Today, we have the privilege of entering into perhaps the most mysterious of all of Zechariah's visions. It's a passage where I feel like God opened it up to me in stages, and at each stage, I felt these bursts of pleasure and happiness. This is also a passage with rich symbolism-- but it's a symbolism that's often understood in directions that, quite frankly, seem impossible. What the passage seems to teach is troublesome theologically. People (=scholars) are bothered by it, and they tend to push back on it in a subtle, sophisticated way. The end result of their work tends to be something that we feel like we can accept, but it also perhaps feels just a little off. Or like something is missing.
This vision is loaded with symbolism, and I think the key to unlocking it, is to let the vision play out at its own pace, and not jump ahead, or jump around. Basically, we won't understand large parts of the vision until the very last verse, Zechariah 4:14. So I'm going to teach this vision in a way that some people find incredibly annoying, and I apologize in advance for that. I'm going to teach it in a way that leaves things unexplained, and then I'm going to try to pull it all together and simplify it at the end. As we read, we will be like patient detectives, looking for clues. Along the way, we will find one red herring, but we will resist the urge to zero in on the wrong thing.
Let's dive in. Zechariah 4:1:
(1) and the angel speaking with me returned,
and he roused me, like a man who is roused from his sleep,
Our friendly interpreting angel reenters Zechariah's life. The angel "rouses" him, and Zechariah compares this rousing, to that experience you get when someone shakes you awake. Like, you have a teen girl who seemingly can sleep until 10 am every day, but stuff actually has to get done. So you "rouse them."
What Zechariah is saying here, isn't that he was asleep, and the angel woke him up, so he could enter into a vision. And we aren't even told here that this happens at night (with *Meyers and Meyers). But when Zechariah struggles to find words to talk about what the angel did, that's the closest example he can give. What the angel did, is "like" what a parent does to his teenage daughter. The experience is similar. So I picture Zechariah going through his day, happily minding his own business, when an angel rouses him from a normal, earth-centered life, and shifts him back into the realm of spiritual realities. He's entered back in to the vision world. And so we find ourselves having to make this same journey. It's no longer an ordinary Sunday, seeing ordinary things. We prepare ourselves for a very different reality.
Verse 2-3:
(2) and he said to me,
"What [are] you seeing,"
and I said,
"I saw,
and LOOK! A lampstand of solid gold!,
and a bowl upon its top,
and seven lamps upon it-- seven--
and seven channels/pipes to the lamps that are on its top,
(3) and two olive trees over it, [Exodus 27:20!]--
one on the right side of the bowl, and one on its left--
What Zechariah sees, basically, are three things: (1) there's a really complicated lamp, and (2) there are olive trees on each side of the lamp that feed it. In ancient times, olive oil wasn't just something you'd use in food. It was also a fuel source. And this particular lamp resembles the lamp that was found in the tabernacle-- the tent-- where God could be found among his people. Let's read from Exodus 27:20:
"You shall command the children of Israel,
and/that they shall take to you olive oil, pure and beaten, for the light, to burn/light the lamp continually."
So in the tabernacle there was this one lamp, and this lamp was a symbol of God's presence, and God's help. It was to be constantly lit, because God was always there, and always awake, and always ready to help.
Now, the thing with old-fashioned oil-burning lamps, is that they have to be constantly refilled. It's not like electricity, where power is magically supplied as long as the switch stays on, through some really hard working people that we never think about until something bad happens. Oil lamps need a steady supply of oil, and they need someone to pour that oil.
The lamp that Zechariah sees is different. We have this sense that it's a lamp you'd find in God's temple, or tabernacle. It's pure gold, like those lamps are. Which means the lamp is indoors, inside the temple. But this lamp has mature, fruitful olive trees on either side of the lamp, and through a complicated system of bowl and pipes, oil constantly flows from the trees to the lamp. [Ideally, I'd use props here-- two indoor tree plants, with cardboard wrapping paper tubes taped to a lamp in the middle. Something really classy.]
My guess is that this lamp, made of solid gold, with beautiful trees, looked a lot cooler than my prop. But can you all sort of picture this in your head?
And do you understand the symbolism of what you're seeing?
