The Empowering of Israel

Transcript

GR 1008
04/03/1977
Zechariah 4:6-14
The Empowering of Israel
Gil Rugh

We are going to look into Zechariah 4 this evening. This is next to that last book in the Old Testament. I debated the wisdom of pursuing Zechariah knowing that many of you that are here would not have been part of our study up to this point. Zechariah in some ways is a difficult book, and it’s hard to come in the middle of chapter 4 but I hope that it makes sense to you. Maybe you will like it and come back or if you don’t like it you are stuck for an evening, but I am still glad you are here. Zechariah 4, last week we looked at the first five verses. What is happening in these chapters is there is a series of visions being unfolded to Zechariah, revealing to him God’s purposes and plans for the nation Israel. In the vision before us in chapter 4, it revolves around a lampstand and last week we looked at the analogy of the lampstand and its symbolism goes back to the tabernacle in Exodus. In Exodus 25 there was a lampstand or candlestick in the Holy place. Its purpose was to give light for the priest as he went about his ministry but it was also typical of Christ as the light (in John 1 it develops that analogy) then also of Israel’s responsibility. The lampstand was to depict Israel’s responsibility of being a light in the world, the nation God has called to be His own people, to reflect and demonstrate his character to the world.

The New Testament, the church is pictured under the symbolism of a lampstand in Revelation 2 and 3. We are to be a light in the world, a light is to give knowledge and understanding concerning God, His person, His character, and work. Individual believers are called lights because we too are to reflect God’s character.

In Zechariah 4, the primary focal point is on Israel. Israel was to be a lampstand, making God known in the world, but because of sin and rebellion against God they didn’t accomplish God’s purposes and for that reason God took away their lampstand. When we come to the New Testament we find the church being the lampstand that God is using to make Himself known. Zechariah 4, it is revealed that there is coming a time in the future when Israel will again function as God’s lampstand and that time is the millennium, the earthly kingdom where Christ will rule on the earth and the nation Israel will be God’s people, reflecting God’s character throughout the world. In verses 6 and following, Zechariah asks for the interpretation of the vision and the heart of the matter is given in verse 6. Then he answered and “said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.’ ” That strong emphases, that all that is accomplished will not be accomplished by what men can do but solely by what God can and will do. “Not by might nor by power,” by what men could do, “but by My Spirit,” that is the power that will accomplish God’s purposes.

This really becomes the first of a series of promises, and broken them down into 8 promises that really summarize, down through verse 10. I will just mention those and give you the idea of what is going on. That is the first promise in verse 6, the temple will be completed by God’s power, you note that he doesn’t say what will be accomplished, not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts. What is He talking about? I think it is purposely left broad because all that is accomplished that is of significance will be accomplished by God’s power. The particular thing in view in Zechariah 4 is the construction of the temple. It is consistently true in prophecy, we are just not looking at future events, but the future events that God talks about have a direct application and implication for our lives. He talks about Israel as the light that it will be in the Millennium but he ties that to Israel’s position as Zechariah writes, in constructing the temple. You remember that they are in the process of constructing the temple after the Babylonia Captivity. Here is a word of encouragement that God will accomplish the building of that temple and it will be done in His power. There is a future temple that will be constructed for the millennium that will be accomplished in God’s power, as well.

The second promise is in verse 7, the first statement in the verse, this is that all obstacles are going to be removed. “What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain.” The mountain is symbolic of difficulties and we use the same kind of symbolism today. We talk about a mountain confronting us or I have to get over this mountain, referring to an obstacle and a difficulty that confronts us. Here it falls on verse 6, since its God’s power that is going to complete the project, then any mountain will just be leveled. The mountain before Zerubbabel (he is God’s leader) will become a plain, mountains are no problem for God. A word of an encouragement to God’s people as they constructed the temple. All the obstacles and mountains you can think of are no problem for God.

That is a word of encouragement for me as well. I can see so many mountains in my life as a believer but as long as I allow God’s power to operate in my life they become plains. Isn’t it amazing? As you looked ahead of you, often, if you have been a believer for awhile, you see something that looms so large, as you just trust the Lord step by step. It seems like before you know it you are looking back, just like as if you are looking back over a plain, that wasn’t so bad. What happened to that mountain? Well, God leveled it! I have had a few that I have tried to climb but I had forgotten about verse 6, it is “not by might nor by power.” I was convinced that I could handle it if I put myself to it. Then after struggling for an indefinite amount of time, I submitted to the Lord, submitted myself to Him. And I find out that He didn’t want me to go over it, He wanted to take the mountain down in the first place.

