ZECHARIAH 6
The vision of Zechariah 6: 1 - 8 contains an instruction which is as important for us as it was for the remnant in that day. It lets us know that God has not ceased to carry on a government in the world, though He has taken His throne from Jerusalem. We may remember that it is said that “Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah” (1 Chronicles 29: 23), and the queen of Sheba said, “Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king to Jehovah thy God”, 2 Chronicles 9:8. Jehovah’s throne was then at Jerusalem; there was a direct government of God in the earth in the midst of Israel. But this was conditional on the obedience and faithfulness of Israel, and particularly on that of their kings. The captivity showed that the throne of Jehovah was no longer at Jerusalem. Everything having been forfeited by Israel, authority was definitely put by God in the hands of Gentile powers, as set forth in the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream; Daniel 2. It is now “the times of the Gentiles”. God has not left things to go on in a haphazard way; He has committed authority to certain powers, which are definitely responsible to Him as to how they exercise that authority. If they abuse the power with which they are entrusted, God will judge them, and it will eventually be found that power — like everything else that God has committed to man’s responsibility — will become a subject of judgment. The Stone cut out without hands will smite the image upon its feet, and every constituent part of it will be “broken in pieces together”. Gentile power will be judged and broken in pieces, and the whole earth will be filled with blessing under the reign of Christ. The throne of Jehovah will be again set up in the earth, but not in a conditional way which may break down through man’s unfaithfulness, but in a permanent way as filled by One who is in every way capable of sustaining the government.
The people to whom Zechariah prophesied had, no doubt, read the prophet Daniel, and thus knew about the four successive [p. 109] kingdoms which would run their course before the setting up of the kingdom of Christ. Those kingdoms were presented to Zechariah under the figure of four chariots, but the Spirit of God views them here as having a special character which does not appear in Daniel. In Daniel we get a public, or historical, view of the four kingdoms, and this was appropriate in the presentation of them to Nebuchadnezzar. But in Zechariah the angel interprets the import of the four chariots by saying, “These are the four spirits of the heavens which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth” (verse 5). So they are seen here as having some distinct relation to the working out of God’s plans as “the Lord of all the earth”. This is how God would have His saints to view the Gentile kingdoms; it is, we might say, a private view, reserved for faith, but one which is very comforting when it is spiritually apprehended. It shows that there is a working of God in His government and providence which goes on during the time of the successive Gentile kingdoms. The Gentile powers are entirely unaware of this working, but it is made known to the faith of the remnant. It is the hidden side of the times of the Gentiles. There is something going on all the time which is hidden from the eyes of men, but which is providentially causing things to work out for the furtherance of the plans of the Lord of all the earth during the long period which has come in between the setting aside of the throne of Jehovah in the earth and the coming of Christ, when divine government will be publicly set up in power. To know this is a great comfort for faith.
The stability of this secret government of God is set forth by the two mountains of brass from between which the four chariots came. God would have us to know that, though things seem to be unstable, and to be largely marked by a conflict of human ambitions, and sometimes by the predominance of what is evil, He is over-ruling on fixed principles which cannot be interfered with by any power of man.
It was the time of the second chariot when Zechariah prophesied. The great head of Gentile power had completely failed to answer to the responsibility entrusted to it, and had come under divine judgment. That is why He says, “See, these that go forth towards the north country have quieted my spirit (or, satisfied mine anger) in the north country”, verse 8. God judged Babylon for its pride, its idolatry, and its cruelty to His people, and in doing so He gave an intimation that all Gentile power that failed to answer to its responsibilities would also eventually be [p. 110] judged by Him. But in Cyrus God raised up a power that would be favourable to His people, and that would further the building of His house by the remnant delivered from Babylon. Publicly, Cyrus was just a great conqueror, but as known to the faith of God’s people there was a spirit of the heavens operating through him for the judgment of Babylon and the deliverance of the remnant. It might be said that this was so obvious in his case as hardly to need faith to discern it. But what was obvious in his case was, and is, really true in connection with all the Gentile kingdoms. Each, in his turn, has been in some way instrumental in furthering the divine plan. So the authorities that are above us are to be recognised as set up by God, and as being the ordinance of God. The authority is “God’s minister to thee for good”. So Paul says, “Put them in mind to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient to rule”, Titus 3: 1, and Peter says, “Be in subjection therefore to every human institution for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king as supreme, or to rulers as sent by him, for vengeance on evildoers, and praise to them that do well”, 1 Peter 2: 13.
All this has to do with our apprehension of something in the authorities, of which, perhaps, they themselves are entirely unaware. We recognise the “spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth”, as having some place in the matter. This is true, even though bad men may be in positions of rule. Indeed, it was made known by God to Nebuchadnezzar that “the most High ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men”, Daniel 4: 17. Since the times of the Gentiles began, it has been important that God’s faithful remnant should know how to recognise, and be in subjection to, the authorities that exist.
