Sermon on Zechariah 4:1-14 Encouragement from Zechariah
By Revd Jeremy Tyndall
ENCOURAGEMENT FROM ZECHARIAH
Zechariah 4:1-14
1 The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep. 2 He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4 I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 6 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. 7 What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" 8 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 "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. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth." 11 Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?" 12 And a second time I said to him, "What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two golden pipes?" 13 He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 14 Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth." [NRSV]
1 The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep. 2 He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4 I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 6 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. 7 What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" 8 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 "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. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth." 11 Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?" 12 And a second time I said to him, "What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two golden pipes?" 13 He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 14 Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth." [NRSV]
Lately Rev Bill had grown weary from the demands of his growing church. He was getting very little sleep and a couple of deacons had really been putting him to the test. So, one beautiful Spring Sunday morning he decides that he would feel better with a relaxing round of golf. Pretending to be sick, he calls his deacons and informs them that he is sick and will not be able to make it that day. He scheduled in a guest speaker so everything was under control without him.
As he was preparing to tee off on the first hole, the Archangel Michael looked down and said, "What are you doing?" and reprimanded him for calling in and saying he was sick. He had lied to them and to the church. And, for the fact that he was skipping church all together.
Then the Archangel thought about how to respond to this situation and said to Rev Bill, "I'm going to make you hit a hole-in-one on every hole."
"A hole-in-one on every hole?!" said Rev Bill. "That's not punishment. That's a blessing. No one has ever done that and you're going to help this lazy, lying pastor score a hole-in-one on every hole? How is that punishment?!"
Said the Archangel , " But Who are you going to tell?"
INTRODUCTION
Preaching on the Gospel passage in August, so I am going to concentrate on the Zechariah passage today with just a glance at Peter and Paul
ZECHARIAH
We start off with good intentions.
It's the 500s BC. The people had been in exile. But with the amazing encouragement from the Emperor Cyrus to rebuild the Temple, a group had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the foundation stone had been laid in 538BC. But then nothing else had happened for several years. There had been quarrels with the locals. Poor harvests had produced other challenges that needed meeting. So now it was about 520BC. After seventy years of exile in Babylon and fifteen more years of dithering on their return home, the Jewish people were being urged on by Haggai and Zechariah to get back to rebuilding the ruined temple in Jerusalem. It would restore their self-respect, encourage morale and enable worship to be offered worthily to the Lord who had rescued them out of all their troubles. There was no question in the minds of these two prophets that to rebuild was the will of God, and in this they were supported by the two chief leaders of the community. These were Joshua the high priest (not to be confused with Moses' successor) and Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, who was also incidentally one of the few surviving descendants of the royal line of David and so a man on whom almost messianic hopes were being pinned.
We have a picture and prophecy in the middle of it. First the picture…
Zechariah is awakened out of sleep by an angel… " What do you see?"
2 … "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights
And so the picture is explained. A seven-branched lampstand made of gold is its centerpiece - probably representing the temple itself.. The seven lamps are fed from a central bowl or reservoir where olive oil is kept. The light that shines out from the lampstand comes from the plentiful supply of oil, the oil of God's Spirit. Only God can make his people shine as lights in the world, and it is only when we are filled with his Spirit and sensitive to his direction that we shall burn brightly and live effectively for him. - the oil never runs out! God's provision is inexhaustible.
Close connection between the rebuilding of the temple and the ministry of God's people as a spiritual light for the world around - characteristics the NT church too of course - we need to show God's glory today!
CONTINUING:
3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." And further down the passage we see he asks the angel about this
11 , "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?" ….
Maybe they were embossed on the metal, maybe they were planted away to the sides. Many identify the "two" with Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor.
In their context the two national leaders representing what we would call Church and state but which was not a real separation in the mindset of the ancients. Cf last Sunday mace laid before the altar. Zechariah believed that God's sovereignty was going to be best represented among the people in this way.
Theologically developed - type of the Messiah as prophet and king - the priestly work of cleansing and the kingly work of ruling, and in this Zerubbabel and Joshua foreshadow the single Messianic royal priest who was yet to be.
