Zakarias 4
6 Da svarede han og sagde til mig: Dette er Herrens Ord til Zerubbabel: Ikke
ved Magt og ikke ved Styrke, men ved min Ånd, siger Hærskarers HERRE.
7 Hvem er du, du store Bjerg? For Zerubbabel skal du blive Slette! Han skal
hente Topstenen, medens der råbes: "Nåde, Nåde være med den!"
8 Og Herrens Ord kom til mig således:
9 Zerubbabels Hænder har lagt Grunden til dette Hus, hans Hænder skal også
fuldende det; og du skal kende, at Hærskarers HERRE har sendt mig til eder.
10 Thi den, der lod hånt om de ringe Begyndelsers Dag, skal glæde sig, når
han ser Blystenen i Zerubbabels Hånd. Hine syv er Herrens Øjne, som søger ud
over hele Jorden.
MHC
2. All the difficulties and oppositions that lie in the way shall be got
over and removed, even those that seem insuperable (# Zec 4:7): Who art
thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain. See
here,
(1.) How the difficulty is represented; it is a great mountain, impassable
and immovable, a heap of rubbish, like a great mountain, which must be got
away, or the work cannot go on. The enemies of the Jews are proud and hard
as great mountains; but, when God has work to do, the mountains that stand
in the way of it shall dwindle into mole- hills; for see here,
(2.) How these difficulties are despised:
"Who art thou, O great mountain! that thou shouldest stand in God's way and
think to stop the progress of his work? Who art thou that lookest so big,
that thus threatenest, and art thus feared? Before Zerubbabel, when he is
God's agent, thou shalt become a plain. All the difficulties shall vanish,
and all the objections be got over. Every mountain and hill shall be brought
low when the way of the Lord is to be prepared,"
# Isa 40:4. Faith will remove mountains and make them plains. Christ is our
Zerubbabel; mountains of difficulty were in the way of his undertaking, but
before him they were all levelled; nothing is too hard for his grace to do.
3. The same hand that has begun this good work will perform it: He shall
bring forth the head-stone (# Zec 4:7); and again (# Zec 4:9), The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, be it spoken to his
honour (perhaps with his own hands he laid the first stone), and though it
has been long retarded, and is still much opposed, yet it shall be finished
at last; he shall live to see it finished, nay, and his hands shall also
finish it; herein he is a type of Christ, who is both the author and the
finisher of our faith; and his being the author of it is an assurance to us
that he will be the finisher, for, as for God, his work is perfect; has he
begun and shall he not make an end? Zerubbabel shall himself bring forth the
head-stone with shoutings, and loud acclamations of joy, among the
spectators. The acclamations are not huzzas, but Grace, grace; that is the
burden of the triumphant songs which the church sings. It may be taken,
(1.) As magnifying free grace, and giving to that all the glory of what is
done. When the work is finished it must be thankfully acknowledged that it
was not by any policy or power of our own that it was brought to perfection,
but that it was grace that did it-God's good-will towards us and his good
work in us and for us. Grace, grace, must be cried, not only to the head
stone, but to the foundation stone, the cornerstone, and indeed to every
stone in God's building; from first to last it is nothing of works, but all
of grace, and all our crowns must be cast at the feet of free grace. Not
unto us, O Lord! not unto us.
(2.) As depending upon free grace, and desiring the continuance of it, for
what is yet to be done. Grace, grace, is the language of prayer as well as
of praise; now that this building is finished, all happiness attend it!
Peace be within its walls, and, in order to that, grace. Let the beauty of
the Lord our God be upon it! Note, What comes from the grace of God may, in
faith, and upon good grounds, be committed to the grace of God, for God will
not forsake the work of his own hands.
4. This shall be a full ratification of the prophecies which went before
concerning the Jews' return, and their settlement again. When the temple is
finished then thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you.
Note, The exact accomplishment of scripture prophecies is a convincing proof
of their divine original. Thus God confirms the word of his servant, by
saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, # Isa 44:26. No word of God shall
fall to the ground, nor shall there fail one iota or tittle of it. Zechariah
's prophecies of the approaching day of deliverance to the church would soon
appear, by the accomplishment of them, to be of God.
5. This shall effectually silence those that looked with contempt upon the
beginning of this work, # Zec 4:10. Who, where, is he now that despised the
day of small things, and thought this work would never come to any thing?
The Jews themselves despised the foundation of the second temple, because it
was likely to be so far inferior to the first, # Ezr 3:12. Their enemies
despised the wall when it was in the building, # Ne 2:19; 4:2-3. But let
them not do it. Note, In God's work the day of small things is not to be
despised. Though the instruments be weak and unlikely, God often chooses
such, by them to bring about great things. As a great mountain becomes a
plain before him when he pleases, so a little stone, cut out of a mountain
without hands, comes to fill the earth, # Da 2:35. Though the beginnings be
small, God can make the latter end greatly to increase; a grain of
mustard-seed may become a great tree. Let not the dawning light be despised,
for it will shine more and more to the perfect day. The day of small things
is the day of precious things, and will be the day of great things.
6. This shall abundantly satisfy all the hearty well-wishers to God's
interest, who will be glad to see themselves mistaken in despising the day
of small things. Those that despaired of the finishing of the work shall
rejoice when they see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, when they see
him busy among the builders, giving orders and directions what to do, and
taking care that the work be done with great exactness, that it may be both
fine and firm. Note, It is matter of great rejoicing to all good people to
see magistrates careful and active for the edifying of the house of God, to
see the plummet in the hand of those who have power to do much, if they have
but a heart according to it; we see not Zerubbabel with the trowel in his
hand (that is left to the workmen, the ministers), but we see him with the
plummet in his hand, and it is no disparagement, but an honour to him.
Magistrates are to inspect ministers' work, and to speak comfortably to the
Levites that do their duty.
7. This shall highly magnify the wisdom and care of God's providence, which
is always employed for the good of his church. Zerubbabel does his part,
does as much as man can do to forward the work, but it is with those seven,
those seven eyes of the Lord which we read of # Zec 3:9. He could do nothing
if the watchful, powerful, gracious providence of God did not go before him
and go along with him in it. Except the Lord had built this house,
Zerubbabel and the rest would have laboured in vain, # Ps 127:1. These eyes
of the Lord are those that run to and fro through the whole earth, that take
cognizance of all the creatures and all their actions (# 2Ch 16:9), and
inspire and direct all, according to the divine counsels. Note, We must not
think that God is so taken up with the affairs of his church as to neglect
the world; but it is a comfort to us that the same all-wise almighty
Providence that governs the nations of the earth is in a particular manner
conversant about the church. Those seven eyes that run through the earth are
all upon the stone that Zerubbabel is laying straight with his plummet, to
see that it be well laid. And those that have the plummet in their hand must
look up to those eyes of the Lord, must have a constant regard to divine
Providence, and act in dependence upon its guidance and submission to its
disposals.
--
Ole Madsen
ICQ 12969043
http://www.creationdays.dk - Creation Days - Masseh Beréshith
http://www.auningforjesus.dk - Auning for Jesus
http://www.spurgeon.dk - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
http://www.skabelsesberetningen.dk - Skabelsesberetningen - diskutionsboard
http://move.to/getright - prædikanter, vækkelse
http://www.geocities.com/bread_nee - Watchman Nee's Brød i ørkenen