ZECHARIAH 4:1–5:11 (Sat & Sun, August 9-10, 2025)

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

4:1 And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he 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 forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil[a] is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones[b] who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Footnotes

Zechariah 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil

Zechariah 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil

A Vision of a Flying Scroll

5:1 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”[a] 3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely[b] shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4 I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

5 Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.” 6 And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the basket[c] that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity[d] in all the land.” 7 And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8 And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening.

9 Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11 He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.”

Footnotes

Zechariah 5:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

Zechariah 5:3 Hebrew lacks falsely (supplied from verse 4)

Zechariah 5:6 Hebrew ephah; also verses 7–11. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters

Zechariah 5:6 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts eye

By My Spirit, I Cleanse and Purify My People

Zechariah 4 and 5Brian Lee

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Summary

Zechariah’s fifth vision (4:1–14) returns to the theme of encouragement for God’s work. The prophet sees a golden lampstand with a bowl on top and seven lamps, each with seven lips, flanked by two olive trees. This lampstand recalls the temple menorah, but here it shines with unceasing oil. When Zechariah asks about it, the angel gives the interpretive heart of the vision in v. 6:

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”

The work of rebuilding the temple, and indeed the whole covenant mission, will not be completed by human strength or political force but by the Spirit’s power. The “two olive trees” are explained as “the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (v. 14), referring in their immediate context to Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, God’s appointed leaders for temple restoration, and ultimately pointing forward to the King and Priest united in Christ.

The sixth vision (5:1–4) is a large flying scroll, 20 cubits by 10 cubits, representing God’s covenant law. It flies over the land to bring judgment on thieves and those who swear falsely. This is symbolic of God’s word exposing and cleansing His people from sin. The seventh vision (5:5–11) is an ephah (a large measuring basket) containing a woman identified as “Wickedness.” She is sealed inside and carried away by two winged women to the land of Shinar (Babylon). This image portrays the removal of wickedness from the land and its confinement far away from God’s holy people.

Together, these visions speak of God’s power to build His house by the Spirit and His power to purge His people of sin, ensuring a holy dwelling for His presence.

Who is God?

God actively builds His house. He is not dependent on the might of nations or the ingenuity of human leaders. His Spirit alone supplies the power to accomplish His purposes (4:6).

He is also the God of covenant holiness. The flying scroll shows that His word both illumines and judges, blessing the faithful and purging the unrepentant.

And He is the God who removes wickedness from among His people, not merely forgiving but cleansing and consecrating His dwelling place. In all of this, He is preparing His people to be a "lampstand." Once again, this is a symbolic way of explaining that we are to "shine" with the "oil" of His Spirit and reflect His glory to the world.

What is Our Guilt?

Our guilt appears in two forms in these visions.

First, we often rely on human might and ingenuity rather than God’s Spirit. Like the post-exilic community, we can view God’s work in terms of budgets, manpower, and strategy while neglecting the indispensable power of the Holy Spirit.

Second, we tolerate sin in our midst. The flying scroll condemns covenant-breaking, which is shown in dishonesty, falsehood, and injustice. These are sins that erode God’s dwelling. And the woman in the ephah shows how wickedness can become at "home" among God’s people unless it is decisively removed. Our guilt is that we measure success by strength and measure holiness by convenience, instead of seeking God’s Spirit and submitting to His purifying word.

How Does Grace Shine?

Grace shines in God’s promise of the Spirit’s sufficiency—what He commands, He empowers. Zerubbabel will finish the temple not because of political alliances but because the Spirit will supply what is needed (4:9–10). Grace also shines in God’s determination to remove wickedness from His people. The same Lord who judges sin also provides the cleansing, sealing wickedness away, and carrying it far from His holy dwelling. In Christ, the true King-Priest, the Spirit is poured out on the Church to empower witness (Acts 2). Sin is removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12). The lampstand now represents the Church (Rev. 1:20), burning brightly because of the continual supply of the Spirit, and purified because Christ gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her.

Prayer

Sovereign LORD,

We confess that we often look to human strength and strategy instead of relying on Your Spirit. Forgive us for tolerating sin in our lives and in the body of Christ. Thank You that by Your Spirit You build Your Church, and by Your Word You cleanse it. Remove every form of wickedness from us, and make us a pure dwelling for Your presence. May we shine as Your lampstand, continually supplied with the oil of Your Spirit, until the day Christ returns in glory.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.