Lighten our darkness

“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” Zechariah 4.10

Zechariah's 5th vision involves a golden lamp-stand with a bowl for the oil and channels leading to 7 branches of lights, flanked by 2 olive trees. 7 being the perfect number, this represents the fulfilment of God's intention for his people through their faithful witness. This is resourced through the governor, Zerubbabel, and the high-priest, Joshua, (the olive trees) whose royal and priestly lines will converge in the Lord's Messiah. That figure is given concrete reference as the capstone in Zerubbabel's hand, which evokes God's pleasure.

In the greater scheme of things, the reversal of Judah's fortunes might seem insignificant. But God has a habit of confounding our expectations and exploding our assumptions. We do well to re-order our priorities according to those we learn about in the Bible as being important to God and of eternal significance, rather than succumbing to the megaphone postures of secular society and running after the fleeting fashions of global consumerism.