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Daily Devotions

Zechariah

Zechariah 
Day 
Day 9

"I saw by night"

Text: Zechariah 1:8

THE VISIONS GIVEN TO ZECHARIAH

Zechariah came from a scholarly family. The visions that God gave to Zechariah would expand his knowledge of things spiritual. He would be given a series of eight visions (Zechariah 1-6).

INTERPRETING VISIONS

It is important that we have clear ideas as to how we may interpret visions. The following basic rules must be borne in mind.

1. What we should not do:

a) To miss the context in which the visions are given.
b) To look into every minute detail and affix meaning that may prove erroneous.

2. What we should do:

a) To understand the use of symbols in visions.
b) To let the context of the passage suggest the meaning of the text.

THE FIRST REVELATION: THE VISION OF HORSES

The first vision was that of horses.

“I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse,
and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow;
and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white.”
Zechariah 1:8

1. “I saw by night”

a) The day would see Zechariah attend to normal priestly duties.
b) The night would provide him the time to focus on what God wanted him to learn.

2. The symbol of horses

a) Sometimes only “horses” are mentioned.
b) The horse always has a rider, even if he is not mentioned.
c) This is a literary device called “synecdoche”. (The “horse” must be understood as having a rider.)
d) Three colours were noted. Horses come in a variety of colours. No particular or special meaning ought to be read into the colour of the horses.