Tagged: black horse

Do not harm the olive oil and the wine (Rev. 6:5-6)

Previously: A balance scale in the rider’s hand (Rev. 6:5-6)

The scripture

Rev. 6:5-6 – When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius – but do not harm the olive oil and the wine” (HCSB).

Do not harm the olive oil and the wine

So what does this third seal mean to John’s audience in the first century – and to us today?

The preterist – who sees the events of Revelation primarily fulfilled in the first century – points to the severe food shortages of the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. “Though initially there was enough food stored up to last a long time, the warring factions in the city, out of sheer spite, regularly destroyed the grain stores of the opposing factions! Thus food became so scarce that Josephus records at least one case of a mother eating her infant (compare Deut. 28:53 and 2 Kings 6:28f). It was with reference to this time that Jesus had said, ‘But woe to those who are … nursing babies in those days!’ (see Luke 21:20-23; 23:28-29)” (Revelation: Four Views – A Parallel Commentary, p. 110).

In fact, in an eerie parallel to scripture, Josephus records, “Many there were indeed who sold what they had for one quart; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer sort, but of barley, if they were poorer” (Wars, 5:10-12). The phrase, “do not harm the olive oil and the wine” could be a reference to sacrilegious Jews who pillaged oil and wine from the temple.

The ESV Study Bible notes, “Some think the command not to harm the oil and wine … could also be a prediction of events like that of a.d. 92, when the emperor Domitian during a grain shortage ordered the vineyards cut down to make room for more wheat fields. This caused such a backlash that he rescinded the order. In other words, extreme measures would have to be taken due to the progressive pouring out of judgment.”

No doubt, as preterists contend, this passage of scripture is fulfilled before the very eyes of John’s first-century audience. But is there an application beyond that?

Many historicists – who view the events of Revelation as unfolding throughout the church age – see the black horse as financial oppression imposed by some of the Roman emperors in the third century. Taxes could be paid in cash or in produce, typically grain, oil and wine. Heavy taxation by such emperors as Caracalla (218-222 A.D.) crushed the Roman subjects and produced intense and widespread suffering.

Some historicists agree that the black horse symbolizes economic hardship, but place it at a later date. Grieved by heavy taxation, landowners resorted to destroying crops to avoid paying taxes. This practice became so widespread throughout the Roman Empire that the government forbade the destruction of olive trees and grapevines; thus the phrase “do not harm the olive oil and the wine” takes on special meaning.

Futurists – who interpret nearly all of Revelation as yet unfulfilled – contend that the events described at the opening of the third seal refer to worldwide famine during the seven-year Tribulation. Warren Wiersbe comments: “[D]uring the Tribulation, a man will have to work all day just to secure food for himself! There will be nothing for his family! At the same time, the rich will be enjoying plenty of oil and wine. No wonder Antichrist will eventually be able to control the economy (Rev. 13:17) as he promises to feed the hungry masses” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Rev. 6:1).

Finally, spiritualists, or idealists – who see Revelation as setting forth timeless truths concerning the battle between good and evil – understand famine to be one form of God’s judgment upon sinners. It is one of the four severe judgments God uses to take vengeance on corrupt societies (see Ezek. 14:21). The phrase, “do not hurt the olive oil and the wine” may be taken as a timeless truth that the rich are better equipped than the poor to endure economic hardships, or it could be a message to John’s initial readers throughout Asia that Domitian’s efforts to interfere with the cultivation of grapes in the provinces would be abandoned.

Some spiritualists understand the second and third seals to be consequences that follow the first seal, which they read as the advancement of the gospel. Therefore, Christians are persecuted by the sword and discriminated against in the marketplace. The first readers of John’s apocalypse can relate to these symbols, as can Christians throughout the church age. How often have Christ’s children been harassed, beaten, humiliated, impoverished, deprived, imprisoned, scorned, and killed because they stood firmly in their faith?

Next: The fourth seal (Rev. 6:7-8)

A balance scale in the rider’s hand (Rev. 6:5-6)

Previously: A black horse (Rev. 6:5-6)

The scripture

Rev. 6:5 – When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius – but do not harm the olive oil and the wine” (HCSB).

