The Visions of Zechariah -
Part 2
Zechariah 3:1 – 4:14
The vision of
the surveyor gave assurances of the reestablishing of the Jewish
nation.
The Vision
of Joshua the High Priest (3:1-10).
The angel that
talked with Zechariah showed him Joshua the high priest. It is
possible Zechariah saw Joshua many times, spoke to him, and there
was a close friendship between Zechariah and Joshua, but Zechariah
only saw how Joshua appeared before men. If Zechariah is to know how
Joshua stands before the Lord, he must see him standing before the
Lord.
In this vision,
Satan is standing at Joshua’s right hand as the prosecutor, or
witness stands at the right hand of the prisoner. Satan being an
unfaithful servant accuses Joshua. There are those who believe Satan
has brought the charge of unfaithfulness against Joshua because the
priests under his authority were marrying foreign women (Ezra 9:1,
2; Nehemiah 3:28). When God is about to reestablish the priesthood
Satan brings a charge against the high priest that would render him
unworthy of the honor bestowed upon him.
It is by our own
foolishness that we give Satan advantage against us and furnish him
with matters for reproach and accusation. If there is, any fault
found in us, Satan uses it against us in the complaints he files
against us. In this vision, Satan stood before the Lord with Joshua
to oppose the service Joshua was doing for the public good. He stood
at Joshua’s right hand, the hand of action, to discourage Joshua and
place obstacles in his way.
When we are
fulfilling our call to serve the Lord we must expect to meet with
all the resistance that Satan’s subtlety and malice can give us. We
must resist him that resists us in the performance of our duty and
he will flee from us. We must never let the obstacles placed in our
paths discourage us or turn us away from the course the Lord has set
for us.
In verse two, a
victorious defense:
Verse two - “The
Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan!’ Indeed the Lord
who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked
from the fire?’”
The One who has
authority over him silences Satan. His indictment quashed, and his
charge against Joshua declared malicious and frivolous. Those that
belong to Christ He vigorously defend them when Satan viciously
attacks them. He does not plea bargain with Satan but shuts his
mouth immediately with this sharp reprimand, “The Lord rebuke you,
Satan.” This is the best way to deal with a furious enemy.
The Lord lets
Satan know his charge against Joshua will be fruitless; it will
serve no purpose to attempt any thing against Jerusalem or His
chosen high priest. He has chosen Jerusalem to be His dwelling place
and Joshua to be the head servant in His house and He will abide by
his choice. The Lord said Joshua is a “brand plucked from the fire,”
delivered out of the fire of captivity that God might be glorified
and He will not cast him off or abandon him. A converted soul is a
brand plucked out of the fire by a miracle of free grace and not
left to be a prey to Satan.
Joshua appears
before the Lord as one polluted. He was clothed in garments that
were not fitting of his office and the sanctity of his work. By the
Law of Moses, the garments of the high priest were to be “for glory
and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2), Joshua’s garments were a shame and
reproach to him. He had no clean linen wherein to minister and to do
the duty of his office. This conveys the idea that the priesthood
was not only poor, despised, and loaded with contempt, but that
there was a great deal of iniquity cleaving to the holy things.
The returned
Jews thought they did not need to confess their sins, and were not
aware that they were hindrances of the progress of the Lord’s work
among them. Because they had turned from idolatry, they thought they
were no longer chargeable with iniquity. God showed them there were
many things wrong in them, which hindered the bestowing of the
Lord’s favor towards them. Their sins were spiritual enemies warring
against them and more dangerous than any of the neighboring
nations.
Joshua had sons
who married foreign women (Ezra 10:18). Though his children did not
do as they should, yet the covenant of priesthood was not broken.
Christ bears
with his people, whose hearts are right with Him, and admits them
into communion with Himself, notwithstanding their many infirmities.
The Lord gave orders to the angels that attended Him, and were ready
to do His pleasure, to put Joshua into a better state. Joshua
presented himself before the Lord in his filthy garments and the
Lord graciously looked upon him with compassion, and not as He might
have justly done. Although He loathed the filthiness of Joshua’s
garments, yet the Lord did not put him away, but put them away. This
is what the Lord by His grace does with those whom He chooses to be
priests to Himself. He parts them from their sins and this prevents
their sins from parting them from their Lord. He reconciles Himself
to the sinner, but not to the sin.
Two things
happened, representing a double work of divine grace wrought in and
for believers, filthy garments taken from him and clean garments
given to him.
