Zerubbabel was given a difficult task by God: to re-build the temple in Jerusalem. When we face hard decisions and fierce opposition it is natural for us to attempt to steel the resolve of our flesh or even give up, but God revealed a truth we do well to remember in Zechariah 4:6-7: "So he
answered and 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 of
hosts. 7 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before
Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he
shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace,
grace to it!" ' "
The uniting of the people and building of the temple was a mountain might and power could never scale, but it was by the Holy Spirit it would be done. The highest peaks in the world which require ideal conditions, training, equipment, and guides were not as great as the mountain which loomed before Zerubbabel, but God promised to help him to bring the work to completion. The mountain would become a plain, and the capstone (the final stone) would be placed with celebratory shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" It wasn't Zerubbabel's experience, building ability, or organisational prowess which would bring the project to a successful conclusion but the Holy Spirit by God's grace.
If you have a Bible translated into English you will notice occasional words which are italicised which denotes those precise words were not in the original manuscripts but added by translators to better translate into English. When I import verses into blog posts I italicise the entire passage to convey it is a direct quote of scripture. I was struck by the rendering of verse 7 so here it is as written in my Bible without italicising all: "'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " The prophet says (in effect), "Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel a plain!"
I found this significant because of what Jesus said, that if we pray believing mountains can be removed and cast into the sea (Matthew 21:21, Mark 11:23). We like the idea of insurmountable obstacles being removed so we can easily walk forward on flat ground. But this did not happen with Zerubbabel: the mountain remained massive, foreboding, and towered above him. Yet with the aid of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, scaling the heights would be accomplished like crossing a plain. The mountain remained stubbornly in front of Zerubbabel, and God by grace would empower him to see the task completed. And God was faithful to His promise.
What comfort this brings us when we realise we are incapable of performing the impossible task which stands before us! We want God to move the obstinate obstacle to make our passage easier, but God wants to deal with our obstinance of reliance upon our own might and power to accomplish His work. We want to see the mountain gone and a flat plain before us before we move: sometimes God leaves the mountain be to teach us to look to Him as we climb. What obstacle lies before you which you wish to avoid? Let us remember God's word to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says the LORD of hosts. The work He has begun He is faithful to complete by grace.
The uniting of the people and building of the temple was a mountain might and power could never scale, but it was by the Holy Spirit it would be done. The highest peaks in the world which require ideal conditions, training, equipment, and guides were not as great as the mountain which loomed before Zerubbabel, but God promised to help him to bring the work to completion. The mountain would become a plain, and the capstone (the final stone) would be placed with celebratory shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" It wasn't Zerubbabel's experience, building ability, or organisational prowess which would bring the project to a successful conclusion but the Holy Spirit by God's grace.
If you have a Bible translated into English you will notice occasional words which are italicised which denotes those precise words were not in the original manuscripts but added by translators to better translate into English. When I import verses into blog posts I italicise the entire passage to convey it is a direct quote of scripture. I was struck by the rendering of verse 7 so here it is as written in my Bible without italicising all: "'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " The prophet says (in effect), "Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel a plain!"
I found this significant because of what Jesus said, that if we pray believing mountains can be removed and cast into the sea (Matthew 21:21, Mark 11:23). We like the idea of insurmountable obstacles being removed so we can easily walk forward on flat ground. But this did not happen with Zerubbabel: the mountain remained massive, foreboding, and towered above him. Yet with the aid of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, scaling the heights would be accomplished like crossing a plain. The mountain remained stubbornly in front of Zerubbabel, and God by grace would empower him to see the task completed. And God was faithful to His promise.
What comfort this brings us when we realise we are incapable of performing the impossible task which stands before us! We want God to move the obstinate obstacle to make our passage easier, but God wants to deal with our obstinance of reliance upon our own might and power to accomplish His work. We want to see the mountain gone and a flat plain before us before we move: sometimes God leaves the mountain be to teach us to look to Him as we climb. What obstacle lies before you which you wish to avoid? Let us remember God's word to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says the LORD of hosts. The work He has begun He is faithful to complete by grace.
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