So here was some good news: Through the spiritual and temporal leaders, God was going to grace the project of rebuilding the Temple and restoring the fortunes of the nation
And the angel continues as we come to the prophecy :
v 6 ….." This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty..."
Joshua cannot do it. Zerubbabel cannot do it. But it is only by God's strength at the end of the day - just as Peter and Paul discovered. Now the task of rebuilding was daunting I'm sure. There would have been literally huge mounds of rocks and remains from the old temple to be cleared even before they could get under way with the new build. Zerubbabel had the faith to face up to it - he had more than a dash of optimism in his nature - but the people were less convinced. So it was for their benefit as well as the governor's that the word of the Lord came through Zechariah to reaffirm God's assurance: (Taylor)
7 " What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground."
Zechariah continues:
Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" Acclamation of the finish of the project? For in verse 9:.. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it.
But more than the rebuild was at stake. This was all part of God's great drama of redemption - Jesus as the corner or capstone.
A crucial verse…
10 " Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
10 For whoever has despised the day of small things
A warning against a human failing - let no one despise it -God does not scorn meager beginnings. The start has the promise of completion. So, the other side of the coin is that those of us who love God must complete the work he gives us - to faithfully be that link in the chain. We may not realize the significance of the role that we can play.
" (These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range throughout the earth.)"
All such work proceeds under God's watchful eye - the all seeing God - (eyes in the back of the head!) and supernatural assistance is promised to Zerubbabel and Joshua for the finishing of this tremendous task
Application
How are mountains of our lives levelled? How are intractable problems overcome? Optimism helps, but it is not enough. …Brute strength is not enough either. The lesson God wanted to teach his people through Zechariah was that success in his service is achieved ' Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. With thanks to JB Taylor:
1. Not by Human Effort
2. Zechariah uses the metaphor of 'the big battalions'. 'Might' and 'power' are both words that can refer to armies or military strength…. (But) God was continually anxious that none of his people should ever go around saying, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth' (Deut. 8.17). If they failed to rely on the grace of God for everything, they would be on the slippery slope leading to their own downfall. It was the sin of Adam all over again.
Today's equivalent of' the big battalions' might be our reliance upon particular programmes, structures and campaigns especially if this comes at the expense of prayerfulness, waiting upon God and being open to his Spirit.
St Paul had to remind us that 'though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have a divine power to destroy strongholds' (2 Cor.10.3f).
2. But it is by God's Spirit
Reliance upon God's Spirit is a very different thing. It requires four things of us.
(a) That God is the source and inspiration of all our plans. It is always wrong to make plans and then pray for God's blessing upon them. We must be seeking God's will before ever we hatch up our schemes. Only when we are reasonably sure that what we are planning is what God intends should we go ahead in faith.
(b) That there is consensus in the Church. Vision must be shared and most people must be in favour. In a fallen world we don't need to wait for unanimity (there will always be one or two dissentients to the best of plans); but the people of God should be convinced by the Spirit of God that this is the will of God.
(c) That the whole undertaking is steeped in prayer, not just as a convention but because we really believe that this is where success in the battle lies.
(d) That we do not succumb to discouragement. Zechariah speaks of those who 'despise the day of small things' (4.10). They may be small achievements, small answers to prayer, or small and insignificant people, but to disregard them as beneath God's notice is sheer stupidity. Some of God's greatest acts have been done through people whom the world would have passed by. Names like William Carey, Mother Theresa, come immediately to mind…..It is a comfort to know that God's temple is made up of very small bricks.
Prayer: Save us, Lord, from relying upon any power but yours, and make us open and obedient to your Holy Spirit.
With thanks to John B Taylor "Preaching Through the Prophets" 1983 Mowbray Oxford
As he was preparing to tee off on the first hole, the Archangel Michael looked down and said, "What are you doing?" and reprimanded him for calling in and saying he was sick. He had lied to them and to the church. And, for the fact that he was skipping church all together.
Then the Archangel thought about how to respond to this situation and said to Rev Bill, "I'm going to make you hit a hole-
"A hole-
Said the Archangel , "
INTRODUCTION
Preaching on the Gospel passage in August, so I am going to concentrate on the Zechariah passage today with just a glance at Peter and Paul
ZECHARIAH
We start off with good intentions.
