It is tempting to see the situation in both the church and wider society as a story of failure and decline. From one angle, this assessment is valid, because we cannot expect to flourish and prosper when we are walking contrary to God’s ways, and in our times, the world and the church seem to be supporting each other hand in hand to move ever further away from God. We deserve this humiliating ineffectiveness and all the other sad signs that God is not pleased with us. From another angle though, we must interpret even the shrinking numbers and fading influence of the Christian church as a part of God’s good overall purpose for His people and His glory. The plight of the church is not good in itself, and not pleasant to experience for those who remain faithful within the church. Yet this moment of ours, characterised as it is by deterioration and divine displeasure, is only one snapshot in God’s longer term plan — and that plan is characterised by God’s faithfulness and God’s love. Love will neither allow Him to dismiss our sinfulness as unimportant nor leave us to sink entirely under its self-inflicted consequences. Instead, in His faithfulness to His beloved Christ and Christ’s beloved church, He will ensure that surely and eventually the work of redemption will come to full fruition. George Hutcheson noted that the prophet Zechariah lived and worked in a similar context to this, when faithful believers were worried about the smallness of God’s work. In the following updated extract, Hutcheson comments on several features of the Lord’s work which we need to understand properly, so as not to be discouraged.

The church’s unpromising appearances

Even if Christ’s works and counsels in the world may seem to lie long interrupted, yet where He begins He is unchangeable, and endures to all generations to see it perfected. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it” (Zech. 4:9). What the Lord dispenses to His reconciled people is rightly studied when we clearly see the fruits of Christ being employed as their Mediator, and when His faithfulness, love, and care for His people are seen to shine in them. We are to keep studying them, over and over again, until we see this, so that Christ’s love will be shed abroad in our hearts, and He becomes high and precious in our estimation. The outcome of the success of building the temple is, “Thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you” (v.9).

Small beginnings should not discourage us

“For who hath despised the day of small things?” (v.10). The reason why the Lord so frequently repeats His promise is to reprove the faulty judgment of the people, who judged His work by its small beginnings, and were consequently discouraged, fearing that all they did would be in vain, it wouldn’t be like the first temple, and so their enemies would mock them. The aged among them wept too (Ezra 3). But the Lord reproves this, and promises that they would yet rejoice in seeing Zerubbabel (a type of Christ) as chief director, getting everything done, and by considering also that God’s constant providence, which is intent on Christ, and on the church for His sake, goes through the world for their good, to provide what may prosper the work, and to obstruct what may hinder it.

The Lord often works this way

It is the Lord’s way in his work, whether with the church or individual souls, to begin with small things, promising very little, so that He may display the glory of His power in bringing out of them a work which no one could never have expected. The day of small things ends in a glorious temple.

\We should not judge God’s work by outward appearances, or on first sight. Nor should we undervalue it when it does not satisfy our preconceived ideas and doesn’t seem to promise much. Being discouraged by these appearances is a sin which the Lord’s people should be ashamed to own or avow. God will bring a lot out of small things, and the way to make them great is by cherishing them.

It’s easy to despise without realising

This sin of despising is not only seen when it breaks out in open contempt and mockery. It may also shelter itself under the appearance of being sorry that things are so little (as these people did, Ezra 3:12). Or it may express itself in losing heart about duty and becoming feeble, as the people did here. People may also claim that they don’t really mean to despise small things, it’s just that they are grieved because they can see nothing (for in their discouragement they count these small things to be effectively “nothing”; Hag. 2:3).

Christ’s graciousness and tenderness toward His people is often such that He will refute their greatest discouragements and mistakes with mercy, and silence their groundless complaints by giving them reasons for joy and causing them to rejoice. Once it has begun, God’s work in His people and church, however contemptible it appears, will end in joy to His people, and the fact that we have hope of this should silence present discouragements.

The Lord won’t give up once He starts

So long as Christ still has a hand in His own work, and has not given up on it, even if it is not perfected, yet it affords matter of joy, considering that this indicates He has not yet abhorred His work, and will complete it. In the type, one reason for joy was, “they shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel,” i.e., they would see him as chief manager of the work, in the process of going about it, and seeing that all is built right. This corresponds most completely to Christ, who is Himself the master-builder.

Important work isn’t always visible on the surface

Christ will not only keep going with a work till it is perfected, but especially, He is still working when He is fitting His people to be stones in his building. It may even be by trials, but when He is cutting off “superfluities of naughtiness” (James 1:21) from His work and people, the things which might deform His building, He is still working, even if for the time being the work does not appear to be visibly advancing. This may be signified by the plummet-line, the instrument by which builders measure and square their building, and cut off all excrescences in it. This work is as needful as laying more stones on it to raise it higher. Christ may be very busy at work when we are unimpressed with it, and when there is nothing tangible that we can see to satisfy us. Working underground, by exposures of sin, purging, humility, trials, etc., is as needful as the things we most long for.

The Lord always keeps His eye on His people

This is another ground of joy, “they shall see these seven,” or, the perfect eye of providence on that chief stone and all the building, which are “the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” The vigilant providence of God is employed to take care of Christ and His church. It governs and orders all things in the world in the way which best contributes to the good and welfare of the church. This should give matter of joy in the midst of many discouragements, for it declares that His people are much in His heart, when His providence in all the world is with an eye to their good, and it also allows us to cast all our cares and fears on Him who has all power in His hands.

How the church is equipped

The prophet then asks to know more about the two olive trees which supplied the candlestick (v. 11), and particularly about the two branches which supplied the candlestick by two golden pipes with oil (v.12). He is prepared for getting the answer (v.14) by first being humbled with a new sense of his ignorance (v.13).

By the two olive trees, we are not to understand only the graces of God poured out on the church (although these are indeed signified by oil in Scripture, e.g., Psa. 45:7); nor even just a fountain of generosity in God (for there is no reason why that should be compared to two trees). Rather, by the two trees we are to understand Christ, anointed in His priestly (and prophetical) and kingly office. Christ is chief in this work, in providing all the instruments, and equipping His church.

The Angel only answers part of Zechariah’s question, replying only about the trees and not mentioning the golden pipes. Either this part of his question was needless, or else the Angel is pointing out only the fit ways of communicating Himself to His people’s capacity. The pipes are not able to receive the oil of the whole tree at once; not the whole tree but just its branches are being equipped for now. So Christ was communicating Himself in a small measure, relative to what He had, and relative to what He would yet give when He would build His church in gospel times.

Jesus has reasons for leaving things incomplete

We may here learn that when Christ is doing great things for His people, He may yet let something be left lacking. His purpose in this is to stir us up to prayer, employing Him, so as to draw from His hand the mercies He has prepared. In this way, when He grants our desires, we have not only the mercy, but the confirmation and comfort that He does accept us and our service.

Jesus doesn’t let His people stagnate

Christ does not allow His people to rest on the habits or seed of graces within them, nor on old experiences which they have felt. Instead, where He is about to manifest Himself, He keeps grace in exercise, and puts His people to frequent actings of grace. Here, Zechariah had only recently been humbled in the sense of his ignorance (v.5), yet here he needs humility in exercise again (v.13). At the same time, when Christ humbles His people when they seek to Him, it doesn’t mean that He will reject or deny their request. On the contrary, it assures them that He is making a way for a satisfactory answer.

Jesus is intricately involved in caring for His people

Christ sustains very many relations to His church, and is very much to be seen in how she is provided for and her well-being. The two olive trees point to Him, in that He has, as God, and in His mediatory office, all fullness, and being both active and willing of Himself to communicate this fullness (according to her capacity). The two golden pipes which conveyed the oil from the trees to the candlestick may also point at Him in His two offices — through His merit as priest, and His efficacy as king, the fullness in Him becomes ours, and that gives us allowance to depend on Him for it. Further, as He has all fullness, and has found a way to make it ours, so He is the bowl to keep it, and to guide us and it, and to be forth-coming for our good with it. In a word, Christ is to be seen all in all to his people.

Jesus gives His people gifts to benefit all of them

Any measure of supply is given to any member of the church in order that it may be made use of for the good of the whole. So, all who desire to be useful in their positions ought to be much in dependence on God, and to study to stand in His favour, and be under His care. Any oil they have is to be poured out for the good of the whole, and they are to stand by the Lord.

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