, a white horse, and a sorrel horse, and they 
are among the myrtle trees. We're not going to press every 
detail. One, because I'm not competent to do that, but two, 
I don't know that that's what prophetic or visionary data is 
meant to be. I don't know that we need a literal 
interpretation of every single detail, or rather we're supposed 
to get the thrust of the vision and a take-home message therein. And so, the angel then comes 
and interprets for Zechariah in verses 10 to 12. You see the 
similarities with the book of Revelation. John the seer gets 
a vision and then the angel comes along and interprets for him. 
The book of Revelation isn't revealing. You're supposed to 
understand. You're supposed to glean certain 
truths. And the same thing is true here 
in Zechariah. Notice, in verse 10, the man 
who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are 
the ones whom the Lord is sent to walk to and fro throughout 
the earth. In other words, they're God's eyes on the earth to survey 
the empire, to survey the nations, to see what the status of the 
peoples are. Verse 11, they answered the angel 
of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees and said, we have 
walked to and fro throughout the earth and behold, all the 
earth is resting quietly. Sort of like the night watchman 
or the policeman comes back and gives a report and said, all 
is calm, all is peaceable, all is quiet. Everything is in order. The earth is silent. The nations 
aren't raging against each other. Everybody's just sort of chilling 
out. You would think with a band of exiles who had come out of 
exile, who are now wanting to build their temple, who are now 
wanting to rebuild their city, this would be good news. You 
would think that they would reply, wow, it's fabulous that the empire 
is at rest. It is wonderful that the Earth 
is at peace, but that's not what we find. Notice the angel of 
the Lord, who I believe here is functioning mediatorially. He is speaking on behalf of his 
people. The angel of the Lord says in 
verse 12, O Lord of hosts. How long will you not have mercy 
on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah against which you are 
angry? These 70 years, they interpret 
this piece. They interpret this quiet as 
a as an idea, as a with the thought that God is not being favorable 
to them. You might ask the question, why 
is that? Because there was an expectation 
that before Jerusalem, before Judah, before Israel, I believe 
all those terms apply to the same body, the same covenant 
people. Before they would be established 
firmly, there would be an upheaval among the nations. There would 
be a great shaking of the heavens and the earth. This was announced 
by Haggai. Chapter 2, notice in verse 21. 
Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake 
heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of 
kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. 
I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them. The 
horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword 
of his brother. That's what they're looking for. 
When that happens, when God the Lord judges the Gentiles, then 
conversely, he is going to bless Israel. But in this scenario, 
this rider on the red horse, these men on the white and sorrel 
horse, these men who search to and fro through the earth, come 
back with a report of all is peaceful, all is quiet, everything 
is calm. And so the people of Israel scratch 
their heads and say, wait a minute, then God's not on our side. God 
is not looking to bless. God is not being favorable to 
us. And that's what's going on in 
the vision. And then the Lord comes to explain. The Lord comes to reassure them. The Lord comes to comfort them. That's the first main thought, 
the first idea that we want to look at this evening. Vision 
number one communicates comfort for the people of God. Notice 
verse 14. So the angel who spoke with me 
said to me, proclaim saying, thus says the Lord, I am zealous 
for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. God hasn't forgotten 
his people. God does not cut them off. God 
is faithful. He made a promise to Abraham 
that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. 
He carved out a body. He carved out a people. He gave 
them ordinances. He gave them laws. He gave them 
a way of approach. He gave them the tabernacle. 
He gave them the temple. He invited them to enjoy communion 
with himself. He has not cast them off. He 
is zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. He is saying, do not interpret 
the peace of the nations as God being against you. It's just 
the opposite. If anything, this is the calm 
before the storm. And God wanted to encourage them 
so that they'll continue swinging hammers. They'll continue building 
this temple so that God could be worshipped. Notice the Lord 
speaks of his anger toward the nations. Isn't that something? We often interpret blessing upon 
a God hater or upon a rebel or upon a wicked nation. We see 
that they're not being judged and destroyed. And we scratch 
our heads and say, well, God doesn't notice. God's not involved. God really isn't sovereign. Our 
Lord really doesn't vindicate his people. Our Lord really isn't 
concerned with his glory and his name. Well, we can't interpret 
reality with the naked eye. We can't interpret a reality 
based on what we see. We walk by faith. This was the 
grand message that God sent home to Habakkuk, the prophet, that 
just shall live by faith. And Habakkuk was living and ministering 
at a time when Babylon was coming. Babylon was going to destroy 
them. If he had operated according only to his eye, he would have 
been an apostate. But God calls him to walk by 
faith, and we must do the same. He says, I am exceedingly angry 
with the nations at ease. What's the implication? He's 
going to judge them. He's going to bring the heat 
to bear upon them. He is going to disrupt them. 
