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Tag: Hebrew prophet

Not by might nor by power

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in What’s new?, Zechariah.

What does God mean when He says, “Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6)?

After the Jewish people experienced exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia allowed 50,000 of them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel, governor of Jerusalem. At the time, Zechariah, a prophet and priest of Israel, received several visions from the Lord. In one of those visions, God delivered this key message: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, ESV).

In this period of Israel’s history, the prophets Zechariah and Haggai were both ministering. While Haggai encouraged the returned Jewish exiles in their work of rebuilding the temple, Zechariah urged them to repent of sin and renew their covenant with God. Spiritual renewal would be essential to their survival and worship of God once the temple was rebuilt.

Construction on the temple, which had been stopped by opposition from neighbors, resumed under the exhortation of Zechariah and Haggai. Zechariah experienced a series of night visions; in the fifth one, he saw a solid gold lampstand. Two olive trees provided the lampstand with its oil supply, which flowed through two golden pipes (Zechariah 4:1–3). The key message of the vision is contained in the words of verse 6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The work of rebuilding the temple would only be accomplished by God’s Spirit and not by human might nor power.

In many places in the Old Testament, the Lord’s Spirit is represented by oil (Isaiah 61:1–3; 1 Samuel 16:13). The abundant supply of oil in Zechariah’s vision is the Holy Spirit’s power, which would help Zerubbabel finish rebuilding the temple (symbolized by the large lampstand). The lampstand’s light signified that Israel, God’s covenant people, were to shine forth light and glorify God in the earth.

Both in the Old and New Testament, God’s people are called to shine the light of God’s glory into all the world (Isaiah 60:1–3; Matthew 5:14–16). It is the great commission of every believer (Matthew 28:19–20). Just as Zerubbabel would need to depend on the Spirit of the Lord to accomplish the work, so do Christians today. God’s people have no ability in themselves to shine the light of God’s truth to those walking in darkness.

The word for might in Zechariah 4:6 is often translated as “army,” “force,” “ability,” or “efficiency” and is associated with human resources. It also relates to financial means and can be connected with wealth. The term power implies purposeful force, firm resolve, dynamic strength, and resoluteness. Not by might nor by power—not by their own abilities, plentiful resources, or fierce determination—would God’s people build the temple and send God’s light into the world. Only by the Spirit of the Lord would their work and worship become a light broadcasting into all the earth (Acts 1:8; John 16:7–15).

As the physical labor of rebuilding the temple was being done, a spiritual renewal was also taking place. Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel were not to trust in financial resources or military prowess, but in the mighty power of God’s Spirit working through them: “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4:4–7, NLT).

God had made a similar promise to those who remained faithful to Him in Hosea’s day: “But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God” (Hosea 1:7, NLT).

Zerubbabel need not be discouraged by human limitations or afraid of earthly obstacles, and neither should present-day Christians (Romans 8:31; cf. Haggai 2:5; Isaiah 41:10). When God calls us to a purpose, His Spirit fills and equips us to complete it (Acts 2:17–18; John 3:34; Ephesians 1:18–20). As the apostle Paul learned, human weakness is no obstacle because God’s power is perfected in it: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10; see also Hebrews 11:34).

Our God-given work is guaranteed to be successful, not by human might or power, but by the guidance and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit poured into our lives like the oil that fueled Zechariah’s lampstand.

Desired of all nations

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Haggai, What’s new?.

Who is the desired of all nations (Haggai 2:7)?

In Haggai 2:7 the Lord says, “I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.” The King James Version uses the phrase “the desire of all nations.” Who or what is this object of desire?

Because of the KJV translation, many have taken this verse as a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This interpretation is given wider circulation every Christmas season in the carol “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” One line of that song states, “Come, Desire of Nations, come! Fix in us Thy humble home.” The “Desire of Nations” in Charles Wesley’s hymn is clearly speaking of Jesus as Messiah.

However, the Hebrew word khemdah is a collective singular, meaning the idea expressed is plural. The better translation is “desired” or “what is desired.” Haggai 2:8 provides the parallel that identifies these desired objects: “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” The desired objects are most likely earthly treasures, not the coming Messiah.

Other translations render the Hebrew word as “the wealth” (NASB, CEB), “the precious things” (ASV), “the treasure” (NRSV), and “the treasures” (ESV, CEV). The idea is that the riches of all nations will be brought to the temple in Jerusalem.

Haggai 2:9 says, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.” The former glory refers to that of Solomon’s temple, which was an opulent structure. Haggai predicts a temple that will be even more glorious than Solomon’s: the latter glory would be greater due to the wealth of the nations pouring in.

When will this happen? The beginning of verse 7 helps identify this future occasion. The Lord says it will happen when He “shakes all nations”; that is, after a time of judgment on the world. God has shaken nations in the past (Psalm 99:1; Isaiah 64:2; Habakkuk 3:6), and He will do so again when Jesus Christ returns to the earth (Joel 3:16; Matthew 24:30).

Hebrews 12:26 cites Haggai 2:7, followed by an explanation that, after this “shaking,” believers will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is a clear reference to the future millennial kingdom that Jesus will establish when He returns at the end of seven years of tribulation. Therefore, this portion of Haggai’s prediction is yet unfulfilled.

Some interpreters suggest that the text may concern both the Messiah and earthly riches. In the end, what is desired of the nations will come: a Savior, the Messiah, and tribute will be paid to Him during His millennial reign.

I will search for my sheep

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Ezekiel, What’s new?.

Why does God say, “I myself will search for my sheep” in Ezekiel 34:11?

In Ezekiel 34:1–31, Israel’s leaders are compared to incompetent shepherds who failed to care for their flock. The people of Israel were the sheep of God’s flock, and they should have been cared for (Psalm 95:7; 100:3).

Ezekiel reveals that, through self-centered leadership, God’s sheep were abused, oppressed, and left to scatter. As such, they were vulnerable to attacks from “wild animals” (Ezekiel 34:8), who represent predatory foreign nations like Babylon. God announced that He will do away with the self-absorbed shepherds (verses 10) and rescue His people: “I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered” (Ezekiel 34:11–12, ESV).

The sheep/shepherd theme runs throughout the Scriptures. Shepherding was a common vocation in Israel’s culture. Many of Israel’s patriarchs engaged in the occupation (Genesis 46:32). Men, women, and children all worked as shepherds in the Bible (Genesis 29:6; 1 Samuel 16:11; 17:15). The job of shepherding involved leading sheep to pasture for food and fresh water, providing shelter and protection, and caring for the injured and ill among the flock.

In Ezekiel, Israel’s human leaders neglect, exploit, and mislead the flock. Instead of nurturing the sheep, they only look out for themselves. For this reason, God says, “I myself will search for my sheep.” This metaphor of God caring for His sheep appears in Isaiah 40:11: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (see also Micah 7:14). Perhaps the finest example of God leading us like a shepherd is Psalm 23.

One of the oldest titles of God in the Bible is “Shepherd” (Genesis 49:24). The psalmist Asaph describes how God brought Israel out of Egypt “like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness. He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies” (Psalm 78:52–53).

The Gospels describe Jesus Christ as the ultimate compassionate shepherd. He cares for “sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36; see also Mark 6:34). He is the “good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14), the “great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20), and the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4).

God is in the business of seeking and saving lost sheep (John 10:16). Perhaps His words, “I myself will search for my sheep,” resound most forcefully in Christ’s parable of the lost sheep:

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! (Luke 15:4–7, NLT).

Just as the people of Israel were the sheep of God’s flock, Christians today are the sheep of Christ’s flock (Luke 12:32; Matthew 10:16). Israel had God-appointed spiritual under-shepherds, just as New Testament believers do (John 21:15–17). In Acts, Paul told the Ephesian elders to “keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

The apostle Peter urged church leaders to take their responsibilities seriously: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:2–4).

False, self-interested spiritual shepherds existed in ancient Israel, and equally troublesome shepherds are active in the church today (Acts 20:29; Matthew 7:15; John 10:1). The Lord held Israel’s elders accountable and brought judgment against the corrupt ones (Ezekiel 34:7–19; Isaiah 3:13–15; 5:8; Amos 5:12). And He continues to hold accountable and bring judgment on fraudulent spiritual leaders to this day (Matthew 23:4–15).

God is personally invested in caring for His sheep. If one of His appointed leaders takes advantage of the flock, the Lord Himself promises to step into the role of caring shepherd to rescue and restore His sheep (Zechariah 10:3; 11:7). He removes the incompetent shepherd from tending the flock and says, “I myself will search for my sheep. I will rescue them and care for them.”