Daily Thoughts from Zechariah: By My Spirit (Zechariah 4)

And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

 

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

 

“These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.” Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4, ESV)

 

Seeing these visions is having a strange effect on Zechariah, making him sleepy and needing to be wakened. Now he sees this unusual gold lamp, like the lamp in the Tabernacle or Temple, but with seven lamps on each of the seven bowls. Zechariah doesn’t immediately understand what it represents, though the angel of Yahweh acts as though he should before he explains it. He has to ask what the two olive trees represent, has to ask twice, which suggests that the answer is very important.

 

The oil for the seven bowls that feed the lamps comes from the two olive trees, which make it perpetually full and able to burn and give light. Yahweh identifies the seven lamps as His eyes that see the whole earth and the two trees as two ones of “new oil” (“anointed ones”) who have access to Yahweh’s court, meaning they are very important leaders for Israel who have Yahweh’s favor. They likely represent Zerubbabel, the prince from the line of David, and Joshua, the high priest.

 

As Joshua was highlighted in the previous vision, Zerubbabel is highlighted in this one. They are both charged with rebuilding the Temple. But for Zerubbabel the message is that God’s power and might, not Zerubbabel’s, is going to accomplish this. God’s Spirit is going to overcome the physical, political and spiritual obstacles to restoring the Temple, and there are many of these obstacles. Zerubbabel will be successful and finish the project with the capstone as the people shout affirmation. Some, however, will despise this Temple because it does not equal Solomon’s, calling it a day of small things, but this is the Lord’s doing and joy will come at the new Temple.

 

When God wants to accomplish something amazing He uses humans like us, empowering us with His Spirit to overcome the inevitable obstacles He allows to come up. It is His way of getting us to see our limited ability in ourselves and His unlimited ability through us when we depend on Him. What is He asking you to depend on Him for?