His guilt taken
away by pardoning mercy, the stench and stain of it by peace spoken
to the conscience, and the power of it broken by renewing grace.
When the Lord forgives our sins, He causes our iniquity to pass from
us, that it may not appear against us, to condemn us; it passes from
us as far as the east is from the west. When He sanctifies the
nature, He enables us to put off the old man. He cast away from us
the filthy rags of our corrupt affections and lusts, as things we
will never have any thing more to do with or appear in us. Christ
washes away our sins in His own blood.
Cleansed from
the pollution of sin, clothed in clean garments, Joshua has not only
the shame of his filthiness removed, but also the shame of his
nakedness covered. Joshua had no clean linen of his own, but Christ
provided for him clean garments, because He will not let a
priesthood of His own instituting be lost, contemptible before men
or unacceptable before God. The change of raiment is rich costly
raiment, such as worn on high days. Joshua shall appear as lovely as
he appeared loathsome.
Those that
minister in holy things shall not only cease to do evil, but also
learn to do well. The Lord will make them wise, and humble,
diligent, and faithful, and examples of every thing that is good.
Those whom Christ makes spiritual priests are clothed with the
spotless robe of His righteousness and appear before God in them,
and with the graces of His Spirit, which are ornaments to them. The
righteousness of the saints, both imputed and implanted, is the fine
linen, clean and white, with which the bride of the Lamb’s wife, is
arrayed (Revelation 19:8).
Joshua not only
has his sins pardoned, and is furnished with grace sufficient for
himself, but acquitted in the Lord’s court and restored to his
former honors and trusts. The crown of the priesthood put upon him.
Now that he looks clean, let him also look great; let him be dressed
up in all the garments of the high priest.
When the Lord
plans the restoring or reviving of religion He stirs up his prophets
and people to pray for it, and does it in answer to their prayers.
Zechariah prayed that the angels might set the turban on Joshua’s
head, and they did it immediately, and clothed Joshua with the
priestly garments while the angel of the Lord stood by overseeing
the work of the angels. He stood by, as one well pleased with what
He has done.
The angel of the
Lord “admonished Joshua saying," (v.6):
The angel of the
Lord told Joshua if he would do the duty of his office, he would
enjoy the dignity and reward of the office. The Lord of hosts put
Joshua on notice. He must live a good life and be holy in all manner
of conversation; he must go before the people in the paths of God’s
commandments, and walk circumspectly. He must keep the Lord’s charge
and carefully do all the services of the priesthood. He must see to
it that the inferior priests perform their duties.
What the Lord
has done for Joshua and his fellow priests, as the prophet and his
children (Isaiah 8:18), are a shadow of the coming of Messiah, for
signs and for wonders will cease when the Messiah comes. The promise
itself is for the comfort and encouragement of Joshua and his
friends in the work of building the temple, which they now engaged
in. The promise relating to the coming of the Messiah and His
kingdom would be an encouragement in the difficulties they will
encounter in the building temple and their other services.
The Messiah is
God’s servant, employed in His work, obedient to His will, and
entirely devoted to His honor and glory. He is the branch of the
Lord (Isaiah 11:1), a branch out of the roots of Jesse (Jeremiah
23:5), a righteous branch (Jeremiah 23:15). His beginning will be as
a tender branch, but in time, He should become a great tree and fill
the earth (Isaiah 53:2). He is the stone laid before Joshua.
The stone laid
before Joshua is a reference to the foundation or chief corner
stone, of the temple laid, with great solemnity, in the presence of
Joshua. Christ is not only the branch, which is the beginning of a
tree, but also the foundation, which is the beginning of a building;
and seven eyes shall be upon Him, the eye of the Father, to take
care of Him, and protect Him, especially in his sufferings. The eyes
of heaven shall be on Him when they place Him in a tomb out of men’s
sight, but not out of the Lord’s. The eyes of all the prophets and
Old Testament saints were upon this one stone, Abraham rejoiced to
see Christ’s day, and he saw it and was glad. The eyes of all
believers are upon him as the eyes of the stung Israelites were upon
the brazen serpent.
There are
scholars who believe this stone that is to have seven eyes in it as
the wheels had in Ezekiel’s vision denotes the perfection of wisdom
and knowledge which Jesus Christ was endued with, for the good of
His church. God Himself will beautify him, and put honor upon him.
This stone the builders refused, as rough and unsightly God
smoothes, polish and forms so that it shall be the head stone of the
corner, the most beautiful in all the building. Christ was God’s
workmanship and the abundance of His wisdom appears in our
redemption.
