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Day Two: Don’t Worry About Being Enough

Zechariah’s fifth vision shows a golden lampstand and two olive trees (4:1-14). The two olive trees are symbolic of Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest. The golden lampstand represents the temple and the community that worships there.

As work on the new temple progressed, some people became disheartened. According to the book of Ezra, many of the older people, who remembered the original temple, wept as the foundation for the new temple was laid, but many others shouted for joy. The new temple would not be nearly as grand as the first one, and those who were older remembered the splendor of Solomon’s temple.

Lesson for Us: This still happens today, doesn’t it? Whether it is worship or new leadership or some new idea, we get stuck focusing on what was instead of looking forward with hope for what is to come.

The work on the temple progressed slowly. Zerubbabel was leading the work and was faced with political conflicts. Their Samaritan neighbors wanted him and the people of Judah to fail. They laid the temple foundation but then met with resistance after the Samaritans lobbied against them before the king (Ezra 4:24). As a result, they were forced to stop building for nearly two decades. The Samaritans likely felt like they had won; Zerubbabel and the others in charge of the project likely felt like failures. Most of the citizens had probably given up hope that it would ever be accomplished.

Zerubbabel was discouraged. Figuratively speaking, there was a great mountain before him — rebuilding the temple. He was surrounded by nations that wanted him to fail, citizens of his own city had lost interest and many of his helpers had grown frustrated with the timeline and moved on to their own projects. But one day, amid his discouragement, the word of the Lord came to him through Zechariah.

In Zechariah 4:6-7, Zechariah delivered a message to Zerubbabel in the midst of his discouragement:

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!’”

This temple project wasn’t Zerubbabel’s. It wasn’t up to him to either succeed or fail. It was God’s idea from the beginning. Zechariah reminded Zerubbabel that this whole project had very little to do with him but had everything to do with God and what God wanted to happen. The job of rebuilding the temple was more than Zerubbabel could handle, and he knew it. The political conflicts around him, the disheartened citizens, the distracted workers and even Zerubbabel’s own fear had stalled them a bit, but they weren’t going to keep this project from being completed, because God wanted it to be done, and so it would be.

Lesson for Us: Most of us are well aware of our limitations, but what God wanted Zerubbabel to know, and what we can learn, is that while it’s good for us to know our strengths and weaknesses, it’s much more important to be aware of the unlimited power of God.

This project loomed like a mountain in front of him, but read Zechariah 4:7 again. The mountain would become level ground. Imagine that! But that isn’t the only promise in this verse. God said Zerubbabel would be the one to finish this project and rejoice in its completion.

Today’s Lessons for Us: Like Zerubbabel, we might not feel like we have the ability to accomplish the task in front of us. We might be worn out and weary. We might be out of ideas and resources. We might feel unqualified and hugely uncomfortable in the place where God has put us. But God wants our life to reflect his power. We see a mountain, but God promises level ground.

1. Where are you today? What is your attitude about where you are?
2. As you seek to follow God, what is the mountain in front of you? Do you believe God can make it level ground before you?
3. If you are having trouble believing that God really can turn your mountain into level ground, go back and read Zechariah 4:6-7 again. Then spend some time being honest with God about your doubts. Ask him to help you rest in the confidence that he will keep his promises.
4. What are you going to do today because of what God has shown you?