Verse 4:
(4) and I responded,
and I said to the angel speaking with me, saying,
"What [are] these, my lord?,"
(5) and the angel speaking with me responded,
and he said to me,
"Don't you know what these ones are?,"
and I said,
"No, my lord,"
It's with a sense of relief that we find Zechariah's in the same boat as us. He sees this image of two olive trees feeding this lamp, and he's like, "Help?" Zechariah can list the three things. He knows he's seeing a complicated lamp and two olive trees. But he knows there's a symbolism going on here-- there's something to learn. And he's just clueless. So he asks for help. What is an interpreting angel for, if not to interpret, right?
The angel's like, "Wait. You don't understand?" Nope.
So at this point, we'd expect the interpreting angel to interpret the vision. And that's how verse 6 starts, to our great relief. But what the interpreting angel says, seems to have nothing to do with the lamp or the trees. Let's read verses 6-10:
(6) and he responded,
and he spoke to me, saying,
"This [is] the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying,
'Not by might, and not by power, but only by my Spirit, said Yahweh of Armies.
(7) What [are] you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel, into level ground!,
and/that he will bring out the top stone, ["top" also in verse 2, 2x], [with] shouts of grace/favor, grace/favor to it,"
(8) and the Word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
(9) "The hands of Zerubbabel laid the foundation to this house,
and his hands will finish it,
and/that you will/may know/acknowledge that Yahweh of Armies sent me to you (plural).
(10) Surely, whoever has despised the day of small things will rejoice,
and they will see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
These seven [things/objects] [are] the eyes of Yahweh-- they [are] roaming through all the earth," [2 Chronicles 16:9!]
So, Zechariah had asked the interpreting angel to explain the symbolic meaning of what he was seeing. The angel said he'd do so, but it's only in the last two lines of verse 10 that it looks like the angel is answering.
What we have, instead, is a seemingly huge shift. God gives a prophetic word to Zerubbabel, who is a new character in our story. Persia is the superpower that controls everything right now. And Persia sent Zerubbabel to be governor over the province of Yehud-- which includes Jerusalem, and Judah. Zerubbel is the political leader of sorts-- but he's working in service to both Persia, and to the Jewish people, and to God. He's the one in charge of restoring Jerusalem. And we see here, that he's the one who has been in charge of rebuilding God's house, the temple. He's the one who started this rebuilding-- he laid the first stone. And he's promised that he will finish the job. He will get to put the last stone in place on top. And when everything's finished, he will get to be the one who uses the plumb line-- a plumb line is a cord, weighted by tin (the Hebrew word means "tin"), which you'd suspend from the top of a building, to make sure that it's walls are straight, and aligned correctly. Basically, you built this big, beautiful wall, but it's only when it's measured by the plumb line that you know if what you have is acceptable, or if it has to be torn down, and rebuilt.
When we hear this oracle, we have this sense that this is a project that's been difficult. In verse 7, we see that there are mountains-- obstacles-- that are in Zerubabbel's way. In verse 10, we see that there is a group of people who are not at all impressed by the progress. These people despise the day of little things-- the days of uneven, slow progress. The days when you look back at what you accomplished, and it's like, "We added a foot to the height of the wall today. We cleared out the debris from one small corner." When we were kids, we'd almost always ask my dad a question when he got home at the end of the day: "How was work?" More often than not, he'd say, "It was productive." He'd gotten stuff done. His time had been well-spent. Many people felt like Zerubbel wasn't particularly productive. It's perhaps a bit like the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota. It was a time of slow progress, and little things.
But Zerubabbel is promised that this slow, uneven progress would ultimately be successful. The day would come, when he would finish the job. And everyone who despised this whole process all the way along-- who no doubt complained, and had bad attitudes, and mocked, and wondered whether all the time and effort was worth it-- the cynics, and the doubters, and the skeptics-- those are the people who would find themselves rejoicing. And when you make those type of people happy, you know you've accomplished a great thing.
What will make all of this possible? In verse 6, we have perhaps the most famous line in the whole book:
'Not by might, and not by power, but only by my Spirit, said Yahweh of Armies.
