Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—December 2024

East Tallassee Church of Christ

December 21, Zechariah 4

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." - Zechariah 4:6

It seems that God gave Zechariah all eight visions he recorded in this prophecy in a single night. These were not dreams. When Zechariah was asleep, the angel returned and woke him up to see this fourth vision of the lamp stands and the olive trees.

Zechariah was able to recognize and tell the angel what he saw, but he did not know what it meant. With the "light" (pun intended) cast by other Bible passages, we can understand and appreciate what the vision meant. There’s a blessing for us in the message and its meaning.

From Exodus through Revelation, the Bible uses the metaphor of light to express the influencing presence of God and his word for his people. God himself is light and thus the source of the illuminating power of his word. His people are guided by that light, and reflect the glory of it. The people of God are both enlightened and light-bearers. The life-changing power of God's word shines to them and through them to others.

God gave Zechariah the meaning of the vision as a message to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD." The task to rebuild the temple was no small one. Zerubbabel and the people he led needed to remember that the secret of their success was not in them or their resources, but in God. Israel's history illustrated the concept perfectly. When they trusted God, they were invincible. They won battles against foes they could never have beaten by their own power. In the same way, Zerubbabel and his helpers could and would complete the rebuilding project. When the top stone was put in place and the project was done, they would know and acknowledge that they did it by God's grace. That reminds me of Paul saying he worked harder than all the others. But he quickly added that it was not him, but the grace of God working in him that energized him and produced the results.

Think how important it is for us to know and believe the message of that vision as we live our lives and face our own "mountains" of obstacles and difficulties. Jesus told the disciples that there was mountain-moving power in their faith. Our struggles humble us to acknowledge we need help. When we succeed, we cannot boast of our victories. When we know the secret of enabling grace, we will stay humble and give all the glory to God.

Zerubbabel would finish the project. The completion would authenticate Zechariah's message as a true revelation from God. But the principle God taught the governor and his people goes far beyond their long-ago situation.

The olive trees supplied the oil to the lamps. The trees here and in the similar vision in Revelation do not stand for the Levitical priest and the monarchy. Sadly, those institutions failed in their responsibility to be light to guide God's people. I do not believe the olive trees are Zerubbbel and Joshua or any other pair of humans. They could not be the true source of the light. Like the two witnesses in Revelation, they bore witness to the people. Like John the Baptist, they were not the light, but they bore witness to the light. What God gave Israel through the Law of Moses he has now given us in a far more glorious way through the Gospel of Christ. We are not sequestered in a closed in place like the menorah was in the tabernacle. As Jesus said, we are supposed to be the light of the world. The word of God and the church faithfully declaring that word are the sources of true enlightenment for our dark world today.

Let's finish closer to home for ourselves. How would this concept help us face our days, our lives, our struggles? We could win without becoming proud. We could fight and win our battles with temptations. We can find courage to do what God has called us to do, and do it all with humility when we realize and remember this important truth: It's not by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit within us that we succeed.

Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.