8. The Fifth Vision - 4:1-14

Review

Vision of Joshua

Central character is the AOL

In vs 1-5 - Joshua demonstrates his need for the Ultimate High Priest

Interceded for Joshua

Cleanses Joshua of his filth

Clothes Joshua - festal robes (vs 4)

In vs 6-7 - Joshua becomes mirror of the Ultimate High Priest

Walk in YHWH’s ways - perfect obedience in character

Keep my Responsibility - perfect performance of role

In vs 8-10 - Joshua and friends point to the reality of the Ultimate High Priest

Joshua and the future Levitical Priesthood are proof positive sign that the High Priest will accomplish His work as…

Servant

Branch

And He will accomplish this role as the Stone

He will be the Priest, the Sacrifice, and the Temple - He encompasses it all and accomplishes it all

The Fifth Vision - 4:1-14

Vision: Lamp stand and Olive Tree - vs 1-6

Zech 4:1-3 “Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is roused from his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand 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.”

Lamp stand

Menorah in the Temple

Exodus 27:20 “And you shall command the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.”

Light represented the glory of God immigrating from His presence continually

Seven Lamps with Seven Sprouts - could be 14 or 49 different lights

emphasis is bigger and better, and on seven…where have we seen the number 7 before?

Zech 3:9 “9 ‘For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes...”

What were the seven eyes a reference to?

Two olive trees - source of the light is right next to the light… more later

Zech 4:4-5 “4 Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

Zechariah asks interpreting angel for an interpretation

Interpreting angel asks do you not know? - pointing to reality that this lampstand symbolizes something that should be known

Summary: At its most basic level the vision of the Lamp stand points to the glorious presence of God - but what is the presence of God doing?

Oracle to Zerubbabel - 4:6-10

By My Spirit - vs 6

Zech 4:6 “6 Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts.”

Word of YHWH to Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel - governor of Jerusalem instructed to rebuild the Temple with Joshua

Haggai 1:1-2 “1 In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of Yahweh to be rebuilt.”

Descendent of David

The Davidic King and Temple Theology

Intricate connection between the King and the Temple

Not the same role as high priest, but also a mediator

Mediated God’s authority, representation of His rule

2 Sam 7:12-13 “12 “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

The King is the builder of the Temple - God builds the house of David, David’s son builds God’s house.

No temple at the time of Zechariah…need the king

ZRB has Messianic significance

Haggai 2:20-23 “20 Then the word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 ‘I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.’ 23 ‘On that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’” declares Yahweh of hosts.”

What is YHWH’s message to ZRB - not by your might, power but by My Spirit

By My Spirit

Reference to the ministry of the sevenfold ministry Holy Spirit from Isaiah 11:1-2 “1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.”

clarifying that the Lampstand is not just a reference to the presence of YHWH but more specifically to the person of the Holy Spirit

Not by your might/power - Israel’s kings drove the nation into exile because they relied on their own strength, and the strength of other nations instead of YHWH

Message to ZRB is that his task of building the Temple will be accomplished by the Power of the Spirit and not by the power of man

Why Spirit? Why not just say, “not by your might, power but by My Power”?

The Spirit plays a special role with the King

Theocratic anointing

How do Israel’s king have the power to rule? Not by their own might, not by their own power, but by the anointing of God’s Spirit

Saul - anointed as King in 1 Sam 10, and the Spirit comes upon him. Spirit leaves Saul in 1 Sam 16 and comes to David

After David sins with Bathsheba, he pleads with God Ps 51:11 “11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

Designates that the King is empowered by God to be His representative

ZRB then is empowered to carry out the work of the Davidic King…but he also points forward to a future ZRB

ZRB’s Inevitable Work - vs 7-9

Zech 4:7-9 “7 ‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’ 8 Also the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.”

O great mountain

Isaiah 40:1-4 “1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. 2 “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has been fulfilled, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received from the hand of Yahweh Double for all her sins.” 3 A voice is calling, “Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;”

The obstacles in the way of the path and the work of ZRB, and more importantly future ZRB will be smoothed over

Top Stone - final stone of Temple

Shouts of Grace

The people will celebrate the work of ZRB when he lays the finals stone

His hands will finish it

At this time, just the foundation has been built - message to ZRB and the people your work will be complete and all Israel will rejoice and worship - happens in Ezra 6:14ff

Then you will know YHWH has sent me

Who is the me?

vs 8 - Word of the Lord - Personified - He speaks this message to ZRB

The Word of the Lord isn’t just read allowed, or listened to, it…He comes to ZRB and speaks

Message: Israel, when you see ZRB complete his work you will know that YHWH has sent the Word of the Lord, the Final ZRB, the Ultimate Descendant of David, the King

The Seven will be Glad - vs 10

Zech 4:10 “10 “For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of Yahweh which roam to and fro throughout the earth.””

Day of Small things - day of mourning over the smallness of the Temple’s foundations

Haggai 2:3 “3 ‘Who among you remains who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?”

Ezra 3:12 “12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house of Yahweh, were weeping with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many in loud shouts with gladness were raising their voice,”

These seven will be glad

Who?

Zech 4:2 Seven Lamps of the Golden Lamp stand which points back to...

Eyes of the Lord

Again reference back to Zech 3:9

Why Seven? Sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit - Isaiah 11:2

Number of completeness

The Spirit Himself will rejoice at the work of the Future ZRB

Plumb Line - the measuring tool to ensure that the walls of a building are straight - tool of final inspection before the completion of the building

God rejoices at the finished work of the Future ZRB

Zechariah’s Question - vs 11-14

Zech 4:11-13 “11 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 12 And I answered 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?” 13 So he spoke to me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.””

Similar yet different first question

Question 1: asked about Lamp stand with bowel, lamps and sprouts as well as the olive trees

Question 2: asks about the trees and the lamp stand

Questions 3: asks about olive branches besides the golden pipes

Zech’s questioning is honing in from broad to more specific - from the entire picture to the branches/pipes going into the lamp stand

Angel assumes that Zechariah should know this

The branches hold the clusters of olives that supply the golden oil to flow in to the golden pipes that flow into the golden lampstand

They facilitate the Light the presence of God to be visible in all the earth

Zech 4:14 “14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.””

The two branches are the two anointed ones

Which two individuals in Israel’s leadership are anointed with oil?

The Priest - facilitates God’s presence by bringing us before God

The King - facilitates God’s presence by bringing God to us

Stand by the Lord of the Whole Earth

These two offices will perfectly accomplish the Work of the Presence of God

Unceasing flow of oil to the lampstand

In the progression of the book of Matthew what do we see

Matthew 1 - the birth of the King - descendent of ZRB

Matthew 2 - the Magi - kings honor/seek to destroy THE King

Matthew 3 - the baptism of Jesus where He is anointed as King by who? The coming of the Holy Spirit to rest upon Him

Application Questions

How does the comforting promise that ZRB, and the reality that that was accomplished bring us comfort with regard to the work of the great commission?

How does our union with Christ relate to the presence and power of the Spirit at work in our hearts and the church?