“Be Encouraged”

“Be Encouraged”

Series: The Minor Prophets

Text: Zechariah 3 and 4

Introduction: (What?)

Zechariah’s night visions four and five continued with encouragement for those who returned to Jerusalem with the daunting task of rebuilding the temple and the city. They have felt overwhelmed with the enormity of the devastation they found when they returned and discouraged by the opposition they face. Zechariah had a message of hope for them.

Examination: (Why?)

1. The High Priest and the Branch

Zech 3:1-10 “Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. So the angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to him, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in garments while the angel of the Lord was standing nearby. Then the angel of the Lord charged Joshua, “This is what the Lord of Armies says: If you walk in my ways and keep my mandates, you will both rule my house and take care of my courts; I will also grant you access among these who are standing here. “Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring my servant, the Branch. Notice the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription on it---this is the declaration of the LORD of Armies---and I will take away the iniquity of this land in a single day. On that day, each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree. This the declaration of the LORD of Armies.”

The High Priest, Joshua (equivalent with the name Jesus) was the first high priest after the exile and represents the nation Israel as being cleansed and restored as a priestly nation. He is in a courtroom where Satan, (the “accuser of the brethren” Rev. 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down.”) the prosecuting attorney was accusing him before the angel or the LORD (which is the LORD Jesus Himself.) Satan was persistently proclaiming the sins of Israel which would make them unworthy of God’s favor. Should he succeed, the nation Israel would be rejected as God’s Chosen People. Should he lose, Israel would be confirmed as the chosen of God through whom Messiah would come.

Notice that Jesus (the angel of the LORD) did not directly rebuke Satan, but rather said “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! May the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!” We see this same idea being spelled out in Jude 1:9 “Yet when Michael the archangel was disputing with the devil in an argument about Moses’s body, he did not dare utter a slanderous condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”” Bottom line, it is not our place to go around rebuking Satan. You will see or read about some modern day preachers doing this. We are given permission to RESIST Satan, but not to REBUKE him.

Joshua, described by Jesus as “a burning stick snatched from the fire” presents a sad image. He is dressed in filthy (smeared with excrement) clothes. The LORD Jesus, as would any good defense attorney, wanted his client to be presentable in court, so He instructed His aides (the angels) to “Take off his filthy clothes!” and then to clothe him with “festive robes.” That is what happens when you and I surrender to the LORD. We come to Him in the filth of our sin and He takes off our filthy sin-stained clothes and puts on us the robe of His own righteousness.

The LORD also commanded that a “clean turban” be put on Joshua’s head, and the aides (angels) carried out His commands. The turban of the high priest bore the words “Holy to the LORD” according to Ex 28:36 ““You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal: Holy to the Lord.” This symbolized the priestly function of the nation Israel.

Even though the high priest had been cleaned up and dressed up, his position (and that of the nation Israel) depended on his walking (living) “in My ways and keep(ing) My mandates,...”. Not only would that guarantee that God would God use him to “rule my house and take care of my courts” but also it would give him access among the angels. What that means to you and me today is…although we are saved when we surrender to Christ, we will only be used by God as we are obedient to His commands. This is especially true of pastors, deacons and leaders in the church. God expects us to be strong ethical examples for the people whom we lead. For the individual Christian this means that you are to set an example for your children, spouse or anyone in your circle of influence. There can be none of this “do as I say, not as I do”. We are reaping the result of such thinking in our world today.

Then the LORD gave Joshua and his fellow priests some really good news. Messiah is coming and He is coming through Israel. The LORD calls Him “My Servant” depicting the complete obedience of Jesus and “The Branch” which relates to His humble beginnings to ultimate fruitfulness. Christians (Christ Ones or Little Christs) today are to have both these characteristics. We are to be servant leaders. We are here to serve mankind, not to be served by them. We are also to “bear much fruit” as the Apostle John recorded in John 15.

2. The Gold Lampstand

Zech 4:1-7 “The angel who was speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top. The lampstand also has seven lamps at the top with seven spouts for each of the lamps. There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” “Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me. I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies. ‘What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!’ ””

In the next night vision Zechariah had an almost Apostle John in Revelation experience. The angel who was his guide and interpreter “roused him as one awakened out of sleep”. When asked what he saw, Zechariah rubbed the sleep from his eyes and said, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl on top. The lampstand also has seven lamps at the top with seven spouts for each of the lamps. There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” The lampstand we recognize as the Menorah, the lampstand used in the tabernacle, but this one had a bowl on top of it which signified an abundant supply of oil that poured into the spouts to keep the 7 lamps burning. During the tabernacle days, Aaron was tasked with making sure there was oil enough to keep the lamps burning. For us today, the oil represents the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18 “And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:” The literal translation is "be being filled”. In other words we have the Aaronic responsibility for keeping our lives full of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit we have His fruit active in our lives (Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” We also have spiritual gifts that the Spirit supplies to the church through us. 1 Cor 12:4 “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.”

In vv 4-7 there is an interesting dialogue between Zechariah and his guiding angel. (read). The final answer is in Zech 4:6 “So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies.” has application both for that time and for now. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah. He needed to know that even though those he governed had very little materially speaking, God would supply all that was needed to rebuild the temple. By the same token, churches in our day are not built by big budgets and glitzy programs, but rather by God. Jesus said in Matt 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” God’s work must be done God’s way in God’s power. Nothing else will succeed. When we function in God’s power no “mountain” of opposition will be able to keep us from our goal. It will be made like level ground (v7).

3. The Olive Trees

Zech 4:8-14 “Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. For who despises the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone in Zerubbabel’s hand.” I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” And I questioned him further, “What are the two streams of the olive trees, from which the golden oil is pouring through the two golden conduits?” Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied. “These are the two anointed ones,” he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.””

Some people were still disappointed that the new temple was not as big and glamorous as was Solomon’s temple. God said to them “For who despises the day of small things? The seven eyes of the LORD, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone in Zerubbabel’s hand.” In other words, “If I’m pleased with it so should you be.”

Then, as if he had just noticed them, Zechariah asked about the two palm trees. God told him that they were those in the offices of King and priest through which the blessing of God flowed to Israel. These two offices were combined in the Messiah, and it is through Him that the Holy Spirit flows into believers and equips them for service and the accomplishment of His purposes here on earth.

Application: (How does this encourage me today?)

God is large and in charge.

He has a plan that will not fail.

Our part in His plan is obedience.

His part is to supple the material needs and the strength to get the work done.