He is going to do harm to them. And then notice what he says 
in verse 15. For I was a little angry, and they helped, but with 
evil intent. What do you mean by that? They 
helped, but with evil intent. God raised up Assyria to chasten 
his people. God raised up Babylon to chasten 
his people. But what happened? Assyria and 
Babylon did a lot worse. They not only went in and chastened, 
but they were absolutely wicked. And so God holds them accountable 
for that. I was a little angry with Israel, 
and so I use these nations. But their evil intent is such 
that it incensed the anger of our triune God. And just by way 
of an aside here, notice what happens when God's a little angry. You imagine living in 516 BC, 
having been taken to Babylon, having perhaps been raised in 
Babylon, having seen major tragedy, having seen all kinds of disruption, 
having seen the very fury and anger and judgment of God only 
to have him report that he was a little angry. What's it going 
to be for any of us who stand before this God on the day of 
judgment, who have heard the gospel, who have heard pleading, 
who has seen the glory of Christ to some degree manifest and continue 
to reject it? God won't be a little angry on 
that day. If he's a little angry and he 
judges a people and he drags them into exile, what's it going 
to be when he's very angry because you have continuously rejected 
the overtures of his grace? I pity. Those who stand on that 
day, who have sat in this church or in other gospel preaching 
churches, who have hardened their hearts, who have rejected the 
Lord, who have rejected Jesus Christ, who have not believed 
the gospel, you will stand before the wrath and fury of God Most 
High. How does the writer in the book 
of Hebrews describe God? Our God is a consuming fire. Some of you treat him as if he's 
just this little, little bit of a smoldering embers on a fire. You treat him as if he's nothing. 
You treat him as if he really does not have wrath. He really 
doesn't have fury. He's really going to, after all, 
just wait at your sins. He's not going to do that. He 
is going to hold you accountable. He is going to judge you. He 
is going to send you to hell. If he had no problem sending 
Jerusalem into Babylon, he has no problem sending sinners into 
hell. That text ought to terrify you. 
When God is a little angry, he sends Babylon to take his people 
away. And then notice on the heels 
of that, the comfort comes. Verse 16, therefore, thus says 
the Lord, I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy. It's not beautiful. They don't deserve God. They 
don't deserve grace. They don't deserve mercy. Neither 
do any of us. But God is a covenant keeping 
God, he says, return to me and I will return to you. At this 
particular juncture, it's still unknown whether all these people 
want to return to the Lord, but he's already saying, I'm going 
to return. I am coming. I'm going to inhabit 
your land again. Ezekiel 8 to 11, this dramatic 
series of visions, the withdrawal of God's presence here. God comes 
back. After the exile, the Lord comes 
to commune with his people. He returns with mercy. His house 
shall be rebuilt. His blessings will flow. Cities 
will begin to spread throughout the land. God is speaking to 
his people. He is comforting them. Every 
word that the prophet speaks is another reason why they should 
nail nails into the wall. Every reason why they should 
get out of bed early. Every reason why they should 
work late. He is encouraging the people in this building program. He is calling the people to visit 
him. And then the Lord says he will 
comfort Zion. Verse 17. The Lord will again 
comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem. Isn't this the case? Again, I don't want to go overboard 
on the analogy between this and the individual. But it's oftentimes 
after a season of great judgment, a time of great chastisement 
that we know the comfort of God. You know, that young man who 
took his father's share, took the share of his father's inheritance, 
and he went out and he squandered it. I bet that comfort his father 
afforded him in terms of the ring on his finger and the fatted 
calf slain was that much sweeter when he considered the pig food 
that he was craving earlier. These people thinking biblically 
and thinking rightly, the Lord will again comfort Zion and will 
again choose Jerusalem. This couldn't have done anything 
other than stir them up to build the temple. So that's the first 
vision, comfort for the people of God. Notice, secondly, the 
second vision is security for the people of God. Doesn't take 
a lot of brains to figure this out. Even I got it. We got these 
four horns that make war against Israel and Judah and Jerusalem. We don't need to specifically 
identify these horns. Some identify them with the four 
empires that Daniel alludes to. I'm not against that, but I think 
the idea is like God's speech of the four corners of the earth. 
