Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he said, “This is God’s message to Zerubbabel:[a] ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.’
So the setting is God speaking to Zerubbabel, who was the governor and alongside Joshua, the high priest, they were leading out in the reconstruction of the temple.
Zerubbabel faced tremendous difficulties as he sought to carry out the work that God had prepared beforehand for him to do, but he was given an assurance that he would complete the task that God had set before him, not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.
In other words, not by your strength, not by your mind, not by power, not by the resources you bring to the table, not by all of your abilities and talents and gifts combined. This project will come to completion by my spirit says the Lord of hosts. I will do it. I will give you supernatural power to see this come to pass.
The word for power has more the idea of authority and influence of the king behind them. When they lost that authoritative power, they felt they couldn't build the temple. No doubt they felt if the king would give them a new decree to build, they could proceed to accomplish their task. Basically, what the Lord was telling Zerubbabel is that the temple was not going to be built in any way that he gets credit for it, but that it’s going to be by God’s Spirit. And in the same way, you and I can try to change in our own power and we might make some improvements, but if we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, a power greater than that which we possess, by God’s Spirit he can transform us. And so, first of all, I want you to see that God wants you to do something bigger than you are.
God said, “Zerubbabel began this project, he will complete it,” and he’s saying the same thing to you today. “I want you to finish what you started, soaring on wings like eagles, being swept along by the power of God, making up your mind to keep on going, completing the task, staying in the race and crossing the finish line.
Amen!
