[Steve Miller] Harold, thanks for responding. I am using the Bible to[Steve Miller] I think the 4 workmen are the 4 workmen revealed in thedevice
remaining chapters of Zechariah:
1. the builder in 6:12-13
2. the lowly king in 9:9
3. the shepherd in 11:4-14 & 13:7
4. the servant of the ground in 13:5
Another possibility is the measurer in 2:5 (2:1), but I think that is an
angel.
A theme throughout Zechariah is that God defeats the mighty by humble
(4:6). All 4 workmen are the Messiah, each from a different point ofview,
as in the 4 gospels.iHH: I find these kinds of comments uncontrolled subjectivism. I have
never had any of these thoughts and don't think a natural reading of the
texts implies them. The four workmen are seen together. Thus the reader
expects them to be four different agents, not the same person depicted
four ways.
interpret the Bible, and Zechariah to interpret Zechariah. I hate
subjectivism in interpreting the Bible, and always desire to limit myself to
what the Bible says.
The New Testament explains the Old. Without the New
Testament explanation, many Old Testament passages cannot be understood.
However, the New Testament explanations of the Old still can be defended
purely from the Old Testament. Not because they are the most
straight-forward interpretations that a natural reading would give, but
because no other possible explanation fits.
Take Zech 11:8 "And I caused the three shepherds to perish in one month; and
My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred Me."
According to the most straight-forward reading of this Scripture, the 3
shepherds are 3 individuals, whom the Shepherd sent from God destroyed. But the 3 shepherds were not 3 individual leaders, but 3 groups who were the
leaders of the nation (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; Psalm
118:22-23). And the Shepherd did not straight-forwardly destroy anyone.
These leaders caused themselves to perish by abhorring the Shepherd.
Isa 6:9-10 And he said, Go; and thou shalt say unto this people, Hearing ye
shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not
perceive.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and blind
their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and be converted, and healed.
Some prophesies are written in such a way that they cannot be understood by
a superficial reading. But the prophesies are not ambiguous. Only one
interpretation works when put to the test.
I've read your previous post, and in it you do not give an answer as to what
the 4 workmen are. You say they might be angels, or they might be nations,
or they might be kings. They may have already come, or they may be coming in
the future.
I seek to understand God's word better than that.
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