The Key To Everything
The Bulletin, 5/20/26
These articles are written to encourage Christians, and to be used by churches for their weekly bulletin.
All I ask is that credit is given with my name and the web address, bible101.substack.com
Though our time is filled with uncertainty, it’s hard to compare ourselves to the people of Judah at the end of the Old Testament.
They were returning from their exile in Babylon and trying to reestablish life in the Promised Land, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Their wealth and strength were gone, and they were still surrounded by powerful nations that were cause for great fear.
In Zechariah 1, God acknowledges that though He used those nations to punish His people, He was not happy with how far they had gone in their punishment, and He intended to set things right. That’s where an interesting vision occurred that gives us great clarity into how the world works under God’s rule.
In Zechariah 1:18-21, the prophet has a vision of four horns, and is told that these are the ones who have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. As we see later in Revelation, horns symbolize empires or rulers. But in the vision, the horns are terrified and throne down not by greater horns, or warriors, but by craftsmen (or carpenters, or smiths, depending on your version).
Why craftsmen?
As we go on into the book of Zechariah, one of the central promises is the restoration of the temple (4:8-10; 6:12-15). Zechariah’s contemporary prophet, Haggai, also addressed the importance of rebuilding the temple.
What were the craftsmen going to do? Rebuild the temple. That is how they were going to bring low the oppressive nations.
Heart-felt worship is the key to everything.
Notice, this does not mean they should just withdraw from the world and make religion the only thing. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther showed us that God very much used His people to influence the rulers. But it had to start with worship.
Until the restored Israelites resumed worship, God would remain distant. Once they rededicated themselves to Him, He promised to handle the rest. What a lesson for us in our world of constant fears and stresses. Above all else, we build up his church and give our hearts to Him, and He’ll make everything else right.
Hey Jack, I was studying about Building of the temple, and was reading what Burton Coffman had to say about it. For one thing he says that never did God want or ask His people to build the temple. This passage in Zachariah six was referring to the spiritual temple. What do you think?