A Confusing Vision
Zechariah 4 is about as confusing as Zechariah 3 was
powerful! Here we have a vision about an
olive tree and a pair of lamp stands.
You might be wondering just what is going on here.
Here’s the good news.
Zechariah was just as confused as I am on a first pass through this text. Zechariah asks again and again for
understanding. And what’s more is that
the angel doesn’t really seem all that interested in giving Zechariah much of
an answer! How’s that for the working
of God!
This can tell us many things.
First, just because I or you may be smart, intelligent, and called by
God doesn’t mean we always know what is going on. Zechariah was called by God and shown this
vision, yet he didn’t get it at first!
Second, sometimes God is intentionally unclear. After all, would we ever learn to think if
every time God spoke He wrote clearly on a wall somewhere? Think about this as a parent or teacher. Do we always give our kids every answer or do
good parents and teachers help their kids learn to reason things out? Third, it teaches us that things happen to us
at God’s timing. Zechariah asks the
questions, but God’s messenger answers the questions when the angel thinks the
time is right.
As I go through this thinking and begin to extrapolate for myself,
I can’t help but wonder how many people would react to hearing these things
about God. How many people will react
well to hearing that God’s people don’t always get it because God isn’t always
that clear, He isn’t always interested in explaining Himself fully, and He isn’t
interested in giving us what we think we need when we think we need it? I think modern people are soft. We want what we want, refusing to accept that
the best things are gained through struggle and hard work. Is it possible that many people are ceasing
to believe in God because they don’t want to believe in a God that will make
them work for understanding?
God’s Point
One of the primary points of the vision – although not the
understanding of the vision – is that Zerubbabel will complete the temple. Historically, we know that he does. When he does, people will know that it was
from God. They will give praise to God’s
name for working among them.
Given the context of this book, this point makes sense. The Hebrew people had already gotten
distracted in building their own homes first.
There was some persecution from the people who lived in the land while
the Hebrew people were in exile. This
message would be pleasing and inspiring to those who had the hard task of
resettling the land.
Interpreting the Vision
Now we turn to perhaps the most difficult part of this
chapter. What exactly did the vision
mean? Sure, we can learn from Zechariah’s
reaction. We can learn God’s overarching
message for Zechariah’s contemporaries. But
what does the vision actually represent?
Zechariah sees a lamp stand, which is a common temple instrument. However, this lamp stand is different. This lamp stand has a bowl above it with
tubes leading from the bowl to the lamp stand.
This bowl no doubt keeps the lamps full of oil so that the light from
the lamp stand never dies. Surrounding
the bowl is two trees, and there is some sort of connecting pipe between the
bowl and the trees. The trees apparently
keep the bowl filled with oil so that the bowl can keep the lamp stand filled
with oil.
So what does this mean? The
lamp stand certainly represents God’s light going out into the world. Some people believe that the lamp stand
represents the Hebrew people – God’s chosen ones. Others believe that the true fulfillment of
this passage is the Church, who take the fulfillment of the Gospel message to
the world at God’s beck and call. Either
way, the lamp stand has a traditional understanding as God’s light of salvation
spreading throughout the world.
So what, then, are the two trees?
Well, there is even greater debate about the two trees. Those who believe the lamp stand symbolizes
the Hebrew people are split. Some say
that the two trees represent the kings and the priest as these were the leaders
of the Hebrew people. Considering that
for most of the history of the Hebrew people it was the kings and the priests
against whom God’s anger burned the fiercest, I find this explanation unlikely.
The other position held among those who believe the lamp stand
represents the Hebrew people is that these trees are specifically Zerubbabel
and Joshua as the leaders of the post-exilic people. This understanding is more palatable, but
certainly this is not an understanding that perseveres through time.
However, I believe that the lamp stand encompasses more than the
Hebrew people. I believe the lamp stand
represents all the faithful of God – Jews and Gentiles alike. Given this understanding, some have said that
the two trees are the Hebrew people and the Gentiles. However, it doesn’t make sense that both the
lamp stand and the trees should represent the same things.
I believe there is something that makes the most sense in
understanding that the lamp stand is all the faithful people. The whole of God’s message is said to rest
upon the Law and the prophets. Another
way of envisioning this is Law and Gospel or Law and Grace. What feeds the proclamation of the faithful
people is the Law – an understanding of God’s ways – and the call to repentance
and forgiveness and grace that naturally comes out of the Law.
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment