Zechariah 6

Zechariah 6:1-15

THE COMING KING Zechariah 6:1-15. “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there come four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass”. THE introduction to this vision marks an essential difference in the attitude of the Prophet toward God’s wonderful revelations. When these visions first came to him, without exception, God, by His Angel, or Word, aroused the Prophet for each new revelation, sometimes waking him “as out of sleep”.But at last the Prophet has learned to expect something from God, and of himself he lifts his eyes to see what new thing God has for them. It is strange how slow men are in coming to an expectant mood. The most of us have received such blessings from God and have been granted such visions of His glory that we have thought within ourselves, hereafter we will watch for the Divine manifestation. But how readily we forget our resolve, and the angel must wake us again, and yet again, and yet again, when God wishes to speak to us.The character of God, however, changes not with this new vision. The whole series of marvelous sights preceding it were intended for the Prophet’s comfort, and this one conforms itself to that same purpose—a fact which suggests the unchangeableness of our God.

He who begins a good work in us will perform it; He who comforts His people today will not cast them off tomorrow; for He is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”.The study of this vision will illustrate this blessed truth. Let us turn, therefore, to the consideration ofTHE FOUR “And I turned, and lifted upmine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. “In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; “And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. “Then I answered and said unto the Angel that talked with me, What are these, my Lord? “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. “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. “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. “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” (Zechariah 6:1-5). The revelation in the four chariots may be discussed under three suggestions:—God has His agents of judgment: they proceed from His unseen presence: and they perform His entire pleasure.God has His agents of judgment.“These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth”. It is not unusual in Scripture to employ chariots with fear, the Prophet prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: as figures of the forces at God’s command. You remember that when Elisha’s servant was filled and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha,”.That suggests the fact that God, who here sends forth His promise under the figure of four chariots, has an innumerable force under His command— “the mountain was full of horses and chariots”.The Psalmist says, “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels”. And if one remembers that they stand for the instrumentalities of might at His command, who can number them?Truly, as the Psalmist wrote again, He “maketh the clouds His chariots: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire”.There is no way to interpret the downfall of these nations of the past; in fact, there is no intelligent method of explaining the mighty revolutions by which the centuries have made their onward march, save to see that God is in it all.If one go back to this past and study it from the standpoint of an unbeliever the scenes enacted seem to be purely the result of greed of territory, or ambition to rule. But, if one go into prophecy, he will there find the mold of all this history, and be compelled to admit that Greece, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Rome were, in their turn, either subjects of the Divine vengeance, or instruments of Divine justice; and according to His pleasure God took them to be agents of His power; with them He executed judgment in justice.Joseph Parker announces a great truth, namely, that we can contend against men: “Send Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, send all the minstrels of Israel, let them mass themselves into a cloud of witnesses, and we can laugh them to scorn, and tell them not to mock our fallibility by an assumption of infallibility of their own.” “But,” asks he, “who can answer thunder? Who can reason with lightning?

What can avert the on-coming eternity? ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God’” When He comes who can answer Him? When He sends forth His agents who shall stand before them? Ah, brethren, the chariot with the red horses, the chariot with the black horses, the chariot with the white horses, the chariot with the grizzled strong horses, these are symbols indeed of the agents at God’s command, to work His will.They proceed from His unseen presence.“There came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass”. Mount Moriah stood over against Zion; and in their might, strong, unmoveable, they were like brass. I believe with John Calvin that for these chariots to proceed from between these mountains is a suggestion of the fact that God’s presence is unseen, as His purposes are often secret till the fit time for Him to manifest them forth. The valley of Jehoshaphat started from between these mountains, and God, by His Prophet Joel, distinctly says of that valley, “I will plead with them there * * for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations”.The Person of God is hid indeed from the eyes of man; but the presence of God is made manifest in His mighty acts. When the Children of Israel cried for their oppression in Egypt the first-born in every Egyptian house lay dead. No one saw the Person of God; but the destroying angel manifested His mighty presence! When at the Red Sea the waters parted that Israel might pass over, and returned in their might to swallow up the armies of Pharaoh, no one saw the Person of God; but His presence was made manifest.

