Zec 1:8-11 | KingComments | STEP | What Zechariah sees takes place at night. He does not sleep, he does not see in a dream, but is in a waking state. He sees a Man. This is the Lord Jesus ( ), Who is mentioned here for the first time in the book. He sits on a red horse. Behind Him are other horses, each with a different color. At the beginning of all visions stands the Lord Jesus. It is about Him, He determines the future and is its center. The call to “behold” is to emphasize the wondrous and also importance of what can be seen. It is also meant to make him to look attentively. Red is the color of blood, of bloodshed ( ). But the Man does not fight. It is as if He is preparing Himself for it. The horses represent powers, empires yet to come. They stand behind the Man on the red horse. Without Him they cannot move a foot. All power in heaven and earth is given to Him ( ). He stands “among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine”. The myrtle trees in the ravine, that means down deep, are a representation of the remnant of Israel with which the LORD connects Himself. He stands between them. The ravine indicates a state of humiliation. Myrtle trees are always mentioned in connection with the realm of peace. They seem to point to that time. Now it is not like that yet, they are still in the depths and not on a height. Myrtle trees are evergreen trees and belong to the Feast of Booths ( ) and in the Messianic realm ( ). They announce a time of blessing in the realm of peace. Restoration will begin in the depths, through humiliation and penance. Israel is still humiliated by the peoples and is still the tail and not the head of the peoples. Yet God can already work this peace in the hearts of those who take their place in the depths, in humility, under the message of the prophet, who wants to reach the heart and conscience. The horses are angelic powers – or winds or spirits ( ) – that control the history of the world powers after Babylon. They are given the freedom to cross the earth. As said, they stand behind the Man. There is nothing in our lives or in history that happens without His permission ( ). The horses with the three different colors represent the three empires after Babylon, which have already fallen. The red horses represent the Medo-Persian empire. That empire has the same color as the horse on which the Man sits, possibly because at that time the Medo-Persian empire favored the Israelites ( ).

‏ Zechariah 1:8-11

The Man on the Red Horse

What Zechariah sees takes place at night. He does not sleep, he does not see in a dream, but is in a waking state. He sees a Man. This is the Lord Jesus (Zec 1:11), Who is mentioned here for the first time in the book. He sits on a red horse. Behind Him are other horses, each with a different color. At the beginning of all visions stands the Lord Jesus. It is about Him, He determines the future and is its center.

The call to “behold” is to emphasize the wondrous and also importance of what can be seen. It is also meant to make him to look attentively.

Red is the color of blood, of bloodshed (Isa 63:2-4). But the Man does not fight. It is as if He is preparing Himself for it. The horses represent powers, empires yet to come. They stand behind the Man on the red horse. Without Him they cannot move a foot. All power in heaven and earth is given to Him (Mt 28:18).

He stands “among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine”. The myrtle trees in the ravine, that means down deep, are a representation of the remnant of Israel with which the LORD connects Himself. He stands between them. The ravine indicates a state of humiliation. Myrtle trees are always mentioned in connection with the realm of peace. They seem to point to that time. Now it is not like that yet, they are still in the depths and not on a height.

Myrtle trees are evergreen trees and belong to the Feast of Booths (Neh 8:15-16) and in the Messianic realm (Isa 41:19 ; Isa 55:13). They announce a time of blessing in the realm of peace. Restoration will begin in the depths, through humiliation and penance.

Israel is still humiliated by the peoples and is still the tail and not the head of the peoples. Yet God can already work this peace in the hearts of those who take their place in the depths, in humility, under the message of the prophet, who wants to reach the heart and conscience.

The horses are angelic powers – or winds or spirits (Zec 6:5) – that control the history of the world powers after Babylon. They are given the freedom to cross the earth. As said, they stand behind the Man. There is nothing in our lives or in history that happens without His permission (Pro 21:1).

The horses with the three different colors represent the three empires after Babylon, which have already fallen. The red horses represent the Medo-Persian empire. That empire has the same color as the horse on which the Man sits, possibly because at that time the Medo-Persian empire favored the Israelites (Ezra 6:1-15).

The Question for Explanation

Zechariah asks for an explanation. He gets it from an angel. His questioning attitude is a good one for a young man. This angel is probably the one by whom the LORD makes His announcements to Zechariah, and not the angel of the LORD (cf. Rev 1:1 ; Rev 22:6). The angel does not give the answer himself, but indicates what Zechariah must look for to get the answer.

The Answer

The answer to Zechariah’s question is given by the Man, that is the Lord Jesus. He is the Source to Whom all answers, by whoever given, must be traced back. In His answer He shows His great interest in everything that happens on earth, especially in connection with His people Israel and His own (cf. Job 1:7 ; Job 2:2). Government power has been given to the nations for a time, but they are accountable to Him (Zec 1:11).

Accountability Rendered

The Man on the red horse (Zec 1:8) turns out to be here, in contrast to Zec 1:9, the Angel of the LORD. This is a special manifestation of the LORD Himself (cf. Gen 16:7-13 ; Gen 22:11-22; Exo 3:2-6; Jdg 6:14 ; 22 ; Jdg 13:9-18 ; 22). It is a manifestation of the Lord Jesus before He became Man. He represents God and is God Himself. All the (angelic) powers, represented in the different horses, are accountable to Him. He leads the history, He has everything under control.

All powers feel at peace, peace reigns internationally. In one place there is no such peace, and that is in Jerusalem. If there is no peace there, how can there be peace in the world? This must also appeal to the conscience of the people, for they too are quiet. Heaven is busy with Jerusalem and Judah, but the heathen people and also the people of God are busy with their own interests, they are looking for their own prosperity and ease.