20190305-Zech 1:18-21 : Horns and Carpenters -We are Family!

5/3/19 : A special "WE ARE FAMILY" project in church - carpentry and assembly and painting works!

A last minute engagement in this project requested by J.  So thankful for W - the main specialist for the carpentry works ! Without him and his tools, it would have been a tough time for us all! Began at about 10am and we managed to complete in around 7 plus in the evening.

  

Arising from this project, an exchange of one of the 8 night visions of Zechariah was interestingly followed. 

Zechariah 1:18-21 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
¹⁹ And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
²⁰ And the Lord shewed me four carpenters.

²¹ Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

Reflections

It had been quite a while since I read Zechariah.  This project rekindled my reading and it was refreshing.  Wondering what was the significance of the carpenters in this verse, I decided to check with GotQuestions site.  My question was promptly answered in about 3 days!

Question 615208:

Why did the Lord show Zechariah the 4 carpenters in Zech1:20? Significance of carpenters?

Answered by: Corrie 

Answer:

Dear Questioner,

Thank you for sending in this question.  To answer this question we need to look at the background or context in which Zechariah was written. The prophet Zechariah was a priest.  He was a member of a prominent priestly family who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel in about 538 b.c. (Nehemiah 12:4)  Nearly 20 years after their return from the Babylonian exile in the time of Cyrus (538 b.c.), discouragement dogged God’s people, replacing their earlier enthusiasm. The foundation of the temple had been laid shortly after the initial return, in 536 b.c., but powerful opposition had prevented any further progress on rebuilding the temple. Life was hard in the province of Judah. There was little evidence of the kind of transformation that the earlier prophets had anticipated. In particular, the city of Jerusalem was still only partially rebuilt and was on the sidelines of world significance. The people felt that theirs was a “day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10) in which God was absent from his people. Zechariah addressed this discouragement by reminding his hearers that, God’s envoys [Angels] were watching everything. (Zechariah 1:8–11) and if the people would heed the words of the prophets and cry out to the Lord and turn to Him, they would discover Him turning to them  with "gracious and comforting words." (V13) He would trouble the nations [enemies of Israel] who were enjoying rest, (v11&15) and will "return[ed] to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it…My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem." (Zechariah 1:12-17) The temple that was being rebuilt and the priesthood that would serve in it were signs of the Lord’s commitment to his people, a commitment that would be demonstrated by the ultimate removal of all their sin from the land.  

Fulfilment of Zechariah’s vision awaits the coming of the Messiah, or “ Branch”. This is the wonder of the gospel. The cross is the means by which God “will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day." (Zechariah 3:8-10) The result would be peace, harmony, and prosperity for all the inhabitants of the land, as the Lord once more dwelt in their midst.  

First, let us look at the Zechariah's vision of the Horns: "And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 1:18-19) They are four horns, for the Jews are surrounded with them on every side. They are horns, denoting their dignity and dominion—horns exalted, denoting also their strength, and power, and violence (Psalm 75:4-5) So the Horns were the enemies of Israel that scattered the nation of Israel and took them into captivity.  

Now let us look at the Carpenters or the "Craftsmen" as translated in the ESV Bible:

"Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.  And I said, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “And these [the craftsmen] have come to terrify them, [the horns or enemies] to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.”(Zechariah 1:20-21)  The Lord showed Zechariah the carpenters to encourage the nation in a terrible time of oppression from their enemies. Here we have an awakening call to a sinful people to repent of their sins and return to God (Zechariah 1:2-6), and great encouragement is given to hope for God's mercy. It is the comfort and triumph of the church (Isaiah 59:19) that when the enemy shall come in like a flood, with mighty force and fury, then the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. Now, in this vision we have an illustration of that. God’s Spirit making a stand against the formidable power of the church’s adversaries. Here we have the enemies of the church bold and daring, and threatening to be its death, to cut off the name of Israel.  We also have here the friends of the church active and prevailing. The prophet himself lifted up his eyes and saw the four formidable horns, and he began to despair of the safety of every good man, and the success of every good work; but the Lord then showed him four carpenters, or smiths, who were empowered to cut off these horns (Zechariah 1: 20-21) Today we also see the power of the enemies of the church. But it is with an eye of faith that we see it safe. Jesus said: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." (Revelation 12:11)

We see that those who were to break the horns of the Gentiles, or enemies of Israel, and to cast them out, were:

1. Carpenters or Craftsmen,  men who had the skill and ability to do it, whose proper business it was, and who understood their business and had tools at hand to do it with. God calls those to serve the interests of his church whom he either finds, or makes, fit for it. If there are horns (which denote the force and fury of beasts) against the church, then there are carpenters (which denote the wisdom and skilled work of men) for the church, by which they find ways to master the strongest beasts. Today we have Jesus, the word made flesh (John 1:14) and the Gospel, the word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15) as our "tools," and the Holy Spirit who enables and empowers us to share the Gospel boldly, even in adversity: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness...And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."(Acts 4:29&31)

2. They were four carpenters, and four horns, one carpenter to saw off each horn!  Whatever way the church is threatened with mischief, and opposition, God can check the force, restrain the wrath, and make it turn to his praise. Some scholars say the four carpenters are Zerubbabel and Joshua, Ezra and Nehemiah, who carried on the work of God in spite of the opposition. Those horned beasts in Zechariah broke into God’s vineyard to tread it down; but the good magistrates and the good ministers whom God raised up, frightened them and cast them out. So when God has work to do he will raise up some to do it and others to defend it and protect those that are employed in the doing of it.  We can be encouraged by this passage.  When we are confronted with scepticism, unbelief and rejection because of our faith, we can know that God is with us. He has overcome the world and the enemy Satan, (John 16:33) and we will conquer by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our Testimony (Revelation 12:11)

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Further thots...

David Pawson in his teaching of Zechariah mentioned about those bulls with horns in the farm. They can be deadly and usually such horns were cut off when the calves are young.  

So thankful and encouraged by Corrie's last paragraph.  Indeed the Lord is sovereign.  We take heart in the great hope in our Carpenter Jesus Christ.,   One black metal group was supposed to perform in Spore on 7/3/19.  Called Watain.  Was it devilish music? Can this music be neutral?

Lucifer was Heaven's chief musician before his expulsion and fall from Heaven. (ez28:13)

The right kind of music will prepare us to yield to the Spirit of God.  But the wrong kind prepares one to yleld to the spirit of devil.  So how can Watain music be good form of music when all the lyrics were vulgar , crude and seemingly violent?

Despite that it was a rather late appeal to the government to review this performance, we thank God that indeed He heard our prayers.  By His mercy and grace, the licence to perform was suddenly axed on the day itself! The carpenters of this land had risen up and defended this from taking place.

We give thanks indeed to the One who loved us so much!

Zechariah - God Remembers! YEAH!