“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there [were] four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What [are] these?” So he answered me, “These [are] the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” (Zech 1:18-19)
In Ezek 8:16 the word worshiped is comprised of two Hebrew words, the one connoted with the act of worship and the other with the notion of corruption. This worship is in fact then corrupted worship. Those that befall this fate are individuals who seek the “the grace of God” but end up hearing a “different gospel” (Gal 1:6). What would constitute this profane fire which is used to service the altars? In the Scripture from Zechariah quoted above mention is made of four horns. These horns are clearly contrasted with the four horns of the bronze altar, and indicate false authority which binds people to a false gospel. In verse 21 the four horns are called four craftsmen, and the rendering of this term within different translations casts an interesting light upon it. The craftsmen are described as “carpenters” (KJV), “blacksmiths” (MSG), “workers with hammers” (GNB), “metal workers” (BBE), or “artisans” (YLT).
It becomes clear that these “deceiving spirits” (1 Tim 4:1) are responsible for producing or creating particular things. A key to the nature of their craftiness lies in the fact that they work with iron or wood, indicating that they are concerned with material which is hard or has been hardened. This we see if an individual comes into the kingdom of God without his heart of stone being broken, when there is no real sense of remorse (Jer 8:6). Jer 31:19 states “Surely, after my turning, I repented; And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, Because I bore the reproach of my youth.” If there is no remorse, your heart stays hardened (Hos 13:14), a trap set up for unsuspecting believers (Prov 28:14). Thus it is crucial for “the spirit of grace and supplication” to be poured out, so that “they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for [his] only [son,] and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zech 12:10). The heart of stone must be torn (Joel 2:13).
As Isa 57:15 states: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name [is] Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy [place,] With him [who] has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
- Sela: Ask God for the spirit of grace and supplication.
- Read: 2 Sam 11; Prov 15; Heb 9
- Memorise: Prov 15:22
- For a deeper understanding: Read chapter 11 of Kelly Varner’s Sound the alarm.