When Joshua, with his followers, compassed Jericho the seventh time and the walls fell, no one saw the Person of God; no one doubted the unseen Presence!Joseph Parker says of his mother: “Day by day she lived consciously in two worlds, an outer and an inner, a material and a spiritual. The supernatural was to her as real as the natural.”That accounts for her strength of character, and who knows how much that same conviction of the Divine Presence wrought upon the character of the boy to make him a flaming minister for God!William Cowper had occasion to sing: “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.”

“Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.” They perform His entire pleasure.“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”. It is not difficult to discover the significance of these horses when one follows the Scriptures through. Red horses typify the carnage in the circumstance of battle; black horses the pestilence, famine and despair to follow; white horses, the victory which God has wrought, and the blessed results destined to follow; grizzled, strong horses, His ministry to the saints of earth patrolling, as it were, every land in the interests of righteousness, as policemen walk their beats to suppress crime and encourage virtue.“Quieted My Spirit in the north country” refers to the fact that God would be satisfied when He had executed wrath against the wicked Babylonians— the oppressors of His people. It was the only one of the four great nations which had already in Zechariah’s time been called to account and punished for its iniquity. But the same powers that God employed to that purpose will execute His pleasure when the judgment day of every rebel nation has come, and the north country, Satan’s instrument of final endeavor, shall be judged and destroyed. And of these He will be able to say, even as of Babylon:“Thus shall Mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in My zeal, when I have accomplished My fury in them” (Ezekiel 5:13). We should not forget that judgment of the nations involves the condemnation of the individual. Charles Spurgeon asks us to conceive “the great assize when the graves are opened. What horrors shall seize hold upon the wicked at that moment! Men and women start up from their tombs wrapped in their winding sheets. What a solemn awe will rest upon every heart at that moment when every eye shall look for His coming, who shall judge the world in righteousness, and His people with equity!”That is the time of which the Apocalypse speaks when the“Kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: “For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand”? If it was a serious thing for the nations of the north country when Darius drove his chariots into the streets of that city and left his trail of blood two years after Zechariah had spoken these words, it will be a more serious thing for those who have lived in sin and rejected His Son when God comes in final judgment. All those who expect mercy then must not reject the grace that is proffered now. It is related that Napoleon, riding over a battle field, felt his horse treading upon a poor wounded fellow who started with a shriek, at which Napoleon cried, “Oh, God, what pains a man may suffer!” But the hoof of the great conqueror’s horse is as nothing to the coming chariots of that God who is to judge the world in righteousness.But I pass from this vision of the four chariots toTHE OF JOSHUA “And the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, “Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedenah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest” (Zechariah 6:9-11). God makes His priest to be also a prince.“Make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua * * the high priest”. In the previous discussions we have called attention to the fact that Melchizedek combined the office of priest and prince, and was, therefore, a perfect type of Christ, who, according to prophecy, is set for the same. I do not wish, therefore, to further emphasize that great thought, but, rather, to call your attention to the fact that this act of crowning Joshua also symbolizes the office and honor of every believer, we can say now of Christ that loved us and loosed us from our sins unto God, and hath promised to share with us His throne, that “He hath made us to be a kingdom, and to be priests unto His God and Father.”Henry Ward Beecher says, “You recollect that it has been believed by a great many (and my mind inclines to think it is true) that one of the Bourbons, Eleazer Williams, who was sent out of France by French missionaries as a child, to the Indians, and who grew up among them, was the rightful heir to the throne and empire. If it is so, he died without the sight of the throne but he was a king nevertheless. He was of royal descent.“Now, every one of you,” he continues, “is born a king. You may not know it; you may be hid in the wilderness; you may be brought up in the midst of circumstances which keep it from your knowledge; but if you die, you will die with an absolute though unconfessed sovereignty in your soul.”But I should want to know of what birth Mr. Beecher speaks.