He speaks of comprehensiveness or extensiveness. The idea here 
is that the four horns represent kingdoms and powers of peoples 
that would come against the people of the Lord. And what happens? 
The people of the Lord are not defenseless. The people of the 
Lord are guarded by these craftsmen. Doesn't tell us what kind of 
craftsmen. Most commentaries that I read 
take them as craftsmen with hammers. Because when these horns rise 
up against the people of God, the craftsmen with the hammers 
bang them down. The craftsmen with their big 
guns and their big hammers are beating down these horns that 
come against God's people. What's he highlighting? He's 
saying that the people of Zion will be secure. You will be protected. You will be safe. This does not 
mean the absence of any horns coming against them. This does 
not mean that there won't be turmoil. There won't be tribulation. There won't be trial. The horns 
will always try to assault the beloved city of God. But God 
always has his craftsman. God always has his means. And 
when a horn comes, a craftsman slams him down. A craftsman beats 
him down. A craftsman sends him away. These are the horns, he said 
in verse 21, that scattered Judah so that no one could lift up 
his head. But the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast 
out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against 
the land of Judah to scatter it. So vision number two is given 
to comfort the people with security. You'll be safe. It's going to 
be easy when you're banging nails into that wall, when you're living 
the Christian life, when you're seeking to be an evangelist, 
you're seeking to be a faithful witness, you're seeking to be 
faithful in a faithless world, you're seeking to be faithful 
amongst evangelical or even sometimes reformed churches that are apostatizing, 
that are defecting from the truth. There will be trials. There will 
be issues. There will be horns rising up, 
seeking to devour and destroy you. But be assured. God has 
his craftsmen. God has his big men with big 
hammers ready to beat down the opposition. We can walk in faith. We can walk secure. We know that 
the Lord has covenanted to protect his people. What does Jesus, 
the master craftsman, promise in Matthew 16? He said, I will 
build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against 
it. Jesus, the master craftsman, promises to build us, promises 
to add to us, promises to bless the gospel as it is preached, 
and to add to the number such as should be saved. That work, 
though troubled, though tried, though difficult, that work will 
succeed. Christ died to secure the church, 
and he will not be frustrated. So take this lesson, vision number 
two, and realize that you are secure under the master craftsman, 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and those servants that he uses to beat 
down the opposition. Now, thirdly and finally, the 
presence of the Lord is going to be enjoyed among them. He 
will comfort them. He will secure them. But most 
importantly, and already touched on, is he will dwell in their 
midst. He made a covenant to do this 
and he will not renege. He will not break that covenant. 
He is relentless. We can praise God that he is 
zealous. We can praise God that he's not 
like us. If our relationship with God 
depended on us, we would be in bad shape. Sometimes we don't 
even read our Bible. Sometimes we don't even pray. 
Sometimes we don't even want to go to church. Sometimes we 
don't want to obey. Sometimes we want to do what's 
wicked and evil. Sometimes our confession is just 
like Paul. The good that I wish to do, I 
don't do. The evil I don't want to do, I find myself doing. But 
God is zealous. God is great. Jesus has promised 
to build his church. And the blessing, the privilege, 
the most glorious aspect of that is his presence. Twice so much 
of what the prophet is speaking of here applies to the messianic 
age. And that's the age in which we 
live. Christ is at the right hand of God, the father. Christ 
is on David's throne, according to Acts 230. Christ is reigning 
over all the earth for the church. And he promises to be with his 
people. Notice the vision, a man with a measuring line. Verses 
one to three, to measure the width, to measure the length. Notice in verse four, the vast 
numbers occupying Jerusalem and the consequent absence of the 
gates. Can't have gates because there's 
so many people here in Jerusalem now. We can't have gates because 
God is blessed so richly. God is added to the church. Notice 
what he says here very specifically. Verse four, who said to him, 
Run, speak to this young man saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited 
as towns without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock 
in it. McCombs, he says concerning this 
statement, the motif of great repopulation of humans and animals 
is a prophetic mode of expressing renewed national welfare and 
prosperity. Several places in the prophets 
where they do this from the perspective of the New Testament. This motif 
encompasses the church recalling the promise to Abraham that he 
would be a father of a multitude. And if that is the case, verse 
four, that the gates are going to be no more because of the 
vast numbers in the city, they might scratch their heads and 
say, wait a minute, the city without gates, no matter how 
numerous the people are, is still vulnerable. Oh, no, not when 
God's on the clock. Look what verse five says. For 
I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire around her, and I will 
be the glory in her midst. You don't need physical gates 
to keep the enemies out. You don't need physical gates 
to keep the city intact. You have the Lord God Most High 
in the midst of her. He is the glory. Brethren, if 
we do see this in terms of the new covenant church, What does 
that say about our meetings here together on the Lord's Day? It's 
not about us. It's not about my felt needs. It's not about how I can become 
a better me. It's not about any self-help 
program. It's not about fellowship in 
the first place. Those are all corollaries. We 
may be blessed. We may be strengthened. We may 
be more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. We definitely 
get to encourage one another. We get to build one another up 
in our most holy faith. But the reason we come to church 
is because God is in the midst of her. God is the glory in the 
midst of his people. We need to recapture something 
of that. Church today is simply a social 
activity. Church today is something we 
go to to be entertained. Church today is something we 
do because we have to. Church today ought to be a meeting 
with God most high. It ought to be that blessed, 
privileged communion where blood bought children of God are brought 
into his presence. We're through the word, through 
the ordinances. We are able to commune with them. 
