Zechariah 3:9

The Bible says in Zechariah 3:9-10, “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.” These two verses are a continuation of the verse that came before them, Zechariah 3:8, in which “my servant the BRANCH” is mentioned. Of course, this is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Zechariah 3:9 we find that the Messiah is referred to as a “stone.” Zechariah’s prophecy is all about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and Israel, and of course, stones would be used to do the rebuilding. Jesus is the chief cornerstone. The same symbolism is used in Isaiah 28:16 where it says, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” It also says in Matthew 21:42, “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” The building that God will make out of the human race will be based upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the foundation for salvation, Jesus is the foundation for a meaningful life, Jesus is the foundation for all of the promises of the future including the future of Israel.

In order to have a future we must have the forgiveness of sins. The main problem that Israel has is the same problem that the entire human race has: the sin problem. The solution to that problem will be found in Jesus. We know that salvation comes one person at a time. Jesus deals individually with each of us to awaken us to our need of repentance and forgiveness. Once in a while there are times of great awakenings when many people turn to the Lord at the same time. This seems to be what is going to happen with the nation of Israel. The Jewish people officially have rejected Jesus as being their Messiah, although there are some Jews who get saved once in a while. But at the Second coming evidently the whole nation of Israel will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That event is alluded to here in Zechariah 3:9 where the Lord says, “I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” Zechariah 12:10 gives more detail about this event which is quoted in John 19:39. It says in Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” The Apostle Paul also referred to this event and wrote in Romans 11:25-29, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

Zechariah 3:10 is speaking of the future state of Israel, and it makes two points about that future state. It says, “shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.” To say that Israel will one day “call every man his neighbour,” is a declaration of a final and lasting peace. Right now man is at war with God and with his neighbor. The standard that Jesus gave is said very clearly in Matthew 22:39, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Jesus called this the second greatest commandment. Think how wonderful life on earth would be if everyone obeyed this commandment. God promises that life on earth will be like this one day.

The second point that is made in Zechariah 3:10 about that future is that everyone shall be “under the vine and under the fig tree.” This speaks of prosperity and abundance. One of the greatest sufferings of life is hunger. There should be plenty of food for everyone in this bountiful earth that God has given to us. Unfortunately there are famines, and there is the fact of man’s own mismanagement that sometimes makes a bad problem worse. Jesus told us what the current age will always be like. Jesus said in Matthew 24:6-8, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Famines will always take place in the age in which we live. The greatest famine of all will take place during the Great Tribulation. The Bible tells us about a great famine in Revelation 6:5-6, “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Thank God that Zechariah tells us of a better time: a time that the Messiah will bring of peace and prosperity. What a wonderful future awaits those who believe in Jesus.

The Bible says in Zechariah 4:1-5, “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold 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, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.” Zechariah was not asleep, so it is interesting to notice that he said that when the angel of the Lord talked with him that he was “as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.” This is symbolic of a spiritual awakening. Many people are awake, but they are not awake: they are asleep spiritually speaking. Other people are asleep in reference to certain important spiritual ideas. Perhaps they know some spiritual truths, but there are one or more other truths that they need to be awakened to in order to grow in the Lord and become more effective as servants of the Lord. There was something important that Zechariah needed to know and to learn. Zechariah needed to understand the true meaning of the seven lamps and the golden candlestick.

Of course, this golden candlestick is not a new object to someone familiar with the Old Testament. Back in the book of Exodus when God gave the instructions to Moses on how to construct the tabernacle, Moses was told to place within the tabernacle a golden candlestick with seven lamps. It says in Exodus 25:31-34, “And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.” And it also says in Exodus 35:14, “The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light.” The tabernacle had no windows. The only source of light was the golden candlestick, and the golden candlestick was only able to put forth light because of the oil.

This world is a dark place in reference to spirituality. And there is only one source of light for the world: the truth of Christ as truth shines through Christians. Remember that the oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. We must have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to do the work of God and in order for the light to shine. That is the important message that was being delivered to Zechariah: don’t forget about the oil in the golden candlestick. When Zechariah is told about two olive trees beside the golden candlestick, we are all being told that there is an unlimited supply of the Holy Spirit for those who those who realize that they need the power of the Holy Spirit.

The next verse in Zechariah is one of the great statements in the Bible concerning the Holy Spirit. It says in 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.” The Spirit of God works in ways that are unseen and unknown to most people. The world has its ways. The ways of the world involve a struggle of strength against strength and might against might, with the strongest and most powerful coming out on top. This is called “the survival of the fittest.” We see the principle of the “survival of the fittest” all around us. It takes place in nature among the animals, and it takes place in the political, business, and religious organizations. Therefore, it requires a very large change in attitude to switch from the ways of the world to the ways of the Holy Spirit. God’s word says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” The work of the Spirit does not involve human might nor human power, but God’s work goes forth nevertheless. The work to be done during the time of Zechariah was the rebuilding of Jerusalem and Israel. The human way to accomplish this task would have been to collect a mighty army, to conquer Babylon, and to force them to rebuild Jerusalem. But that is not God’s way. The Spirit of God works in unseen ways without using the methods of the might and power of man. Of course, God’s Spirit is more powerful than the might and power of man. Notice what the Spirit does: He works in man’s heart. Once the heart is changed, then everything else will be changed because all human action starts with the thought process. Of course, salvation works this way also. The Spirit of God works in someone’s heart and convicts them of sin and draws them to Jesus. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can do this.

If believers are going to serve the Lord effectively according to His will, we must have the power of the Holy Spirit. The moment that we believe on Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit. It says in Romans 8:9, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” In order to have the power of the Holy Spirit, we must be careful. We must be led by the Spirit. It says in Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” A Christian must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit. It says in First Thessalonians 5:19, “Quench not the Spirit.” If the Spirit is leading you to do something, make sure that you do it. A Christian must be careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit. It says in Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” God hates sin, and He is holy. Live as holy of a life as you can, and if you fail confess your sins quickly, if you want the power of the Spirit of Christ. Never forget that it is recorded in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

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