There is little royalty in the natural man; but the second birth does bring every man into the royal line indeed, and makes him a descendant of the Holy Ghost, and brother, therefore, of Jesus Christ, who was also begotten by the same Spirit. And if not a king, at least a prince, and a priest unto God. And every such believer has the right to sing: “A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there! Tho’ exiled from Home, yet, still I may sing: All glory to God, I’m the child of a King. “I’m the child of a King, The child of a King; With Jesus my Savior, I’m the child of a King.” God compels contributions to his crown.“Take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua * * the high priest”. Now Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah were of the captivity, and had come from afar to bring their offering of silver and gold. They had come in consequence of the Divine will and command. How suggestive this of the fact that when Jesus is eventually crowned, this ancient people, from the remotest parts of the earth, shall contribute indeed to the same. And the Gentiles who “sometimes were far off” will also bring their offerings. How this great fact is suggested by the character of the present Church, made up not by either of these people, but of them both; and, in so far as their regenerated ones join hands in service to the Son of God, they have suggested their purpose to take their respective parts in crowning Him King of kings, and Lord of lords.I love to dwell upon the fact that when the glorious hour comes for the Blood-bought saints to join their voices in the song, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” those who were once in captivity through apostasy, from the faith, and those who have been in captivity through the sins of the flesh, having been alike freed by His power, and called from “afar” by His grace, shall join their voices to proclaim Him King, and announce His reign as “for ever and ever,”.God sets Joshua for a sign of this coming One.“And the crowns shall be * * for a memorial in the Temple of the Lord”. These visitors from the far land, Tobijah and Jedaiah, and Heldai understood perfectly that this crown was not set upon Joshua’s head to make him king instead of Zerubbabel; but, rather, for a memorial in the Temple of Jehovah, and a promise of God concerning the King to come. The attempt of George Adams Smith to so change the text here as to put this crown upon the head of Zerubbabel instead of Joshua is not warranted either by his translation, nor yet by comparative Scriptures. God had already had His Joshua as a commander of the people—Captain of the host—His Joshua who was indeed a ruler in Israel; but this second Joshua is now set of God to symbolize another feature of Christ’s official station, namely, that of His priesthood. This interpretation would be justified by many Scriptures, if it were not absolutely certified by the words of Zechariah which immediately follow. I regard it one of the evil tendencies of the times that men are unwilling to accept even the evident meaning of Old Testament types. Jacob Seiss has well argued that because some men have been extravagant with their allegorical interpretations of Scripture it is no reason why we should discard all figurative meanings of the Sacred record, lest we censure the great Apostle of the Gentiles, and condemn Jesus Christ Himself, who found typical reference in the manna in the wilderness, in the brazen serpent, and in the engulfment of Jonah in the stomach of the fish.But could one ever find anything clearer than the meaning of the spirit of all this, since Zechariah has said;“Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, Behold the man whose Name is The BRANCH; and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the Temple of the Lord; “Even He shall build the Temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. “And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the Temple of the Lord. “And they that ate far off shall come and build in the Temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of Hosts hath sent Me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God”. What a marvelous description ofTHE COMING MAN We know from previous study who “The BRANCH” is; but in this further revelation from Jehovah, some features of His character are here brought more fully into view.His first appearance is in humility.“He shall grow up out of His place”. This language of the Prophet reminds one of the great Isaiah’s word: “He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground”.It involves His lowly origin as the Son of Mary; and His humble experience as a child that grew in wisdom and in stature; and His humility of station as one “despised and rejected of men” who shall “grow up out of His place.”F. B. Meyer says truly, “David’s race had reached a low ebb” when Jesus was born. There was no room for them in the inn. The new-born babe was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, and the couple were so straightened for means that they could not afford the purchase of two young doves—the gift of the poor—for the mother’s thank offering in the Temple.”Such was the humility of His birth, presaging the poverty of His youth, the hardships of His manhood; and the eventual crucifixion of the flesh on the Cross. He began His career without the common necessities of child-birth; He finished it so poor that even His garment—a loose robe—had been stripped from Him, and He hung exposed to the face of the sun.

He who was “rich, for our sakes became poor” indeed. And when one remembers that fact it starts in his heart the sentiment that Paul Gebhardt voices in rhyme: “O sacred Head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down; Now scornfully surrounded With thorns, Thy only crown; O sacred Head, what glory, What bliss, till now was Thine! Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.” His first appointment is Temple-building.“And He shall build the Temple of the Lord: even He shall build the Temple of the Lord”. It seems to me possible that the Prophet was to be understood by the people of his times as voicing an additional pledge concerning the perfecting of the Temple then in process of erection. The “Ancient of Days” was in that—“Without Him was not any thing made that was made”. No one who is fairly familiar with the Scriptures can question however, that the prophecy looked to that great Temple to be erected out of “the living stones”— men and women consecrated to God, A house that hath more honor on earth than the house of “Moses” (Hebrews 3:3).There are two expressions employed in this speech that are marvelously suggestive—“He shall build the Temple of the Lord”, “They that are far off shall come and build in the Temple of the Lord”.Let us mark the distinction. It is your privilege and mine to “build in the Temple of the Lord”, and add our part to that spiritual temple which is to be builded for His honor and glory; but let us never forget that while we build in it, He alone builds it,“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; “And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). John Foster relates the story of a man who dreamed he was trying to build himself a temple to commemorate his name. An angel came to him showing him a temple of beauty, but there was one stone missing from its peak. He asked the angel where it was. “It has never been brought to its place. We intended to put you there, but you say you want a temple by yourself, so it will never be put in place. But you will never have your special temple.” Then the man, aroused by his fears, started up from his sleep crying, “Oh, God, put me in Your temple. Put me in!

Even though I can be but a chink stone, put me in!”I do not know but one is entitled to a better ambition, however, than to be a chink stone in the Temple of God. The Samoans used to think that their chiefs in the future state would be sent to a place called Pulotu. There they would be supporting pillars of the temple of the king of the place. Death, therefore, was looked upon by them as a promotion. And so, beloved, it may be with us if consecrated to His service, since God has said, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God”.His future office is Priest upon the throne.“And He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both”. In view of what was said upon this subject in the previous discourse we may pass it this time with few words.The Psalmist had long since written: “Honour and majesty hast Thou laid upon Him”. It is a great truth that humanity must have a priest; and it is equally certain that it must be presided over by a king. How marvelously God meets both of these necessities in the Son—“A Priest upon the throne.” By His intercession we shall be freed from sin; and under His command we shall render service. As a Priest He will give us peace; and as a King, He will impart unto us power. As a Priest “He brings us nigh to God; as King He treads our enemies under His feet.” How we rejoice in His intercession; it is the ground of our hope! But let us not rejoice less in His authority for it is the pledge of our victory against every enemy.Abbott, in his “History of Napoleon Bonaparte” tells how on the 26th day of May, 1805, the second coronation of the great warrior took place in the Cathedral of Milan.

The iron crown of Charlemagne, which is a circlet of gold and gems covering an iron ring, formed of one of the spikes said to have pierced our Savior’s hand at the crucifixion, was brought forth. He placed the crown upon his own head, repeating the words: “God has given it to me—woe to him who touches it.” But those words did not find their fulfilment in the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, and never will until the prophecies concerning this Great High Priest are fulfilled and our Christ sits upon the throne, reigning from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.His Kingship depends upon our diligent obedience.“And this shall corns to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God”. Oh, brethren, I wonder if men now believe that the Kingship of our Lord is delayed by their lack of diligence? Have we forgotten how the fulfilment of the commission is attached to His return: “This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”.Have we been about that business as becometh those who received such a commission as Jesus uttered before His ascent:“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). How often the words of Mephibosheth, with reference to the absence of David, come to my mind: “Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back”?How often I think also upon what J. Wilbur Chapman said concerning the way to bring back the King:—“Come with me through the streets of the city until we reach the lowest hovel. Stoop down beside the poor lost wretch, sunken in sin, and whisper in his ear: ‘My friend, will you accept Jesus Christ?’ Come with me to the house of the richest man in all the city; salute him in his palace, and say: ‘My friend, will you yield to Christ?’ Then set sail with me until we reach the shores of Africa, and say to those poor souls sitting in darkness: ‘Will you receive the Son of God?’”If you succeed, he may be the last man needful to complete the “election” and bring back the King!