ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 4:1-14 

Read Zechariah 4 

Chapter Outline: 

Verses 1-2: The Lampstand (Vision 5) 

Verse 3-5: The Two Olive Trees 

Verses 6-7: Message to Zerubbabel 

Verses 8-10: Message to Zerubbabel 

Verses 11-14: Messianic Symbolism 

Focus: A little bit of context 

Lampstands (also called menorahs) were created for the Tabernacle by Moses.  This is a Jewish religious symbol.  Zerubbabel (zer-roo-bah-bull) was the officially sanctioned governor who led Israel upon the return to Jerusalem. He was a leader along with Nehemiah, Ezra, and Joshua the High Priest. 

The land of Israel is full of olive trees.  All of the symbols and people mentioned would have been known to Zechariah and were not strange sights or unknown symbols and metaphors.  In addition, the job set before Zerubbabel was to rebuild Jerusalem. It was a heavy difficult task.  Each of these items fills in the context of this vision in chapter 4. 

Focus: How does this draw us to God? 

The key of this vision is “rebuilding.”   

Zechariah 4:6 is quite significant: “Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.’”  The People of Israel (symbolized by the menorah) will be filled with good oil from God and the people of Israel will give supernatural light to the world.  God will fill them with His Spirit (symbolized byt the oil) and do great things through them and it would not be their human strength {Hebrew: chayil} that would accomplish God’s will.  Jerusalem will be rebuilt and Zerubbabel will get it done, but not by his own hand or power.  God will use him to accomplish His will.  God will then build on that foundation and bring the Messiah.  The point of Zechariah 4 is that only the power of God can accomplish this. 

NOTE: The trees are providing the anointing oil and it is God Who provides that oil.  The two trees are witnesses powered by the Holy Spirit.  We should keep in mind the Book of Revelation and the two witnesses in that apocalyptic vision because they too are backed by the will of God and His Spirit. This is significant.   

Focus: OT to the cross 

The final part of the vision notes again the two olive branches that stand beside the lampstand.  One is Zerubbabel (a royal office) and the other is Joshua (a priestly office).  These two would combine as the witness of what God would do for humankind in the Messiah.  The Messiah would be both priest and king fueled by both of these types of men. He would be the lamp that is the witness of God to the nations.  The New Testament ties these two types of men together because the Messiah unified these offices in the spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God. 

Again as in several chapters of Zechariah, God is predicting and telegraphing ahead of time what He would do and accomplish by way of Jesus Christ.

TMB & BMD