A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

 

Zechariah 4: 1-14

 

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep.  And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.   And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”   And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”   Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”   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.   Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.   For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.”   Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”   And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?”  He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”   Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

 

One name mention often by the angel of the Lord, is Zerubbabel who was governor of Judah in the second year of Darius (520 B.C).  If you think it has been hard to govern during the China Virus, try getting into Zerubbabel’s shoes.  He had opposition within and without.  The Samaritans were accusing him of treason (Ezra 4:6-24) and while many insides of Jerusalem thought it was foolish to believe that such a project was possible.

 

But God, if only we would believe that our God is the God of the impossible, for that was the vision, it was not Zerubbabel that was going to provide what the people needed to rebuild the temple and the walls to protect Jerusalem, it was God.  

 

Our God has always had a man who would believe Him for the impossible, for it is common for a man to be about the small things, not the impossible, but our God does what many believe is impossible.

 

Ponder on this truth, God is holy, and pure and cannot look on sin, yet He did the impossible for all who would put their trust and faith in the redeeming blood of Jesus His only Son.  Removing our sins that made us unclean and transferred them to His Son, taking the wrath we deserved, and by His blood, we are made right with God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice