A Candlestick All of Gold (continued)
The Great Mountain
"Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain" (verse 7). The mountain is a figure of the accumulation of difficulties. The completing of the House of God will be no less fraught with difficulty and obstruction than the commencement; but, as then, so at the end, where the Holy Spirit is absolute Lord, these difficulties will be proved rather complementary than otherwise. The "many adversaries" will only be sovereignty used to further, rather than arrest, the consummation of "the eternal purpose".
"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it" (verse 9). The Greater Zerubbabel laid those foundations at Pentecost. The finishing will be by His hands alone. The same glorious Lord Jesus will "bring forth the topstone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it."
Then there is presented for our contemplation, by way of an interrogation, a matter which is indeed very challenging.
The Day of Small Things
"Who hath despised the day of small things?" (verse 10). There is among the
Lord's people in these days an unhealthy lust for big things. Something to attract attention; a demonstration to capture, an appearance to impress. Big names, big places, bit titles, big sounds, big movements, big sweeps! If the dimensions are big according to men's standards, the success is judged accordingly.
In order to obtain and maintain that which will preserve the recognition of wholly Divine factors, God has ever found it necessary to reduce. End-times are always days of small things: see the testimony in the Revelation - it is only represented by the few who 'overcome.' Bigness is material or temporal. Greatness is spiritual and eternal. Too often men - even Christians - despise that in which God delights. The significance of things according to God is so often seen in an 'upper room', as over against the whole city, but the city succumbs to the upper room. When dealing with the "world rulers of this darkness" the Lord frequently made an upper room His Throne-room.
"These seven eyes of Jehovah shall rejoice when they see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel" (verse 10). What is this? The seven eyes symbolize the perfection of spiritual vision, which takes in everything as it is. The plummet is that by which crookedness is brought to light and made manifest. When Jehovah sees the Lord Jesus with that instrument in His hand, which so represents His own standard that by it He can correct all that deviates, and expose all the unsuspected leanings, bulgings, angles, and dangers of that which is related to His House; when He has that instrument by which He can make manifest how His House should be built according to Christ - then His perfect spiritual vision will rejoice and be satisfied. This is what He needs. O, that we might be to Him such an instrument! It will NOT be a popular ministry; it will cost; but it will be precious to the Lord.
As we close, let us just note the names of the Lord in this chapter. The purpose as in view is related to Jehovah - the Almighty, Eternally Self-Sufficient One. The executing and sufficiency of the purpose is related to Jehovah-Sabaoth - the Lord of Hoses. The place of the testimony is related to Adon - Mater, or Lord; that is, He Who owns and has the rights of proprietorship.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 31 - ("Gather My Saints Together")
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