I. Zech 1:18-21 Four Conquering Craftsmen

I. Zech 1:18-21 Four Conquering Craftsmen

The Jews have returned to Judah from 70 years of captivity in Babylon. God has commanded them to rebuild his temple in Jerusalem. They have begun, but they are poor, weary, and discouraged. They are six months into the process, and God sends Zechariah to exhort and encourage the people.

Before we read our text lets review what we have studied in Zechariah. Chapter 1:1-6 opened with a message from God, "Return to me and I will return to you."

Then, in one night, Zechariah received eight visions. We studied the first vision in 1:7-17. In that vision God encouraged the Jews with these words, "I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion."

Now we move to the second of eight visions. It is about the conflict between four horns and four craftsmen.

(Zec 1:18-21) 18 And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! 19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these [craftsmen] have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."

Proposition: God conquers with weakness.

A. TEXT INTERPRETATION In this vision the prophet sees four horns. Horns were an

ancient symbol for sovereignty or power. It was a term to describe a powerful, dominant nation or person. The connection between horns

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and power were natural in an agricultural world. The most powerful animal in the barnyard was the Ox. A bull oxen, with his mighty horns, could be devastating. Enraged he was a threat to gore, trample, and terrorize. The prophets often use "horn" to describe a proud or powerful nation.

(Ps 92:10) "But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil."

(Je 48:25) "The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the Lord."

In this passage the "four horns" represent the nations that in verse 19 "scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." Specifically, the horns refer to Assyria and Babylon who disbursed both Israel and Judah amongst the nations. Here is the history.

It is now 517 BC. Two hundred years prior (722 BC) Assyria, the world's dominant power, whose capital was Nineveh, invaded the northern ten tribes, Israel, took them into captivity, and "scattered" them amongst the nations. To this day they have disappeared from history. The prophet Isaiah predicted that this would happen.

(Is 8:5-8, pg 572) The Lord spoke to me again: 6 "Because this people [Israel] has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah [unlawful alliances], 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel."

A decade later this prophecy was fulfilled.

135 years passed. Israel has disappeared, but Judah and Jerusalem have survived, alone, a tiny city-state the size of Spokane County. God intended that the survivors of Judah remember what he

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did to Israel and repent. But the citizens of Judah followed the counsels of their own stubborn hearts. They committed the sin of Israel. They rejected God's law. They abused the poor and the widows. They worshipped idols, and God was angry.

In the meantime, Babylon had overthrown Assyria and was now the world's dominant power. Jeremiah has replaced Isaiah as the reigning prophet. Over and over, through great tears, Jeremiah warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

(Je 25:8-10 pg 652) ""Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp."

What Jeremiah prophesied happened in his lifetime. In 587 BC Babylon clamped a siege on Jerusalem until its starved citizens surrendered. Then Babylon tore the city down brick by brick, destroyed the temple, and marched the people 400 miles across the desert to Babylon where they languished in exile.

Assyria and Babylon are the four horns, referenced by the angel, that scattered Israel, Jerusalem, and Judah.

Then in verse 20-21 the prophecy continues with the introduction of a mysterious personage.

20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah,

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so that no one raised his head. And these [craftsmen] have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."

In this passage four craftsmen are set in opposition to the four horns. In fact, ultimately the craftsmen terrify and cast down the four horns. The big question is this--who and what are the four craftsmen?

Before we answer this question we need to ask and answer two other questions. The first question is why "craftsmen." The Hebrew word translated "craftsmen" is a word that means skilled blue-collar worker. In Hebrew this word is a synonym for blacksmiths, metal workers, carpenters, tailors, etc.. However, "craftsmen" don't "terrify" and "cast down" mighty empires and conquering armies. That is the work of soldiers, cavalry, infantry, and battering rams. Nations are cast down by strength of arms, not by skilled blue-collar workers. So, why does the Lord tell us that "craftsmen" are going to "cast down" the horns? Before we answer that question, we need to pose a second one.

Our text talks about the conflict between the craftsmen and the horns in both past and present tense.

21 And I said, "What are these [the craftsmen] coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these [craftsmen] have come [present tense] to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."

When this prophecy occured, the four horns, Babylon and Assyria, had been "cast down" 20 years previously. Babylon conquered Assyria. Then Persia conquered Babylon, but the text speaks of the Craftsmen's as if their work is present tense, as if it is still occurring. Why?