We are able to approach it. We are to offer up our bodies 
as living sacrifices and our praise. Brethren, that's what 
we are about. And I will be the glory in her 
midst. Having announced this vision, 
having stated this reality, he then summons the people of God 
in verses six and seven. Escape from the north. Get away 
from Babylon. Come back to Jerusalem and notice 
something beautiful in verse seven up Zion. Escape. You dwell with the daughter of 
Babylon. What's the implication? Zion 
isn't the hill in Jerusalem where the temple is. Zion isn't a piece 
of geography. Zion is the people of God. If 
Zion is in Babylon, there's someone to come out. There's someone 
to leave. There's someone to return to 
that hub, to that center point, at least in this particular epoch 
of redemptive history. Today, the church is Zion. The 
people of God are Zion. It's not this building. It's 
not in Jerusalem. We're not waiting for the rebuilding 
of a temple so that can be constituted as Zion. That is to misread the 
Bible. You have come to Zion, according 
to Hebrews 12. You've not come to Sinai. You've 
come to Zion. You have been blessed immeasurably. Brethren, we are Zion. Sometimes 
you might hear me or Cam pray. God, may the peace of God be 
upon Zion. You think, what are these guys, 
lovers of Palestine? No, we're Zion, biblically speaking. And this is what he says. So 
based on God's promise to be in the midst of his people, he 
calls those back who were still away. Notice, he then speaks 
of the protective element again. So many of these things are repeated. 
Verses 8 and 9. He sent me after the glory to 
the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you touches 
the apple of his eye. I don't think the idiom means 
the same for the Hebrew as it does for us. You know, we talk 
about the apple of the eye being the favored one. Your margin 
might say it's the pupil of the eye, or some render it as the 
eye-lid. The idea isn't so much that these 
were his favoured ones, though that's part of it. The idea is 
what happens when somebody tries to touch your eye? You immediately 
shut your eye. You immediately protect it. You 
immediately close in on it. You immediately come to its aid. That's the issue. The pupil of 
my eye, because he speaks of judging the other nations. Verse 
nine. For surely I will shake my hand. I will shake my fist against 
them and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you 
will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. And then ten to 
twelve again celebrates that beautiful theme of God's presence 
in Zion. That's the point in this third 
vision. That's what the prophet is communicating 
or told to communicate to the people. It may look like small 
beans now. It may look like small beginnings 
now. It'll be later on in Zechariah. 
They are instructed. Do not despise the day of small 
things. Just because you don't see grandeur, 
just because you don't see all of the all of the glory doesn't 
mean it isn't there. Just because there's a handful 
of you covenanted together to worship the triune God doesn't 
mean he isn't there. It's not as if God is only going 
to the big churches, the mega churches. He actually comes to 
little churches like these. He's good. He's kind, he's gracious, 
he is present in the midst of his people. Look at the language. 
