And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
Zechariah has already seen four visions in one night. The prophet has fallen asleep, and the angel who has been guiding him comes back to wake him for a fifth.
The wording of this opening line marks the chapter as part of a chain rather than a fresh start.
This part of the prophecy again has the character of a vision, from verse 1 on. It shows that this is one of a series of visions which passed before the eyes of the prophet. The prophet was in the same state as Daniel by the banks of the Ulai river, when God sent Gabriel to tell him what would happen at the end of the time of God's anger (Daniel 8:15-19).
One writer reads the sleep as plain exhaustion after a heavy night.
There was a rest for the prophet between the fourth and fifth night vision. He had fallen into a deep sleep. He may have been overcome by the grand and important visions. The angel now wakes him with the question, "What do you see?"
Another writer sees a pattern in the waking. What was true of the prophet is true of every reader.
The next vision needs the angel who spoke with him to wake Zechariah up. Our natural minds would not see the truth of a vision like this. By nature we have no sense of these things, and it takes God's power to wake us... 1 Corinthians 2:14 reminds us, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." We too need a power outside ourselves to wake us. Only then can we understand what God has freely given us. It must come by God's revelation.
Zechariah gives this messenger a fixed title, and the title runs through the whole book.
"The angel who talked with me" (a title used 11 times) is a different figure from "the angel of the Lord."
That God speaks through a go-between rather than directly is itself part of the message.
It means something that an angel speaks here, instead of the Lord addressing the prophet directly. It implies reserve and distance. That was right to notice, for God meant it to be felt. Yet it does not hold back messages rich in compassion and divine goodness. They bring blessing now, and they are full of glorious prospect for the future.
What the prophet saw when his eyes opened was not new. It stood in the tabernacle, the tent where Israel worshipped God.
The lampstand is the well-known seven-branched lampstand of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40). It always was the symbol of the light of God in perfect testimony — testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit on the earth — first in Israel, and then in the Church (Revelation 1).
The vision that follows carries one line for Zerubbabel, the leader of the people.
Verse 6 gives a very plain message to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." The civil leader of the people seemed to have too little power. That would not upset God's plans. It was not a time for an outward display of power, but "the day of small things" (v. 10). It was by the Spirit of God (v. 6) that a testimony (the lampstand) would be kept up.
- Sleep. This is not a fresh start. The angel wakes a prophet worn out by four visions already given, in the same state as Daniel when Gabriel came to him.
- Waking. The waking is a pattern for everyone. Natural instinct cannot take in what is spiritual, so a power outside us has to rouse us first.
- Voice. God speaks here through an angel, not in person. He meant that distance to be felt. Yet the message still comes full of compassion, and full of hope for the future.
- Sight. The eye that opens sees the tabernacle lampstand. It stands for God's light shining as testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Power. The whole waking leads to one line for a leader who seemed too weak. In a day of small things, the work goes forward not by might or power, but by God's Spirit.
And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I see, and behold, a lamp-stand all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, seven [lamps] and seven pipes to the lamps, which are upon the top thereof;
An angel asks Zechariah what he sees, and he can only describe the golden lampstand in front of him. The picture comes from Israel's tabernacle, but parts of it are new, and those new parts carry the message of the whole chapter.
Zechariah answers the question, then admits he does not know what he is looking at. One writer makes this the pattern for every Bible reader.
The prophet could not understand anything without the Angel explaining it to him. This kept him humble when he had to acknowledge: "No, my Lord" in response to the: "Do you not know…?" of his companion. We too need to feel our own ignorance before God if we want to understand the truths in God's Word. The Scriptures give many plain details, and even unbelievers can understand them. But the deeper sense will always escape the natural man.
The stand itself was familiar furniture; older translations call it a candlestick and read "seven pipes" where the ESV has "seven lips." What is added to it makes the vision new.
The candlestick is the well-known seven-branched candlestick of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40). It always was the symbol of the light of God in the perfection of testimony — testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit on the earth — first in Israel, and then in the Church. There are several differences from the original candlestick to note. First, the bowl on the top of it. Next, each lamp appears to have seven pipes to carry the oil from the bowl to the lamps.
Commentators differ on who the gold points to. Some read the lampstand as a picture of Christ Himself.
The lampstand speaks of Christ, in whom God displays all His golden glory. It is He who is the Sustainer of all true testimony for God, of which the light speaks. In the tabernacle the lamps were to be lit so "that they give light in front of it" (the lampstand). The light was not only to light up the room. It was to display the lampstand itself, just as the light of God focuses on the Lord Jesus.
Another writer draws his conclusion from the metal itself:
The candlestick always stands as a symbol of testimony. "All of gold" shows that a divine Person will give the testimony — the Holy Spirit Himself.
This is the change that matters most. In Leviticus, Israel had to bring the oil in. In the vision the oil arrives without them.
In Leviticus 24, Jehovah had instructed Israel to provide oil for the lamps, but in this vision the golden oil does not come through the efforts of God's people. It flows straight from the two olive trees, through the two golden tubes, into the golden bowl of the lampstand. The seven pipes then carry the precious oil from the bowl to the seven lamps. There is no thought of the responsibility of man, as in Revelation; nor any sign that man serves as the instrument providing the light for God's pleasure, as in Leviticus 24. It is the sovereign action of God in every part.
The number seven repeats through the vision, and it is not decoration.
The vision speaks of perfection, completion, and fullness. The perfect and divine number seven appears three times: seven lamps, seven pipes and seven eyes. The seven lamps join in one stem — this is union — and above it is a golden bowl… It is a vision of fullness and accomplishment. The two olive trees keep the bowl filled with a continual supply of oil.
The vision came to a small people newly restored to their land. Their weakness is what makes the light remarkable.
The ever-merciful Jehovah restores a feeble few to the land… Here God sees something to meet His mind: a seven-branched golden candlestick, giving light in all the darkness by the golden oil which His grace supplies.
A lamp gives light, but the oil is not its own. The same holds for everyone Christ calls a light.
The Lord Jesus did not only say, "I am the light of the world." He also said to His own, "You are the light of the world." So they were Christ's testimony to the world. But light needs oil. To be able to be a testimony one needs the Holy Spirit, and throughout Scripture the oil is a picture of this.