It is said of the fourth chariot, “and the strong go forth, and seek to go that they may walk to and fro through the earth. And he said, Go, walk to and fro through the earth, and they walked to and fro through the earth”, verse 7. We can understand that the Roman kingdom would have a special place in this vision, because it was to be in the time of that kingdom that Christ would come in, and the assembly be found on earth. The wisdom of God was in this, so that the “strong” horses have a special commission such as is not given to any of the others. We may be sure that God has had a particular concern about the kind of Gentile power that should be running its course while [p. 111] His greatest actings were taking place. It was not by chance that the sphere of Roman power was so largely the area over which Christianity spread. There was an ordering of God in this, and the powers became publicly favourable to Christianity. Whatever human motives might have acted in this there was a spreading abroad of certain light as to God which had no place in the heathen world. So far as there was this, it was beneficial to men, and it seems to me that the angel’s words in Zechariah 6 would lead us to conclude that there is always some working of God in connection with the powers which He has set up for government here. It is a hidden working, but faith would recognise that it is there. I think Paul would speak to Felix, or to Festus, or to Agrippa, or to Nero, with a sense of this in his heart. They were the representatives of divine government in the world, as he was the representative of divine grace. He addresses them with all the respect due to their position.
Then in Zechariah 6: 9 another subject is introduced. We find that certain persons “of the captivity”, who had “come from Babylon”, were able to furnish gifts of silver and gold, of which crowns were made to be set upon the head of Joshua the high priest. The government of God, as under the hand of the first of the four empires, had brought severe pressure upon the people of God, but it had resulted in their being able to yield something which enhanced the priesthood. This illustrates the working of God’s government in its hidden character. The captivity was the outcome of a long course of unfaithfulness and departure, but for those who submitted to it in the fear of God it yielded gain. Any of us may find ourselves in some kind of “captivity” as the result of our wrong-doing. I suppose there are very few saints who have not at some time suffered under God’s governmental dealings as reaping what they have sowed. But what a comfort it is to gather from the scripture before us that if we submit to God’s government we shall acquire spiritual wealth!
The general condition in which the Christian profession is found today is one of captivity. There is but little of what the apostle speaks of as “our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus”, and this is the result of a departure from the truth of such long standing that most people have come to accept it as normal Christianity. But those who have felt it to be bondage, and contrary to God’s mind, have come out of it with great spiritual gain. Much “silver and gold” has been found with [p. 112] those who, through the exercises of captivity, have learned to value Jerusalem and the house of God. Silver speaks of what God is as known in the grace of redemption. There was great acquisition of spiritual wealth when believers began to consider, in the light of Scripture, what had resulted from the death of Christ. Certain great and precious things are now subsisting realities by reason of the fact that Christ has died, and His blood has been shed. For example, the sins of believers have been put away, never to be remembered by God any more; and, as a result of this, Christ brings His redeemed ones to God in a priestly way; they are made nigh by His blood; they know the love of God, and have been reconciled to Him. As in the value of redemption, there is not a shade of distance between those who are reconciled and the blessed God. Then “gold” would lead us to think of divine glory as shining out in the bestowal of a wholly new place before God as children and sons. It carries our thoughts to what subsists in the power of new creation; an order of things where what is old has passed away, and all things have become new, and all things are of the God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ. How different all this is from what obtains in the religious world! But this is what supplies crowns for the priesthood. There is nothing more important at the present time than that the priestly service should be enhanced, and I believe God intends that this shall be brought about by all that is happening.
No one can doubt that the nations of Europe have been under God’s special dealings from time to time; and God’s people in many countries are under great pressure. But the inward working of it is to give us “silver and gold”; that is, to secure to us increased knowledge of God so that the priestly service may be enhanced. We should think much of this, and not merely of getting relief. It is possible for the service of God to take on a character beyond what has been yet known in the assembly. New “crowns” may be made; and those who bring their acquired wealth to make them will have them “for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah”, verse 14. Who that loves God would not covet to have such a memorial as this, to bring something that contributes to the dignity and glory of the priestly service!
But at the time when Joshua has the crowns set upon his head he also receives a special word from Jehovah with reference to Christ. We may be sure that if priestly conditions are promoted amongst us there will be great enlargement in the knowledge of [p. 113] Christ. He will be seen as the One who truly builds the temple. “Behold a man whose name is the Branch; and he shall grow up from his own place, and he shall build the temple of Jehovah: even he shall build the temple of Jehovah”, verses 12, 13. There will be no spiritual understanding of the temple as it exists today unless we see that Christ is the One who builds it. If our responsible building does not take character from Christ’s building it will be worthless. So it is of vital importance to consider the “man whose name is the Branch”. His advent was still future in Zechariah’s day, but we know Him as One who has come in holy manhood, in whom everything that is for the pleasure and glory of God has appeared. God has raised unto David a righteous Branch; He has come in according to promise of the seed of David, Jeremiah 23: 5; Jeremiah 33: 15. The fact that He is called the Branch, or Sprout, indicates the freshness and vigour of what sprang forth in Him to be the righteousness and beauty and glory of His saints, so that He is “for excellency and for ornament for those that are escaped of Israel”, Isaiah 4: 2. A sprout is an energetic manifestation of life, and it is a fitting symbol or title of Him who has appeared as “the fruit of the earth” in such a wondrous way as born of the virgin.
