Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied.
So 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 Almighty.
“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!’”
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?”
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 4:1-14 NIV)
On our trip last week, my wife and I went to a magic show in Las Vegas. Actually, we got to sit in the front row. Actually, I got to be part of the first magic trick. The magician started by asking whether anyone in the audience had a $100 bill. He chose a random person and asked him to come up to the stage. The magician told the man to write his name on the $100 bill in big letters with a red marker. Then the magician took the $100 bill, folded it up in his hand, and unfolded it. It had turned into a $1 bill! Everybody laughed, except the man whose $100 bill was now just $1.
So the magician told the man he’d get a prize for losing his $100 bill. On the stage were two big boxes. The man chose one, and they opened it. Inside were 1000 packages of Ramen noodles. Awesome, right? The magician told the man to pick out some packs of Ramen. So he picked out four packs. Then the magician walked over to me and had me choose two of the four packs. I did. Then he told me to choose one of the two remaining packs. So I did. He gave that pack to me. Then he gave the last pack of Ramen to the man who had lost his $100 bill. The man opened it. Do you know what was inside? Noodles and a seasoning packet. The magician told him to open the sealed seasoning packet. He ripped it open. Know what was inside? Seasoning. And his $100 bill with his hand-written name on it in red letters. The $100 bill was inside the sealed seasoning packet inside a sealed pack of Ramen that was one out of 1000 random packs in a box.
And I thought, “How did he do that?” I have no idea. Maybe you have it all figured out. Maybe it was staged or fake. I was sitting in the front row, and I had no clue. Here’s what amazed me: He didn’t do anything. The magician didn’t do anything. He just stood there and made some jokes. But something was happening behind the scenes. A thousand little somethings were happening that no one noticed. All those little somethings led to a big surprise that no one could explain.
So here’s my question for us: If a magician can do that, do you think God can? God’s not a magician. He’s not about performing tricks. But if a magician can work behind the scenes to do amazing things, even when it looks like nothing is happening, do you think God can? Do you think God could be doing something right now that you can’t see? Do you think God can use a thousand little things to lead to something so big that you never would have expected it?
Let’s be honest: God often doesn’t meet our expectations. What do we expect God to do? Big stuff! Big things! Isn’t that what we want? Miraculous healings. Sudden signs in life. Win the lottery. “God, do something big! God, fix this! God, make this happen!” But he doesn’t. God often doesn’t do big things. At least it doesn’t look like he does. So what do we assume? “I guess God’s not with me. I guess God’s not in control. I guess God doesn’t keep his promises.” God often doesn’t meet our expectations. That leads to discouragement. Anger. Unbelief. Despair.
That was the case for Zechariah and the Jews in Jerusalem with him. Remember their situation? After decades as exiles in Babylon, a group of Jews was allowed to return to Jerusalem. They laid the foundation of the temple. And then they stopped. It didn’t go the way they had expected. There were no big miracles. God didn’t make it easy for them. Instead, there were enemies. Challenges. No big things! Everything looked small and weak and powerless… Sound familiar?
So God gave his people a message. Not just with words. God gave Zechariah a vision: “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees.” Got it? It’s hard to picture. Even scholars today debate what this lampstand might have looked like. This is clear: It was a good thing. Lamps and light in the Bible often symbolize God’s presence. Oil is often used for the Holy Spirit. As strange as it might seem, this was a good vision. God wanted to encourage his people who felt discouraged.
That’s crystal clear in the next verse. Zechariah 4:6 is probably the most well-known verse in Zechariah. “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Zerubbabel was the leader of this small group of discouraged believers in God. Here was God’s message: No army? Doesn’t matter. Little strength? Doesn’t matter. Few resources? Doesn’t matter. Because it wasn’t human strength that would accomplish anything. Who was it? The Spirit. The Holy Spirit! This is a verse from the Bible that’s worth memorizing: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”
Someone once put it like this: “Hearts are more powerful than hands.” Understand that? The Holy Spirit is more powerful than your muscles. How often do you and I say, “I can’t!” Not out loud. Out loud we say, “I can. I’ve got this!” But inside we say, “I can’t. There’s no way!” Know what God is thinking? “Duh. Of course you can’t! Finally, you get it! It’s not about you. Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” Hearts are more powerful than hands. There is a power in your life. It’s inside your heart. It’s the power of God’s Spirit working in you. Hearts are more powerful than hands. No matter what you face, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”
Here’s an example: We had a 5:00 a.m. flight to begin our trip. We got to the airport early, but we couldn’t get on the plane. Maintenance problems. I wish I knew an American Airlines mechanic. I’d give him a piece of my mind! By the time we got to Dallas, we had to run to catch our connecting flight. Know what that’s like? We got to the gate 6 minutes before departure, but it was locked. The agent told us we were too late. So, discouraged, we walked to the customer service counter to get a later flight. Just then, suddenly, that same gate agent pulled up with a motorized cart. He yelled, “Get in! There’s good news. The plane’s delayed for maintenance. We can get you on. Come on!” Maintenance again, yes! We raced back and got on the flight.