- Wakened. Zechariah describes the lampstand exactly, then says "No, my Lord." Clear sight is not understanding; the deeper sense escapes the natural man.
- Gold. The stand is the tabernacle lampstand, the symbol of God's light in the perfection of testimony. Writers differ on the gold: some read Christ, the Sustainer of the light; others the Holy Spirit, who gives it.
- Bowl. The great change from Leviticus 24 is the bowl on top. Israel no longer carries the oil in; it flows in — the sovereign action of God in every part.
- Seven. Seven lamps, seven pipes, seven eyes, and seven branches on one stem — a vision of fullness and accomplishment.
- Light. A feeble few, and yet God sees something to meet His mind: light in the darkness from oil His grace supplies — the same borrowed light as "You are the light of the world."
and two olive-trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl, and the other on the left of it.
Zechariah is shown a golden lampstand, and verse 3 completes the picture: two living olive trees stand beside it, one on each side. The prophet himself had to ask what they meant — what are these trees, why two, and where does the light get its oil?
The lampstand was familiar; the trees were not. One commentator lists what this vision adds to the tabernacle lampstand:
This lampstand is the well-known seven-branched lampstand of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40). It always was the symbol of the light of God in the perfection of testimony — testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit on the earth… There are several differences from the original lampstand to notice. First, the bowl on the top of it. Next, each lamp appears to have seven pipes carrying the oil from the bowl to the lamps. And last, the two olive trees with their branches and golden pipes, which supplied the oil to the bowl.
In the tabernacle, Israel had to bring the oil. Here the trees feed the lamp themselves:
In Leviticus 24, Jehovah had instructed Israel to provide oil for the lamps. But in this vision the golden oil does not come through the efforts of God's people. It flows straight from the two olive trees, through the two golden tubes, into the golden bowl of the lampstand. The seven pipes then carry the precious oil from the bowl to the seven lamps. There is no thought of the responsibility of man… It is the sovereign action of God in every part.
So the lamp burns on a supply it never has to earn. In Scripture the oil always pictures one thing:
Light needs oil. To be a testimony, a person needs the Holy Spirit, and throughout Scripture the oil is a picture of this.
The verse sets a tree on each side of the bowl. One writer traces the picture from the trees to the two men then leading Judah:
These two olive trees stood on either side of the golden lampstand. The prophet's question about the olive branches seems to make it plain that the olive trees — the sons of oil — were the two sources that fed and sustained the light of the lampstand. What then are these? Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah and Joshua was the high priest. The two together were a picture of Christ as the priest on His throne. So the two olive trees, as another has written, "are the royalty and the priesthood of Christ, which maintain, by power and spiritual grace, the perfect light of divine order among the Jews." These are the sources that feed and maintain this perfect light.
Oil is what set a man apart for each of those two offices:
The two anointed ones — the priesthood and the kingship — provide the oil that feeds the lampstand, for oil anoints both priests and kings (Lev. 8:12; 1 Sam. 16:13).
The number is not decoration. It carries a legal weight running through the whole Bible:
Two means distinctness, and so adequate testimony and fellowship when the two agree. Two witnesses are needed (Deut. 19:15; 2 Cor. 13:1)… Two olive trees picture two witnesses (Zech. 4:3; Rev. 11:3-4).
The same two images appear again in Revelation 11, but the scene there is not the same:
In Zechariah 4 we see a lampstand. All is in order, and everything in its place. Christ's royalty and priesthood sustain and nourish the Jewish people, and all is in its place. But here all is in confusion. There are two lampstands, two olive trees, but one does not know where to put them. Nothing is settled yet; but there is a testimony given to these things, to their future fulfilment.
The trees stand beside the lamp before the lamp gives light. One writer applies that order to us:
And so the olive trees and the lampstands are connected. (Zech. 4; Rev. 11) For to be a witness, we must first live by grace ourselves. We must draw on the richness of the olive before we can shine on the lampstand.
- Oil first. The lamp gives light only because oil reaches it. Testimony for God runs on the Holy Spirit, not on human strength.
- Oil unbought. No one carries oil to this lampstand. It flows straight from living trees, so the supply is God's sovereign action from start to finish.
- Oil anointed. The two trees are the two anointed ones: kingship and priesthood. Both meet in Christ, the priest on His throne.
- Oil doubled. Two trees, not one, because two is the measure of testimony that God Himself accepts as adequate.
- Oil then light. Draw on the richness of the olive before trying to shine. The trees stand beside the lamp before the lamp burns.
And I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zechariah is shown a golden lampstand fed by two olive trees. He does not explain it. He asks the angel beside him what it is. Two questions follow. Why does a prophet who is given a vision still need it explained? And why does the angel's reply sound like an answer to something else?
Right after his question comes his admission that he does not know:
The prophet could not understand anything without the Angel explaining it to him. This kept him humble when he had to acknowledge: "No, my Lord" in response to the: "Do you not know … ?" of his companion. We also need to feel our own ignorance before God if we want to understand the truths in God's Word. Scripture gives many plain details that anyone can understand, even unbelievers. But the deeper sense will always escape the natural man.
Admitting ignorance is a lesson, and it falls hardest on those who teach others:
There are many things in Scripture that we do not know. But we have no right to interpret the word of God by ourselves. There is such a thing as being taught by God… Sometimes it is good for those who teach to have to learn. It is good for them to feel that they do not know. It is an excellent moral lesson for them to confess it — not only to be aware of it, but to admit it.
The lampstand was familiar to Zechariah. It came from the tabernacle, Israel's tent of worship in the wilderness. What was new were the parts added to it:
The lampstand is the well-known seven-branched lampstand of the tabernacle. It always was the symbol of the light of God in the perfection of testimony — testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit on the earth — first in Israel, and then in the Church. Note several differences from the original lampstand. First, the bowl on top of it. Next, each lamp seems to have seven pipes to carry the oil from the bowl to the lamps. Last, the two olive trees with their branches and golden pipes, which supplied the oil to the bowl.
Zechariah asked about objects. The angel replied with a word about the Spirit:
In these words the angel is not answering the prophet's question directly. The prophet had asked what this lampstand meant, with its seven branches, the bowl of oil above it, and the pipes carrying the oil into the branches… He wanted to know what it all meant. And the angel's answer was, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts."