Zerubbabel is given an encouragement, that this great task he's working on doesn't depend on him. It's not going to depend on his might, or his power. He is empowered through the Holy Spirit, like the heroes of old, to do the impossible.
It would be easy to take this phrase-- "not by might, and not by power, but only by my Spirit"-- as a cautionary note to us. Like we have to be reminded that our ultimate success doesn't depend on intelligence, or power, or careful planning.
But with rare exception, God's servants in positions of leadership and authority struggle, and wrestle, with a constant awareness of their own shortcomings and inadequacy.
When someone points out to a pastor, or elders, that something could've been done better, they aren't shocked. It's not news to them that something could've been handled better-- with more tact, or more love. It's no surprise that something could've been taught more clearly, using some brilliant illustration. It's no surprise to find out that they were wrong about something.
The leaders of God's people almost always feel the weight of their calling, and the limits of their own strength, experience, and talent. I expect that Zechariah understood this, and felt this. There were very real, big obstacles blocking his path. There was no guarantee that he'd finish his task, and make Persia, or his own people, or God, happy.
So I think we can take these words as a warning, and there are perhaps a few people who need to hear them as a warning. But this is not a warning. This is an encouragement-- you will be successful, because you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do this huge job (Acts 1:7-8).
All of that is the easy part of this passage to understand, and preach on. But that still leaves us, and Zechariah, with questions. What does any of this have to do with the two olive trees, and the complicated lampstand, with its seven lights?
Let's reread the last two lines of verse 10:
These seven [things/objects] [are] the eyes of Yahweh-- they [are] roaming through all the earth," [2 Chronicles 16:9!]
The lamp, with its seven lights, represents what? Scholars often base their understanding of the lamp's symbolic meaning on Leviticus 24. They want to say that the lights are a symbol of God's presence. But we're told, in verse 10, what they symbolize. They are the eyes of Yahweh, which roam throughout the earth.
We perhaps find ourselves with weird, confusing images in our head. God has eyes, and those eyes roam back and forth across the earth.
The key to understanding this language is in 2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (in this case, being a good detective means chasing the meaning of this phrase, "the eyes of Yahweh are roaming the earth"). The king of Judah, King Asa, found himself in a difficult situation. A king came against him, waging war. And things weren't looking so good for King Asa. Asa responded to this, not by seeking God's help, but by seeking help from a nearby king. Asa's plan seemed to have been smart. The king withdrew. But God wasn't pleased. So God sent a prophet-- who is called a "seer"-- with a word to King Asa. That's the background, let's read 2 Chronicles 16:7-10:
(7) and at that time, Hanani the seer came to Asa King of Judah,
and he said to him,
"Since you leaned upon the king of Aram, and you didn't lean upon Yahweh your God/Elohim-- for this reason, it has escaped-- the army of the king of Aram-- from your hand!
(8) Weren't the Cushites and the Libyans an army, with multitudes, with chariots and with horsemen in huge numbers?,
and since you leaned upon Yahweh, He gave them into your hand?
(9) because Yahweh-- his eyes [are] roaming through all the earth,
to strengthen [the ones] with their hearts fully devoted to him.
You have been foolish this,
because from now on, there will be with you wars,"
(10) and Asa was angry with the seer,
and he put him in prison,
because [he was] in a rage with him over this,
and Asa oppressed some of his people at that time.
We see the same language in 2 Chronicles 16, that we do in Zechariah 4. The eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth. What does this mean? To what end?
It's not like God just keeps on an eye on everything, like we might watch the news to keep up on current events. When Yahweh's eyes roam back and forth across the earth, it's for a specific reason. Verse 8: To strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to God.
When I was a lifeguard in high school, we learned to constantly sweep our eyes back and forth across a pool, paying closest attention actually to the swimmers directly in front of us. We were told that the easiest place to miss people, was right in front of you. But lifeguards' eyes are constantly roaming back and forth, looking to help and rescue the people in their care. You're in their water, their pool. And they are watching out for you.
