It's a Holy Ghost Building

And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to 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?” He said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.” -- Zechariah 1:18-21

Craftsmen? Horns? What is this all about?

Zechariah is prophesying after the return of the Jews from Babylonian exile. This passage is usually dated as having been delivered during late October or early November of 520 B.C.

Horns are a symbol of strength and power, particularly earthly military power. Jerusalem and Judah had been cast down by the military might of Babylon and held in captivity during the rise of the Persian Empire. The Jews had been allowed to return to their homeland, but they remained mired in fear and poverty. The circumstances were discouraging. They had begun to rebuild the temple in 536 B.C. with the laying of the foundation. Harassed by their enemies – non-Jews that had established themselves in the area during the Exile – they had given up. The temple sat unfinished, mocking their efforts. As the prophet Haggai, a contemporary of Zechariah, said, those who had seen the glory of Solomon’s temple could hardly help being disdainful of the new work.

Zechariah does not deny the strain of the situation. He acknowledges that it had been God’s work to drive the Jews from their homeland and city. The number four represents God’s creative work in the material realm. The four horns, therefore, remind the hearers that God Himself had ordained the victory of Babylon and, by extension, the destruction of the beautiful temple raised to the Name and glory of the Lord. Having emphasized this well-known truth to his downtrodden fellows, Zechariah tells them that, just as there were four horns, he also saw four craftsmen, that is, carpenters or builders, coming to drive away the horns.

In other words, as God ordained the fall of the temple, He was ordaining its rebuilding. The separation of His people from His presence was at an end. It did not matter that the temple would not look like Solomon’s. What mattered was the faithfulness of the Jews in rebuilding the temple and seeking after their God. This, too, would be a creative work of the Lord upon the earth.

Zechariah’s prophesy of the destruction and rebuilding of the temple typifies the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is echoed in the words of Jesus when He said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The risen Christ becomes the foundation upon which a new spiritual temple is constructed with believers as living stones. Perhaps we are not terribly impressive to the eyes of the world, but this is done "not by might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord”.

It has meaning, as well, for those of us who have suffered losses – especially losses created by our own willfulness, sinfulness, and stupidity. If, unlike me, you have never done anything stupid and damaged your life or your relationships because of it, then consider this a word of encouragement for someone you undoubtedly know.

Restoration may not look like we expect it to look. It may not be easy. It may take a long time. But it is still God’s will, and it is still restoration. And it is not our effort alone. Zechariah’s craftsmen are angelic powers, facets of the Divine will, sent to minister to us, to inspire, enlighten, support and strengthen. As different and as unassuming as the rebuilt temple was destined to be, it would still be a work of the Spirit.

We should put aside the romantic remembrances of the past, stop cling to the old forms, ignore the skeptics, and disregard the critics (especially the ones we hear in our heads). It is a new vision and a new work for a new day. The True Cornerstone has been set. Build.