On the plane, I was thinking to myself, “I can’t even get on a flight without the Holy Spirit.” Isn’t that the truth? Sure, I can buy a ticket and get to the airport, but I can’t even get on a flight without the Holy Spirit. Let alone fly the plane. If that’s true, how could we save ourselves? If I can’t get on a flight, how could I get rid of my guilt? How could I get eternal life? How? “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” How many of life’s lessons are just this same lesson over and over again? “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” Whether we’re talking about a trip or eternal salvation, it’s really all the same. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”
Do you realize how powerful the Holy Spirit is? Listen: “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!’” Even mountains aren’t obstacles for God. There were mountains in the way of building the temple. And lots of enemies. Which of those were more powerful than God? None. God is able to overcome all obstacles. It’s not the size of the faith that saves. It’s the size of our Savior. Jesus once said, “If you have faith… you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done’” (Matthew 21:21-22). When God says something, it is as good as done. When God promised the temple would be finished, it was as good as done.
And who would do it? The Spirit! Nope. Wait a minute… Listen to this: “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.” Who was going to do the work? Zerubbabel. This is so good for us to see! All the power comes from the Holy Spirit. But whom does the Spirit use? You and me. People. God’s power spurs us on to action. The Holy Spirit uses people—uses us—to do his work. If I’m going to get somewhere, who’s going to do it? A pilot. If I’m going to get better, whom will the Spirit use? The doctor. Like teachers. And mothers. And pastors. Do you see how this works? The Holy Spirit works through you to accomplish what no human strength or power can do.
So why don’t we see it? Why don’t we see the Holy Spirit’s power at work all around us? Maybe because we’re looking for the wrong things. God asked, “Who dares despise the day of small things?” The people in Zechariah’s day had a problem: They despised the small things. They looked around and thought, “We see weakness. We see smallness. We see failure.” They despised the “small things.” I do too. I hate small things! I ask, “What good is that little thing going to do? Where is God? Why isn’t he here? Why doesn’t he do something big?” Know what the answer is? He is here. He is working. He is doing all things. But he loves to use small things.
“Who dares despise the day of small things?” Remember this about our God: God is so big that he loves to make himself small for us. Like a baby in a manger. What’s more insignificant than a baby lying in a manger? The eternity of God was wrapped up in the smallest body. God is found at the cross. What’s more insignificant than a man being executed? That’s how God saved us. What’s more insignificant than a little water put on someone’s head? Yet, in baptism, God makes you his own child. What’s more insignificant than a little piece of bread and a little cup of wine? Yet, in the Lord’s Supper, God gives us Jesus’ body and blood for our forgiveness. What is more insignificant than reading a few words from an old book? But the gospel “is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:17). What’s more insignificant than us? Yet, God uses us to shine Christ’s light and give God glory. Don’t despise the small things!
The vision ends with one more detail. Zechariah asks, “What are these two olive trees?” The angel answered, “These are the two anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.” God’s blessings were going to come through two people: Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the leader. They were anointed to be God’s special servants. Do you know how you say, “Anointed One”, in Hebrew? Messiah. How about in Greek? Christ. In Jesus, those two positions became one. We have a High Priest who sacrificed himself on the cross to save us from our sins. We have the King of kings who rules all things for our good. Every word of God’s Word points us to Jesus.
Do you think God could be doing something in your life right now that you can’t see? Like an amazed audience at a magic show, learn to rejoice at the small things. God is working in you in ways that you never could have expected. “What good is that going to do?” is never a Christian’s question. Those few minutes in God’s Word will give you strength for anything. Your kind words can change someone’s life. That sandwich is a gift from God. Don’t despise the small things. They are all around us. Always remember: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.
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