The word, “he shall grow up from his own place”, shows how perfectly He accepted everything that was appointed for Him by the will of God, and how there was the development in Him from infancy to manhood of an obedience which was always perfect, but disclosed itself more and more fully at every step. That wondrous life is, indeed, an eternal study for the hearts of all the redeemed. I do not think it is too much to say that we may learn how He will fill every place of glory by seeing how He filled His own place in lowly incarnation. In one sense His place in incarnation is more wonderful than any other place which He will ever fill, for in that place He “learned obedience from the things which he suffered”. He came into the world in a body prepared for Him that He might do God’s will, and He became obedient unto death, though He was, indeed, “the Lord of glory”. His death is not mentioned in Zechariah 6, because the Spirit of God is calling attention here to Him as the Builder of the temple, and as the One who bears the glory, and who rules upon His throne and shall be a Priest upon His throne. But, as we know from other scriptures, He will do all this on the ground that He has glorified God in death.
“And he shall build the temple of Jehovah: even he shall build the temple of Jehovah”. What a new thought of the temple we get when we see that He builds it! It is twice repeated so that we may pay particular attention to it. It is clear from Hebrews 3: 3 that Jesus is the Builder of the house. “For he has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, by how much he that has built it has more honour than the house”. He selected Simon the first day that He saw him to be a stone in that wondrous structure. Do we delight to think of the sovereignty of love that selected us for such a place? Would we not like Him to put us where He will in that holy temple? The builders in Zechariah’s day were encouraged by the thought of how Christ would build the temple. Our responsible building must be carried on in the light of how Christ builds. We shall not then labour in a fleshly way, but in a spiritual way, as knowing that only spiritual material is suitable for “a spiritual house”.
“And he shall bear the glory”. He is the true Eliakim, on whom hangs all the glory of His Father’s house; Isaiah 22: 24. He alone is great enough to sustain the glory as it is known today. He said, “And the glory which thou hast given me I have given them”, John 17:22. The true character of sonship is known to us by seeing that Christ bears the glory of it before the Father. But it is a. glory which He gives to His own. There are other glories also referred to in John 17 which He bears, and He will bear many glories in the coming day, for He will come “in his glory, and in that of the Father, and of the holy angels”, Luke 9: 26. At the present time, whatever favour or acceptance is granted to those called of God, He bears the glory of it, so that we see the glory of divine grace in Him.
“And he shall sit and rule upon his throne”. No doubt this refers to His coming reign, when He will restfully rule in His kingdom, but it is well to be reminded that He has a kingdom now. The Father has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, who is the true Solomon. In this connection we are reminded that it was Solomon who built the house; his kingdom was established that he might build the house for Jehovah’s name. His peaceful supremacy was needed that nothing might interfere with the building of the house. Christ cannot use unsubdued material; it is only what comes under His rule that is suitable for God’s house. But His rule, as we know it, is a rule of love; His kingdom is pervaded by love, for He is the Son of the Father’s love.
“And he shall be priest upon his throne”. As the royal Priest [p. 115] He is after the order of Melchisedek, and He is already as we know from the epistle to the Hebrews, a Priest after that order. He serves His people in a priestly way according to the greatness of His Person, and the greatness of His place “on the right hand of the throne of the greatness in the heavens”; and, we may add, according to the greatness of the value and result of His offering up of Himself. He serves Godward, too, so that nothing may be lacking in the service of the house. How the consideration of this would elevate our thoughts! It was prophetically given to encourage the builders in Zechariah’s day; but it is even more encouraging for us because what was prophetically spoken then is now a great and wondrous reality.
Then, finally, it is said, “and the counsel of peace shall be between them both”. This is one of the many scriptures which serve to show clearly the Deity of the Messiah, for it is Messiah and Jehovah who are here spoken of. “Between them both” could not be said if the Man spoken of were not a divine Person. Chapter 13: 7 of this book confirms this, for it is written, “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, even against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts”. It reminds us of such words in John’s gospel as “I and my Father are one”. Everything of God’s purposes of blessing is secured between Himself and His Anointed, so that there can be no possible breakdown.
“They that are far off”, coming and building at the temple of Jehovah is suggestive of the Gentiles having part in this holy work, even as it is now. But all building is to go on in the light of what was presented prophetically to the remnant in Zechariah’s day.