The third promise, is at the end of verse 7 and we will connect this to verse 9 as well. “He will bring forth the top stone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ” Verse 9, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” The third promise, this temple is going to be completed and with its completion there will be great rejoicing. “He will bring forth the top stone, with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ” That idea of “grace to it,” not particularly what we think of grace being unmerited or undeserving favor although that is always involved in the word, but the idea here is the graciousness for its beauty. As this is completed there will be cries regarding its graciousness. How gracious, how graceful, how lovely it is. It’s graceful, it’s lovely, will be the cries that surround the construction of the temple. You know, when they say, “bring forth the top stone,” the picture here is they bring it out from the shop, from the place where it was being carved and this is the gable stone or the top stone, the finishing stone of the building. This is not the corner stone. This is the finishing stone of the building and it depicts the fact that the building is completed. Here’s God’s promise, the temple will be completed. And it will be completed with rejoicing. The last part of verse 9, “Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you”. We want to comment on that in a moment, but again, it’s accomplished in God’s power.

Alright the fourth promise, the fourth promise is verse 9. Picking up with verse 9 again and making it distinct as well as the same. And that is that there is the assurance that Zerubbabel will complete the temple. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it.” Now as you first read that, that’s an assurance to Zerubbabel, that’s encouraging, but it’s an encouragement to everyone. That the construction of this temple is not going to drag on indefinitely. Because the same person who started it will finish it. That means that it will be built within a relatively short span of time. That Zerubbabel started the building and Zerubbabel will finish the building. It ought to be an encouragement to people who were wondering if its even worth starting the project. Now that we’ve started it, is it worth even pursuing it through? Will we ever get done? God promises, Zerubbabel started it, Zerubbabel would finish it. Look at the last part of verse 9. “Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.” The completion of the temple is God’s assurance that He has sent the individual in view here. Now here you see, we’re talking about the temple being constructed after the Babylonian Captivity. Hard for us to enter into the excitement of it, not being Jews of the time. But here they’ve come back after 70 years of captivity. They’re building the temple. But this also prefigures a temple that will be rebuilt at a future time. Often in discussing prophecy, we talk about the matter of the temple being reconstructed in Israel, in Jerusalem. We talk about the significance now that the Jews have the site that the temple must be constructed on. The bible is clear that the temple will be rebuilt. In the millennium there will be sacrifices offered in this temple. That’s the last chapters of the book of Ezekiel. Here we’re told, that “you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” There will be the assurance that it was God’s authority behind this message. The one sent, evidently here, is the angel of Jehovah. He would be the one primarily in view. Since we’ve just talked about Zerubbabel in Zechariah, the Lord of hosts ultimately the one in view. It’s His presence that will bring about the completion of the millennial temple, and thus demonstrate God’s authority in it. Interesting word.

You know anytime you’re going to do a project, you have critics. There are always people who don’t have anything better to do than try to point out what is wrong with what you’re doing. We talked a little bit about critics in recent weeks. The temple that they were constructing had its critics. They are going to be put to silence. That’s the sixth promise in the first statement in verse 10. “For who has despised the day of small things?” “The day of small things” refers to a period of time when only small things are occurring, only little things are happening. You know, there are some people that despise little things. There were the people of Zechariah’s day who made fun of the pitiful start on the temple, they bemoaned the fact. All they could see was the problem, all they could do was criticize what was being done. Here, they are rebuked, “who has despised the day of small things?” When this splendid temple is done, then they can eat their words. A good word of advice and encouragement to us. You know, often we belittle the little things. We live in a day of the spectacular, and we want the spectacular. It’s easy for us as believers to belittle the little things that God is doing. But if we had a greater appreciation for the little things that He is doing, we’d probably have a greater appreciation for the big things that He does. So, we ought not be despising the little things.

The seventh promise, this is the other side. The critics are rebuked, but those who were the encouragers, they’ll join in the rejoicing. Verse 10, “But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” We’ll talk about the seventh in a moment. “The plumb line in the hands of Zerubbabel,” you all know what a plumb line is, I looked it up – ha, cause I didn’t know. But after I looked it up, I knew what it was. Those things you hang on a string and they’re suppose to tell you if something is straight or crooked. I’ve never used one, but that’s what they are. The picture here, of Zerubbabel having a plumb line. It’s significant because it pictures, or is symbolic of him, overseeing the construction of the temple. He’s superintending the construction. So, it indicates the progress that is going on.

