Zechariah 4:1 – And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep.
Hello again, dear readers! Here we are presented with the fifth vision of Zechariah. Of his eight visions, this one is perhaps the best known. It was and continues to be of immense comfort to God's people.
We know that all the visions came to Zechariah on the same night, which means that he can't be getting much sleep. For this reason, we may be tempted to assume that when the assisting angel came to him with the fifth vision, he needed to be awakened from slumber.
However, careful consideration will show that this is not the case. He was stirred up 'LIKE' a man who is awakened out of sleep.
In other words, Zechariah was either in a prophetic trance or possibly an intellectual stupor; he was overcome with astonishment/amazement because of the deep spiritual wisdom and insights that God was pouring into him.
If we stop to consider the situation, this makes perfect sense. The content and implications of just one vision were enough to make anyone's head swim. To have multiple visions in such a short span of time was mind-blowing. No wonder he needed to be awakened or roused for the next vision!
Zechariah 4:2-3 – And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lamp stand all of gold, with a bowl on top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."
In this vision the prophet sees a seven-branched lamp stand made entirely of gold. Does that sound vaguely familiar to you?
It should – Zechariah's vision is a variation of the lamp stand that was found in the Holy Place of the tabernacle:
Exodus 25:31-32 -And you shall make a lamp stand of pure gold: of hammered work shall the lamp stand be made: its shaft, and its branches, its bowls, its knobs, and its flowers, shall be of the same one piece. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the lamp stand out of one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of the other side:
Exodus 25:37 - And you shall make its seven lamps: and they shall light its lamps, that they may give light in front of it.
A full description of the lamp stand can be found in Exodus 25:31-40, Exodus 37:17-24 and Numbers 8:1-4.
So, what do we know about the lamp stand?
- It was made from a lump of pure gold weighing one talent.
- It was formed by beating the gold with a hammer (as opposed to melting the gold and pouring it into a mold).
- According to Jewish tradition, the lamp stand measured 3 cubits (4 feet) in height.
- From the base there arose a central shaft with three branches on the left, three branches on the right and a single branch in the center.
- A lamp sat upon the top of each branch, resulting in a total of seven lamps.
- Each branch or arm of the lamp stand was designed to represent a flowering and fruit bearing almond branch.
- The lamp was designed to use oil for fuel, with a wick for each of the seven flames.
Tradition depicts the lamps as being all on the same level, however, this is not certain. Many scholars feel that the seven lamps were stepped, with the single center lamp rising above those on the sides.
During the era of the tabernacle, the lamp was kept lit unless Israel was moving. Once Solomon's temple was built, the lamp stand was kept perpetually burning. Each morning a priest filled the lamps with oil and trimmed the wicks.
The lamp stand stood in the Holy Place along with the table of showbread and the altar of incense. As you recall, the Holy Place had no natural sunlight; the lamp stand was the only illumination in that room. Therefore, the priests depended upon this light in order to complete their ministry.
As a final note, we need to mention that the Hebrew word for lamp stand is 'menorah', which means 'light holder'. For this reason, some translations render the word as 'candlestick', but that is not accurate. Candles are never mentioned in scripture as being part of any religious worship.
While there can be no doubt that the lamp stand in Zechariah's vision was the one in the temple, it had some notable differences from the original. These differences center on the way the lamp stand is supplied with oil.
The lamp stand in Zechariah's vision had a single bowl on top of the lamp stand with seven 'lips' or pipes (the literal translation is seven pourers). Thus, we see that the oil in the bowl constantly and consistently flows into each of the seven lamps though the seven pipes. No such arrangement existed in the actual temple lamp stand.
Furthermore, the prophet saw two olive trees, one on each side of the lamp stand, which were continually supplying oil to the bowl which in turn filled the lamps.
What was God showing the Jews of Zechariah's day through this vision?
Zechariah 4:4 – And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
Zechariah had no difficulty recognizing the olive trees and the lamp stand even with its unique variations. When he asks the assisting angel 'what are these', he is asking what the items in the vision represent or signify. He is asking for understanding regarding the vision.
Zechariah 4:5 – Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
The assisting angel has an unusual response to the prophet's question.
We might paraphrase the angel's response like this: "Are you serious? You really don't understand the significance of the lamp stand and the olive trees?"
Scholars are divided on whether the angel was chastising Zechariah for his ignorance/stupidity or whether he was using the question to sharpen/focus the prophet's attention on the answer he was about to receive.
My personal belief is that the angel was sharpening the prophet's attention. This is based on the fact that God never chastises us for asking him for wisdom; in fact, he encourages the practice:
James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
If Zechariah was being given a cue to pay attention to the meaning of the vision, then it must be significant – for ancient Israel and for us.
Zechariah 4:6 – 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."
Now the assisting angel begins to give revelation to Zechariah. The vision of the unusual lamp stand that he has seen is a direct word from the Lord – God's plans and purposes will be accomplished not by the will or valor or resourcefulness of man, but by the power of Holy Spirit.
As you recall, at the time Zechariah received these visions Joshua was the high priest and Zerubbabel was the governor of the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem. During this time, the Jews were destitute and bordering on hopelessness. They felt it was impossible for them to finish the task God had set before them – to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple.
Keep in mind that to re-establish the boundaries of Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple was to restore relationship between the Jewish people and God. Once this was done, the Jews would once again be in a position to be a light to the nations who were in spiritual darkness. Therefore, the completion of their task had both natural and spiritual implications.
