Zechariah 1:11 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Zechariah 1:11

Comments

‘They [the troop] answered the angel of the Lord.’ We now read the title, which is usually assigned to the pre-incarnate Son of God in the Pentateuch; ‘and they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees [among his people of old] and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still.’ These three coloured horses represent God’s power to bring war, famine, peace, but at the time of the vision the red and dappled horses are not administering war and famine. The agents of God who have been sent out now return and report that the world is in a state of ease and peace. There was no war going on at the moment to punish the Gentiles, who were causing so much trouble to Jerusalem and Judah. ‘The earth sitteth still [they have peace], and is at rest’; there is no punishment of God at this precise juncture, being revealed to them. The remnant in Jerusalem cannot understand this. Why have all the captives not been dramatically released, and the holding nations destroyed?

Application

We often find it hard to understand why God acts as he does. Judah was tempted to interpret the Lord’s readiness to let the nations go on as if nothing had happened and to delay their punishment, as if it was indifference to the plight of his people. In the estimation of Judah, God should act immediately and if he does not then they are confused about the situation. We are right to say that it is important that God loves his people. We need his love towards us more than anything else. We are right to assume that God’s love means that he will avenge us of the wrongs done to us. But we must always recognize that our view of things is very limited. God knows his own timetable. He will not forget his people. They must continue to wait for him to act without doubting his faithfulness to them.

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Zechariah 1:11 Commentary and Bible Study