Introduction
E. The gold lampstand and the two olive trees ch. 4
This vision would have encouraged the two leaders of the restoration community, Zerubbabel and Joshua, by reminding them of God’s resources, and it would have vindicated these leaders in the eyes of the Israelites. Chapter 3 brought Joshua forward to encourage him, and chapter 4 does the same to Zerubbabel. The chapter contains the vision (Zechariah 4:1-5), two oracles concerning Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:6-10), and the interpretation of the vision (Zechariah 4:11-14). It presents Israel as the light of the world under Messiah, her king-priest. The amillennial interpretation sees no fulfillment in the future for Israel, only in the church.
". . . after Israel as the priestly nation of God has been cleansed from all defilement and has entered into the restoration of her priestly calling, then she is prepared to fulfill God’s original purpose in her as the bearer of light and truth to all the surrounding nations in their idolatry and paganism." [Note: Feinberg, God Remembers, p. 69.]
"Vision five forms a matching pair with vision four, both in terms of its juxtaposition to it and its subject matter. Both deal with cultic persons or objects (the high priest and the menorah respectively), both mention historical persons contemporary to the prophet (Joshua and Zerubbabel), both refer to temple building, and both reach their climax on a strong messianic note." [Note: Merrill, p. 145.]
Be the first to react on this!
