Zechariah 4:6 Ulasan

In this chapter we have another comfortable vision, which, as it was explained to the prophet, had much in it for the encouragement of the people of God in their present straits, which were so great that they thought their case helpless, that their temple could never be rebuilt nor their city replenished; and therefore the scope of the vision is to show that God would, by his own power, perfect the work, though the assistance given to it by its friends were ever so weak, and the resistance given to it by its enemies were ever so strong. Here is, I. The awakening of the prophet to observe the vision (Zac 4:1). II. The vision itself, of a candlestick with seven lamps, which were supplied with oil, and kept burning, immediately from two olive-trees that grew by it, one on either side (Zac 4:2, Zac 4:3). III. The general encouragement hereby intended to be given to the builders of the temple to go on in that good work, assuring them that it should be brought to perfection at last (Zac 4:4-10). IV. The particular explication of the vision, for the illustration of these assurances (Zac 4:11-14).

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 4 In this chapter are contained the vision of a golden candlestick, and of two olive trees by it, and the explanation thereof. The preparation to this vision, which is the awaking of the prophet, as of a man out of sleep, is in Zac 4:1. The vision of the candlestick, and olive trees, is in Zac 4:2. The candlestick is described by the matter of it, gold; and by the parts of it, its bowl, lamps, and pipes; and the olive trees by their situation; the explanation of which is at the request of the prophet, he not knowing what they meant, Zac 4:4 when it is observed to him, that this represents, under the type of Zerubbabel building the temple, the building of the Gospel church by Christ; and which is done and finished, not by might or power of man, but by the Spirit, notwithstanding all opposition, and contempt of it, to the great joy of many, who observe the grace of God, and his providential care and goodness, in it, Zac 4:6 and upon the prophet's inquiring the meaning of the two olive trees, which he was ignorant of, he is told that these are the two anointed ones that stood by the Lord of the whole earth, Zac 4:11.

Then he answered, and spake unto me, saying,.... In great condescension, in order to instruct him into the true meaning of the vision: This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel; this signifies what was said by the Lord to Zerubbabel, by some one of the prophets sent unto him: saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts: that is, that as the candlestick was supplied with oil, from the two olive trees by the side of it, without the help of any man, to pour in the oil, and trim the lamps; so the temple should be built by Zerubbabel, not through the multitude and strength of men, but through the Spirit of God, animating, exciting, encouraging, and strengthening them to go through the work. The temple was a type of the church, and Zerubbabel a type of Christ; he was so in the high esteem he was had in by the Lord; he was chosen by him; made as a signet, and was precious to him, Hag 2:23 in his titles and characters, a servant of the Lord, and governor of Judah, Hag 1:1 and in his work, in bringing the Jews out of captivity, and in rebuilding the temple: so Christ is the chosen of God, and exceeding dear and precious to him; is his righteous servant, and Governor of the church, or King of saints; and who has redeemed and delivered his people from the captivity of sin, and Satan, and the law; and is the builder of his church; who has laid the foundation of it, and will bring in the headstone; and which church is built up in all generations through the conversion of sinners; and that is done, not by external force, by carnal weapons, or moral persuasion; but by the sword of the Spirit, the word of God; and not by the power of man's free will, but by the efficacious grace of the divine Spirit: it is indeed done by power and might, but not of the creature: man, whatever power he has to do things natural, civil, outwardly religions, and materially moral, or however in appearance, has no power to do anything spiritually good; not to think a good thought, nor do a good action, in a spiritual manner; much less to work such a work as the work of regeneration, conversion, and sanctification; since he is dead in sin, and can not quicken himself; his understanding is darkened, yea, darkness itself, and he can not command light into it; his will is stubborn and obstinate, and he can not bend it, and subdue it; his heart is hard as a nether millstone, and he cannot soften it, and repent of his sins, in a truly spiritual, gracious, anti-evangelic manner; his affections are inordinate; and he is a lover of sinful pleasures, and not of God, nor of anything divine, to which his carnal mind is enmity; he cannot believe in Christ of himself; faith is not of himself, it is the gift of God, and so is repentance, and every other grace. The work of grace on the soul is expressed by a regeneration, a resurrection from the dead, a creation, and the new man, or a transformation of a man into another man; all which require almighty power to effect: regeneration is not of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God, of Jehovah the Spirit: sanctification is called the sanctification of the Spirit, and every grace of it is a fruit of his; it is he who is the Spirit of life from Christ, that quickens men when dead in trespasses and sins, and enlightens their dark minds with spiritual light, in divine things; it is he that produces evangelical repentance in them, and faith in Christ is of his operation; it is he that begins the work of grace on the heart, and carries it on, and causes to abound in the exercise of every grace, and performs the work of faith with power. The Targum, instead of "by my Spirit", renders it "by my Word".

(V. 2 onwards.) And he said to me, 'What do you see?' And I said, 'I see, and behold, a golden lampstand, and its lamp on top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven pipes to the lamps that are on top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the lampstand and one on its left.' Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, 'What are these, my lord?' And the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, 'Do you not know what these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord.' And he answered and said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: 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. And he shall bring forth the capstone with shoutings of "Grace, grace to it!"' Then he said to me, 'What do you see?' And I said, 'I see, and behold, a golden lampstand, and 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.' And behold, two olive trees were standing by the lampstand, one on the right side and one on the left side. So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, 'What are these, my lord?' And the angel who was speaking with me replied to me, 'Do you not know what these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord.' Then he answered and said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain, before Zerubbabel? You will become a plain.' And I will bring out the stone of inheritance: the equality of grace shall be his grace. The angel who raised up Zacharias as if from a sleeping man, asks what he sees, so that when he responds, ignorant and questioning what he discerns, and says, 'What are these, my lord?' let us hear from him: This is the word of the Lord to Zorobabel: Not in an army, nor in strength; but in my spirit, says the Lord. Let us therefore discuss each point in order, first what it seems to the Hebrews, from whom we have learned in the Old Testament: then through these steps let us ascend to the heights of the Church. The solid golden candlestick represents the Law, that is, the νόμον. And the lamp, that is, the flame shining and sparkling at the top of the candlestick, represents Christ, who is the head of the Law and illuminates the entire world. The seven lamps on the candlestick represent the seven graces of the Holy Spirit, which we mentioned above, because it is said that in one stone there are seven eyes. There is no doubt that the Law was written with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, the seven infusions in which there is oil, which is put into lamps that shine on the candelabrum, are understood to mean that these seven graces descend from heaven to humans through the Law. But the two olive trees on the candelabrum, on the right and left side, between which the central lamp shines, are interpreted as the Law and the Prophets. And when the prophet narrated his vision, not knowing what he was seeing, he asked the angel who was speaking in himself, namely the sense illuminated by God. For this is our angel, who intelligently understands, and reveals to us the will of God, and says: What are these, my lord? But the angel does not explain the vision to the prophet, as he had been asked; but he asks the inquirer again: Do you not know what these are? And when he replied, I do not know: he himself also replied; This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying: Not by an army, nor by strength, but by my spirit, says the Lord. Therefore, the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, who spoke not in the army, nor in strength, but in my spirit, he is the interpretation of the vision: not in the army, nor in the multitude of warriors, but in the spirit of God, the people are to be led back and more fully restored, and the adversaries are to be devastated. And what follows: Who are you, great mountain, before Zerubbabel, to become level ground? This is understood as a saying to the devil, who stood at the right hand of Jesus, to oppose him, and he was lifted up against Zerubbabel and the people of Judah. But he was brought low and humiliated; and Israel is trampled underfoot, for God will bring forth the chief stone, Christ his Son, who has always been a help to the people of Israel. And by his grace, that is, the stone, he will equal the grace that he always exercised towards their ancestors. We find these things said by the Hebrews. Now let us discuss what has been written by the learned men in the Commentaries. The golden candlestick (which some call the candelabrum) is understood to represent the Church, which in the Holy Scriptures seeks the meaning and intention rather than the words themselves. The fact that gold is understood in a figurative sense is shown in the later part of the 67th psalm, where it is said that the shoulders of the dove radiate with the brilliance or gleam of gold. They understand the lamp itself to represent Christ, who shines in the Church and who said of himself: 'No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel (Matt. V, 15),' that is, under the measure of the Law; but on a candlestick, that is, on the freedom of the gospels, so that it may shine for all who are in the house. The seven lamps and their pouring vessels (also called 'suffusoria') symbolize and represent the grace of the Holy Spirit, through which the Church receives the oil of God's mercy and all virtues. The two olive trees on the candlestick symbolize Moses and Elijah, who spoke with the Lord on the mountain and foreshadowed what would happen to him in Jerusalem (Matthew 17). For the entire law and the prophets preach about the passion of Christ. Others interpret the two olive trees on the right and on the left as the Law and the Gospel, so that the Gospel is on the right and the Law is on the left. Concerning the right and left, it is said in the Song of Songs: His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me (Song of Songs 2:6). But many of our people interpret the mountain as the devil and the Antichrist, who dares to stand before Zerubbabel (from whom Christ is to be born) and raise himself up, and say in the Gospel: All these things have been given to me, and I will give them to you if you will prostrate yourself and worship me (Matthew 4:9). He who prostrates himself at the Lord's feet, and makes the proud humble and the lowly, says: 'Get behind me, Satan, for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve' ( Ibid., 10, and Deut. VI, 13). And they give an example in the Gospel of the lunatic whom the apostles could not heal, they ask why they could not heal him, and they hear: Truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (Matt. XVII, 19, 20). Here the mountain is clearly accepted as the devil. However, others, not without considerable rashness, interpret what is clearly spoken about the devil as referring to Christ, who is often called a mountain in the Holy Scriptures. It is not necessary to give examples, as there is a great abundance of them. But they are led into error because it is written in the Septuagint: Who are you, O great mountain, before the face of Zerubbabel, to be made level? Indeed, this mountain which is before the face of Zorobabel, that is, one who is descended from the lineage of Zorobabel, desires to correct the world itself. And of him it is said: 'I will bring forth the stone of inheritance of which it is written: You are the one who will restore my inheritance to me' (Psalm 15:5). And in another place: 'He has chosen for us his beautiful inheritance, the pride of Jacob whom he loved' (Psalm 46:5). And again: 'The portion of the Lord is Jacob, the line of his inheritance is Israel' (Psalm 105). And in the second Psalm: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance' (Psalm 2:7-8). But the Lord will bring forth the chief cornerstone, of which we read: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (John 1:1). And: 'All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made' (John 1:3). And when he says, 'He will equalize grace to his grace,' he signifies this. We all have received from His fullness, and grace for grace, that is, grace of the Law, grace of the Gospel, so that believing in Israel may receive equal grace, and the people of the Gentiles as well. Hence, Gabriel speaks to Mary: 'You have found favor with the Lord' (Luke 1:30). And the apostle Paul writes: 'For by grace you have been saved' (Ephesians 2:8). And the evangelist John says: 'For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ' (John 1:17).