Verse 10. Sing and rejoice, O daughter 
of Zion, for behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst, 
says the Lord. Many nations shall be joined 
to the Lord in that day. He's talking about the inclusion 
of Gentiles in the covenant promises of God. That was announced from 
the beginning, the covenant with Abraham and you, all the nations 
of the earth will be blessed. That sort of narrow Jewish perspective 
that was only exclusive misread the covenant with Abraham and 
the covenant ratified or confirmed or spoken about or preached about 
throughout the prophets. As God say through the prophet 
Isaiah, look to me all ye ends of the earth and be safe for 
I am God and there is no other. There's always been a biblical 
universalism. Not everybody's going to be saved, 
but a lot of people from all kinds of nations are going to 
be saved. And that's what the Lord affirms 
here. Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and they 
shall become my people and I will dwell in your midst. Then you 
will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you and the Lord 
will take possession of Judah as his inheritance in the Holy 
Land and will again choose Jerusalem. McCombski, again, if you get 
one commentary on the Minor Prophets, get the series edited by Thomas 
McCombski. He actually does the commentary 
on Zechariah. He says the Holy Land cannot 
refer to the literal country of Palestine because the physical 
boundaries of that land would have been incapable of defining 
the limits of the vast numbers of Gentiles who comprise the 
people of God. Even Jerusalem's boundaries will 
be obliterated by its great repopulation. The Holy Land is the locus of 
divine presence that, according to the perspective of this text, 
includes Gentile nations spread abroad over the face of the whole 
earth. Amen. Wish we could all get that 
in our head. It's a church. The Church of 
Jesus Christ. Remember the promise made to 
Abraham, Genesis? Look to the north, look to the 
south, look to the east, look to the west. Abraham, I'm giving 
you this land. What did Abraham see? Physically, 
he saw Palestine. Spiritually, he saw the earth. 
That's what Romans 4.13 says, that he would inherit the earth. 
And it's not because of him, but because of his seed, the 
Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the prophet is saying. God is going to dwell in the 
midst of his people and his people are going to be a vast multitude. It's not just going to be ethnic 
Jews who have converted by God's grace to Christianity, but it's 
going to be a great number of Gentiles. It's going to be men 
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation to pick up 
the language of Revelation. God promises through the prophet 
that he's going to do great things. And then look how this third 
vision ends. Be silent, all flesh before the 
Lord, for he is aroused from his holy habitation. The idea 
is just be quiet, just be still. Sounds like Psalm 46. Be still 
and know that I am God. Don't complain. Don't grumble. 
Don't whine. Don't defect. Don't stop building. Don't stop going to church. Don't 
stop witnessing. Don't stop reading your Bible. 
Just because you don't see great things happening does not mean 
the Lord is going to renege on his promise. You be faithful. You'd be silent. You realize 
that God is aroused from his holy habitation. One more quote 
from McCombs. He didn't want to put too many 
in here, but this one's choice. He says concerning verse 13, 
this verse lifts our eyes to the abode of God and we see him 
rousing himself to action. The mighty figure of Yahweh stands 
now before us. Ominously, he prepares to step 
forth into the sphere of nations to bring about their downfall. 
But God comes to lend his people strength and to dwell among them 
as their God and their glory. All flesh is summoned to keep 
silent because God Most High is coming and he is going to 
make good on his promises in the coming of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, which this book is chock full of in the coming of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. God is going to take those covenant 
promises and he is going to apply that they are going to be poured 
out. The people of God are going to 
be baptized with his presence. Consider that Zechariah predicted 
Christ's first coming in lowliness, chapter 6, verse 12, his humanity, 
chapter 6, verse 12, his rejection and betrayal for 30 pieces of 
silver, his being struck by the sword of the Lord, his deity, 
his priesthood, his kingship, his coming in glory, his building 
of the Lord's temple, his reign and his establishment of enduring 
peace and prosperity. Zechariah is preaching comfort, 
security, and the presence of God in Christ Jesus the Lord. Do not miss that. You may not 
get all the other details. You may think, oh, what was that 
day? When was it that he did whatever he did? How many visions 
was it? What's the pattern? You miss all that, get this, 
that in Jesus we see Gentile inclusion into the covenant blessings 
of God. In Jesus, we see God dwelling in the midst of his 
people in the church. In Jesus, we see the judgment 
and the subjugation of the nations. Oh, we think, wait, we don't 
really see that. Every time the gospel is preached, 
God is either saving or God is judging and damning men. This 
is going on imperceptibly, but it's going on each and every 
day. We see Christ at the right hand of God most high, fulfilling 
his role as covenant mediator, as prophet, priest, and king, 
exercising the will of his father from the right hand of majesty. 
Well, brethren, those are the first three visions, and we need 
to be encouraged by these three visions. I just wanted to touch 
on one aspect, and then we'll close. The expansion of God's 
kingdom. We can get very distressed and 
we can get very discouraged at what appears to be not so much 
by way of evangelism or missions. We can often think, how long 
have men labored in a particular field or in a particular area? 