God is a bit like a lifeguard. His eyes are constantly roaming across the earth. But who is looking out for? It's not everybody. The promise of 2 Chronicles 16:9 is that God is constantly watching out for people whose hearts are fully committed to him. He's looking to help those people-- to strengthen those people. King Asa could've been that kind of person, receiving that kind of help from God. But he blew it-- a sobering story, if there was ever one. But we see here, the significance of this language about God's eyes. God's eyes are connected to his help.
So let's bring this back to the last two lines of Zechariah 4:10. The lamp is a symbol of God's watchfulness, and care, for his people. It's not that God simply sees what's going on, and is aware. God sees, to help. God's watchfulness, is like that of a lifeguard. There's a point to him looking.
We still have questions, right? We don't understand the olive trees. We don't understand what any of this has to do with Zerubbabel, or the temple being rebuilt. But we are like detectives, and we hold up our clue with a sense of delight. The lamp is a symbol of God's watchfulness for his own people (and we resisted the urge to chase the Leviticus 24 red herring, and conclude that the lamp is a symbol of God's presence).
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I'm going to choose to not unpack this, but I'm skipping over something really cool:
When we look carefully at verses 6-10, we see that it breaks up into two sections. In verses 6-7, the interpreting angel speaks to Zechariah. In verses 8-10, we read that the Word of Yahweh came to Zerubbabel. I think, following the path taken by Michael Heiser in the Unseen Realm, that at least some of the times that we find this language about the "Word of Yahweh" coming to people, that this is talking about Jesus showing up to someone, taking on human form, being indistinguishable from humans. In Genesis 15:4-5, the Word of Yahweh reassures Abram that God will fulfill his promises, by taking Abram outside. How can a disembodied voice from heaven, take Abram outside? It makes more sense that there is someone there. So I think in Zechariah 4, Jesus shows up at Zechariah's door with a prophetic word. So here, again, is verses 8-9:
(8) and the Word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
(9) "The hands of Zerubbabel laid the foundation to this house,
and his hands will finish it,
and/that you will/may know/acknowledge that Yahweh of Armies sent me to you (plural).
The section is a little tricky, and feels slightly awkward. But I think the Word is saying, "When Zerubbabel finishes the temple, you (plural) will know that Yahweh sent me, the Word of Yahweh, to you. I don't think this is Zechariah saying, "On that day you will know that God sent me, the prophet, to you."
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In verse 11, Zechariah reminds the interpreting angel that he still has unanswered questions. There are still things that he, and we, need help figuring out. Let's read all the way through:
(11) and I responded,
and I said to him,
"What [are] these two olive trees at the right of the lamp, and at its left?,"
(12) and I responded a second time,
and I said to him,
"What [are] the two branches [different word than last week] of the olive trees that [are] on the side of the two gold pipes/channels-- the ones pouring out from them the gold[en] oil?,
(13) and he spoke to me, saying,
"Don't you know what these [things] are?,"
and I said,
"I don't, my lord,"
(14) and he said,
"These [are] the two sons of oil standing over/upon the Lord of all the earth."
In verse 14, the interpreting angel comes through for Zechariah, and for us, and gives us our second clue. The longer you stare at these verses, the more confusing they will get. I'm fuzzy on parts of it (and there are several theories, and different pictures, that try to give a clear image to what the complicated Hebrew is describing). But the two olive trees, with their two branches leading to the lamp (and I officially will need a prop, for this to make sense), are symbols for the two sons of oil. There are two people, who are called "sons of oil."
English Bibles often translate this phrase, "sons of oil," as "anointed ones." It's not the normal word for "anointing." It's "sons of oil." So the idea here isn't that these two have oil put on them. The idea, is that they are a source of oil for the lamp. Oil doesn't flow on to them. Oil flows from them, to the lamp. Oil here is a fuel source. We'd use kerosene, or electricity. In the OT, they used oil.
Everyone (=scholars) are in total agreement here that these two people, are the two main characters from chapter 3 and chapter 4. One tree is the high priest, Joshua. The other tree is Zerubbabel, the governor.
These two people are an endless supply of oil to Yahweh's eyes.
So like good detectives, we've identified all the clues. We're left with a vision, whose main parts are all identified.
Have we solved the mystery?
Or are we still confused?
