Zechariah 1:10 Commentary and Bible Study

What is emerging in this vision is this: first of all, one man riding upon a red horse. Who is he? What does it represent? It is very likely that it is the Son of God, who is represented – Christ is sovereign in these affairs, and he is the one who is sovereign over judgments in the world, whether it is the sending of a pandemic, or the taking away of his hand of restraint so that war explodes in some region of the world, or the sorrow of famine or flood. The troop of red, speckled, and white horses behind him seem to be under his command, and they patrol the whole earth. The picture is that God sees everything that goes on, and as it were his angels patrol the earth. Of course it doesn't work exactly like that. God is God; he can see everything that is going on at any time throughout the history of the world without having to employ agents, but for our benefit and for the teaching of the Jews of that time, all this is portrayed as in the vision: God is surveying the whole world all the time. If they feel spiritually depressed – because they have returned to Jerusalem and they find great oppression and enemies all around them, and cursing bands of marauders, and things being stolen and torched constantly – God sees what they are going through. He knows their situation, he knows their plight, he knows the people who are doing it, who are responsible, and that is what this vision is unfolding.The angel has told Zechariah that he will explain the meaning, but the answer comes in part from the man on the red horse, who appears to be leading the others. The remainder of the answer comes through the other things which Zechariah sees in the vision.