Zechariah 1:18-21

The Second Vision. The Vision of the Horns and the Smiths (Zechariah 1:18).

God will now pare back the horns that have been directed at Jerusalem. The message is that although Israel and Judah have both been scattered, together with the men and women of Jerusalem, by a number of kings, now those nations themselves will be pared back.

Zechariah 1:18

‘And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?”. And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem”.'

The prophet sees four horns. The horn is the means by which the wild beast exercises its authority. Thus the horns indicate the nations who are seen as powerful wild beasts in violent activity. Four denotes universality, the nations seen as a whole. They are world aggressors, exacting their authority.

‘Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.' By this he depicts the whole people of God. The threeness denotes completeness before God. No part of His people have been finally rejected. Note again that the terms refer to the people. God is not concerned with places except in so far as they benefit His people.

Zechariah 1:20

‘And YHWH showed me four smiths. Then I said, “What have these come to do?” And he spoke saying, “These are the horns which scattered Judah so that no man lifted up his head. But these are come to fray (or terrify) them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.” '

With powerful use of their horns the nations have scattered Judah into exile, but now God's divine instruments will act against the horns, like workmen fraying horns, so that they are rendered powerless. Then it is the nations who will be terrified because God has acted against them on behalf of His people. The smiths thus represent whatever resources God brings against the nations, including angelic ones.

‘No man lifted up his head.' Every head was bowed down. They had been miserable times for His people. But God now wants them to know that He had not overlooked it, He has not forgotten them.