This stone is a
precious stone, though used for a foundation. The engraving of it
seems to refer to the precious stones in the breastplate of the high
priest, which had the names of the tribes, engraved upon them
(Exodus 28:21-22). In that breastplate, there were twelve stones
laid before Aaron, but there shall be one worth more them all the
stones laid before Joshua, and that is Christ himself. This precious
stone shall sparkle as if it had seven eyes.
God will entrust
Christ with all His elect, He shall appear as their representative,
and agent for them, as the high priest did when he went in before
the Lord with the names of all Israel engraved in the precious
stones of his breastplate. When the high priest had the names of
Israel engraved on the precious stones, he bore the iniquity of the
land, as a type of Christ. However, he could not take away the
iniquity of the land only Christ, the blessed Lamb of God, that
takes away the sin of the world and He did it when He suffered and
died on a Roman cross. The Lamb of God accomplished what no
sacrifices of ages before on all the days of atonement could
accomplish.
There are other
scholars who believe the engravings signify the wounds and stripes
that Christ underwent for our transgression and iniquity, by which
we are healed. When our iniquity is taken away, we reap precious
benefits and privileges from our justification, more precious than
the products of the vine or the fig tree (Romans 5:1). We rest in a
sweet tranquility freed from the fear of evil. We live as Israel in
the peaceable reign of Solomon (1 King 4:24-25) for he is the prince
of peace. We ought to invite others to come to partake with us in
the enjoyment of these privileges, to come and sit with us for
mutual conversation under the vine and fig tree, and to share with
them the fruits the Lord has provided.
In there present
situation the Israelites did not think they could rebuild the temple
and replenish the city of Jerusalem. The purpose of the vision of
the golden lamp stand is to show the people that the Lord by His own
power would complete the rebuilding and replenishing of Jerusalem
though the assistance given to the project by its friends even
though they were weak and the resistance to the project even through
it is very strong.
The vision
begins with an awakening of Zechariah. It seems, though he was in
conference with an angel about matters of great and public concern
Zechariah became tired and fell asleep. It is also possible the
angel let Zechariah rest for a while so that he might be fresh and
able to receive new discoveries.
In our service
for the Lord, there are times when we need to take a break. There
are times when we grow weary. The spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak. It is in times like these we need the Holy Spirit to come and
awaken us. We need Him to renew us.
The Golden
Lampstand:
The angel asked
Zechariah, “What do you see?" He said, "I see a lamp stand all of
gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with
seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of
it; also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl
and the other on its left side.”
When Zechariah
awakened, he saw a golden lampstand, like the one in the temple the
Babylonians destroyed and will stand in the rebuilt temple. Today,
the church is as a lampstand set up for the enlightening of this
dark world and bring forth the light of divine revelation to the
world. The gold denotes the great worth and excellence of the
church. This golden lamp stand has seven lamps branching out from it
and each was a burning and shining light.
Although the
Israelites were in captivity, they had synagogues where they
gathered to hear the reading of the law. In the sight of the Lord,
they belonged to one lampstand. Under the law of grace, Christ is
the center of unity, and not Jerusalem, or any one place. The
apostle John saw Him standing in the middle of seven golden
lampstands that represented seven particular churches and in His
right hand He held seven stars and out of His mouth came a sharp
two-edged sword (Revelation 1:12-16).
The lampstand
Zechariah saw represents what the apostle John saw when he was in
exile on the isle of Patmos. The lampstand Zechariah saw had one
bowl or common receiver on the top of it into which oil was
continually dropping into the lamps. They were always kept burning
without any care or attendance of man.
In verse three,
Zechariah tells us, he saw two olive trees, one on each side of the
lampstand. They were so fruitful that of their own accord they
continually poured oil into the bowl, which by two larger pipes (v.
12) dispersed the oil into the bowl and from the bowl the oil was
dispersed to the lamps, so that nobody needed to attend this
lampstand or furnish it with oil.
The purpose of
this vision of the golden lampstand is to show the Lord can easily
and often does accomplish His gracious purposes concerning His
people by His own wisdom and power, without any labor of man. He
uses men as instruments in accomplishing His goal for humanity. He
neither needs them nor is dependent upon them. He can do His work
without them rather than let His purpose be unfulfilled. The Lord
will do what He has said He will do it regardless of spiritual and
physical resistance.
Zechariah does
not understand what is the meaning and purpose of the vision; he
does what we should do when we encounter situations in this life we
do not understand.