Truthfully, the Jews were correct – in the natural realm, there was very little chance of them succeeding in their undertaking.
But at this point of despair, God enters the situation and gives a message of victory and hope to the nation. There was no reason to be anxious or afraid. Just as the lamp stand was divinely supplied with oil by the olive trees (without the help of man), so would the temple and walls of Jerusalem be built through the power of the Spirit of God.
As we will discuss in our post next week, man still had a vital role to play in the plans of God, but regardless of man's performance, victory was assured through the Spirit. No enemy of the Lord would be able to thwart or stop God's plans. There would be no shortage of time, funds, or resources; the Jews would have everything they needed and more. In addition, Holy Spirit would encourage, strengthen, equip and embolden the people to finish the job.
Thus, the project would be accomplished not by the will or strength of man, but by the Spirit of the Lord. In this vision, God was reassuring his people that his purposes and plans for them would come to pass in their lifetime. This was an amazing promise to the Jews of that day.
From our point of view, we can look back and see how this vision also applied to the early days of the church.
After Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples were fearful, disorganized, and unsure what to do next. The Jewish religious leaders wanted to kill them. The Romans/Gentiles were beginning to persecute them. The only resources they had were funds provided by the women who supported Christ. Most of them had very little education and some of them were outcasts from society. Yet, they had been given a mission to carry the gospel message to the ends of the earth.
Matthew 28: 19-20 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Let's face it – in their own power and strength, they were going to fail. But as we know, Jesus specifically instructed them not to set about their mission until they had received the baptism of Holy Spirit in their lives:
Luke 24:49 – And behold I [Jesus] am sending the promise of my Father upon you [baptism with Holy Spirit]. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
And clearly it was Holy Spirit who made all the difference! Once they were baptized in the Spirit, the disciples of Christ were transformed from fearful, ignorant men (and women) into powerful witnesses for Christ (Acts 4:31). The mystery of the gospel was opened to their minds (John 14:26) and God worked through them to birth the church. All this was done by the power of God's Spirit; through him God's will for that generation was indeed accomplished.
Our generation is experiencing yet another fulfillment of this vision.
When America was founded as a nation, our forefathers committed to continuing the mission of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth. However, if you look around today, it is evident that as a nation we have forsaken the Lord; we are no longer considered a Christian nation. As a result of our sin, we are struggling to keep America from completely disintegrating.
In the natural realm, there is absolutely no hope for us to stem the tide of evil which seeks to 'reset' America and put us on a different path – one that no longer even acknowledges (much less serves) the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But there is hope. We too can be encouraged by the vision of Zechariah; nothing is impossible with God through the power of Holy Spirit!
Let's take a closer look at what the temple lamp stand represented:
As we already noted, the lamp stand had room for seven lamps. This was the only illumination in the Holy Place; without this light the priests could not fulfill their duties.
Spiritually speaking, the lamp stand represents the sevenfold illumination of Holy Spirit, which was revealed through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Revelation 4:5 - And out of the throne proceeded lightning and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Without the illumination of Holy Spirit, man would never be able to clearly see his sin and accept the offer of salvation given to us by God. After we have surrendered to Christ, Holy Spirit further illuminates the deep recesses of our lives, removing the darkness of error, immorality and sin that still lurks within our hearts.
The Spirit also gives gifts (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discernment of spirits, gifts of healing, gift of faith, tongues and interpretation of tongues) for the edification and empowerment of the church. These allow us to walk in the power and might of Christ, as we continue to spread the gospel message to the uttermost parts of the world.
The bottom line is that God's will for our nation SHALL COME TO PASS. When we are weak, the Spirit becomes our strength. What is impossible for us through our own wisdom, strength and resources is made possible through the power and might of Holy Spirit.
So, no matter how dark or hopeless things look for the church today, we have the assurance of divine victory, which flows like oil through the ministry of Holy Spirit.
Let me offer you some encouragement:
In many ways, our generation is no different than the one of Zechariah's day. We too face tests and trials. We too have been commissioned by God to fulfill a task which is way, way bigger than anything we could accomplish in our own strength.
None of this should be a surprise. If God gave us a task which we could complete with our own resources and strength, we would certainly take all the credit for it. By putting us in a position where we must trust in him and work hand-in-hand with Holy Spirit to gain the victory, God receives the glory that is due him.
When he is glorified, sinners are drawn to him and they have the opportunity to receive salvation.
So don't despair when you feel that you need a miracle in your ministry – it may simply mean that you are right where God wants you to be!
Let me offer you some relief:
What are you lacking in your ministry? Time? Money? Equipment? Connections? A building? Increased wisdom? Discernment? Power/influence?
You don't have to possess all these qualities/resources in order to accomplish the task God has given you. You do need to make good decisions and use what you have, but rest assured that whatever you lack, Holy Spirit can supply.
Lean into him and he will provide all that you need.
Let me offer you some strength:
THERE IS HOPE! There is hope for your family, hope for this nation and hope for the church.
Our hope is not founded in our own wisdom or strength. It is founded upon the one who created the stars, names each one and keeps them all in place. It is founded upon the one who has created all things. It is founded upon the one who opens blind eyes and cures all disease. It is founded upon the one who is able to restore life to a bunch of dry bones. It is founded upon the one who has never lost a battle and who never will!
Romans 15:13 - Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.