Sermon Central
-
When The World Becomes Too Enticing Series
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Oct 18, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Some important reminders for those who are enticed to run with the world.
- This sermon handles the second vision (1:18-21) and the third vision (2:1-13).
- It is tempting to spiritualize the truths contained in this passage, but I think there is a larger truth that is well worth our time in focusing on the straightforward, long-term truth shared here.
- In some sermons I spend the majority of the message applying the truths. The structure of this passage requires us to spend most of the sermon unpacking the important idea that God is conveying to Zechariah. At the end, we’ll bring it all together with the application, so stick with me.
FOUR HORNS: Israel got overpowered by foreign powers.
- The vision starts with four horns. These are presumably not disembodied horns floating ghost-like in the air, but rather attached to an unspecified animal. The focus is on the horn, which is a symbol of strength and power in the Bible. The Gentile kings were indeed strong and powerful, as Israel knew all too well. After all, as v. 19b tells us, these are the powers that scattered Judah and Israel.
- Commentators spend a lot of time debating the identity of these four horns. Do they represent historic nations that led up to this moment? Are they four nations that Israel was dealing with at that moment? Are they really supposed to predict four nations that Israel will struggle with in the future? All interesting questions, but ones that really are a rabbit trail for our purposes this evening, so I’ll leave that for another time.
- What is certain and relevant here is that some Jews were coming back from captivity in Babylon to try to reestablish Jerusalem. God allowed Israel to be conquered as punishment for their sinfulness. So Israel deeply knew what it was like to be overpowered by a foreign power because that had been their lives for a long time.
FOUR CRAFTSMEN: For every horn there is a hammer.
- Now we come to a part of the passage that is a little confusing. Why are four craftsmen the response to the four horns? It is not immediately obvious.
- It will be a little clearer if we note what the craftsmen are doing. Another way to translate that word is “hammerers.” Of course, a craftsman is likely to use a hammer. The idea here with “hammerers” is not building but destroying.
- We have these four horns, but God says he is sending four hammerers. For every horn there is a hammer.
- This makes the meaning evident. Yes, these earthly kingdoms are impressive and have grown in power even as they have oppressed the Jewish people. But for every horn there is a hammer.
- This reminds us that while the kingdoms of this world are now imposing and powerful, God has the ability to destroy them. And God will bring that destruction at the appointed time.
- It’s a reminder to us to not get too impressed by the power of this world.
SURVEYING JERUSALEM: The City of God will not be the ruin that it was then, but great and powerful.
- We know that in this moment Jerusalem is nothing to look at, especially compared to the great kingdom of Babylon. But God gives a vision of the future.
- In verses 1-2, a man with a measuring line is going out to measure Jerusalem. Then we have a twist: the angels tell him that what he sees now is not a proper evaluation of what Jerusalem will be.
- What is the picture of this future Jerusalem?
a. It is a city without walls.
- This speaks to prosperity, as the next phrase indicates.
- This speaks to safety, as the city will be so powerful that it doesn’t need to be defended as one traditionally would have to be.
b. It is a prosperous city.
- Again, the men and animals.
c. It has a wall of fire.
- This speaks to God’s defense of the city. It will not have a traditional wall because God Himself will defend the city.
- Maybe one image that might help would be to think of a missile defense system. A city might look vulnerable until you realized that they had a state-of-the-art missile system and that any attacker would be wiped out.
d. God will be its glory.
- God Himself will be there to provide glory to the city. That’s about as amazing a climax statement as someone could make!
WHAT THAT MEANS TO DIFFERENT GROUPS:
1. To those enjoying the best of the world, the call is to flee.
- Let’s focus on a few phrases in these verses:
a. “Flee from the land of the north”