A balance scale in the rider’s hand

The rider on the black horse holds in his hand a balance scale, an instrument used to measure such commodities as wheat and barley. John hears “something like a voice among the four living creatures say, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius – but do not harm the olive oil and the wine’” (v. 6). While merchants sometimes rig their balances to profit from unsuspecting customers, scripture often uses this instrument as a symbol of fairness and justice. For example, in Job’s final claim of innocence he declares, “[L]et God weigh me with an accurate balance, and He will recognize my integrity” (Job 31:6). David writes in Psalm 62:9, “Men are only a vapor; exalted men, an illusion. On a balance scale, they go up; together they [weigh] less than a vapor.” And in Proverbs 11:1 Solomon reminds us that “Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is His delight.”

Wheat and barley are measured in Revelation 6, and it appears these staples are scarce because people are paying a denarius – a day’s wage for a laborer (see Matt. 20:2) – for a relatively small amount of these essential grains. “To eat bread by weight” is a Jewish phrase indicating that food supplies are sparse (Lev. 26:26). A quart of wheat is enough to sustain one person for one day; three quarts of barley are sufficient to feed three people for a day. So a laborer would have to resort to less-expensive grain in order to feed his family. Normally, a person in John’s time could buy eight to 12 quarts of wheat for a day’s wage, and much more barley. It seems this famine, as all others, falls most severely on the poor, who spend their entire wages on dwindling quantities of food, without spare funds for olive oil and wine, the delicacies of the rich.

Is there a spiritual message here? Matthew Henry comments: “When a people loathe their spiritual food, God may justly deprive them of their daily bread. One judgment seldom comes alone; the judgment of war naturally draws after it that of famine; and those who will not humble themselves under one judgment must expect another and yet greater, for when God contends he will prevail. The famine of bread is a terrible judgment; but the famine of the word is more so, though careless sinners are not sensible of it” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume, Re 6:3-8).

Next: Do not harm the olive oil and the wine (Rev. 6:5-6)

A black horse (Rev. 6:5-6)

Previously: The third seal (Rev. 6:5-6)

The scripture

Rev. 6:5-6 – When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius – but do not harm the olive oil and the wine” (HCSB).

A black horse

This horse is black, the color of sadness and want, according to some commentators. It is the color of a starless sky, the absence of light, a terror especially in ancient times when the lack of a torch or lamp would paralyze a person seeking to find his way. It symbolizes sin and death. For the unbeliever, we are told that hell is “outer darkness” away from the presence of God, Who is light (1 John 1:5); it is the “blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13). It also is the color of earthly judgment, for in Rev. 6:12 we see that the sun turns black like sackcloth made of goat’s hair.

Black often is used to denote the color of physical objects, according to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary: hair (Lev. 13:31, 37; Song 5:11); skin (Job 30:30; Song 1:5–6; Lam. 4:8); the sky as a sign of rain (1 Kings 18:45); and animals (Gen. 30:32–43; Zech. 6:2, 6; Rev. 6:5). “Black” also is used figuratively to describe mourning (Job 30:28; Jer. 4:28; 8:21; 14:2); a visionless day (Mic. 3:6); the abode of the dead (Job 3:5; Jude 13); and the treachery of Job’s friends (Job 6:16)

In Rev. 6:5, the horse’s black color no doubt signifies famine, for the description of the rider and his scales tells us that food is a scarce and expensive commodity.

Next: A balance scale in the rider’s hand (Rev. 6:5-6)

The third seal (Rev. 6:5-6)

Previously: A large sword was given to him (Rev. 6:3-4)

The scripture

Rev. 6:5 – When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius – but do not harm the olive oil and the wine” (HCSB).

As the Lamb opens the third seal, one of the living creatures thunders, “Come!” and a horse and rider appear. This horse is black, and the horseman rides onto the scene holding a balance scale. A voice from among the living creatures tells us what is happening: A full day’s wages buy barely enough food to survive – a crisis for working families – but there is no impact on the rich, who have their fill of more expensive olive oil and wine. It appears this horseman brings famine with him, worsening the widespread death and destruction of the previous rider on the fiery red horse.

Let’s take a closer look and see, first of all, if we may determine what this means to a first-century audience. Then we will explore the possibilities for today’s readers.

The third seal

Jesus opens the third seal. Keep in mind that these seals likely are pieces of wax or clay that have been stamped with a ring or other metal object bearing the insignia of the owner. They identify the person who has authorized what’s been written, and the seal may be broken only by the designated authority, in this case the Lamb. As each seal is broken, it likely enables another portion of the scroll to be unraveled, until all seven seals are removed and the full message is revealed.

As the seal is opened, John hears the third living creature say, “Come!” This call probably is not to John but to the horse and rider, who appear immediately after the living creature’s command.

Next: A black horse (Rev. 6:5-6)