The Power And The Plumb Line

The Power and the Plumb Line

Zechariah 4:1-10

Good morning,

Lincoln Log Masters is a reality show about building log cabins.

The show details the process of building log homes and shares some terms about the tools used to build those homes.

The show also addresses the risks associated with tools, such as chainsaws and heavy machinery.

? What if we lived in the 1800s and had to construct a home without power tools or modern conveniences?

Building without power tools might be fun as a hobby, but it is much better to have power tools, laser levels, and modern conveniences if we want to be proficient during building.

Please open your Bibles to Zechariah 4 as we take a one-week break from our survey through the Psalms.

Go to the Gospel of Matthew and back up two books and you will find Zechariah in the Old Testament.

Allow me to set a backdrop for the Book of Zechariah.

Throughout Israel’s history, they rebelled against the LORD and at different times, the LORD corrected them in various ways.

King Josiah’s father and grandfather were both wicked Kings of Judah.

Josiah was a godly king, who became king at eight years old. Josiah was known for rediscovering the Law of the LORD.

But once Josiah died, the people of Israel went back to their old ways of worshiping idols and disobeying the Lord.

So finally, the LORD sent judgment through Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Babylon conquered Judah as prophesied beforehand, and the people were exiled to Babylon for 70 years.

Jeremiah and Isaiah were prophets who foretold of the coming captivity before the fall of Jerusalem, and the books of Ezekiel and Daniel were written while the Jews were in captivity.

The Book of Ezra tells of the return of the Jews which was promised by the LORD, after Judah spent 70 years in captivity, that was prophesied by Jeremiah and Isaiah.

The Book of Nehemiah tells of the return and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple after the captivity was over.

In Zechariah many of the Jewish people began to believe that this time was a “day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10) and that the LORD was not a present help.

These people began to think that obedience to the LORD’s commands was now useless, as they began to think it made more sense to forget God and pursue a life of their own desires.

Originally the LORD called Israel to be a light to the nations, but they failed miserably in their calling.

Even with this failure the LORD was not done helping them fulfill their destiny.

I. Time to wake up.

Read Zechariah 4:1

The people who returned were not prepared for what they found.

We tend to remember the good old days and the former glory of a place that may or may not be an accurate recollection.

If you know the history of this time, you will remember that King Cyrus of Persia had allowed 50,000 Jews to return from exile in Babylon to rebuild the city and the Temple.

Those who returned to Jerusalem witnessed a desolation they never could have imagined.

The destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar was so great that all they could do was cover the rubble and the waste of the past and start building anew on top of it.

The foundation for a new Temple was formed shortly after the initial return, but many powerful people began to oppose the rebuilding of the Temple and harass those who were building it.

Twenty years after returning to the land, some had become discouraged. Because of the harassment, many people lost the vision and desire to continue to rebuild the city and the Temple.

The prophets Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries.

In Haggai, some of the people who went back into the land were disillusioned because they saw the foundation of the new Temple and began to miss the glory of the old Temple.

Haggai 2:3 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?

Haggai 2:4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the LORD; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the LORD, 'and work; for I am with you,' says the LORD of hosts.

Haggai 2:5 'According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!'

Haggai 2:6 "For thus says the LORD of hosts:' Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;

Haggai 2:7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts.