Zechariah 4 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Zechariah 4

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

4:1 And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 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. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 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. 7 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!’”

8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 “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. 10 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.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 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 oil¹ is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones² who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Footnotes

[1] 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil
[2] 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil

Commentary

v1-2: The prophet's question, "What do you see?" used of Jeremiah (Jer 1.13); Amos (Amos 7.8; 8.2); the Lord Jesus did everything He saw the Father do. This is another vision, not a dream, as Zechariah had been awakened from his sleep.

v3: The two olive trees, the two anointed ones (v14); the two witnesses of Rev 11.3-6.

v4-5: Zechariah asks questions to learn and understand, see v11-12; 2.2. 1 Pet 1.10-11; where we lack understanding we should ask. The clear answer is not immediate.

v6-7: The lesson linked with the vision, given before the answer. Obedience and faith take precedence over understanding.

"By my Spirit," is God's way of working, not by human might or power. Here is the real power of God's grace in our lives. He takes a Zerubbabel, and moves a mountain!

v8-10: The immediate challenge was to complete the construction of the temple. Along with Haggai, this was part of Zechariah's ministry, to encourage the people to finish the task.

Special blessing upon Zerubbabel; he laid the foundation of the temple, and he will be blessed by seeing it completed. Some rejoice to see the plumb line in his hand, but others despise the day of small things; the work is proceeding slowly, but it is proceeding; it is enough that God is blessing; and therefore we should rejoice.

The seven lamps (v2) are the eyes of the Lord, seeing all things on the earth.

v11-14: The two anointed ones depend on the Lord; their oil is from the lampstand, see Rev 11.