D. Ryan
“I see, and, Behold, a lampstand 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; and two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl, and the other on the left of it” (Zechariah 4:2-3).
“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 the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
I. A Complete Fulness of Light
As one reads Zechariah (and the other prophets), there is an understanding which is gathered from observing what is seen concerning the priesthood and the kingdom of Israel, that all things will be made good in Jesus Christ in a coming day – namely, during the His millennial reign.
There is an application for us today as well.
How would it be after reading about the lampstand from Zechariah 4, that we completely miss the point of what it represents? What if, instead of the sufficiency of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we turn to human expediency?
What is needed today in Christendom, for the shedding of light, is the same thing as what is written in Zechariah – the lampstand! The Person of Christ is the source of the light, and it is by (or through) the power of the Holy Spirit alone. It does not depend on man at all.
There is also a fullness to it, as we see the number seven associated with its construction. And it is seven upon seven. It is a perfectly (and completely) full source of light for us, better than any other substitute. This is God’s way, and it is true today as it will be later in the millennial reign of Christ.