The Candlestick
Zechariah iv.
On their return from Babylon the Jews were confronted with immense difficulties arising from the opposition of their neighbors, their want of resources, and the incompetence of their leaders. The last was probably their most serious difficulty. Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and Zerubbabel had faltered in his attempt to rear the Temple. His hands had laid the foundation, but, after a brief effort, they had fallen paralyzed by his side. Royal blood was in his veins, but he sadly lacked the energy and faith of the princes of his line. The rebuilding of the Temple had been greatly hindered, and for some time had been entirely suspended; and, all around, the heaped-up ruins and unused materials showed how much needed to be done. The suspicion may have suggested itself, and spread from lip to lip, that there could be no improvement, no hope of advance, while Zerubbabel was to lead.
These difficulties and forebodings rose like a mountain range between the returned exiles and the accomplishment of their purpose. Not more absolutely do the Himalayas, which seem like a vision of clouds to dwellers on the plains of India, wall out invasions and bar the northern route, than did these tremendous obstacles rear themselves before the returned remnant.
It was at this juncture, and to reassure them, that the Angel that talked with Zechariah came again, and waked him, as a man that is wakened out of his
sleep. He did not minimize the greatness of the dis-
couragements, but he brought a message of hope. Even though Zerubbabel might lack the essentials of a great leader, yet the success of their undertaking did not depend upon him, but on the Divine power, which was working through him to achieve the Divine purpose. “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. Who art thou, ‘0 great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and He shall bring forth the headstone with shoutings of Grace, Grace unto it.”
In the most express and unmistakable terms Zechariah was further assured that God would certainly fulfill his word through this scion of David’s house. ‘‘Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house; his hands shall also finish it.’ With what new pleasure the prophet would contemplate the state of the Temple area; and, the day of small things, as it undoubtedly was. With what new fortitude he would bear the adverse criticisms of the old men who had seen the glory of the
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former house, and were loth to believe that anything could come of beginnings so feeble and delayed! He could already see the Prince of Judah, standing in the sunny air, plummet and trowel in hand, fixing the capstone in its place, amid the enthusiastic shouts of the people. Better than all, he could see the eyes of God, seven in number, because of their perfection, which run to and fro throughout the whole earth, rejoicing as they beheld the plummet in his hand. We pause here for a moment to absorb the sweetness of the suggestion, that God delights in his people’s -work for Him, and joins his congratulations with theirs, when the crown is placed on their labors.
In order to make God’s meaning clearer, the prophet was granted the vision of the candlestick (lamp-stand), the gist of which was that the wick, though necessary to the light, played a very inconsiderable part in its production. It had no illuminating power; it could only smoke, and char, and smoulder. At the best, it could only be a medium between the oil in the cistern and the fire that burned on its serried edge. Thus Zerubbabel might be weak and flexible as a wick, but none of his deficiencies could hinder him finishing the work to which he had been called, if only his spirit was kindled with the Divine fire, and fed continually by the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit. Ao We —
The candlestick, which Zechariah beheld in prophetic ecstacy, was evidently fashioned on the model of that in the Temple, the shape of which is still preserved to us on the Arch of Titus, At the top there was a large bowl or cistern filled with the golden oil, in which the wicks of the lamps were dipped, and which stole up their texture to burn for the light of all that were in the house. The branches radiated from a central stem to the seven lamps. According to the Revised Version, there were seven pipes to each lamp, and therefore forty-nine in all. Nor was this all. On either side of this massive candlestick stood an olive-tree, from the heart of which, by a golden pipe, the oil was continually being poured into the reservoir; so that even though it might be limited in its containing power, there could be no failure in its ability to meet the incessant demands of its lamps.
So far as the Jews were concerned, the meaning of the vision was obvious. They were represented in the candlestick, of which the many lamps and the precious metal of its composition set forth their perfection and preciousness in the thought of God. Their function was to shed the light of his knowledge on the world, as it lay under the power of dark- ws
Divine supplies would be forthcoming from a celestial and living source, and brought to them through the golden pipes, of which one represented Joshua the priest, and the other Zerubbabel the prince. These men, therefore, were but mediums for Divine communications. Their sufficiency was not of themselves, but of God. The mission of Israel would be realized not by them, but by the Spirit of God through them. They might seem altogether helplessness; while, to aid them in fulfilling this mission il and inadequate; but a living fountain of oil was prepared to furnish them with inexhaustible supplies.
