By My Spirit, Says the Lord Zech. 4:6: “So 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 Almighty.” The prophetic book of Zechariah describes a time around 520 B.C., when the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem were very discouraged. They had begun to return under the Persian king, Cyrus, as described in Ezra and Nehemiah. But Cyrus died in 529 B.C., and his son Cambyses did nothing to help them. The time described here was after Cambyses died and Darius was ruling the Persian Empire. The Temple, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, was still in blackened ruins, and the walls of Jerusalem hadn’t been rebuilt. A man named Joshua was high priest and Zerubbabel was governor. Enemies surrounded Jerusalem and were trying to prevent the rebuilding of the city, the Temple, and the walls. In a series of visions Zechariah receives encouragement for the leaders and the people, and predicts success in the short term, and his predictions for the present situation merge with a larger picture of the coming of Christ. In chapter 4 Zechariah records a strange vision of a golden lampstands with seven lamps, a bowl of oil with seven spouts continually feeding oil into the lamps. Beside the lampstand, one on each side, were two olive trees, probably standing for the high priest and the governor. Actually the whole vision is very hard to understand, but I want to focus on one point in particular as we read the account of the vision. Zech. 4:14: Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. :2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it [on the lampstand, not the bowl], with seven channels to the lights [evidently two tubes by which oil flows from the bowl to the lamps]. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied. 6 So 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 Almighty. 7 “What are you, O mighty mountain? [the difficulty of rebuilding under such trying conditions] Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” [In other words, Zerubbabel will finish the building of the Temple, a task which he accomplished 4 years later in 516 B.C.] :8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 10 “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel [the plumb line, the first small sign rebuilding]. “(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)” 11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?” 13 He replied, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I said. 14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.” As mysterious has this vision is, I think we can see the gist of its meaning. 1) First the vision is an encouragement for Zerubbabel to start rebuilding the Temple, with the promise that God’s favor will be on it; 2) the seven lamps stand for God’s all-seeing oversight of the project; 3) the bowl is God’s inexhaustible grace supplied by the Holy Spirit, which often in Scripture represents the Holy Spirit. 4) The two anointed ones are most likely Joshua (anointed high priest) and Zerubbabel (anointed governor). Being anointed with oil is a sign of God’s Holy Spirit and favor. When a prophet of God anointed someone it meant that God had chosen that one for His special purpose. I can think of some very important lessons for us as we begin this new work of our church. 1) If God is in this work it will succeed, for it is God’s favor and anointing that bring success. So it is of utmost importance that we conduct ourselves in such a way as to have God’s blessing. It’s too early to know for certain whether God will bring us success. But I can tell you one thing that will ruin the work, that will doom us from the beginning: that is for any of us to allow bitterness or unforgiveness towards anyone we’ve had differences with at the church we left. I don’t believe God’s full blessing can be ours until we have made every effort to be reconciled with anyone with whom we have a strained relationship. You cannot be right with God unless you are right with your Christian brothers. The Bible is quite plain: a) If you have anything against anyone, forgive; 2) if anyone has anything against you, go and be reconciled. I’m not your judge; I don’t know your heart: but God does. As much as it depends on you, see that there is no cause for a breech in fellowship. 3) Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. As I say, if God is in this, and if we are humble and obedient, it will grow and prosper. What we want, what we must have, is God’s blessing and His presence. Psalm 127:1 says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” We have to get in the place of God’s blessing and favor and stay there. We see a dreadful example of a good beginning spoiled by disobedience in the life of Saul, the first king of Israel. Just as Joshua and Zerubbabel had been anointed to guide the remnant through troubled times, God had Samuel anoint Saul, son of Kish to be king over God’s people. So he did. But early in his reign Saul disobeyed God, and God rejected him. And though Saul reigned for many years, he reign was troubled, unblessed and tragic, and he left no kingdom to his sons, no dynasty. See from the following scriptures how God’s presence and blessing make all the difference. God had commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites with all of their cattle, the king and nobles, and all their captured treasure. 1Sam. 15:1-29: Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night. 12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honour and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” 13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” 16 “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, `Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” 20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” 22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!” 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors — to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.” 1Sam. 16:1, 13-14: The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” ...13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. 14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. As soon as Samuel anointed David, the anointing departed from Saul. Though Saul continued as king for many years, from that day there was no joy or blessing in his reign. God’s favor passed to David. To drive home the point that anointing, presence, and favor all go together, look at Acts 10:37-38, where the Holy Spirit and Power are credited to the fact that “God was with Him.” Acts 10:37-38: “You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached —38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Do we want God’s full blessing on this church. Of course we do. Then we must have the presence and favor of the Holy Spirit with us. In order for that to happen, we must rely on God, not on our own cleverness, ability, or resources. One of the things about Israel that most angered the Lord was their failure to trust Him in battle; instead they trusted in foreign alliances and in large armies. He delighted in those who trusted only in Him. Ps. 20:7: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.” Amen
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 04:09:01 +0000
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