“These seven will be glad,” note, the seven, Verse 10, “these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth.” Now, we saw these seven eyes over in chapter 3:9, “ ‘For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it, declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.’ ” We connected this stone with Jesus Christ Himself. The seven eyes referring to the omniscience, the all-knowingness of this stone. Someone also connected with the Holy Spirit in light of the seven Spirits before the throne in the book of Revelation, which is a possibility and perhaps a probability. Isaiah also described the seven-fold Spirit in his prophecy. Here the omniscience of God, perhaps the omniscience personified in the person of the Holy Spirit, but the key element here is the omniscience of God, the seven eyes, the eyes denoting knowing. The seven denoting the completion or perfection, complete knowledge, perfect knowledge. These are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro on the earth. Its God’s knowledge and God’s wisdom that is producing this rejoicing.

It’s His knowledge that runs to and fro throughout the earth. It speaks of the divine consciousness present, particularly in the Millennium. Now as Zechariah built the temple this was limited to that portion of the land in Palestine. Those and other parts of the world weren’t particularly taken up with the construction of the temple. But in the Millennium the knowledge of God and the temple’s impact will be worldwide. So, you can see we go beyond the temple that Zechariah’s constructing, to a temple that will be constructed yet in a future day. These are some of the promises that are communicated to the people to encourage them in the construction. Now, for Zechariah and his people, they wouldn’t have had a grasp or concept of a future temple, of what was going to go on beyond this. They believed in the coming of the Messiah that Zechariah will write about. He didn’t understand the breakdown of time, but we know it in looking back upon it.

There are two other things that have to be considered in verses 11-14. We’re just going to make some brief comments on them. Remember in the picture of the lampstand, there were two olive trees standing by? And there were golden pipes running from the olive tree into a bowl. The oil would run from the olive trees into the bowl. Then from the bowl, there were seven pipes to each of the lamps on the candlestick. There were seven lamps on the candlestick, each one had seven pipes. So, the oil would run then from the bowl to each of the cups on the top and would provide the oil, so that the lamps could keep burning. Well, the two olive trees are a particular interest to Zechariah. He asked the question, Zechariah 4:11, “Then I said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?’ And I answered the second time and said to him, ‘What are the two olive branches?’ ” Now, you get some idea of Zechariah’s impatience, or desire to know. He asked the question and before he gets to the answer or it has a chance to come, he asks again. “What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?”

Now it’s verses like this that bend your mind in Zechariah if you haven’t been there before. You read a verse like verse 12, the two olive branches by the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil, and that just warms you heart to no end. Usually after you read that, you go back to the gospel of John for your devotions. But there is significance to it. We’ve already looked at the lampstand. It’s significant, that emphasis here on the gold. The golden pipes, the golden oil, the pure oil that is provided. We noted that oil being symbolic of the Holy Spirit which will be the power resident in Israel during the Millennium, which will enable Israel to be a light to the world. The same power that is operative in us as believers to enable us to be lights in the world. But what about the two olive trees?

Verse 13, you just follow on. Zechariah has asked the question in verse 11, he’s asked the question in verse 12. And so the angel answers in verse 13, “Do you not know what these are?” He’s just asked the question twice. But he wants to drive home the situation to Zechariah. You don’t know what these are? “And I [Zechariah] said, ‘No, my lord.’ ” So, he gets a very clear answer. Verse 14, “Then he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.’ ” Now, since that’s clear, I guess we can close in prayer. We all know who the two olive trees are. If anybody asks you, you just tell them very simply, they’re the two anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth. Well, obviously we go back. Zechariah must have had some understanding of what is being depicted here. The two olive trees is the two anointed ones standing by the Lord. The two olive trees represent the two offices, kingship and priesthood, the king and the priest. The kingship and the priesthood, and it’s through these two offices that the blessing was to flow to the nation Israel, and through the nation Israel to the world. Through the office of the king and office of priest. These were to be the two vehicles for blessing for the nation and then from the nation to the world. Now, the particular anointed ones in verse 14, immediately that office would be fulfilled by two individuals. Zerubbabel we’ve been mentioning, Zerubbabel was the civil leader, he was the government individual. He wasn’t officially king, but he was the civil authority. In chapter 3 of Zechariah, we discussed Joshua the high priest, he fulfills the priestly aspect of this ministry. These two individuals are the two in view immediately.

