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They shall be as mighty men - The Maccabees and their successors.

Riders on horses - The Macedonians, who opposed the Maccabees, and had much cavalry; whereas the Jews had none, and even few weapons of war; yet they overcame these horsemen.

And they - (the house of Judah, of whom he had said, He hath made them as the goodly horse in the battle) shall be as mighty men, trampling on the mire of the streets Micah had said, “she shall be a trampling, as the mire of the streets” Micah 7:10, and David, “I did stamp them as the mire of the street” 2 Samuel 22:43. Zechariah, by a yet bolder image, pictures those trampled upon, as what they had become, “the mire of the streets,” as worthless, as foul; as he had said, “they shall trample on the sling-stones” Zechariah 9:15. And they shall fight, because the Lord is with them, not in their own strength, he still reminds them; they shall have power, because God empowers them; strength, because God strengthens them: in presence of which, the goodly war-horse of God, human strength, “the riders on horses, shall be ashamed.”

Spiritual blessings had been promised under figurative allusions to earthly plenty. Seasonable rain is a great mercy, which we may ask of God when there is most need of it, and we may look for it to come. We must in our prayers ask for mercies in their proper time. The Lord would make bright clouds, and give showers of rain. This may be an exhortation to seek the influences of the Holy Spirit, in faith and by prayer, through which the blessings held forth in the promises are obtained and enjoyed. The prophet shows the folly of making addresses to idols, as their fathers had done. The Lord visited the remnant of his flock in mercy, and was about to renew their courage and strength for conflict and victory. Every creature is to us what God makes it to be. Every one raised to support the nation, as a corner-stone does the building, or to unite those that differ, as nails join the different timbers, must come from the Lord; and those employed to overcome their enemies, must have strength and success from him. This may be applied to Christ; to him we must look to raise up persons to unite, support, and defend his people. He never will say, Seek ye me in vain.

In this last conflict the Captain of the Lord's host [Joshua 5:15] is leading on the armies of heaven and mingling in the ranks and fighting our battles for us. We shall have apostasies, we expect them. “They will go out from us because they were not of us” (see 1 John 2:19). “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13). 3SM 425.3

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