In the first vision, God comforted His people. Though the outer appearance might not look like much, God remains in the midst of His saints. This vision continues the theme of comfort and encouragement, but adds information on how God fulfills His purposes.
“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these?’ So he answered me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’ 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’ (Zech. 1:18-21).
The meaning of the second vision is also straightforward. The phrase “then I raised my eyes” indicates that Zechariah was engrossed in thinking about the previous vision, when he was interrupted with the next vision. He looked up, and saw something new. There were “four horns”—some have taken the four to refer to the four great empires of Daniel’s vision. But Zechariah seems to indicate these were powers that had oppressed the Jews up to this point, and is not considering the future. More plausible is the view that the four refers to every point of the compass. The Jews were surrounded by their adversaries. A few verses later, he refers in a similar way to the four winds (2:6). The horsemen of the previous vision had been scouting the entire earth. Notice there were four horns — in the ancient world, the horn was a common symbol for military might and power. The horns are presumed to be attached to powerful beasts, like bull or oxen. These horns are the political powers which had scattered the Jews.
But men with tools come against the horns, and wear them down. The craftsmen are not necessarily to be understood as Jews. For example, God said to Cyrus the Persian, “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: for with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms” (Jer. 51:20). God uses the pagan nations against one another, in order to maintain a balance of power in the world. In the event, we see the fulfillment of this in the pagan nations, one against the other. This enables the people of God, though under pressure, to thrive.
But while the horns were doing their work, the people of God were discouraged. No one could lift up the head. But what goes around comes around. Those who used to be the mighty in the earth are cast out, and the oppressors are themselves terrified.
Just as the meaning of the vision is plain, so is the application to our situation. The Church of God does advance in the world, and her future is glorious. But the Church always advances through tribulation. The times of ease and prosperity are usually times of spiritual declension. God frequently uses trials to wake us up so that we will trust Him.
It is important to lift up your head — it is easy to become discouraged by the outward strength of God’s enemies. But God is always in complete control of all things. Therefore, we should lift our heads. This is how Jesus uses this language. “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:25-28). God has a weapon for both hands. First is the weapon of His right hand — the word of the Lord is like a hammer says the Lord, which breaks a rock in pieces (Jer. 23:29). The word of the Lord is efficacious. “Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth” (Hosea 6:5). Then there is the weapon of His left — remember the value of this vision. When one secular power comes against another, we are not viewing a situation which is out of God’s control. We are viewing a situation which is out of their control. We love the fallacy of extrapolation — “if the rain continues at this rate, we will all drown in three months.” We do the same with the rise and fall of nations, and with the rise and fall of economies. We think that anything has the capacity to fly off out of control. But “if there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?” (Amos 3:6). Nations rise and fall like the tide. Nations do not rise infinitely.
Because of how God uses these instruments against the haughty, we need fear nothing. “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord” (Is. 54:17). And again it says, “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Is. 59:19).
Problems come and go, and empires rise and fall. Wealth is gained and lost. The only constant thing is that God will build His Church in spite of all opposition. Therefore . . . lift up your heads.