The same writer then names the worry behind the question:
The difficulty in his mind was how this great work was going to be done. How would anyone build the temple? How would anyone restore the ruined city of Jerusalem and clear the site for the new temple? How could the small, weak company of Jews do it?
The word comes to one man, Zerubbabel. His weakness does not disqualify him:
Zerubbabel was a weak shoot of the royal family. He was brought very low. He could not even carry the title of king. But the Lord speaks to him with these words: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit"! What an encouragement it must be for a humbled man to hear that God does not desire mighty deeds from him.
Human effort does not just fall short in the Lord's work:
It takes us a long time to learn that there is no power except in the Lord. In the Lord's work, human energy, will, or persistence count for nothing. Worse, they get in the way of divine strength… So when we are weak we are strong. Feeling our complete weakness leads us to depend on the Lord.
The gold in the vision carries meaning of its own:
As well as the lampstand and the pipes being of gold, the oil is said to be golden oil. This emphasizes the deity of the Spirit of God, just as the glory of Christ's deity is emphasized in the golden lampstand.
- Ask. Zechariah sees the vision clearly and still does not understand it. So he asks instead of guessing.
- Admit. "No, my lord" is the honest answer that opens the door. Anyone can read the surface of Scripture, but its depth escapes the natural man.
- Receive. The angel answers the real difficulty, not the surface one: how could a feeble company ever rebuild?
- Depend. The word comes to a man with no title and no army, because human energy is not just weak — it gets in the way.
- Shine. The lampstand is the light of God's testimony, and golden oil from outside keeps it burning.
And the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Zechariah sees a golden lampstand fed by two olive trees. He asks what it means, the angel answers with a question, and the answer that follows is not the one he asked for.
The lampstand in front of Zechariah was not new. It was the seven-branched lampstand of the tabernacle, and it had always carried one meaning.
The lampstand is the well-known seven-branched lampstand of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40). It always was the symbol of the light of God in the perfection of testimony. This is testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit on the earth — first in Israel, and then in the Church.
The gold points past the furniture to a Person.
The lampstand speaks of Christ in whom all the golden glory of God is displayed. It is He who is the Sustainer of all true testimony for God, of which the light speaks. In the tabernacle the lamps were to be lit so "that they give light in front of it" (the lampstand). The light was not simply to light up the room. It was there to display the lampstand itself. In the same way, the light of God is focused on the Lord Jesus, the Sustainer of God's testimony.
Zechariah could describe every detail of the vision and still not know what it meant. He says so plainly, and that admission is where understanding starts.
The prophet could not understand anything without the Angel explaining it to him. This kept him humble when he had to admit: "No, my lord" in answer to the "Do you not know…?" of his companion. We, too, need to feel ourselves ignorant before God if we want to understand the truths contained in God's Word. The Scriptures give many obvious details, and even unbelievers can understand them. But the deeper sense will always escape the natural man. To grasp the hidden meaning we need the Spirit of God, but even more, we must know Christ, who Himself is the key to the Word.
Read the next verse and something odd stands out. The prophet asked about lamps, pipes and trees. The angel replied by speaking about the Spirit.
Surely the angel in these words is not answering the prophet's question directly. He had asked what this lampstand with its seven branches means. He had asked about the bowl of oil above it, and the pipes carrying the oil into the branches. He had asked about the two olive trees, one on the right hand and one on the left hand. The prophet wanted to know exactly what it all meant; and the answer of the angel was, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord."
The angel's reply reached the worry underneath the question, not its wording.
The prophet must have known that the reply pointed somehow to the restoration of the testimony of God through Israel to all the world. But what else was in the mind of Zechariah? His difficulty was how this great work was going to get done. How was the temple to be built? How was ruined Jerusalem to be restored, and the site cleared for rebuilding the temple? How could the feeble little company of Jews do it?
The angel's explanation came as a message for one man.
The explanation of the angel takes the form of a message to Zerubbabel — to Zerubbabel who, as governor of Judah, together with Joshua the high priest, led the people in the work of building the temple. So Zerubbabel was taught that the time had not yet arrived for the Lord to display His might or power on behalf of His people. It was indeed a time of feebleness. Yet God's Spirit was working to secure all that His name and interests required, both in the hearts of the people and in their service. So the moment called for dependence on God, and confidence in Him. This was a needed lesson for Zerubbabel in his hard position — a position made harder by his own fears. It is easy enough, even for the natural man, to take part in the outward service of God when He steps in with power to sustain His servants and secure the result. But only the man of faith can keep working in the middle of discouragements of every kind. He trusts a power he cannot see to hold him up and prosper him, and he is sure that the Spirit, invisible in His working to the natural eye, is mightier than power on display.
- Admit — Zechariah can describe the vision and still not know what it means. His "No, my lord" is what keeps him teachable.
- Ask — the deeper sense of Scripture escapes the natural man. Understanding needs the Spirit of God, and above all Christ, who is the key to the Word.
- Receive — the answer is not a diagram of lamps and trees but a promise: not by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit.
- Apply — the message goes to Zerubbabel in a time of feebleness. It teaches him to depend on a power he cannot see.
- Shine — the golden lampstand stands for the light of God's testimony in the power of His Spirit, and that light falls on Christ Himself.
And he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.
A feeble group of Jews had come back from exile in Babylon to rebuild the temple. Their governor, Zerubbabel, faced obstacles far bigger than his strength. Here an angel explains a vision of a golden lampstand fed with oil. He names the one power that will finish the house.
The message goes to one named man with a job to do. Zerubbabel led the building work with Joshua the high priest, and he was afraid.
So Zerubbabel was taught that the time had not yet come for Jehovah to display His might or power for His people. It was a time of feebleness instead. But God's Spirit was working to secure all that His name and interests required, both in the hearts of the people and in their service. So the moment called for dependence upon God and confidence in Him. Zerubbabel needed this lesson in his trying position — a position made harder by his own fears. It is easy enough, even for the natural man, to take up the outward service of God when He steps in with power to sustain His servants and secure the result. But only the man of faith can labour on in the face of every kind of discouragement.
The prophet had seen a gold lampstand with seven lamps, fed through pipes from two olive trees beside it. The verse explains that picture.
