How God Turns Mountains Into Mole Hills
Text: Zechariah 4:1-10
Introduction: The book of Zechariah has been called the Apocalypse of the Old Testament. The prophet was a contemporary with Haggai, who, you will recall from our previous study, ministered to the remnant who had returned from captivity in Babylon, and who were committed to the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Zechariah was written to comfort and encourage the returned remnant to return to the Lord and to rebuild the temple. You see, the people felt like their efforts in rebuilding the temple were insignificant and the future was uncertain. They weren’t even an independent nation - just a client state of a mighty empire.
Look at verse 1. Do you see the ancestry of the prophet? How tempted we are to jump past such things and get into the body of the message, but tred slowly here. Those names mean something. Zechariah, means, “The Lord remembers”, Berechiah means, “The Lord blesses” and Iddo means “At the Appointed time.” So, Zechariah came to Jerusalem in the midst of their depression, and their darkness and discouragement, with this announcement that is even wrapped up in his name and ancestry: The Lord remembers and at the appointed time He will bless. What an encouragement those names must have been
Now, I trust you will understand if we don’t go through these 14 chapters of Zechariah in great detail this morning. This is a tremendously complex book, and just as it would be an impossibility to cover the book of Revelation in any great depth in one sitting, so it is with Zechariah. But let me summarise the outline of the book, and perhaps show you one or two tremendous prophecies from it and then we will focus in our message for this morning. Zechariah is easily outlines. It follows the path of 8 visions, 4 messages and 2 oracles 9or burdens).
In chapters 1-6 we have eight visions - reveal God’s judgment on the Nations, then God’s purging of Israel, with the focus on God’s Spirit working with Zerubbabel and Joshua to complete the temple.
One of the most remarkable prophetic tracts among these visions can be seen in chapter 6 with the coronation of Joshua the High Priest - picture of the Branch who would come in the offices of priest and king and rule in peace – See 6:12-15
• The Branch is a man … “Behold the man”, these are the exact words used by Pilate as he presented Jesus to the crowd wearing a crown of thorns and purple robe.
• The Branch would come out of Israel – “he shall grow up out of this place”
• He would hold both offices of King and priest… “He shall be a priest upon His throne.”
• And he would build the temple – this extends now to the millennial kingdom, and the glorious temple that shall sit outside of Jerusalem in that day.
In chapters 7 & 8 we find four messages
In chapter 7:1-7 there is a rebuke for not worshipping with pure heart - vertical relationship.
Then in vss 8-14 a reminder of the requirements of the law - horizontal relationship.
In chapter 8:1-17 we read of the promise of restoration - showing God’s faithfulness to His promises. Just as He has faithfully and literally brought the curses, He will also faithfully and literally bring the blessings.
And then in 8:18-23 the promise that Israel would return to her land and live in peace, again pointing to the millennium when Israel and the nations will be brought to God.
Finally in chapters 9-14 we find two oracles
The first oracle looks forward to the Good Shepherd’s rejection and the people’s acceptance of the antichrist.
See 9:9; 11:12, 13.
See also 11:15-17. If you won’t stand for the true shepherd you will fall for the false one; if you do not accept Christ, you will be deluded into accepting antichrist.
(2) The second oracle looks forward to the Day of the Lord when the nations will finally be destroyed, the Israelites will be delivered and the Davidic line will be re-instated as the kingdom is inaugurated.
The message of Zechariah is that God remembers His covenant and will eventually fulfil all the promises. This is a message of hope for the post-exilic community, as they sough to rebuild the temple.
Where does Zechariah’s message come in? Will it comes between Haggai’s first and second message. In the first message Haggai spurred the people on to restart the work of rebuilding the temple, and this they did, but then as the new temple began to rise out of the ashes, some of the older people began to doubt and to question. They started to make comparisons between the new temple, and the old. Remember how in Haggai the Lord quoted their words, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?” They said, "Do you call this a temple? This heap of ruins? We have seen chicken coops better built than this. We saw Solomon’s temple, and what you are building here is nothing compared to that. All the gold and silver that was in that temple – now that was a temple! Besides, you don’t even have any gold or silver. How are you going to decorate this temple?" So the people got discouraged, and once again they downed tools.
Then came Zechariah with his message of hope, sharing how the Lord remembered His covenant with them, now His plans were to bless them, and that their work had a future, it was something that figured in God’s plans for an appointed time.
Now, with that background in mind I want you to come with me to chapter 4, and vision of the golden candlestick and the two olive trees, and look at three lessons Zerubabbel and the people had to learn as they rededicated their lives to the rebuilding of the temple.
I. Learn of God’s Power – Zechariah 4:1-7
A. As Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest and others surveyed the scale of the task at hand in rebuilding the temple they were over come.
