Now we come to the fifth vision of
Zechariah. Apparently chapters one thru four all occurred in one night, one
vision after another. These weren’t dreams, by the way; they were visions
through which Zechariah was awake. It’s a rather obscure passage which most
people aren’t familiar with, except for the famous phrase in vs. 6, but since I
did a little homework on it, we can learn some great lessons from it.
To understand this book (and most of the other
books of the Bible), it’s really necessary to know the context of their
writing. Remember, this and Haggai were written for one main purpose: Encourage
God’s people in the rebuilding of the temple after they came back from exile.
They had to contend with hostile neighbors, lack of people and resources, and
sheer discouragement. In the broader context, it shows us how the Lord
encourages his people to carry on his work in the face of opposition—both outer
and inner.
Last chapter dealt with the High
Priest and the religious/spiritual condition of Israel. It was addressed to
Joshua as the spiritual leader of Israel and was meant to encourage him in his
work. This chapter is addressed to Zerubbabel, the governor of the region who
was also a descendant of David. As governor he was in charge of the “secular”
part of the work.
Now let’s take a look at the actual
vision. It was a seven-piece lampstand, almost just like the one that used to
be in the temple (which the Lord wanted to rebuild). The temple lampstand was
there to give illumination to the Holy Place, where there was also the incense,
the table with the Bread of the Presence, and the curtain that led to the
Holiest of Holies (where stood the Ark). The scholars I’ve read interpret the
Lamp of the temple to symbolize the Holy Spirit, since he's the sevenfold
One. Oil is also used repeatedly as a symbol of the Spirit, which is why they
anointed people with oil on their head.
But there’s a huge difference
between the temple one and this one: A bowl of oil (symbolizing the Spirit)
feeding the lampstand. This means that it would never go out, its light would
never dim.
But we need to keep this is proper
perspective, which is where the famous vs. 6 comes in. His work will not be
completed by human might nor by human power, but by his Spirit. His Spirit must
provide the wisdom and leadership and power behind what we do. But if that
happens, we will succeed. Despite the best efforts of men and demons, his
work as powered by the Spirit will never die out. There’s a mountain in front
of us? Mountain Schmountain!
I absolutely love vs. 10: “Who dares
despise the day of small things. . .?” It's true that this temple looks small
compared to the one Solomon built. But as MacArthur put it “Don't despise what God is pleased with.” His perspective
on how big or small something is and the human perspective on the size of
something might be entirely different.
Now
we come to the part of the picture that Zechariah seems determined to ask
about. The lampstand with the bowl is in the center of the vision, but it has
two olive trees on either side of it. He asked about them earlier on in the passage, and
the guiding angel basically ignored him and spoke the words of encouragement to
Zerubbabel
that we discussed before. He asks again, and the angel again ignores him. He
then asks a third time, and the angel seems annoyed for some reason (we’re not
exactly sure why), but he finally answers the prophet’s question.
The angel finally tells him that
they are “the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.”
Apparently this is referring to Joshua (the High Priest representing the line
of Aaron) and Zerubbabel (representing the royal line of David). Of course, we
know that in the Messiah, as predicted in chapter
6, the two offices of Priest and King will be permanently united. But for
now, what we need to understand is the beautiful tension presented here. Yes,
it’s not by (human) might or by (human) power, but by his Spirit that these
things will be accomplished. But he will not do it except through human
means. We are his tools, and with very few exceptions, he's chosen to
limit himself to using us as his hands, his feet, and his mouth.
So what about you? Do you “despise
the day of small things,” either in your life or elsewhere? Do you despise the
work that the Lord is doing, because to your human eyes it looks pretty small? Well,
quit it then!
And now for your contemplation: "By My Spirit" by Leslie Phillips, one of my favorite renditions of 4:6.
Father God, I want to see things as you
see them, not from my limited human perspective. Holy Spirit, please give me
new eyes and a new heart, by your grace.
No comments:
Post a Comment