Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Not Strength, But Submission
Among the things that irritate me most in this world are flashlights that do not work. I would rate this right up there with irons that spit black gunk on my white shirts and vacuums that aren’t effective in cleaning the floor. There are few feelings of greater powerlessness than when trying to find your way through the dark with a flashlight that does not work.
Your power source is mighty important, and that is exactly what Zechariah, God’s prophet, was addressing when he talked to God’s people, the remnant that had come back to live in Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. These were people who faced great discouragement and obstacles, but at the same time wanted to do something big for God.
We see God’s attitude toward these people in Zechariah 4:6 which says, “This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
God said, “It is not by your might or power, Zerubbabel, but it is by My Spirit Who is the source for all those things.” God’s Spirit is like the energy source in the flashlight. The flashlight is merely the vessel in which that energy resides. The energy that produces the light is found in the battery.
Then we have Zechariah’s vision in verses 2-3. The picture is “a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it.” Later he talks about two olive branches.
The picture that God gives Zechariah is of an oil-fed lamp that has pipes that go to a bowl, then a bowl that is supplied through branches to olive trees. The lamp is tapped straight into the source. That oil, as it often is in the Bible, is a picture of God’s Spirit. Then, God’s grace comes from that.
The takeaway is that you don’t need to be strong enough to work for God; you need to be submissive enough for God to work through you. God is not looking for big people; He is looking for obedient people.
D.L. Moody said something to the effect of, “The world has yet to see what God will do through one man wholly and completely submitted to Him.” That is the essence of Zechariah 4. You don’t need to be strong enough to work for God; you need to be submissive enough for God to work through you. God works through obedient people, and God can use you today!