1. The task before them seemed like a mountain to climb, it was all uphill, daunting and unforgiving.
2. Sometimes that’s how life is, isn’t it.
3. As we serve the Lord here at Milton from time to time things will come which appear daunting, which overwhelm us. Some of us may feel that way about the prospect of moving building. We may feel that’s a big undertaking for a small church.
4. For others it may seem as we try to reach out into society with the gospel, like the whole world is against us, that we are up against it, that we cannot really expect to make serious in roads into a secular and unbelieving society.
5. As Zerubbabel listened to the critics his confidence in what God had called him to do began to waiver.
6. These old guys were right, they didn’t have the resources to build a temple anything like Solomon’s glorious structure – they lacked the resources, they were opposed on every side, so why bother?
B. In response to their discouragement God gave Zechariah a vision – a vision of a golden lampstand – vs 2
1. Now Zechariah was off the priestly line, he recognised instantly the imagery of the lampstand, it was of course a reference to the great menorah that had stood in the temple.
2. But there was significant differences in its construction, most notably that each branch of the lamp was fed by seven pipes or channels, so that there was a constant flow of oil, with no necessity for refilling by human hands.
3. It is interesting that here was a lampstand with seven lamps, each being fed by seven channels, that’s 49 pipes (seven, sevens), later Zechariah speaks of seven eyes (vs 10), this chapter itself has fourteen verses, two sevens.
a. Is this mere coincidence?
(i) I think not.
(ii) In Scripture the number seven appears 383 times.
(iii) From start to finish this number, above all others is to the fore of Scripture.
(iv) In Genesis we read of the seven days of creation, the sevenfold vengeance on Cain, the seven of every kind that Noah took on to the Ark, Jacob served seven years for Leah & seven more for Rachel, In Pharaoh’s dreams there was seven fat kine and seven lean, seven good ears and seven thin.
(v) In Leviticus the blood was sprinkled seven times, we read of the seventh day, the seventh month, the seventh year, the seven weeks of years, and so the book continues, until at last you come to revelation and there we read of seven churches, spirits, lampstands, stars, seals, horns, eyes, trumpets, thunders, angels, heads, crowns, plagues, bowls, mountains, kings and beatitudes.
b. This is the number of completeness, and in this context it is all the more important for Zerubbabel is being urged to “complete” the temple, to finish the job, to do what God called him to do.
4. So God shows Zechariah, and by extension Zerubbabel, a seven branched lampstand with seven pipes to each branch bringing an abundant, unceasing, spontaneous free and inexhaustible supply of oil, so that no human hand is seen nor required.
a. So Zechariah asks, “What are these?” “What does this mean?”
b. And the answer comes in verse 6.
C. Oil in Scripture is always a type of God’s Holy Spirit.
1. What Zerubbabel needed to understand was that the task before him required far more than he could offer as a man, it needed more than mere human strength alone could afford.
2. The rebuilding of that temple ultimately rested not on Zerubbabel’s shoulders, but upon the working and power of the Spirit of God.
3. You see, sometimes we get this silly notion that everything depends upon me, upon us. What nonsense!
4. We have this silly idea that somehow we are indispensable, irreplaceable, and absolutely central to all that God needs to do. I think we get a little above ourselves in taking on Divine responsibilities.
a. We have a saying in Northern Ireland about someone or something that is useless… we say it is “wick”
b. And you know when you think about that, in a lampstand a wick, though it is needed for light, does not feature large in the production of light. Of itself its pretty useless.
c. Of itself it cannot burn, in the words of F. B. Meyer, “It accumulates nothing, it has no stores. From hour to hour it is always on the edge of bankruptcy, but always supplied.”
d. Do you ever feel like you are not up to the task, that your gifts and resources are wholly in adequate for what God has called us to do? That you are wick. Well, welcome to the real world of Christian service.
e. You and I, no matter what our talent, our learning, experience are not up to the job, but God has provided a complete and powerful supply so that we might burn for Jesus. Not burn out (that’s what Zerubbabel was in danger of), but burn with a constant flame.
D. God wanted Zerubbabel to know that He had made provision for Him by means of His Spirit, so that he could rest assured that he would successfully complete the task.
1. And you now what … you and I assured of the same thing.
2. God will do with us and through us everything He planned to do with us and through us by means of His Holy Spirit.
a. See Php 1:6; 2:13; 1 Thess 5:24
b. This is true not only of our salvation, butt also of our service… we may plant, we may water, but ultimately God gives the increase.
E. Now, oil is a great picture of God’s Holy Spirit, and what He does in our lives and ministry.
1. Oil lubricates – hen we are walking in the Spirit we find that our lives are not fractious, and that we are not always at odds with those around us. We experience the fruit of the spirit, and that fruit produces a harmony with fellow servants in Christ. We might not always agree, but we ought to be able to disagree agreeably, and the Spirit of God within allows for that. We are gracious with each other.
2. Oil heals – the Good Samaritan – Only the Spirit may heal the heart, wounded by life’s bitter experiences, disappointments and unpleasantnesses.