Note if you will
how respectfully Zechariah speaks to the angel, he calls him “my
lord.” We need to remember, something that has been lost in this
present age, students must give honor to their teachers.
Zechariah saw
there was something important in what he sees and he desired to know
the meaning of the lampstand. If we want to understand what the Lord
is doing in our lives and the world we live in we need to ask
questions. If we do, the Lord will answer them.
The angel
answered Zechariah’s question with a question. He asked Zechariah,
"Do you not know what these are?" Zechariah answered, “No my lord.”
Zechariah did not understand the vision because he compared the
physical, what he can see, with the spiritual, what he cannot see.
Zechariah knew that there was a golden lampstand in the temple and
it was the duty of the priests to supply it with oil and to keep it
burning. In his vision, he sees the lampstand with lamps always
burning, but there are no priests to supply the oil and keep the
lamps burning. Zechariah might conclude, although the Lord has
reestablished the priesthood, He will carry on His purpose for
Israel without the help of the priests.
The angel asked
Zechariah this question, to draw him from his own conclusions.
Visions have their own purpose and often are hard to understand. The
prophets often found it hard to understand what the Lord was
revealing to them. Those that seek knowledge must first acknowledge
their own ignorance and seek instructions from the Lord. If we do
this, the Lord will teach us. The Lord will always teach the meek
and humbled and not the conceited and depend on their own
understanding. We need to remember, man’s ways are not God’s ways.
Without an
explanation of every element of the vision, the purpose of the
vision is lost. The good work of building the temple and Jerusalem
must by under the special care of the Lord. It is important
Zechariah and the people understand this. Men do not build the
kingdom of heaven. The builder is the Lord. He uses men to build His
kingdom. We need to remember the enemies of the King are many and
mighty. The friends and workers are few and feeble.
In the
explication of visions and parables, we must look at the principal
purpose of them. Too often, men take the visions and parables,
twist, and turn them to fit their purpose. We may not be able to
explain every situation in a vision or parable or make it fit our
purpose in life or explain what is happening in the world. Like the
angel who explained the purpose of this vision, the Holy Spirit will
often give us an explanation of a vision or parable that will enable
us to understand something we may encounter in the future. The
purpose of this vision was to encourage the people and their leaders
to go on with the building of the temple. Let them know they are
working together with the Lord in the building of the temple.
When Zechariah
told the angel he did not understand the vision the angel told him,
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might
nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
The Lord will
carry on and complete this work, as He had begun their deliverance
from Babylon, not by external force, but by internal influences upon
the minds of men. He who makes this claim will do it not by human
might or power, but by His own Spirit. What the Holy Spirit does is
not by might and power, but it stands in opposition to visible
force. The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and into Canaan, by
might and power. But they were brought out of Babylon, and into
Canaan the second time, by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts working
upon the spirit of Cyrus, and inclining him to proclaim liberty to
them, and working upon the spirits of the captives, and causing them
to accept the liberty offered them. The Spirit of the Lord of hosts
moved the people to rebuild the temple. The same Spirit moved the
heart of Darius to further the good work that the sworn enemies of
it could not hinder it. The work of God is often successfully when
done silently, and without the assistance of human force.
All the
difficulties and oppositions to the rebuilding of the temple and
Jerusalem will be defeated, even those that seem insurmountable. The
enemies of the Jews are proud and hard as great mountains; but when
God has work to do; the mountains that stand in the way of it shall
dwindle into molehills. All the difficulties shall vanish, and all
the objections overcome. Every mountain and hill brought low when
the way of the Lord is to be prepared (Isaiah 40:4).
Verse eight and
nine - “Also the word of the Lord came to me saying, The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands
will finish it. Then you know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to
you.”
The same hand
that has begun this good work will finish it. The hands of
Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the temple and though the
completion of the building delayed and is still under opposition it
shall be finished and Zerubbabel will live to see it finished. He
will be involved in the finishing of the rebuilding of the temple.
He will bring forth the head stone with shouting and loud
acclamations of joy, among the spectators.
When the work is
finished, the people must thankfully acknowledge that it was the
Lord through grace and not by their own power, the work was
completed. The Lord’s good will towards them, His good work in them
and for them. Grace must be applied not only to the head-stone, but
to the foundation-stone, the corner-stone, and indeed to every stone
in the Lord’s building, from first to last it is nothing of works,
but all of grace, and all crowns must be cast at the feet of free
grace.
Grace is the
language of prayer as well as of praise now that this building is
finished and all happiness attends it! Peace is within its walls.