It's the 500s BC. The people had been in exile. But with the amazing encouragement from the Emperor Cyrus to rebuild the Temple, a group had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the foundation stone had been laid in 538BC. But then nothing else had happened for several years. There had been quarrels with the locals. Poor harvests had produced other challenges that needed meeting. So now it was about 520BC. After seventy years of exile in Babylon and fifteen more years of dithering on their return home, the Jewish people were being urged on by Haggai and Zechariah to get back to rebuilding the ruined temple in Jerusalem. It would restore their self-
We have a picture and prophecy in the middle of it. First the picture…
Zechariah is awakened out of sleep by an angel… "
2 … "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights
And so the picture is explained. A seven-
Close connection between the rebuilding of the temple and the ministry of God's people as a spiritual light for the world around -
CONTINUING:
3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." And further down the passage we see he asks the angel about this
Maybe they were embossed on the metal, maybe they were planted away to the sides. Many identify the "two" with Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor.
In their context the two national leaders representing what we would call Church and state but which was not a real separation in the mindset of the ancients. Cf last Sunday mace laid before the altar. Zechariah believed that God's sovereignty was going to be best represented among the people in this way.
Theologically developed -
So here was some good news: Through the spiritual and temporal leaders, God was going to grace the project of rebuilding the Temple and restoring the fortunes of the nation
And the angel continues as we come to the prophecy :
v 6 ….."
Joshua cannot do it. Zerubbabel cannot do it. But it is only by God's strength at the end of the day -
7 "
Zechariah continues:
Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" Acclamation of the finish of the project? For in verse 9:.. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it.
But more than the rebuild was at stake. This was all part of God's great drama of redemption -
A crucial verse…
10 "
10 For whoever has despised the day of small things
A warning against a human failing -
"
All such work proceeds under God's watchful eye -
Application
How are mountains of our lives levelled? How are intractable problems overcome? Optimism helps, but it is not enough. …Brute strength is not enough either. The lesson God wanted to teach his people through Zechariah was that success in his service is achieved '
1. Not by Human Effort
2. Zechariah uses the metaphor of 'the big battalions'. 'Might' and 'power' are both words that can refer to armies or military strength…. (But) God was continually anxious that none of his people should ever go around saying, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth' (Deut. 8.17). If they failed to rely on the grace of God for everything, they would be on the slippery slope leading to their own downfall. It was the sin of Adam all over again.
Today's equivalent of' the big battalions' might be our reliance upon particular programmes, structures and campaigns especially if this comes at the expense of prayerfulness, waiting upon God and being open to his Spirit.
St Paul had to remind us that 'though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have a divine power to destroy strongholds' (2 Cor.10.3f).
2. But it is by God's Spirit
Reliance upon God's Spirit is a very different thing. It requires four things of us.
(a) That God is the source and inspiration of all our plans. It is always wrong to make plans and then pray for God's blessing upon them. We must be seeking God's will before ever we hatch up our schemes. Only when we are reasonably sure that what we are planning is what God intends should we go ahead in faith.
(b) That there is consensus in the Church. Vision must be shared and most people must be in favour. In a fallen world we don't need to wait for unanimity (there will always be one or two dissentients to the best of plans); but the people of God should be convinced by the Spirit of God that this is the will of God.
(c) That the whole undertaking is steeped in prayer, not just as a convention but because we really believe that this is where success in the battle lies.
(d) That we do not succumb to discouragement. Zechariah speaks of those who 'despise the day of small things' (4.10). They may be small achievements, small answers to prayer, or small and insignificant people, but to disregard them as beneath God's notice is sheer stupidity. Some of God's greatest acts have been done through people whom the world would have passed by. Names like William Carey, Mother Theresa, come immediately to mind…..It is a comfort to know that God's temple is made up of very small bricks.
Prayer: Save us, Lord, from relying upon any power but yours, and make us open and obedient to your Holy Spirit.
With thanks to John B Taylor "Preaching Through the Prophets" 1983 Mowbray Oxford
Rev Jeremy Tyndall © 2008