The meaning of the vision pointed to the Holy Spirit as the only power for witness and work for God. A feeble remnant had returned from captivity in Babylon to build the temple. They cared about the worship of Jehovah, so the first thing they did was set the altar on its bases (Ezra 3:3). They put first things first.
The verse rules out might and power. So how does God work instead?
God is now working in the church by His Spirit. The Spirit of God works in a way that men cannot understand. That is to say, the Spirit of God works secretly, quietly, without noise.
The next verses show the building finished. The shout at the end is not "power" but "grace."
More than this: "He shall bring forth the capstone, with shouts of Grace, grace, to it." The capstone, or topstone, of the building (the temple) means it is finished. Just as Christ is the foundation of the building, so also is He the full completion of it. Grace will also stand out, in contrast to "might" and "power." Grace will draw forth shouts of rejoicing on the part of the people.
A work carried by the Spirit will often look unimpressive. That appearance is a test of the worker, not a verdict on the work.
It was only a day of small things now. But the man who despised it would not be in agreement with Jehovah of hosts when the fulfilment came… The day when God is morally testing souls is always a day of small things. It is open to the scorn of the man whose heart is not content to serve God. Those whose delight is in God's will and work in the day of small things are in communion with Himself.
This lesson takes a long time to learn.
It takes us a long time to learn that there is no power except in the Lord. In the Lord's work, human energy, will, or perseverance not only count for nothing — they are real barriers in the way of divine strength… So when we are weak we are strong. In the sense of our complete weakness we come to depend on the Lord, and He can then display His own power in and through us without hindrance.
The verse does not forbid activity. It fixes what must come first.
If faith goes first, then energy that comes from faith can follow after. God is in the scene, and resurrection from the dead is recognised as a principle. But if energy gets ahead of faith, it is drawn from within us, and it brings with it nature and the world and the flesh. Flesh cannot rebuke and put down flesh, as some think; and if it is tried, flesh is drawn out against flesh. Better to have hard cases in God's hand than easy ones in our own.
- Oil. The lampstand burns only because oil keeps flowing in. The Spirit is the one power for witness and work for God.
- Quiet. God works in the church by His Spirit — secretly, quietly, without noise.
- Weakness. Our own energy and perseverance do not just fall short — they block divine strength. Felt weakness turns us to depend on the Lord.
- Small. A work carried by the Spirit looks small. Those who despise it are out of step with Jehovah of hosts; those who delight in it are in communion with Him.
- Grace. The top stone goes up to shouts of "Grace, grace" — the finished building answers might and power with grace.
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel [thou dost become] a plain; and he shall bring forth the head-stone with shoutings Grace, grace unto it!
The mountain is not a real hill. It stands for everything blocking the builders, and God's question to it carries a note of defiance.
The mountain, we understand, stands for all the obstacles that lay in the way of finishing the work. It is a figure that gathers up the whole of the difficulties, as well as the opposition they met, which the book of Ezra describes in detail. But all of these are nothing to God, whatever the enemies do and however strong or influential they are. They are just as nothing to the man of faith who rests only on the power of the Spirit and walks in the path of God's will. So the question is put in triumph, even in defiance: "Who are you, O great mountain?"
Commentators differ on what the mountain stands for. Some read it as the empires that held Israel down. Others read it as Israel's own unbelief.
The question, "Who are you, O great mountain?" (v. 7), draws our attention to the Gentile powers, beginning with Babylon, that have been so great an obstacle to Israel's blessing. But before Zerubbabel, this mountain would become a plain — no obstacle at all.
The mountain gives way in front of a man who works in God's strength. Jesus later spoke in the same way about faith.
Surely, the Lord Jesus was pointing to this verse when He said to His disciples, "If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move" (Matt. 17:20). … In the days we live in, the weakest faith makes every obstacle that Satan and the world put in our path disappear.
The stone brought out here is the last one, not the first. It is the piece that says the work is done.
"And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" (v. 7). In the previous chapter Christ was the cornerstone of the foundation. Here He appears as the top, the keystone of the entire building. God had engraved seven eyes on the cornerstone; on the top stone one reads only one word: Grace! … All future blessings will depend on this grace of God displayed in the person of the King. When He came into this world, grace appeared in His person… But His people did not receive Him and the world rejected Him. Then He finished the work of grace on the cross.
Other writers reach the same identification by tracing the phrase into the New Testament, where the rejected stone ends up on top.
As a symbol, the headstone, equally with the foundation-stone, points to Christ. This will be seen from the words, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." (Psalm 118:22.) And it is possible that the passage in Ephesians may connect itself with this: "Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20), teaching that He is both the foundation and the crown, the beginning and the end, of the house of God.
The shout comes at the end, when people see what the finished building has become.
The foundation was already laid. If they only trusted God and went on with the work, the top stone would go up, and everyone would cry, Grace, grace to it — that is, they would exclaim what a fair and beautiful building it had become.
The doubled word also settles the question of credit. Grace, not might or power, gets the applause.
Grace, too, will stand out most, in contrast to "might" and "power." Grace will draw shouts of rejoicing from the people. This will be true above all in the day of Israel's restoration, but today believers have the privilege of knowing the reality of the grace of God in advance.
Another house is going up now, out of unlikely material, and it waits for the same shout.
In the very world where men crucified His Beloved and cried out, "Away with Him," a dwelling place is being formed from such material as that! These are men who recognise their lost condition and accept the infinite grace and love of God. Out of this quarry of nature come the great and costly stones dug for this temple of God. So, without great show, without the sound of a hammer (1 Kings 6:7), this eternal dwelling place of God is growing, until "he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"
- Mountain — one image holds every obstacle and every opponent. God challenges it with a question that expects no answer.
- Plain — the obstacle drops flat in front of a man who leans on God. Jesus told His disciples that even the smallest faith moves mountains.
- Headstone — the last stone, set when the work is done. Commentators read it as Christ, both the foundation and the top of God's building.
- Grace — the cry over the finished work admires its beauty and hands the credit to God, not to might or power.
- Now — believers know that same grace in advance, and they are the stones of a house still rising toward that shout.
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
The temple in Jerusalem stood half-built, and the people working on it had lost heart. Here a fresh message from God arrives about that unfinished work, the man leading it, and the messenger who brought the word.