The prophet, overpowered by his last vision, is roused by the angel to behold another, Zac 4:1; intended also to assure the Jews of the success of Joshua and Zerubbabel in building the temple, and surmounting every obstacle in the way; till at length, by the good providence of God, it should be finished, amidst the joyful acclamations of the spectators, Zac 4:2-10. The angel's explanation of the golden candlestick, and of the two olive trees, Zac 4:11-14.

This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel - This prince was in a trying situation, and he needed especial encouragement from God; and here it is: Not by might, (of thy own), nor by power, (authority from others), but by my Spirit - the providence, authority, power, and energy of the Most High. In this way shall my temple be built; in this way shall my Church be raised and preserved. No secular arm, no human prudence, no earthly policy, no suits at law, shall ever be used for the founding, extension, and preservation of my Church. But the spirit of the world says, "These are all means to which as we must have recourse; otherwise the cause of God may be ruined." Satan, thou liest!

FIFTH VISION. The golden candlestick and the two olive trees. The temple shall be completed by the aid of God's Spirit. (Zac 4:1-14) waked me--The prophet was lying in a state of ecstatic slumber with astonishment at the previous vision. "Came again, and waked me," does not imply that the angel had departed and now returned, but is an idiom for "waked me again."

Not by might . . . but by my Spirit--As the lamps burned continually, supplied with oil from a source (the living olive trees) which man did not make, so Zerubbabel need not be disheartened because of his weakness; for as the work is one to be effected by the living Spirit (compare Hag 2:5) of God, man's weakness is no obstacle, for God's might will perfect strength out of weakness (Hos 1:7; Co2 12:10; Heb 11:34). "Might and power" express human strength of every description, physical, mental, moral. Or, "might" is the strength of many (an "army"); "power," that of one man [PEMBELLUS] God can save, "whether with many, or with them that have no power" (Ch2 14:11; compare Sa1 14:6). So in the conversion of sinners (Co1 3:6; Co2 10:4). "Zerubbabel" is addressed as the chief civil authority in directing the work.