Return from Exile: Zechariah 4-6 (7)

Pray Psalm 67.1-3.
God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us,
Selah
That Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.

Sing Psalm 67.1, 2.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Build on Nothing Less)
O bless us, Savior, by Your grace, and shine upon us with Your face,
that we Your way may loud proclaim and tell to all the earth Your fame!
Refrain v. 3 (5)
Let all the peoples praise You, Lord, rejoicing in Your holy Word!
Rejoicing in Your holy Word!

Read Zechariah 4-6; meditate on Zech. 4.10.

Preparation
1. What “small things” were the people of Zechariah’s day inclined to despise?

2. How did the Lord see those “small things”?

Meditation
“Presentism” is the latest false wind to blow into the sails of the Church. It leads one to live only for the present, to maximize the moment at all costs, or to be crushed by it in disappointment, disillusionment, or despair. People who are trapped in the present see no future and no real hope beyond the present moment.

But God promised to give His people a future and a hope, based on the plans He had made and was carrying out (Jer. 29.11). The people who endured 70 years of captivity in Babylon clung to that promise, but not entirely as God intended. When they finally returned to the land to rebuild the temple, it was not long before disillusionment set in. They were captive to false dreams—a temple on the order of magnitude of that which Solomon had built. They wanted big things, and they despised the small ones.  They were captive to mere self-interest—spending more time and effort building their own homes than the temple of the Lord. They were captive to worldly ways—thinking the best way to be on the right side of the prophet would be to offer him a little “gift”.

The Lord sent Zechariah to point the people beyond the present and its “small things” to the greater glory that was to be when the Branch, the High Priest and King of the people of God, would finish the building of His temple, send out branches to all the nations, and bring grace and peace to the world.

The true believer clings to the promises of God and lives toward their future fulfillment. Every day, in all we do, we are called to walk by faith, doing good works and speaking truth in love as we lay down brick after brick of grace and glory, sharing in the Lord’s work of building His temple. We may be tempted to live merely in the present and for the present, but our true hope and joy exist beyond the present in the full realization of all God has promised us in Jesus Christ.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Who has despised the day of small things?” (Zech. 4.10) 

God is asking, and He wants to know.

What is it you recall as being meaningful to you, when your children were young?
Wasn’t it the small things that warmed your heart?
When they told the truth, when they wrote a little love note, when they hugged you,
when they sat with you quietly, or not, but were simply with you.
When they whispered a sweet “I love you” at bedtime.
When they thanked you for taking care of them.
When they obeyed you.

It was always the small ways that spoke the loudest.

I wonder where we go wrong, when we think something grand is most meaningful to God?

Do you remember the woman who showed Jesus love by pouring oil on His head?

Some people were indignant because they thought she could have done something big with the money from selling the oil—but Jesus thought otherwise. In fact, He excoriated the complainers by saying, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me…She has done what she could…Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mk. 14.6, 8, 9). She showed Jesus that she loved Him. Quietly, softly, and tenderly. No big crowds, no singing choirs, no flashing lights—just real, simple, homegrown love.

Jesus praised small things when He said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much…” (Lk. 16.10). We must pursue the small, the least, and be faithful in it. My heart grieves for those today who feel they must be doing something grandiose to be found pleasing to God, or to be seen as obedient. That is a burden that God does not want us to bear. He only ever wants us to be obedient, to be faithful to Him, right where we are, as who we are, and in what we are capable. It doesn’t take much to be faithful to our spouse—it just entails being faithful. Quietly, softly, and tenderly loving only them. 

After Jesus suffered a horrible death for us, was separated from His Father for us, went to hell for us, and rose triumphantly and majestically from the dead for us, He fixed His disciples breakfast on the beach (Jn. 21.9-13). There were no ticker-tape parades, no interviews, no large crowds, only Jesus quietly, softly, and tenderly feeding His friends.

Who would ever dare to despise the small things? For the small things, done for Him, are what loving Jesus is all about.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling…Come home, come home, ye who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!
(Will L. Thompson, 1880)

Love Him in all the small ways—thank Him, whisper you love Him, obey Him.

It speaks the loudest.

For reflection
1. What “small things” lie ahead of you today? How can you prepare for them now?

2. What can you do to keep from being trapped by “presentism”?

3. How can living toward the promises of God keep you from becoming captive to merely present concerns?

The exact fulfillment of Scripture prophecies is a convincing proof of their Divine original. Though the instruments be weak and unlikely, yet God often chooses such, to bring about great things by them. Let not the dawning light be despised; it will shine more and more to the perfect day. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Zechariah 4.10

Pray Psalm 67.4-6.
What promise does God hold out in these words? How will you live toward that promise today? Commit your day to the Lord, to realize more of the promised presence and power of His Kingdom.

Sing Psalm 67.4-6.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Build on Nothing Less)
Let all the nations gladly sing and joyous praise before You bring.
You judge them by Your holy worth and guide the nations of the earth.
Refrain v. 3 (5)
Let all the peoples praise You, Lord, rejoicing in Your holy Word!
Rejoicing in Your holy Word!

The earth in full its bounty yields—the blessed harvest of the fields.
We gather blessings from Your Word that all the earth may fear You, Lord.
Refrain v. 3 (5)

T. M. and Susie Moore 

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.