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I suggest the following answer to these two questions which in turn answers the first question, which was, who are the craftsmen?

First, the craftsmen conquer the horns because God expresses his strength through weak vessels. What is more unexpected than blue collar workers terrifying and casting down mighty empires? But that is exactly what has happened throughout salvation history.

Second, the prophet describes the work of the craftsmen in present tense language because God is always conquering his enemies through weak instruments. It is an ongoing principle.

So here is a suggested answer to the identity of the craftsmen. The craftsmen are God's people pursuing ordinary lives in obedience to God. Often their obedience to God exposes their weakness, but they continue to obey God trusting God to display his power through their weakness and helplessness.

B. GOD CONQUERS WITH WEAKNESS This message mattered greatly to Zechariah's listeners. They

were discouraged. For 200 years they had been prey to dominant, conquering, world empires. Compared to the world power that the Jews currently faced, Persia, the Israelites were even smaller, weaker, more insignificant and vulnerable than they had been before the exile to Babylon.

Zechariah's message is clear. Do not be afraid. God uses lowly "craftsmen" to conquer world powers and great empires. He conquers with the unexpected. He conquers with anti-military. He conquers through skilled workers that faithfully serve God from cradle to grave. He does not conquer with force as does the world. He conquers in a way that glorifies God through human dependence.

In this case, literal Jewish craftsman were hard at work on the temple reconstruction. Stone masons, carpenters, artists, and experts in cloth were plying their trade in the reconstruction of the Temple.

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Here is what God wanted them to know. As you continue to ply your trade in faithful obedience to me, your vulnerability will be exposed. You will be serving me, and you will not be able to protect yourself. You will be weak. But my strength will conquer through your weakness. In the words of the New Testament, through you I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

This has been the story of redemption history. Where is Persia? Where is Greece? Where is the great Roman Empire that ruled for 1,000 years? Where is Charlemagne's 9th century European empire? Where is Napoleon's immense 19th century European empire? Where is the Empire of Great Britain of which the British boasted in 1900, "the sun never sets on the British Empire? All are in the dustbin of history. But while these empires were going to the dustbin God was slowly using craftsmen to conquer in time and space. The church has grown from a tiny, insecure, discouraged Jewish remnant 2500 years ago to 1/3 of the world's population, 2 billion people, today.

The idea that God conquers with weakness repeats itself throughout book of Zechariah.

(Zec 4:6-7) "Then [the angel] said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of `Grace, grace to it!' "

(Zec 9:9) "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

This theme appears again in the beatitudes.

(Mt 5:5) ""Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

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The idea that God conquers through weakness appears consistently in Paul's writings. God conquers through a weak message. Paul knew that God serves his wisdom up (the gospel) on a plate of folly.

(1 Cor. 1:21-23) "It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles."

Not only does God conquer through a weak message, but he also conquers through weak people. God told Paul that he would perfect his strength through Paul's weakness.

(2 Co 12:7-10) "A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Ultimately, all of this culminated in the Messiah. Jesus is the poster boy for this principle.

(Re 5:5-6) "And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

The context causes us to expect John to see Aslan, the King of Kings and Lord of lords roaring with regal strength. Instead, he sees one of Zechariah's craftsman, even lower than a craftsman, a lowly Lamb.

(6) And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven

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horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

Notice: Zechariah's horns of authority are now on the head of the Lamb. But, instead of four there are now seven, the number for perfection or completeness. God has given the Lamb omnipotence (7 horns) and omniscience (7 eyes).

Because the lamb is slain, we expect to see him lying in a pool of blood. Instead he is not lying, he is standing. Why? He stands because he was slain. He was crucified in weakness but now he lives by the power of God. God conquers with weak vessels. The ultimate Craftsman, Jesus Christ, has terrified and cast down the horns of opposition.

Why does God's express his conquering strength through weakness? So that when God's people, and God's servant, see the God's strength/power/authority at work, everyone will acknowledge the source. "That was not so and so. That was God. We know he/she. They are weak. What just happened was beyond them. It was God."

Paul sums it all up in Romans 11:36.

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."

C. APPLICATION: To be weak means to do things God's way in dependence upon

God's power. Those who do things God's way are weak. They are no longer in control. God is in control. The weak vessel is completely dependent upon God.

Jesus obeyed the Father. Isaiah 53:10 tells us that it was "the will of the Lord to crush him." In other words, the Father said to Jesus "I want you to conquer your enemies by dying." I am sure Jesus said,

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