In Zechariah 1, the prophet is given a vision from the Lord. It’s an interesting vision, but not all that difficult to interpret. In fact, the mysterious messenger that is speaking to the prophet promises to reveal all things (1:9). And when he does reveal the meaning behind the vision, the prophet says, “And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me” (1:13). The whole of what the prophet was told was, apparently, a comforting message for a weary people.
In our series in Zechariah, we will exposit this vision in it’s totality, but for now, I want to key in on one specific portion. It is a small portion…a section that rarely finds much attention…but I believe is one of the more comforting portions of the entire message.
At the start of the vision, the prophet sees a horseman, riding with three other horses. Most believe the horseman to be the mysterious messenger – the angel of Jehovah – who is speaking to the prophet moments later. When the horseman arrives with the other horses, he arrives to a patch of myrtle trees in the “glen” (ESV translation, verse 8). This is the portion I want to draw your attention to for a moment…
A myrtle tree is an evergreen tree. Before the destruction brought to Judah in 586 B.C., it is a common tree in the land. It’s an interesting tree…they aren’t particularly tall or strong, they certainly aren’t imposing like an aged oak. They produce blossoms, which offer a magnificent fragrance when crushed.
This patch of myrtle trees is growing in a “glen,” a “grove,” or a “hollow.” They are pictured growing in a ravine or a low point, in between ridges or rolling hills. They are pictured as hidden from natural view. In order to see the “glen,” one must be viewing from a high point, perhaps on top of the hill or above.
Here’s what is interesting – all commentators agree that the myrtle trees are representative of God’s people. So in this vision, the people of God are pictured as gathered into a small patch; hidden from the sight of many because they are surrounded by heights on each side; they are not imposing or majestic, but they are simple, beautiful, and even vulnerable; and they seem fairly inconsequential. Is this how you view the people of God?
Consider other scriptural descriptions of God’s people…in the Sermon on the Mount, we are a light set upon a hill, not a patch of unassuming trees in a hollow. In the wisdom literature, we are majestic trees like the oaks of Lebanon, not small evergreens with blossoms.
This interesting contrast is at the heart of Zechariah’s message. Upon their return to Jerusalem, Judah wasn’t a roaring lion, a light set upon a hill, or a majestic oak – they were a small, unassuming, and (seemingly) vulnerable nation. They were surrounded on all sides and covered up by the mighty…they were nothing.
And yet, this prophesy was comforting for the prophet. Why? The prophet wasn’t comforted by the strength of the people or lack thereof. He was comforted by something else…someone else.
He was comforted by the One who walked “among the myrtles.”
It’s easy in our present culture to feel “outnumbered.” It’s easy to see, with the shifting sands of cultural thinking, the Church seems hidden by the surrounding and prevailing views and accepted thoughts. There was a time that the Christian-Judeo ethic was the majority/prevailing worldview of this nation. Today, we are the myrtle trees in the hollow.
On a personal level, you may often feel alone. You may feel outnumbered when you choose to go “against the grain.” You may feel overwhelmed and overtaken when you refuse to bow to cultural acceptance. You may feel like no one knows you exist.
Christian – your strength is not in your position…your might is not in your ability…your power is not in your standing.
Our strength is found in the One who walks among us – Jesus Christ.
Enjoy and relish His presence today. Take a walk with Christ in the grove. Have a conversation with the One who controls all things and you’ll find, like the prophet, that His message is “gracious and comforting.”
See you Sunday at 10:00 A.M.!
Held by Grace, PC