The Horsemen in the Hollow: God's Quiet Governance
Introduction: Apocalyptic Unveiling
The book of Zechariah is one of those places in Scripture that can make modern evangelicals a bit nervous. It is full of strange visions, horsemen, flying scrolls, and women in baskets. Because we have been conditioned by a thin, sentimentalized Christianity, we often don't know what to do with such robust, and frankly, bizarre imagery. But the word apocalyptic does not mean "bewildering" or "confusing." It means an unveiling, a revealing. God is pulling back the curtain so that His people can see how the world is actually run. He is showing us the spiritual realities that lie behind the newspaper headlines.
Zechariah is prophesying to a discouraged people. The exiles have returned from Babylon, but the glory days seem long gone. They are a small remnant, surrounded by hostile neighbors. The temple foundation has been laid, but the work has stalled. Their national hopes are running on fumes. They look at their circumstances, and all they see is weakness and geopolitical irrelevance. They see a world where the pagan nations are fat and happy, "sitting still and quiet," while Jerusalem is still under a cloud.
Into this discouragement, God sends Zechariah a series of eight night visions, and the one before us is the first. The purpose of these visions is to recalibrate their understanding of reality. It is to show them that God has not forgotten them, that He is still sovereignly governing all the affairs of men, and that His plans for Jerusalem and for Zion are glorious, jealous, and certain. This is not a message of escapism. It is a summons to faith and obedience in the here and now, grounded in the unshakable reality of God's hidden, but absolute, control over all things.
We need this same recalibration. We look at our world and see the nations at ease in their rebellion. We see perversion celebrated, righteousness mocked, and the church seemingly on the back foot. And we are tempted to despair. But God would have us see what Zechariah saw: that behind the scenes, the Lord of Hosts has His agents patrolling the earth, and He is moved by a fierce, covenantal jealousy for His people. He is about to act.
The Text
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the earth.” So they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is sitting still and quiet.” Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” Yahweh answered the angel who was speaking with me with good words, comforting words. So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. But I am very wrathful with the nations who are at ease; for I was only a little wrathful, but they helped increase the calamity.” Therefore thus says Yahweh, “I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.” ’ Again, call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “My cities will again overflow with good, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”
(Zechariah 1:7-17 LSB)
The Heavenly Reconnaissance (vv. 7-11)
We begin with the setting and the vision itself.
"On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah... I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him." (Zechariah 1:7-8)
The date is specific because history is specific. God's interventions are not timeless myths; they happen in real time, under real kings like Darius. This is about two months after Haggai's final prophecy. Haggai had urged the people to rebuild the temple, and now Zechariah comes with visions to encourage them in that same work.
Zechariah sees a vision at night. A man on a red horse is standing among myrtle trees in a ravine, or a hollow. Behind him are other horses: red, sorrel, and white. Now, who is this central figure? He is identified later as "the angel of Yahweh" (v. 11). Whenever we encounter this specific figure in the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord, we are dealing with a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Second Person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the commander of the angelic armies. The red horse signifies war, judgment, and conquest, which is fitting for a commander.
He is standing among myrtle trees. Myrtle trees were a symbol of God's covenant faithfulness and the restoration of His people. After the judgment of the exile (symbolized by briars and thorns), God promised that the myrtle would grow instead (Isaiah 55:13). So here is the commander, Christ, standing in the midst of His promises of restoration to Israel. But notice where they are: in a ravine, a low place, a hollow. This is a picture of Israel's humble state. They are not on a glorious mountain; they are in a shady glen. Yet even there, in their lowly condition, Christ is present with them.
"Then I said, 'My lord, what are these?' And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, 'I will show you what these are.' And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, 'These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the earth.' So they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, 'We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is sitting still and quiet.'" (Zechariah 1:9-11)
Zechariah asks his interpreting angel what this all means, but the commander Himself, the Angel of Yahweh, answers. These horsemen are angelic patrols, heavenly scouts sent by God to survey the entire earth. This is a crucial point. The Persian empire might have thought it was running the world, but it was not. God has His own intelligence network, His own agents who are monitoring everything. Nothing escapes His notice. He is intimately involved in the affairs of nations.
And what is their report? "All the earth is sitting still and quiet." On the surface, this sounds like good news. Peace and quiet. But in this context, it is a problem. This is the quiet of complacency. The pagan nations are "at ease" (v. 15). They have settled down after the upheaval of the Babylonian empire's fall, and they are not being troubled. Meanwhile, Jerusalem is still in a state of disrepair, and God's people are struggling. It seems like the wicked are prospering while the righteous suffer. This is the ancient problem of Asaph in Psalm 73. The report from the angelic patrols confirms the discouraging reality on the ground.
The Divine Advocate (vv. 12-13)
The patrol's report triggers an extraordinary response from the commander.
"Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, 'O Yahweh of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?'" (Zechariah 1:12)
Here we see the pre-incarnate Christ acting in His role as our great High Priest and Intercessor. He takes the intelligence report and brings it before the Father in prayer. He is advocating on behalf of His people. His question is a lament, "How long?" This is the cry of the saints throughout the ages. But notice what He appeals to. He appeals to the seventy years. Jeremiah had prophesied that the exile would last seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10). That time was now complete. The Angel is essentially saying, "Father, the appointed time of judgment is over. Your own prophetic clock says it is time for compassion." He is holding God to His own promises. This is how we are to pray, appealing to God's character and His Word.
And God's response is immediate and gracious.
"Yahweh answered the angel who was speaking with me with good words, comforting words." (Zechariah 1:13)
The Father responds to the Son's intercession. And the response is not a technical schematic or a bureaucratic memo. It is "good words, comforting words." The foundation of our hope is not in our circumstances, but in the gracious promises that come from the mouth of God. Our God is a speaking God, and His speech is fundamentally good and comforting to His people. This is the gospel in miniature. In response to the intercession of the Son, the Father speaks words of grace and comfort.
The Jealous God's Proclamation (vv. 14-17)
The interpreting angel now relays these comforting words to Zechariah, commanding him to proclaim them publicly.
"So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, 'Call out, saying, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. But I am very wrathful with the nations who are at ease; for I was only a little wrathful, but they helped increase the calamity.'"'" (Zechariah 1:14-15)
This is the heart of the message. God's fundamental disposition toward His people is one of intense, "exceeding" jealousy. Now, we tend to think of jealousy as a petty, sinful emotion. But divine jealousy is a righteous, covenantal passion. It is the fierce protectiveness of a husband for his wife. God's honor is bound up with the well-being of His bride, Zion. Her sorry state is an affront to Him. His jealousy is not for their sake alone, but for His own name's sake.
And the flip side of this jealous love for His people is a hot wrath for the complacent nations. Why? Because they were "at ease." And because they overdid the punishment. God had used Babylon and other nations as His rod of chastisement against Judah. He was "a little wrathful." But these nations were not dispassionate instruments. They piled on. They acted out of their own cruelty, malice, and arrogance. They "helped increase the calamity." God uses the sinful actions of men to accomplish His purposes, but He does not excuse their sin. He will hold them accountable for their wicked motives and their excessive cruelty. This is a permanent warning to any nation that presumes to mock or persecute the people of God. God takes it personally.
Because of this jealousy and wrath, God makes a series of glorious promises.
"'Therefore thus says Yahweh, "I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it," declares Yahweh of hosts, "and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem." ' 'Again, call out, saying, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, 'My cities will again overflow with good, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'"'" (Zechariah 1:16-17)
Here is the substance of those "comforting words." First, God promises His presence: "I will return to Jerusalem." The ultimate blessing is not a building, but God Himself dwelling with His people. Second, He promises the restoration of worship: "My house will be built in it." The temple was central to their identity and their access to God. This was a direct command to get back to work. Third, He promises expansive growth: "a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem." A measuring line is used for construction. This is not a picture of limitation, but of a great and orderly expansion. Jerusalem would be rebuilt and enlarged.
And the result would be overflowing prosperity: "My cities will again overflow with good." This is not just spiritual good, but economic, cultural, and social good. When God blesses His people, the blessing is comprehensive. It spills out into every area of life. Finally, He summarizes it all: He will "again comfort Zion" and "again choose Jerusalem." His covenant choice is reaffirmed. Despite their sin and failure, His electing love is steadfast. He chose them not because they were worthy, but because He is gracious, and His choice stands.
Conclusion: The Unseen Government
So what does this vision of horsemen in a hollow have to do with us? Everything. This is a picture of how God governs the world throughout the church age. We, like the returned exiles, often find ourselves in the hollow, in a place of cultural weakness and discouragement. We look out and see the nations "at ease," complacent in their godless rebellion. It seems as though evil is prospering and the cause of Christ is stalled.
But this vision unveils the reality. Christ, our commander, is with us in the hollow. He has not abandoned us. His angelic patrols are surveying the entire earth, and nothing escapes the notice of the throne. The whole world is under His meticulous, sovereign surveillance. And most importantly, He is our advocate before the Father. He takes the state of His church, her sufferings and struggles, and pleads her case. "How long, O Lord?"
And the Father answers with good and comforting words. The answer is always the same. "I am exceedingly jealous for my bride, the Church. I am very wrathful with the arrogant nations who are at ease in their sin. I will return to my people with compassion. My house, the Church, will be built, and not the gates of Hell will prevail against it. A measuring line will be stretched out over her, because she is destined for glorious, global expansion. My cities, my churches, will overflow with every kind of good. I will comfort my people, and I reaffirm my sovereign choice of them."
This is the engine of history. This is the foundation of our postmillennial optimism. The world will be evangelized and the nations will be discipled not because we are clever, but because God is exceedingly jealous for Zion. Our task is to believe His comforting words and, like the exiles, to get to work building His house, confident that His unseen government is the only government that ultimately matters.