Yesterday we ended our time of study with the Lord sending a message to Zerubbabel, the governor, promising him that the temple would be completed not by the strength of man but by the power of God, "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty."
The message continues today, "What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" (Zechariah 4:7) The ruins of the temple in Zechariah's day look like a mighty mountain of rubble. The task appears monumental. The enormity of the project is enough to make anyone slump his shoulders in defeat and walk away. But God says to Zerubbabel, "I am a mountain-moving God! I am going to smooth the way for you. I am going to remove all the opposition of your enemies. I am going to lift up the discouraged hearts of your people. You will complete the project and set the final, crowning stone in place to the sound of joyful shouts."
The return of the people to the land, the rebuilding of the temple, and the installation of a leader from David's line are all a foreshadowing of what will take place when the Messiah comes to reign. Zerubbabel was not the Messiah. The return to the land following the Babylonian captivity was not the final fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messianic kingdom. The temple we find the people trying to rebuild is not the eternal temple but one that was rebuilt and then later destroyed. But sometimes we need refreshment along the journey, don't we? We need a reminder that we serve a God who keeps His promises. The time for His kingdom to come was not yet at hand in Zechariah's day, but God sent some refreshment to His people, a little foretaste of what is to come when this prophecy given by Isaiah will at long last come true, "Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for her sins. A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 40:1-5)
Zerubbabel is not the only one for whom God promises to move mountains. He also promises to move mountains for the King of kings. Nothing is going to hinder this King from claiming His kingdom. This prophecy was partially fulfilled in the days when Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth, when the Roman Empire maintained a vast network of roads like no nation before them. Had Jesus been born at an earlier date, He would not have had such freedom to travel and such easy access to remote villages. He also would not have enjoyed the safety and peace that the Roman Empire vigorously enforced. The empire under whose iron boot the nation was held fast is the nation the Lord used to make straight paths for His Son.
We also learn that the Lord made His Son's path straight in a different way. In the New Testament we find John the Baptist identifying himself as the voice from Isaiah's prophecy, the voice that calls in the wilderness to make straight paths for the Lord. John's job was to prepare the hearts of the people to hear the words of Jesus Christ, to level the mountains of mental resistance and to raise up the valleys in their hearts that had been created by sin and defeat. Both literally and spiritually, God the Father made a straight highway for Christ to travel. Someday Isaiah's prophecy will find its complete fulfillment when Christ reigns over the whole world from the throne of David. Nothing will be allowed to impede His succession to the throne. God will move any mountain that tries to stand in His way.
When God makes a promise, we can take it to the bank. It's as good as done. "Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?'" (Zechariah 4:8-10) The Lord promises, "The temple will be completed in the lifetime of Zerubbabel. He who laid the foundation will also set the capstone. Do not look at the foundation stone and feel defeated when you see how much is left to do. Every project has to begin somewhere. If you don't lay the foundation you will never raise the walls. If you never raise the walls you will never set the roof in place. One thing has to build on another, so be courageous. Stand up straight and strong and confident. What I have promised I will also do."
"Then I asked the angel, 'What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?' Again I asked him, 'What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?' He replied, 'Do you not know what these are?' 'No, my lord,' I said. So he said, 'These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.'" (Zechariah 4:11-14) We studied the lampstand yesterday and spoke about how the Hebrew word used for the lampstand in Zechariah is the same word that was used for the lampstand in the tabernacle in Exodus. This light was to be kept burning around the clock as a symbol of God's constant presence with the people. The priests who served in the tabernacle, and later in the temple, had to keep the lampstand supplied with oil so the light would not go out. In Zechariah's vision he sees two olive trees who are supplying the lampstand with an uninterrupted source of oil through golden pipes. He is curious about what this means and is told that these trees symbolize two anointed ones (literally two sons of oil) whom God has chosen to serve Him. Most mainstream Bible scholars equate these two anointed ones with Zerubabbel the governor who is the political head of the nation, and with Joshua the high priest who is the spiritual head of the nation. In their day God anointed them to serve Him by serving the people.
There is also a New Testament connection regarding two anointed ones who will serve the Lord. In Revelation we find the Lord describing two witnesses who will preach the gospel to the world during the last days, "And I will appoint My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. They are 'the two olive trees' and the two lampstands, and they 'stand before the Lord of the earth.'" (Revelation 11:3-4) The identity of these two anointed ones is not known, and their ministry will take place several thousand years after the lifetimes of Zerubbabel and Joshua, but their existence proves to us that God has His anointed ones in every age. He always has men and women in every period of time who serve Him by serving the people. In the Old Testament days we had the prophets. In our day we have church leaders, teachers, Christian speakers, Christian musicians, and regular citizens who simply give their testimonies about the Lord in both words and deeds. The main message in all of this, and in the imagery of the lampstand and the olive trees, is that the power comes from God. God is present with His people. God supplies everything His people will ever need. The journey often seems long and difficult, but God provides times of refreshing when we need it. So let's never despise the day of small beginnings. If God is in the work, our success is guaranteed.
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