Zechariah 1:7-17 Horseman
Zechariah sees a vision of horsemen. We are not told how many there were but we do learn their purpose. They are God’s eyes on the earth.
NOT that God can’t see EVERYTHING that happens on the earth all by Himself, but He chooses to ‘delegate’ some of the tasks. God delegated this task of roaming the earth to this group of angels and He provided them with transportation for the task. NOT that Heavenly beings NEED transportation.
Did God set this scene especially for Zechariah? Or is this a method He used for such a task? Zechariah was at least familiar with horses because he used the term “sorrel” when describing them. I, being unfamiliar with horses had to look it up; using Google of course.
“Sorrel is a reddish-brown horse coat color that can range from light copper to deep mahogany. It’s characterized by a more uniform red coloration than chestnut horses because it lacks dark pigment. In American stock horse registries, sorrel is used to describe red horses with manes and tails that are the same shade or lighter than their body coat. In the American West, almost all copper-red chestnuts are called “sorrel”. However, some other organizations may not differentiate between sorrel and chestnut, classifying all red horses as one.”
I don’t know that their color is that important, but it was mentioned so I had to look it up. The “man” who spoke with Zechariah was riding a red horse. Why wasn’t it called a sorrel? And what is the difference between the “red” ones and the “sorrel” ones in this description? Just a question. Nothing to split doctrine over.
We are also not told if there were riders for the other horses. Being that the term “horseman” is plural, there must have been more of them. My bible’s subtitle is where I found the term “horseman”. But, unless the horses themselves were speaking to the man with Zechariah, there were other ‘men’ in this scene. They answered that they had already completed the tsk of patrolling the earth.
What they found while patrolling was troubling to the one speaking with Zechariah. ALL the nations were “at rest”. Wars had ceased. Whatever captives remained in their ‘new homes’ were even content. The angel of the Lord DID NOT think this was ‘just’. He wanted those who had hurt Israel to be punished; to hurt in turn.
I know I have said it before, but it bears repeating here. God KNOWS what He is doing but He doesn’t always have to tell me before He does it. It looks like He doesn’t completely confide in the angels either. They have a job to do for Him. And they do it without question. Why? Because they TRUST God with their eternity.
I was wondering what God wanted me to learn/take from this passage of scripture. I believe He spoke to my heart and reminded me, through this passage, that He sees EVERYTHING. That HE knows when it is time to judge the nations. That He is in control. Everything works on HIS timing.
The angel was distressed and cried out to the Lord asking how long it would be before God repaid the nations for their treatment of His children. And how long it would be before God showed mercy to Jerusalem and Judah.
GOD DIDN’T GET MAD AT THE ANGEL! “And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words the angel who talked with me” (verse 13). God ‘gave the angel a break and didn’t strike him for his impatient remarks. God comforted him instead. He let His servant know that there WOULD be a balancing of the scale. He told Zechariah to tell the people that God was GOING to set things right for Judah. He would punish those who abused them and cause wealth to flow to them again.
God is STILL in control, even in the mess that is our world today. HE knows when it is time to tear down and when to build back up. We can’t rush Him, even if we wanted to. And He WILL listen and comfort us when we are stressed by the waiting.
Father God, it’s hard waiting. Waiting for justice from those who have done me wrong. Waiting for my children to return to You. Waiting for godly leaders to stand up and lead. Waiting for Jesus to return and take me out of this messy world. As HARD as it is waiting, I STILL KNOW that Your timing is PERFECT. YOU know when and how to make ALL things work together for YOUR plan. And You KNOW when it is time to say “No” to some of the things I’m desiring in life.
In Your time!