This new word is plain speech: a named man, and an unfinished building. It renews a promise the builders had already been given:
Here, then, we have a solemn renewal of the assurance. Nothing would stop Zerubbabel from carrying out his work. The hands that laid the foundation of the house should finish it. From this we learn a lesson. No opposition or hostility can hinder the work of God. Not all the cunning of the enemy can even slow it down. This holds true when His people labour in dependence on Him and count on His support and protection alone.
Nothing they could see backed up the promise. The same writer shows what faith would let them say:
Appearances might be — and indeed they were — all against them. But by faith they would be able to say: we know that our work will prosper, because the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
The promise rests on who God is, not on Zerubbabel's strength:
The foundation stone of the temple was laid in Jerusalem. It was the witness that the work was begun. It was begun in the name of Jehovah, and what is begun in His name will surely be completed in His name. God never yet left a work unfinished. Man has time and time again left his work, as he did the tower of Babel, because he was unable to complete it.
Another writer brings the promise back to Zechariah's own situation:
With this Zechariah returns to the circumstances under which he prophesied. He announced that Zerubbabel would complete the house of which he had laid the foundation. History tells us that this has also come about.
This unimpressive building was to carry two things at once:
Zerubbabel had laid the foundation, and he also should finish it; and this should be a sign to the people that the Lord had sent His servant. To the outward eye it might be a day of small things. But that day held within itself the promise that the kingdom would be restored in glory, under the rule of the promised Messiah.
Commentators differ on who the speaker is. Some read it of Zechariah, and hear more in it as well:
Zechariah is no doubt referring to himself when he says, "Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you." But does this not also speak of what the nation will come to know in a coming day? They refused the word of Zechariah, and so they refused the word of the Lord. But in that day they will know beyond any shadow of doubt that He was the sent One of the Father.
Others hear a greater speaker behind the words:
When the finishing took place, it would be the clearest demonstration that it was "Jehovah of hosts" who had "sent Me to you." Who is this who was sent? The language is meant to stress that this prophecy is a picture. It looks forward to the future temple in Jerusalem, which Israel knows the Messiah will build in His own time. So the One whom Jehovah of hosts has sent is the Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus. Today this is a picture of the spiritual house, the Church, of which the Lord Jesus Himself is the foundation, the cornerstone and the topstone.
Zerubbabel worked in weakness and discouragement. That is exactly what makes him a picture of someone greater:
It was indeed a day of small things in Zerubbabel's day. Despite weakness and low spirits, he would not only lay the foundation of the house, but finish it. In the same way, Christ laid the moral foundation of it in His death, and He will finish it in the day of His power.
- Word. A fresh message comes to the prophet. It leaves vision and symbol for the real half-built temple and the man in charge of it.
- Hands. The same hands that laid the foundation will finish it. No hostility and no cunning of the enemy can stop God's work while His people lean on Him.
- Finished. What God starts in His name, He finishes in His name. He has never yet left a work unfinished, and history shows the temple was built.
- Sign. The finished house was the proof. Seeing it stand, they would know God had sent His messenger.
- Sent. Commentators differ: is the sent one Zechariah, or the Messiah? Either way the promise reaches forward to Christ. He laid the moral foundation in His death, and He will finish the house in the day of His power.
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; and his hands shall finish it and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you.
A word comes to Zechariah for a building project that had stopped. The builders had laid the foundation, and the promise here is that the same hands will finish it — and that the finished house will show who sent the messenger.
The first meaning is plain. Zechariah names a man alive in his own day and tells him what he will do.
With this word (vv. 8-9) Zechariah returns to the circumstances under which he prophesied. He announced that Zerubbabel would complete the house of which he had laid the foundation. History tells us that this has also come about.
The promise names the same hands twice, and one writer draws from it a rule about every work of God.
So here is a solemn renewal of the assurance that nothing should stop Zerubbabel from carrying out his work. The hands that laid the foundation of the house should finish it. This teaches us that no opposition or hostility, and not all the cunning of the adversary, can hinder or even slow down the work of God. That holds when His people labour in dependence on Him and count only on His support and protection. Appearances might be, and indeed were, all against them. But under the influence of faith they could say: we know our work will prosper, because the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
What the builders saw was small. The promise tied to it was not, and faith could join the two.
Zerubbabel had laid the foundation, and he also should finish it; and this should be a sign to the people that the Lord had sent His servant. To the outward eye it might be a day of small things. Yet that day held within itself the promise of the kingdom restored in glory, under the rule of the promised Messiah (see Zech. 6:12-13). And faith had the privilege of linking itself, in this day of small things, with the full accomplishment of God's purposes towards His people.
Commentators differ on who speaks the closing line. Some read it as the prophet's own commission, as above. Others hear a voice greater than Zechariah's, since the finished building proves who sent Him.
When the work was finished, it would be the clearest proof that it was "the LORD of hosts" who had "sent Me to you." Who is this who was sent? The language stresses that this prophecy is a picture. It looks ahead to the future temple in Jerusalem, which Israel knows the Messiah will build in His own time. So the One whom the LORD of hosts has sent is the Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus. In our own day this is a picture of the spiritual house, the Church. The Lord Jesus is Himself its foundation, its corner-stone and its topstone. He is the Builder, and He takes a personal part in raising the whole building.
Read that way, the two acts in the verse — laying and finishing — belong to two moments far apart in time.
It was indeed a day of small things in Zerubbabel's day. Despite weakness and low spirits, he would not only lay the foundation of the house, but finish it. In the same way, Christ laid the moral foundation of it in His death, and He will finish it in the day of His power.
The verse still answers discouragement. It measures a work by its Builder, not by its size.
God also decreed that "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it." No amount of opposition by the great of this world can frustrate what God has set Himself to do. It may be a "day of small things," which God's people are inclined to despise. But the faithful will see that the outward appearance does not show the true value of the work of God. The faithful remnant of that day would rejoice to see the building tools again in the hands of Zerubbabel. In the same way, God's people today see by faith the Lord Jesus building what no power of man or Satan can prevail against.
- Same hands. The hands that laid the foundation are the hands that finish it — God does not hand His unfinished work to someone else.
