Bird's-eye view
Following the introductory call to repentance and the vision of the horsemen, Zechariah is shown a second vision. This is a vision of encouragement, a political cartoon from Heaven, if you will. It is designed to answer the question that would have been pressing on the minds of the returned exiles: what about the great powers that crushed us? What about the empires that still loom over us? God answers by showing Zechariah two sets of four things: four horns and four craftsmen. The horns represent the totality of worldly, pagan power that has afflicted God's people. The craftsmen represent God's sovereign and precise answer to that power. This is not a vision of an equal fight. It is a vision of demolition. God does not meet brute force with more brute force, but rather with skillful, terrifying, and effective deconstruction. The message is simple: the powers that scattered you are themselves going to be dismantled. God is in control, and He has a plan not just for His people, but for His enemies.
Outline
- 1. The Vision of Hostile World Power (Zech 1:18-19)
- a. The Four Horns Revealed (Zech 1:18)
- b. The Four Horns Identified (Zech 1:19)
- 2. The Vision of God's Sovereign Response (Zech 1:20-21)
- a. The Four Craftsmen Revealed (Zech 1:20)
- b. The Four Craftsmen's Task Identified (Zech 1:21)
Context In Zechariah
This second vision in chapter 1 builds directly on the first. The first vision (1:7-17) established that God is aware of the state of the nations ("the whole earth is at rest and is quiet") and that He is "exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion." His anger is kindled against the complacent nations who went too far in punishing Judah. This second vision, of the horns and craftsmen, is God's answer to that situation. It shows how His jealousy and anger will be manifested. He will not leave these arrogant powers unchallenged. The sequence of visions in Zechariah is logical and pastoral. First, God says "I see, and I am angry." Now, He says, "And this is what I am going to do about it." This provides a foundation of hope for the struggling remnant community, assuring them that the global political landscape is not outside of Yahweh's meticulous control.
Key Issues
- The Symbolism of Horns
- The Meaning of "Four"
- The Identity of the Craftsmen
- God's Sovereignty Over Nations
- The Nature of Divine Retribution
The Text
18 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there were four horns.
Zechariah is an active participant. He "lifted up his eyes." Divine revelation requires us to look where God is pointing. And what he sees is startling: four horns. In the Scriptures, a horn is a routine symbol for power, might, authority, and very often, arrogant military power. Think of a bull or a ram lowering its horns to charge. This is the raw, intimidating force of pagan kings and empires. The number four here signifies completeness, representing the four corners of the earth. This is not just one enemy from the north, but the sum total of worldly opposition that comes against the people of God from every direction. This is globalism, ancient style. Daniel's four beasts come to mind. This is the whole beast system in its totality.
19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Like any sane man, Zechariah asks for an explanation. We are meant to understand God's Word, not just stare at it blankly. The interpreting angel, a feature of apocalyptic literature, makes it plain. There is no secret Gnostic code here. The explanation is direct: these horns are the powers responsible for the exile and scattering of God's covenant people. Notice the comprehensive list: Judah (the southern kingdom), Israel (the northern kingdom, scattered centuries before by Assyria), and Jerusalem (the heart of worship and national life). God has not forgotten any of His people. He sees the complete history of their affliction. These horns did the scattering, and while we know they were instruments of God's judgment, their own motive was prideful rebellion. They went too far, and God is now calling them to account.
20 Then Yahweh showed me four craftsmen.
The vision pivots immediately. After the problem, "then" comes the solution. God does not leave His people to stare at the horns and despair. Yahweh Himself, the covenant God of Israel, is the one showing this next part. He reveals four craftsmen. The Hebrew word is charashim, which can mean carpenters, blacksmiths, or artisans. These are not warriors in the conventional sense. They are skilled workers. This is a beautiful touch. God's answer to the brute, untamed power of the horns is not simply a bigger horn. It is skill, intelligence, and purpose. For every horn, there is a craftsman. The response is perfectly matched to the threat. God is never outgunned or outmaneuvered. He has a custom made answer for every assault of the enemy.
21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to cause them to tremble, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”
Zechariah asks the practical question: what is their job description? The angel first reiterates the severity of the horns' work. They scattered Judah so thoroughly that "no man lifts up his head." This is the goal of all satanic, worldly power: to crush, humiliate, and demoralize the people of God. To make them ashamed of their God and their calling. But then comes the glorious work of the craftsmen. Their job is twofold. First, they have come "to cause them to tremble," or to terrify them. God's first move against His arrogant enemies is to unravel them from the inside out with fear. The bully is about to find that there is someone who can make him shake. Second, their job is "to throw down the horns of the nations." This is active deconstruction. These artisans will dismantle the very source of the nations' power and pride. They will file them down, break them off, melt them down. This is a picture of utter defeat. The nations that lifted their horns against Judah will have their horns thrown down. The punishment fits the crime with poetic and divine precision.
Application
We live in a world full of horns. We see the arrogant power of secular states, of godless ideologies, of corporate behemoths, and of cultural institutions that all seem dedicated to scattering the church and making sure that no Christian can lift up his head in the public square. The temptation for us is the same as it was for the exiles: to be intimidated, to despair, to think the horns are winning.
This vision is God's word to us in our time. Do not be mesmerized by the horns. God has his craftsmen. He is not wringing His hands over the latest Supreme Court decision or the newest blasphemy coming out of Hollywood. For every horn that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, He has a designated craftsman ready to terrify and throw it down.
And who are these craftsmen? They are the instruments God chooses to use. The power of the preached gospel is a craftsman that dismantles worldly philosophies. The faithful, quiet obedience of Christian families is a craftsman that builds a new world while the old one crumbles. The patient work of Christian educators, business owners, and artists, all done in the name of Christ, are the tools in God's hands. Our job is not to grow our own horns to fight back. Our job is to be faithful craftsmen, taking up the tools God has given us, and getting to work building His kingdom, knowing that as we build, the horns of the wicked are being thrown down. This is a postmillennial vision. History is not the story of the horns' victory, but of their systematic and certain demolition by the skilled hands of God's artisans.