Homilist Zechariah 1:18-21 Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.… This vision presents to us (the) cause of right in the earth. I. That the cause of right on the earth HAS STRONG ANTAGONISTS. Here are four horns, four mighty powers, all of which are in dead hostility to the covenant people. They are represented as those who have "scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head." The enemies of the true scatter and crush. Though Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome have long since passed away, the horns, or the mighty powers of evil, are still here, and are at work. What are they? Reigning materialism is a horn; practical atheism is a horn; intolerant superstition is a horn; and dominant selfishness is a horn. II. That the cause of truth upon the earth has DIVINE DEFENDERS. Here are four carpenters, or smiths, who appear to "fray them, and to east out the horns of the Gentiles." Mark, the defenders were — (1) Men, not angels. God saves man by man. Who were the first apostles? (2) Working men. Toilers, labourers. It is man as man, not philosopher, poet, king, millionaire, that has to battle for the right. The greatest moral victories have been won by men in the lower walks of life. (3) They were skilled men. These men had a trade; they were craftsmen; they had been trained to the work they undertook. There is a skill required in order to strike effectively at the errors and wrongs of life. Stupid men, however good their intentions, accomplish but little, if anything, in the noble cause. A man to convert souls must have as much aptitude for the work as the carpenter has to shape the wood to his purpose, or the smith to work the metals. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. |
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