For us, too, this vision is full of teaching, encouragement, and admonition, to which we would do well if we pay heed.
The first chapter of the Book of Revelation, which compares the work of the Church during the present age to seven light-bringing candlesticks, suggests the application of this vision of Zechariah’s to ourselves. As yet dawn has not broken; darkness envelops the earth, and gross darkness the peoples. But God has called his people, in the meanwhile, to “shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.” Let us recognize the important work to which God has called us; and whether it be as the household candle, the street lamp, or the gleam of the lighthouse, let us beware of hiding our light under a bushel, lest men stumble to their destruction. The lights of a dark night seldom receive their meed of notice or gratitude; but how could we do without them? And though the children of this world rarely recognize their indebtedness to the Christian Church, they would be in a sorry plight if it were not for its three-fold beam of faith, hope, and love.
The golden bowl filled with oil is an eloquent symbol of the relationship of our Redeemer to his people. “It hath pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.” The fullness of the Holy Spirit is always at high-water mark within his glorious nature. It is not possible to imagine any aspect of Holy Ghost fullness which is not embraced and included in our glorious Lord; and there is no quality needed for the outshining of Christian character which is not richly stored in Him; He is “the fullness of the God-head bodily.” His the spirit of wisdom and understanding; his the spirit of counsel and might; his the spirit of understanding and of the fear of the Lord; and He “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” Press this thought to your heart, child of God, and dwell on it — that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; He is the oceanbasin of God’s infinite resources, that we may forever draw on his stores, and be replenished from his fullness with grace upon grace.
It was explained to Zechariah that the olive trees on either side of the candlestick were the two sons of oil that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. If, in its primary significance, this figure indicated the royal and priestly elements of the Jewish national life, in our case it signifies the royal priesthood of our Lord and of us His people. He is a Priest upon His throne. He is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, who was King of Salem as well as Priest of the Most High God. Had He been only our Aaron, He would have made peace between God and us by the shedding of blood, and have gone into the Holy of Holies to intercede; but the veil would have fallen intact behind Him,and He would have had no power to introduce us into the Most Holy Place, and maintain us there. He would not have been able to communicate a royal and victorious life, which defies the power of sin, and goes forth to conquer in eternal vigor and beauty. Christ is King as well as Priest; and therefore He not only brings us nigh to God, but makes us sit with Him in the
heavenlies of his eternal supremacy.
Yes, friend, we may be but as wicks, with no pith or power of our own, smoking, charring, burning out; unnoticed amid the flame we yield; unrewarded and unthanked; pieces of coarse tow. But let us keep saturated in the fullness that is in Christ Jesus, let us abide in Him, let us dip deep into the well of His supplies; so shall the quality of His glorious nature yield itself up through us to the illumination of men. “nly
It is easy to see what comfort this vision brought to the handful of exiles amid those blackened ruins.
It seemed as though mountain ranges of difficulty stood between them and the accomplishment of their ’ great undertaking. But now they learned that at the
best they were only the channels and instruments;
and that God was prepared to accomplish the results ‘they sought. It was not to be by their might, nor ’ power, but by his Spirit, pouring into and through
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them with inexhaustible fullness, as the oil poured into and aan the golden pipes from the two olive trees. Rey
We are often menaced by apparently insurmountable difficulties, which extort from us the groan, “O great mountain!’ At other times we are oppressed with a sense of our impotence, and of the weight and weariness of life. How can we be always good?
How obey the heavenly vision? How last? We are told that Daniel continued unto the first year of Cyrus. Ah, this patient endurance and continuance in well-doing! If we are to live for twenty, thirty, or fifty years from now, in a world in which the shocks, perils, and demands will certainly not diminish as the coming of the Bridegroom draws nigh, shall we be able to endure to the end? Will not the lamp expire before the gust which shall precede the gray dawn of Advent? The outward man decays; will the inward man be always renewed?
These thoughts attracted me to a conversation ‘with the wick of my lamp. For long it had served my purpose, silently ministering as I read beside it. I felt ashamed that I had not before noticed its unobtrusive ministry. I said to the wick : —
“For the service of many months I thank thee.”
“What have I done for thee?”
“Hast thou not given light upon my page?”
“Indeed, no; I have no light to give, in proof whereof take me from my bath of oil, and see how quickly I expire. Thou wilt soon turn from me, asa piece of smoking tow. It is not I that burn, but the oil with which my texture is saturated. It is this that lights thee. As for me, I simply mediate between the oil in the cistern and the fire on my edge. See this blackened edge. It slowly decays, but the light continually burns.”
“Dost thou never fear becoming exhausted? See how many inches of coil remain! Wilt thou be able to give light till every inch of this is slowly charred and cut away?”
“I have no fear so long as the supply of oil does not fail, if only some kindly hand will remove, from time to time, the charred margin, trimming me, and exposing a fresh edge to the flame. This is my twofold need: oil and trimming. Give me these, and I shall burn to the end.”
“I thank thee, gentle teacher,” I said, as I turned away; “thou hast greatly encouraged me. I, too, shall endure, so-long as I abide in Him, in whom God has stored the measureless residue of the Spirit; and so long also as the Divine hand, with delicate thoughtfulness, uses the golden snuffers, removing the debris and decay, pruning that I may bear fruit;
. piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
‘that I may enter into his rest.” “Some among us appear to think that the soul can accumulate a stock of grace, in a sacrament, a convention, or a night of prayer. But this is at variance with the teaching of the wick. It accumulates nothing. It has no stores. From hour to hour it is always on the edge of bankruptcy, but always supplied. So should we live — at every moment giving all we have, but never doubting about the supplies of the future. Bear pain for one moment at a time; there is patience enough in Jesus for the next moment. Do your Christian work with as much energy as though each service were your last. You cannot
j exhaust God; and your work is to be, not in your might or power, but by his Spirit.
Moment by moment I’m kept in his love;
Moment by moment, I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus! till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.
There is also a warning for us all implied in this vision, to which we must give heed. We must very carefully abide in Christ, that He may abide in us; always recognizing his royalty, which calls for obedience; always resting upon his priesthood, which reconciles us to God. In obedience and faith the bond of fellowship is perpetually maintained and strengthened. Every time we do as our Prince bids, though it contradicts the strongest desires of our nature; every time we resort to our Priest — there ts an accentuation of that fellowship which draws his nature into ours.
Forgive me if I return to this thought again and again. It has become so precious an emblem of my relationship with my Lord, to think of the union between the wick and the limitless supplies of the olive tree. Hour after hour the oil climbs up the wick to the flame, and thus insensibly the grace of the risen Lord passes through the medium of our faith into the radiant beauty of a life on fire with God. O fire of God, thou shalt burn on us for evermore; and our spirits shall be thy candles, because we have learned to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, and Christ dwells in our hearts by faith.
We must expect that Christ will use his golden snuffers. Let us not flinch from them. When He seems sacrificing some vital, necessary part of our nature, He is only cutting away the black, charred, burnt-out debris. Trust Him. That piece which He has cut away was smoking badly, and spoiling the testimony of the rest. It was better for it to come off; but He thinks so much of this work, that He will. use only golden snuffers. Can you not trust the hand that holds them? It bears the nail-print of Calvary.
Beware, also, that nothing chokes the golden pipes of obedience to his kindliness, and trust in his priesthood; else the entrance of the golden oil will be arrested. They may soon become stopped by neglect, inattention, or disuse.
Do not weary of the slow advance of your life to Christian perfection. This is the day of small things; of the foundation-trench rather than the top-stone; of the testing of line and plummet, rather than of shoutings of “Grace, grace unto it.” But be of good cheer; the seven eyes of the Lord are upon the worker and the work. They run to and fro throughout the whole earth; but they return to rest in loving interest on the progress of His work. He will perfect that which concerneth you; He cannot forsake the work of His own hands.
Grace all the work shall crown
Through everlasting days;
It lays in Heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.