Ultimately, the fulfillment is in a person who will incorporate both the priestly office and the kingly office into one person. Look over into chapter 6:13 of Zechariah, “Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” We’ll talk about the details of chapter 6, but you see the future construction of the temple prophesied. We’ll talk a little bit more about the temple that will be constructed in future days in Palestine further on in our discussion in Zechariah. But note the emphasis here, “He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne.” He will be a kingly priest. That was not a function possible throughout the Old Testament.

There is a person, who pictures the ultimate priest/king found in the book of Genesis 14. The man’s name is Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem. He was also a priest. Remember Abraham paid tithes to him. In the book of Hebrews, beginning with chapter 7, we have developed the Melchizedekian priesthood of Jesus Christ. That priesthood which supersedes the Aaronic priesthood, which is an eternal priesthood. This ultimately looks forward to the one who will join the two offices. These two anointed ones look forward in picturing the one person who will combine the two offices. When he rules as king and he rules as priest, that’s when the power will flow to the nation and through the nation to the world. The source of power ultimately comes from these two offices, because these two offices are incorporated into one person, Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel. We won’t take time to develop the analogy of Melchizedek. That last statement in Zechariah 4:14, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.” In Micah 4:13, you have that reference in the margin of your bible. This ties very clearly into the Millennium, this is a millennial expression, “the Lord of the whole earth”. Because that’s when He will exercise that function. He is Lord and sovereign, but He will function in His capacity as Lord of the earth in the Millennium. That’s when these two offices will be fully displayed. That’s when the oil will run from these two offices, down to the bowl, into the lampstand, and the nation Israel will glow to be the prime vehicle for making God known throughout the world. All the nations of the earth will come up to Jerusalem to worship at the temple that is there and to honor the priest/king, Jesus Christ.

Now, to just mention, since some of you may have it in your mind. The two witnesses of Revelation 11, which again carry a similar picture, they are described as two olive branches. Again, the symbolism ties back to Zechariah 4:14. The responsibility being very similar to that of Zerubbabel and Joshua in their ministry to the nation. It is a ministry that is rejected. In Revelation 11, we have those two witnesses being executed. Those are events that will occur in a future time, in the seven-years Tribulation.

So, Zechariah 4, a word of encouragement. Israel was called of God to be a lampstand, a light to the world. Because of their rebellion against God, He put out that lampstand. Israel is not God’s vehicle for revealing His character today, the church is, individual believers are. But there is coming a time in the future, in the Millennium Kingdom when Israel again shines as God’s lampstand. Now, there is a series of promises and encouragements to the nation, to encourage them in the building of the temple that Zechariah was overseeing some 400 years before Christ, 500 years before Christ. But that pictures the ultimate construction of the temple that will occur at a future time, particularly when Jesus Christ comes to rule and to reign. There are two anointed ones, two ones selected and set apart by God, the priest and the king, the spiritual leader and the civil leader, and they are God’s anointed one because it was God’s intention that through the priest hood and the kingly office He would pour His blessing on the nation Israel and through the nation to the world. That will be ultimately accomplished when Jesus rules and reigns on the earth, then blessing will come to the nation Israel and through the nation Israel to the world. The church during that time will be functioning in a different relationship. We will be functioning as rulers with Jesus Christ in glorified bodies. That is why we will not be functioning as a light the way Israel is. Israel will be an earthly people in earthly bodies making the character of God known in the world. We will be a heavenly people with glorified bodies being with Christ in administrating His earthly kingdom.

Father, we thank you for your word! For your love for the nation Israel, mindful that again it pictures Your love You have for us. Lord, for Your patience with them, for Your promises to them. We thank You for Your glorious future that have. Lord, we pray that as we consider the word and consider their future that we might be encouraged, to see Your sovereignty in it all. Lord, to see your love as it is demonstrated so clearly. Lord, fill our hearts with hope and expectation realizing that just as Israel has a glorious future so we have a glorious future, even more glorious in that we look forward to being those who rule and reign as the bride of Christ. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.