Let the beauty of the Lord be upon it. What comes from the grace of
the Lord may in faith, and upon good grounds, be committed to the
grace of the Lord, for the Lord will not forsake the work of his own
hands. This shall be a full ratification of the prophecies of the
Israelites’ return to the Promised Land and their settlement again
in the land. The exact accomplishment of the prophecies is a
convincing proof of their divine original. The Lord confirms the
word of His servant, by saying to Jerusalem; you shall be built
(Isaiah 44:26). No word of God shall fall to the ground, nor one
iota or title of it.
Zechariah’s
prophecies of the approaching day of deliverance to the people shall
effectually silence those that looked with contempt upon the
beginning of this work.
The Israelites
who had returned to Judah and Jerusalem despised the foundation of
the second temple, because it was likely to be so far inferior to
the first (Ezra 3:12). Their enemies despised the wall when it was
in the building Nehemiah 2:19; 4:2-3). In the Lord’s work, do not
despise the day of small things. Though the instruments are weak and
unlikely, the Lord often chooses them to bring about great things.
As a great mountain becomes a plain before Him when He pleases, so a
little stone, cut out of a mountain without hands, comes to fill the
earth (Daniel 2:35). Though the beginnings are small, the Lord can
make the end greatly increased; a grain of mustard-seed may become a
great tree. Despise let not the dawning light, for it will shine
more and more to the perfect day. The day of small things is the day
of precious things, and will be the day of great things.
Those that
despaired the finishing of the work began shall rejoice when they
see Zerubbabel busy among the builders, giving orders and directions
and seeing to it that the work done with great exactness, that it
may be both fine and firm. It is a matter of great rejoicing to all
good people to see their leaders careful and active in the building
of the Lord’s house, to see a shovel in the hand of those who have
power to do much more than being a laborer. The people do not see
Zerubbabel with a trowel in his hand but see him with a shovel in
his hand, and he considers it an honor to do what he can in the
rebuilding of the temple. Zerubbabel does his part, does as much as
man can do to forward the work, but he could do nothing if the
watchful, powerful, gracious providence of the Lord did not go
before him and go along with him in it. Except the Lord had built
this house, Zerubbabel and the rest would have labored in vain
(Psalm 127:1).
We must not
think that the Lord is so busy with the affairs of His church He
neglects the world. It is a comfort to know that the same all wise,
almighty Lord that governs the nations of the earth is concerned
about the church. Those seven eyes that run through the earth are
upon the stone that Zerubbabel is laying to see that it is properly
laid. Those that have a part in the building of the church must look
up to the eyes of the Lord and submit to His plan for the building
of the church.
The angel said
enough to Zechariah to encourage him and to enable him to encourage
others, with reference to the building of the temple that was the
principal intention of the vision. However, he still questions that
needed answered. He understood the meaning of the lampstand with its
lamps, but he wants to know what these two olive trees are.
Verse eleven and
twelve - “Then I answered and said to him, ’What are these two olive
trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left.’ Then I asked
the second time and said to him, ‘What are the two olive branches
which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil
from themselves?’”
The angel did
not answer Zechariah’s first question so he asked the angel a second
time what was the meaning of what he saw. If we do not receive
satisfactory answers to our enquiries and requests, we renew them,
and repeat them. Zechariah’s second question varied somewhat from
the first. He first asked, “What are these two olive trees?” In the
second he asked, “What are these two olive branches that hung over
the bowl and distilled oil into it? In his questions Zechariah asked
what was the meaning of not only what was obvious at first sight but
also what was not obvious.
The angel asked
Zechariah, “Do you not know what these are?" And he said, "No, my
lord."
It is only after
Zechariah admits he does not understand the meaning of the two
branches he explains what Zechariah saw. “These are the two anointed
ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”
If the lampstand
is a symbol of the visible church that is to be the source of light
that comes from above and the two branches represent the two
anointed ones who receive direction from the Lord that are to be
given to the people, they represent the office of priest and king.
Their wisdom, courage, and zeal, were continually emptying
themselves into the golden bowl, to keep the lamps burning; and,
when they are gone, others rise up to carry on the same work. If the
lampstand represents the true believers in Christ, the two anointed
before the Lord of the whole earth represent Christ and the Holy
Spirit, the Redeemer and the Comforter. The Holy Spirit pours the
golden oil of grace into those who are true believers in Christ.
This is what keeps their lamps burning, and without a constant
supply of which they would soon go out. The Father will send the Son
and the Holy Spirit into the world in the time appointed.
Return to Zechariah Index
To top of
page |
