“Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. And I said, “What are these coming to do?” So he said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”—Zechariah 1:20-21 NKJV
Horns are earthly powers in Scripture, usually fueled demonically. Babylon destroyed and scattered Judah. The craftsmen here appear to be Nehemiah’s people rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple. Taking this as a spiritual lesson, craftsmen could be anyone serving God. Sinners do what sinners do. Curiously, God uses CRAFTSMEN to defeat the mighty, God-hating demonic powers of earth. Craftsmen build!
How do craftsmen become craftsmen? They study, they practice, they grow in skills until they become masters. They learn from the best teachers. And the best teachers are those have learned God’s wisdom by His Word.
The result, the builders make Jerusalem grow, until it is a city without walls to contain it (Zechariah 2:4). Metaphorically Jerusalem is all God’s true people. The answer to great demonic, destructive powers is to build in God’s name and on His terms.
Zechariah is the prophet of Judah’s return to Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s example reflects Zechariah’s thought—build! Build, even with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other to fight if necessary (Nehemiah 4:17-18).
In His parable, Jesus echoes this thought: Occupy—do business—until I come (Luke 19:13). Let us be like the faithful stewards who invest God’s capital so graciously given. Let us not be like the unfaithful steward who into uttermost darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:14-30.
Apostle Paul again echoes the thought. He speaks of the sons of God coming to relieve creation of its futility (Romans 8:19). God is ready to punish all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled (2 Corinthians 10:6).
Though we must sometimes defend God’s territory, His primary means of expanding His kingdom is through His craftsmen building something better. Better necessarily means learning and applying God’s Word by faith.
It seems ironic that God Providentially has left His work behind all through history. Yet Christians hardly take notice of the many elevated expressions we find in history. However flawed, fledgling or incomplete these expressions may be, they represent huge advances over Nehemiah’s time. Godly men and women built the most prosperous, free, just and generous nations the world has known in their times, including our own. Now, contrary to Jeremiah (6:16), we hold these lessons as useless, or we hold them in contempt. We ought not to scoff at Christ’s craftsmanship through His people, using a false measure to condemn what we don’t bother to understand. Sinful men are low handing fruit. Instead, look to the Great Craftsman. He has left us with a great body of wisdom if we will use it.
If we will learn and obey, then we as His craftsmen will build homes, churches, businesses, schools, philanthropy, communities, and every sphere of extended community upon His plan until Christ is universally glorified (Zechariah 14:20-21), and all nations call God blessed (Malachi 3:12).
(Thanks to Martin Selbrede.)