Let's think about God's eyes, as being his watchfulness, and attention, and his loving help. God is looking out for his people.
All of that is fueled by Joshua and Zerubabbel.
Up to this point in Zechariah, we've seen that God cares deeply for his people. God has this plan to bless them, to make them prosperous. He has this plan to live among them in this new temple. God's people have returned to God (Zechariah 1:1-6), and this is what it looks like, when God returns to you.
God's plan for his returned people, is empowered by Joshua and Zerubabbel. The temple will be rebuilt by Zerubabbel. And Joshua will be the high priest, who brings God and his people together. The priest is the pivot point, for the people's forgiveness, and prayers, and worship, and service.
It's through these two that God will pour out his blessings on his people. They are the channels of God's grace. And they do this, not on their own strength, or might. They do this, as they in turn are empowered by the Holy Spirit-- as they work in partnership with the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Most of what God does in this world, Like Joshua and Zerubabbel, we are the Spirit-empowered channels of God's grace. It's usually through us, that God offers his help. When people get sick, we pray for them, laying hands on them. When people are hurting financially, we lend them money. When disaster strikes, we are the ones with chainsaws, and pickups, and generators. When loved ones die, we are the ones who bring meals. We are the ones who sit in listen, if that's what they want, while they grieve. When people are lost, and far from God, we are the ones who share the good news about Jesus, and God's kingdom. When people are caught in sin, we are the ones who call them back to God (James 5:19-20). Our success in this doesn't depend on our might, or strength, or intelligence, or talents. We are all aware of our inadequacy-- we are not up to this high calling God has put on us. But we are a people who seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is power available, and we are a people who ask God to give his Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), to equip us, and empower us, for service. This doesn't mean that we do nothing. We don't "let go, and let God." But if we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we become a people who are far more capable. We find we have deeper reserves of strength than we'd expect, that we make better decisions. We find that we surprise ourselves by our own tact, and love, and thoughtfulness. Before us, through the Holy Spirit, mountains become plains. So think of yourselves as being channels, or pipes, of God's grace ("grace," Zechariah 4:7). It's through each of you, that God shows his kindness, and his love, and his care. A high and lofting calling. But it's not by might, and not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.
Translation:
(1) and the angel speaking with me returned,
and he roused me, like a man who is roused from his sleep,
(2) and he said to me,
"What [are] you seeing,"
and I said,
"I saw,
and LOOK! A lampstand of solid gold!,
and a bowl upon its top,
and seven lamps upon it-- seven--,
and seven channels/pipes to the lamps that are on its top,
(3) and two olive trees over it, [Exodus 27:20!]--
one on the right side of the bowl, and one on its left--
(4) and I responded,
and I said to the angel speaking with me, saying,
"What [are] these, my lord?,"
(5) and the angel speaking with me responded,
and he said to me,
"Don't you know what these ones are?,"
and I said,
"No, my lord,"
(6) and he responded,
and he spoke to me, saying,
"This [is] the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying,
'Not by might, and not by power, but only by my Spirit, said Yahweh of Armies.
(7) What [are] you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel, into level ground!,
and/that he will bring out the top stone, ["top" also in verse 2, 2x], [with] shouts of grace/favor, grace/favor to it,"
(8) and the Word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
(9) "The hands of Zerubbabel laid the foundation to this house,
and his hands will finish it,
and/that you will/may know/acknowledge that Yahweh of Armies sent me to you (plural).
(10) Surely, whoever has despised the day of small things will rejoice,
and they will see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
These seven [things/objects] [are] the eyes of Yahweh-- they [are] roaming through all the earth," [2 Chronicles 16:9!]
(11) and I responded,
and I said to him,
"What [are] these two olive trees at the right of the lamp, and at its left?,"
(12) and I responded a second time,
and I said to him,
"What [are] the two branches [different word than last week] of the olive trees that [are] on the side of the two gold pipes/channels-- the ones pouring out from them the gold[en] oil?,
(13) and he spoke to me, saying,
"Don't you know what these [things] are?,"
and I said,
"I don't, my lord,"
(14) and he said,
"These [are] the two sons of oil standing over/upon the Lord of all the earth."