3. Oil lights – the Spirit of God is the great illuminator, Who lightens the darkened mind of the unregenerate soul that he may see the truth, Who leads us, even as believers, into all truth.
4. Oil warms – Has your heart and life ever grown cold? What changed that? The Spirit of God did, dwelling within us – “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).
5. Oil invigorates – is that not made clear from the book of Acts as we witness the Spirit filled, Spirit led, Spirit possessed lives of the apostles? He energises us
6. Oil adorns – It was used in the Feasts of Israel, but never in times of sorrow or grief. No it was applied at times of great celebration and joy. You see a joyful Christian. You are looking at a Spirit filled Christian.
7. Oil polishes – the Spirit takes the rough edge off our character, working within He’s changing us to be more like Jesus.
F. What a powerful word of encouragement this lampstand represented for Zerubbabel, but not just for him, for us also.
II. Learn of God’s Purposes – vss 8-10
A. If our complaint is not that we are not worthy of the task, then it is that the task is not worthy of God.
1. This second temple was a very poor replica of the first. It seemed certainly to the older generation as insignificant, as a thing of no consequence.
2. How easy it is for the unbeliever and the sceptic to see nothing in the very place where God’s blessing rests.
3. And how foolish are we, to suppose that God’s blessing is only or always centred on the great things.
4. God’s Word top Zerubbabel was clear: “For who hath despised the day of small things?”
B. The Lord says, “Zerubbabel, you think your work is not worthy of me… but I will the judge of that.”
1. God often uses small things.
2. Moses rod seemed like a small thing, but God did mighty things with it.
3. The jawbone of an ass isn’t much of a weapon when faced with a mighty army, but with it Samson slew a 1000 Philistines.
4. A little meal, and a little oil, seems like small provision for a time of great famine, but by that little provision God met the needs of the widow of Zarephath and his prophet Elijah.
5. Five smooth stones are not worthy missiles to fall a giant, but that’s what God did with David & Goliath.
6. A cloud the size of a man’s hand is hardly going to excite the Met Office, but it spurred Elijah on in a time of great discouragement.
7. A small boy’s lunch, of five loaves and two fish is hardly a feast for a multitude, but so it proved as the 5000 were fed.
(i) Timely word, a kind smile, a friendly handshake, the giving of a tract, a promise to pray, a simple hug, the sending of a card: these “small things” that anyone can do are often the very things that God uses.
8. “For who hath despised the day of small things?”
C. Well, this is just a small church, just a few people, with limited talents and limited resources. Yes, but we serve a big God who has an abundant supply and endless resources at our disposal.
1. “Just a little church on the corner of Adam Street”, “For who hath despised the day of small things?”
2. Well, I’m not much to write home about. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1Cor 27-29)
D. This was exactly what Zerubbabel need to hear, and maybe it is what you need to hear also.
1. By God’s grace you can do this, with God’s help you can make it, by God’s power you will succeed, and what you are doing maybe despised and criticised by others but it matters a great deal to God.
III. Learn of God’s Presence – vss 11-14
A. Finally Zechariah requests an explanation of the two olive trees he saw in his vision, and the explanation given is that they are, “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth.”
1. The two men charged with overseeing the rebuilding of the temple were Zerubbabel, the civil leader, and Joshua, the religious leader.
2. Yes, it seemed like a big ask. Yes, there was much to be done, Yes there was opposition both from within and without, but standing shoulder to shoulder with them was the presence of the Lord.
3. Sometimes we forget that.
4. I think of what David cried as he stood before the towering Goliath, with five tiddly stones in his hand, “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.” (1Sam 17:46-47)
5. Whether we are staring up the nostrils of a giant or in awe of a great mountain before us, whether we are battling or building the message ios the same, the Lord is with us, and buy His Spirit we can do what needs to be done.
Conclusion: You see He is the God that turns mountains into molehills – vs 7.
Someday, when we look back, and see what our lives have accomplished, I mean really see it, see it as God seen it and realise that many times we were enabled to do things not only to our power, but beyond our power we too will cry our “Grace, grace… Lord it was all of you! You gave the increase, you conquered the giant, you flattened the mountain, and we, by your Spirit were enabled to finish the job.
Maybe this morning you are facing a giant in your life, a mountain that needs climbed. There is something that is overwhelming you, daunting, frightening you. It seems like some great thing. Too much for you to handle. It is… without God’s help, without his Spirit. You need to know His power in your life.
Maybe you are looking at your service for Christ and thinking, it’s not much, nothing much to offer, not worthy, it’s just a small thing. Oh don’t despise it, understand God’s purpose and how He revels in blessing and using small things.
And whatever happens, remember His presence. He is with us. Standing in our midst. Standing shoulder to shoulder with you to see the job done. So let’s not back down, roll over or quit, but let us like Zerubbabel rise up, face the challenge and do what needs to be done.