- Same hands, so no fear. God has already named the finisher. So no hostility and no cunning of the adversary can stop the work, where His people depend on Him.
- Same hands, so no contempt. Outward smallness is not a measure of value; faith links a modest beginning to the full accomplishment of God's purposes.
- Same hands in Christ. Christ laid the moral foundation in His death, He finishes it in the day of His power, and today He builds His Church.
- Same hands as proof. The completed house is the credential — the finishing itself is what makes the sender known.
For who hath despised the day of small things? Yea, they shall rejoice [even] those seven -- and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel these are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro in the whole earth.
The exiles have come home to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and the small group with him are rebuilding the temple, and it looks poor next to Solomon's. The verse turns the question around. What matters is not how the work looks to people, but how it looks to the eyes of the Lord.
The work was modest, and God knew it.
Rebuilding the temple in those days was a fairly modest task. The people wept when they remembered the past glory of the temple. Yet in God's eyes this small beginning still mattered. He was well pleased with those who took the building of His house to heart.
This was not the first small beginning in Israel's history.
Smallness marked what we may call Israel's day. That nation started out as "the fewest of all peoples" (Deut. 7:7)... In the days of the exile, God graciously stirred the spirits of some (Ezra 1:5), but the revival was very limited. Ezra called it "a little reviving" (Ezra 9:8).
The temptation came from looking backwards and measuring by appearance.
Some, if not all, had been tempted to do this (Ezra 3:12). They had compared the poor look of the present building with the glory of Solomon's. Comparing the present with the past discouraged them, and in that discouragement they thought little of the work they were doing. The message now shows them that in this state of mind they were not in fellowship with the mind and heart of God. The question was not the outward glory of their work, but what God thought about it.
To despise such a day is to be out of step with God when the work is finished.
It was only a day of small things now. But the man who despised it would not be in step with the LORD of hosts when the work was completed. The same spirit that owns God's delight in what is little will have honour from God in the great day, and no one else will. But a day when God is testing hearts is always a day of small things, open to the scorn of the man whose heart is not content to serve God.
There is an opposite danger too.
Those days of small things were just God's opportunity for doing great things. But let us, beloved, beware of attempting to do great things in a day of small things.
The plumb line appears in Zerubbabel's hand when the work is done.
Another message comes to the prophet about Zerubbabel, with the promise that the eyes of the Lord would rejoice when they saw the plumb line in his hand and the work finished. The hands that laid the foundation of the house would finish it. This teaches us that no opposition or enmity, and none of the enemy's cunning, can hinder or even slow the progress of the work of God, when His people work in dependence on Him and count only on His support and protection.
Who does the rejoicing? One reading gives it to the eyes of the Lord themselves.
The seven eyes of the Lord, seen in the previous chapter 'on one stone', will rejoice, because they run through the whole earth and see everything.
The same seven eyes appear at four points in Scripture.
In 2 Chronicles 16:9, they "run to and fro throughout the whole earth." This is providence in general. In Zechariah 3:9, they are on the stone laid in Jerusalem. In Zechariah 4:10 these same eyes are settled in Jerusalem, yet they "range through the whole earth". This care comes from God's purpose to set His throne in Zion. Finally, in Revelation 5, before the throne is in Zion, the eyes are in the horns of the Lamb on high.
The same excuse gets used today.
We sometimes grumble, either with disappointment or with resignation: "After all, it is a day of small things". We may use this as an excuse to give up some form of service for the Lord, or even to discourage others from trying anything at all. Perhaps we forget that the text asks: "For who has despised the day of small things?"
Note: this writer quotes an older translation, which phrases the line as a question.
- Small day. The second temple looked poor next to Solomon's. Comparing the present with the past bred the contempt God challenges.
- Small measure. The question is never how glorious the work looks, but what God thinks of it.
- Small hands. The hands that laid the foundation finish it — no opposition can stop God's work while His people lean on Him.
- Small but watched. The seven eyes move from God's care over all the earth, to the stone in Jerusalem, and at last to the Lamb in Revelation 5.
- Small day, great God. A day of small things is God's opportunity for great things — so neither despise it nor try to inflate it.
And I answered and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees on the right of the lamp-stand and on its left?
One detail of Zechariah's vision still holds him: the two olive trees on either side of the golden lampstand. His question about them opens the last exchange of the chapter, and the answer unlocks everything before it.
The prophet asks twice. He asks about the trees, then about the branches and the pipes that drain the oil out of themselves. One writer notes that the angel folds both questions into one reply:
The final answer of the angel gives, as we may see, the key to the whole chapter. The details of the symbol are somewhat difficult to grasp. One of the prophet's questions (v. 12) brings an extra detail into the original vision: there is no mention of the olive branches there... One more thing may be noted before the interpretation. The angel does not answer the prophet's two questions. He clearly treats the olive trees and the olive branches as one and the same, and says, These are the two sons of oil.
The angel's answer treats the branches and the trees as one:
The prophet admits he does not know the answer to his question. So the angel says, "These are the two sons of oil, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth." The two branches have the same character as the two olive trees.
The lampstand is gold. The pipes are gold. The oil is called gold too.
The two olive trees, one on either side of the lampstand (v. 11), especially catch Zechariah's interest... Evidently the branches from the trees, connected with two golden pipes, brought the oil to the seven lamps. The lampstand and the pipes are gold, and the oil too is called golden oil. This emphasizes the deity of the Spirit of God, just as the golden lampstand emphasizes the glory of Christ's deity.
The angel's phrase, "sons of oil," points to the two offices in Israel that anointing marked out.
In Israel the high priest was anointed, and also the king — David, for instance, in 1 Samuel 16. At that moment Joshua represented the priestly line, and Zerubbabel the kingly line, though he was not himself a king. The grace and power of God was to flow through them at that time, in its measure. In full measure it will flow through Christ, when He will sit a Priest upon His kingly throne. The sixth chapter will tell us of this. Then it will be perfectly clear that everything comes on the basis of grace, and not of law-keeping.
The trees are not decoration. They are where the lampstand's supply comes from.