And it just doesn't seem like they're having an impact. And 
we might get wearied by coming to church and seeing the same 
people, though God be praised, we've been seeing more people 
come into our local church for which we give them glory and 
praise and honor. But brethren, it is very tempting 
for us to get downcast. It is very tempting for us to 
get sort of a low view of God and his conquering of the nations, 
to have a low view of God in terms of Christ and his building 
the church. I mean, Jesus promised it in 
Matthew 16. Jesus promised to do this task. And he has called 
us to serve along. Well, not alongside of him, but 
under him, to be faithful in evangelism, to be faithful in 
missions. But we can get weird. We can 
get burned out. We witness to the same person. 
We pray for the same person. We don't see any of that thing 
happens. And we just figure, well, I'll just go do something 
else. No, we need to press on. We need to persevere. We need 
to take a passage like this. We need to read Zechariah to 
eleven once in a while in conjunction with Matthew 16. We need to be 
encouraged. We need to read the book of Revelation. 
If you are reading the book of Revelation and closing it and 
crying and depressed and sorrowful and sad, you're not reading it 
properly. You are not understanding it. The book of Revelation has as 
its focal point the crown of Jesus Christ. He is on the throne. How many times does the seer 
look and see Jesus on his throne? How many times is Jesus mentioned 
as being on his throne? We need to keep this in mind, 
not to have some triumphalistic theology of glory where we minimize 
the place of genuine suffering, genuine tribulation, genuine 
trial. No. We do live in what Luther 
called the theology of the cross. It's always going to be struggle. 
It's always going to be difficulty. There's always going to be burdens 
and hardships for the Christian. But God promises victory. God 
promises blessing. God in his own way, through our 
trials, through our tribulations, through our difficulties, through 
our failures, nevertheless, is going to assemble for himself 
a glorious bride from every people of the world. Thomas Moore is 
probably the other commentary on again on the post-exilic prophets. Banner of Truth, Geneva series, 
very easy read. He says this. He says, although 
Zion has not lengthened her cords and widened her stakes to her 
appointed limits. That's from Isaiah 54. So I read 
that at the outset of worship. Again, promising glorious future 
for the church based on Isaiah 53 and the suffering of the servant. 
He shall see the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. And that's what the prophet alludes 
to in Isaiah 54. He talks about a great incoming 
of God's people. Isaiah 55. He says, oh, everyone 
who thirsts, let him come. You see substitution and a curse. You see glorious promises for 
the for the church. And then you see the invitation 
to come to participate in these covenant mercies of David. So 
T.V. Moore says, although Zion has 
not yet lengthened her cords and widened her stakes to her 
appointed limits, yet the measuring line has gone forth that gives 
her bounds to be the habitable earth. That's the thrust of chapter 
two verses one to five. He says, hence, listen to this. Hence, listen to this implication. 
Hence, if this future extension was a motive to the Jew in his 
work of rearing the temple of wood and stone. If he could hear 
Zechariah preach and swing his hammer happily and build this 
temple out of wood and stone, he says, much more is it to us 
in our work of erecting the great spiritual temple on the foundation, 
which is Jesus Christ. So if that 6th century BC Jew 
was able, with joy, to pound his nails into the wall, we, 
21st century Christians, ought to, with joy, pound nails into 
the wall. We ought to pray. We ought to 
preach. We ought to evangelize. We ought 
to support missions. We ought to realize that God 
is assembling for himself a glorious, glorious And if you don't know 
this God, the way to him, the way to appreciate and to enjoy 
his presence is through his son, Jesus Christ. The way to God 
is through a mediator. And that mediator said, I am 
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father 
except through me. You don't get there on your own 
efforts. You don't get there on your own merits. You don't 
get there because you're handsome or you're wealthy or you're wise 
or you're accomplished. You get to God through Christ. And the Bible says, believe on 
him and you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for these night visions of Zechariah, and I pray that 
we learn something of your comfort, that we would know your security 
and that we would know the blessed privilege of communion with our 
God. We just pray, Lord in heaven, that you make these things real 
in our own lives and make these things real in our church life 
and do bless this church and help us to endeavor to keep the 
unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. We pray this will be 
a place where men and women and boys and girls can come and hear 
the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed, where there will be an insistence 
upon sound doctrine, upon good theology, upon the entirety of 
the whole counsel of God. We pray that you would go with 
each one of us and help us in our daily lives to serve you 
and to glorify you. And I ask now, Father in heaven, 
that you would give us peace and protection and watch over 
us. And we pray in Jesus name. Amen.