Zechariah, the prophet, served in the years after the remnant of Israel were allowed to return to their homeland from a 70-year Babylonian exile. Hundreds of thousands of Jews went into Babylonian captivity but only about 50,000 returned. Most didn’t return because they had become comfortable in their captivity. Those who did return were arguably the most committed to the Lord and to the restoration of Jerusalem.
But the odds were totally against them as they endeavored to rebuild.
The land was completely desolate after 70 years of neglect. There were few resources and not much manpower to rebuild. They were basically exiled slaves returning to their country with nothing. They endured crop failures and drought. Their enemies surrounded them and tried to thwart their work. They did not have an army. And perhaps, worst of all, the poverty and desolation were a constant reminder of the material comforts they enjoyed during their captivity in Babylon.
When we are serving God with all our might, our enemies are constantly at work in our mind to lure us back to the fleeting creature comforts we enjoyed in slavery.
So as the remnant of Israel began to rebuild the temple, they were struggling. The work had stalled. Zerubbabel, the civic leader of Jerusalem, had the responsibility to lead the work of rebuilding the temple. He needed encouragement. It was at this point that the prophet Zechariah was awakened out of his sleep by an angel and had the following discussion:
“Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me,
“What do you see?”
So I said,
“I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”
So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying,
“What are these, my Lord?”
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me,
“Do you not know what these are?”
And I said,
“No, my Lord.”
So he answered and 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.”
Zechariah 4:1-6
Zechariah was given a vision from inside the temple which included the lampstand. However, there was something very different–and that is–the two olive trees which were piping oil directly into the lampstand. You see, one of the duties of temple service was the constant care of the lamps on the golden lampstand, which included keeping them filled with specially prepared oil. In the book of the law, God said to Moses:
“Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually.”
Leviticus 24:2
So in the temple, the lamps were fueled by man-prepared olive oil, but the lampstand Zechariah saw in his vision was fed straight from the trees. What a great lesson from this vision: A lamp fed directly from olive trees!
Zerubbabel and the people were discouraged by the lack of their OWN power and might. Ah, this is us too, isn’t it? When accomplishing a task, we too often focus on our own individual resources or our collective strength as part of a team. But if we do, we’re setting ourselves up for failure. Our strength is no match for the enemy.
Whatever task I am facing today, I imagine God reminding me:
“Kimberly, this task is not going to happen by your intelligence, your ability, your resources, or your physical strength; but rather, by MY Spirit feeding directly into you. Have you purified your heart and made it ready so I can pour through you? Are you poor in spirit so it is MY power flowing through you? Do you have an attitude of meekness so you are operating in MY strength?”
The most critical element for God’s work to be accomplished in our life is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When we trust in our own resources – whether they be small or great–we are not tapping into the full supply of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul asked Jesus three times to remove his infirmity and this request was denied for a very important reason. Jesus told Him:
“MY grace is sufficient for you, for MY strength is made perfect in weakness.”
And Paul’s wise response?
“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