The prophet's question about the olive branches seems to make one thing plain. The olive trees (the sons of oil) were the two sources that fed and sustained the light of the lampstand. What then are these? Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah, Joshua (Zech. 3) was the high priest, and the two combined were therefore a type of Christ as the priest on His throne. So the two olive trees, as another has written, "are the royalty and the priesthood of Christ, which maintain, by power and spiritual grace, the perfect light of divine order among the Jews."
At this point in the book there are two trees, not one:
In chapter 4 the kingship and priesthood — the two olive trees — are still separate. Yet they work together to feed the light of testimony. Finally, in chapter 6, we find the priesthood and the kingship united in one person.
The two men Zechariah could see fell far short of what the vision promised:
The "two sons of oil" will secure all God's thoughts for the blessing of His earthly people — the One who is Anointed Priest and Anointed King. Sadly, in the days of the prophet there was much to discourage. Zerubbabel was the direct heir from David to the throne of Israel, but he was not the anointed king. Joshua was the high priest of Israel, but how miserable was his state as shown in chapter 3. But the day is surely coming when the kingdom and the priesthood will be taken up by Him in whom there is no failure.
- Oil — lampstand, pipes and oil are all gold; the golden oil marks out the deity of the Spirit of God.
- Source — the trees are not ornaments. They are the two springs that feed the light of testimony.
- Anointing — "sons of oil" names Israel's two anointed offices: Joshua the priest, Zerubbabel of David's line.
- Union — here the two stand apart on either side; in chapter 6 priesthood and kingship meet in one Person.
- Fulfilment — neither man of Zechariah's day matched the vision. It waits for the One in whom there is no failure.
And I answered the second time and said unto him, What are the two olive-branches which are beside the two golden tubes that empty the gold out of themselves?
Zechariah is watching a vision of a golden lampstand fed by two olive trees. He has already asked what it means — so why ask a second time, and what are these branches and pipes?
The parts of this picture fit together in an order.
The angel's final answer gives us the key to the whole chapter. One of the prophet's questions (v. 12) brings an extra detail into the original vision. There is no mention of the olive branches there. Putting the whole together, there is first the seven-branched golden lampstand. Then the bowl on top of it, with "seven pipes" connected to each of the seven lamps. Then the olive trees on either side of the bowl. And finally the two olive branches, which have their two golden pipes. By means of these pipes they empty the golden oil out of themselves — presumably, though it is not actually stated, into the bowl on top of the lampstand. One more thing may be noted: the angel does not answer the prophet's two questions separately. He plainly treats the olive trees and the olive branches as one and the same.
The vision also tells us what the oil stands for.
Notice also the term "golden oil." The lampstand is of gold. The oil flows from the olive trees, but it comes through golden pipes, and the oil itself is "golden." The gold, as always, represents what is divine, while the oil is the emblem of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit here because Christ, as Lord of the earth, will bear the testimony in all His divine energy — so the oil is golden, divine oil. When Jesus walked here on earth He lived, acted, and worked in the power of the Holy Spirit. This was the source of His words, acts, and miracles… And Zechariah's vision shows that when He is here in the glory of the kingdom, He will also rule, maintain His rights, and bear testimony for God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Joshua and Zerubbabel were the two leading men of that day.
The answer was that they represented the two "anointed ones," or "sons of oil," who stand before "the Lord of the whole earth." In Israel the high priest was anointed, and so was the king — David, for instance, in 1 Samuel 16. At that moment Joshua represented the priestly line, and Zerubbabel the kingly line, though he was not himself a king. The grace and power of God was to flow through them at that time, in its measure. In full measure it will flow through Christ, when He will sit as a Priest on His kingly throne.
The two men themselves gave little cause for confidence.
In the days of the prophet there was much to discourage. Zerubbabel was the direct heir of David to the throne of Israel, but he was not the anointed king. Joshua was the high priest of Israel, but how miserable his state was, as pictured in chapter 3. But the day is surely coming. Then He in whom there is no failure will take up both the kingdom and the priesthood. Through Him the light of the glory of God will shine from the holy city, Jerusalem, for the blessing of Israel and the lighting of the world.
The vision came to steady men who were losing heart at the size of the job.
The difficulties of building the second temple seemed like mountains to Zerubbabel and his companions. So Zechariah cheers them with the vision of the two "sons of oil," the olive trees. They support the lampstand and provide an endless supply of the "golden oil" through the "golden pipes." With the vision comes the explanation: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts… Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain." (Zech. 4)
The full supply belongs to Christ, and there is a sign of it before His reign.
As the true Priest and King, He alone will supply, dispense, and keep up the light of the Spirit in Israel, to the glory of Jehovah. Before the kingdom sets this up, we see a pledge of it in the two witnesses of Revelation 11. They come after the saints are taken up to heaven, when God begins to work anew in the Jewish remnant.
- Source. The two olive branches empty the oil out of themselves. The supply starts outside the lamps, in what God gives, not in what the builders can make.
- Substance. The oil is "golden": gold stands for what is divine, and the oil pictures the Holy Spirit, so the supply is God's own power.
- Channel. Golden pipes carry it to the bowl and on to the seven lamps. The lamps receive the power; they never have to make it.
- Bearers. The "sons of oil" are the anointed ones. Joshua stood for the priestly line, Zerubbabel for the kingly line. Both meet without failure in Christ, Priest on His throne.
- Result. Where God supplies the oil, mountains flatten and the light keeps burning. The answer to a discouraging day is not might or power, but His Spirit.
And he spoke to me, saying, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Zechariah has asked twice about the two olive trees and the golden oil they pour out. Instead of an answer, the angel asks him a question back. His "No, my lord" is the honest admission of a man who cannot read the vision. Only after that does the chapter explain itself.
The prophet's "no" is not a failure. It is the reason he learns anything at all:
The prophet could not understand anything without the Angel explaining it to him. His companion asked, "Do you not know…?" and he had to answer, "No, my lord." That kept him humble. We too need to feel our own ignorance before God if we want to understand the truths in His Word. Scripture gives many plain details that even unbelievers can grasp. But the deeper sense will always escape the natural man. To grasp the hidden meaning we need the Spirit of God, but even more, we must know Christ, who Himself is the key to the Word.
Zechariah had put two questions — one about the trees, one about the branches. The angel's reply does not take them one at a time:
The angel's final answer gives us the key to the whole chapter… One thing more can be noted before the interpretation. The angel does not answer the prophet's two questions. He clearly treats the olive trees and the olive branches as one and the same, and says, These are the two sons of oil.
Zechariah did not know that the two trees stood for two anointed offices in Israel. Two named men held them at that moment:
The answer was that they represented the two "anointed ones," or "sons of oil," who stand before "the Lord of the whole earth." In Israel both the high priest and the king were anointed — David, for instance, in 1 Samuel 16. At that moment Joshua represented the priestly line, and Zerubbabel the kingly line, though he was not himself a king. The grace and power of God was to flow through them at that time, in its measure. In full measure it will flow through Christ, when He will sit a Priest upon His kingly throne, as the sixth chapter will tell us.
Nothing in the vision depends on human effort. Israel once had to supply the oil for the lamps; here the oil arrives on its own:
In Leviticus 24 the Lord had instructed Israel to provide oil for the lamps. But in this vision the golden oil does not come from the efforts of God's people. It flows straight from the two olive trees through the two golden tubes into the golden bowl of the lampstand. The seven pipes then carry the precious oil from the bowl to the seven lamps. There is no thought of the responsibility of man, as in Revelation. Nor is there any sign that God uses man as an instrument to provide the light for His own pleasure, as in Leviticus 24. It is the sovereign action of God in every part.
The two men of Zechariah's day only pointed forward. One writer traces where the two offices meet, and what comes before that day:
Joshua represented the high priestly function; Zerubbabel in a measure bore witness to the kingly one. As we know, this will centre in Christ, and only then will perfection appear. He alone will supply, give out, and keep up the light of the Spirit in Israel, as the true Priest and King, to the glory of the Lord. Before this is established in the kingdom, we see a pledge of it in the two witnesses of Revelation 11.
- Ask. Zechariah asks the angel twice about the olive trees instead of guessing.
- Admit. The question turned back on him draws out "No, my lord." That admitted ignorance keeps him teachable. We need it too before God's Word.
- Receive. The key sentence of the chapter comes only after the confession. It answers more than he asked, folding trees and branches into one.
- Understand. The two "sons of oil" are the anointed priest and the anointed king. Joshua and Zerubbabel filled those places in measure. Christ will fill both in full, a Priest on His throne.
- Depend. No one has to fetch the oil. It flows from the trees to the lamps on its own, because the light is God's own work from start to finish.
And he said, These are the two sons of oil, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth.
Zechariah had asked what the two olive trees were, and what the branches pouring golden oil into the lampstand meant. The angel's reply names them but does not explain them: two anointed figures, standing beside the Lord who owns the whole earth.
In Israel, anointing marked out two offices. One writer names the men who held them in Zechariah's day.
In Israel the high priest was anointed, and also the king — David for instance, in 1 Samuel 16. At that moment Joshua represented the priestly line, and Zerubbabel, the kingly line, though not himself a king. The grace and power of God was to flow through them at that time, in its measure. In full measure it will flow through Christ, when He will sit a Priest upon His kingly throne. It will then be perfectly clear that everything comes on the basis of grace, and not on keeping the law.
Another rendering of "anointed ones" is "sons of oil." Oil keeps a lamp burning, and that is what these two supply.
The two anointed ones — the priesthood and the kingship — provide the oil that feeds the candlestick. Both priests and kings are anointed with oil (Leviticus 8:12; 1 Samuel 16:13).
The lampstand makes no oil of its own. Everything it gives out, it first receives.
On either side of the golden candlestick stood these two olive trees. The prophet's question about the olive branches seems to make it plain that the olive trees (the sons of oil) were the two sources that fed and sustained the light of the candlestick. What then are these? Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah, and Joshua (Zechariah 3) was the high priest. The two together were therefore a picture of Christ as the priest on His throne. So the two olive trees, as another writer has said, "are the royalty and the priesthood of Christ, which maintain, by power and spiritual grace, the perfect light of divine order among the Jews."
In Zechariah's day no one man could hold both offices. The law kept them apart.
The meaning here is easy to understand. In Israel, both priests and kings were commonly anointed with oil. And Zechariah 6:13 tells us that Christ will be priest on His throne. In Old Testament history this could never happen, because priests could come only from the line of Aaron, and kings could not come from that line. But Christ will be both High Priest and King.
Later in the book the two offices come together in one person.
In chapter 4 the kingship and priesthood — the two olive trees — are still separate, although they work together in feeding the light of testimony. Finally, in the sixth chapter we find the priesthood and the kingship united in one person.
Neither Joshua nor Zerubbabel was impressive. The vision points past them.
In the days of the prophet there was much to discourage. Zerubbabel was the direct heir from David to the throne of Israel, but he was not the anointed king. Joshua was the high priest of Israel, but how miserable was his state as pictured in chapter 3. But the day is surely coming when He in whom there is no failure will take up the kingdom and the priesthood. Then through Him the light of the glory of God will shine from the holy city, Jerusalem, for the blessing of Israel and the lighting of the world.
Revelation 11 uses the same picture for two witnesses in a later day. One writer links it back to this vision.
This passage makes clear that the olive tree shows these witnesses are anointed by the Holy Spirit to "stand before the Lord of the whole earth" (compare Zechariah 4:14 with Revelation 11:4). As candlesticks they become witnesses before men. Their testimony is to the Lord who has claimed the sea and the earth and is about to establish His kingdom.
The two passages are not identical, and one writer is careful about how far the parallel runs.
In Zechariah we see everything in order. There is a candlestick and two olive trees, which furnish oil for the candlestick. Here it is two candlesticks and two olive trees. How can you fit them together into one picture? With the "two," I go no further than the idea that it is an adequate testimony.
- Oil — "Anointed ones" also reads "sons of oil." Israel anointed both priests and kings with oil, and oil keeps a lamp alight.
- Two — Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel of the royal line. The law kept the two offices apart: priests came only from Aaron's line.
- Supply — The lampstand has no light of its own. The two olive trees feed and sustain it.
- One — What two weak men carried in part, Christ will hold in full: a Priest on His throne, with no failure in Him.
- Earth — They stand by the Lord of the whole earth, who is about to establish His kingdom. Revelation 11 takes up the same picture, though commentators differ on how far the parallel runs.