“And (the angel) said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I have looked, and behold a lamp-stand all of gold.'” Zechariah 4:2
Dear Ones:
In one of the great stories of Michael Angelo, there is one that is most captivating. It speaks of Angelo going to a quarry, there to seek a stone to make a sculpture. The only one left that even resembled what he needed, was a strange-shaped one that no one else would buy. Angelo would explain to the guardian, or owner, of the quarry that when he looked at the odd-shaped stone, “…he saw an angel in it, and he just HAD to get him out.!” And such is the work and purpose of God, for the Father sees “the angel (His Son),” and must “…get Him out.” What do we mean by this? The work of Christ on the cross had, in part, for its objective, to take the living stones that we ARE, form Christ in us, to reveal Him through us. This is the Lord’s work and purpose, and it is, as the Psalmist puts it, “…marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23) But how does God do this? How does He “bring out the angel?”
To answer such a question, we always begin with who God IS in the present moment, and what He HAS done. Let’s begin with the “God of Israel,” and the revelation of His mercy and grace. In the book of Zechariah, though we have the same testimony in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc., we find the consistent truth that God is ready to forgive, restore, and even go “beyond what we could ask or think,” in order to realize His objectives in the revelation of Himself, and the blessing of mankind. Not only has He become the Creator of mankind, but their Savior, Sustainer and Keeper. Unlike men, God is Holy, unique, perfect in mercy and grace in His dealings with us. As the love of God revealed in the giving of Christ, His mercy and grace are incomprehensible, We can never expect fully understand Him and who He is, but we can accept, and embrace Him in this present moment. So, we must grasp that as Christ died for all men, and that God “…so loved the world,” SO, He wills to form Christ IN all men. He is determined to do this, and He will, IF we will believe Him to do so.
Secondly, we must begin to see things from God’s perspective, with regard to His WAY. When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” and then rose from the dead to prove it to mankind, He declared how He works. To return to the example of Israel, she had forsaken the Lord on numerous occasions, subjected herself to great suffering and loss, only to be welcomed back with open arms when she repented. He would declare that she was a “…lamp-stand all of gold.” The value of this lamp-stand, destined to give light, was established by God. It is He who determines her worth. Also, because the work done in her is of God, it is represented by “Gold,” being a Divine work. Her purpose is to give light…to give, as Jesus gave, light to the world. This “light,” was, again as Jesus said, “…the light of LIFE.” Her testimony, by what she was and did, was to be the revelation of the “angel” being brought forth out of the stone.
In the book of Revelation, we see other lamp-stands made of gold. These are referenced to be different churches in Asian Minor at the time. They, like Israel, are of God’s making, thus they are made of gold. Their worth is incalculable, but their blessed purpose is the same…the giving forth of light, true and bright light in a dark, ignorant, and dying world. The “light” of those churches, or lamp-stands, is the very life of Christ by the Spirit. The intensity of that light in the darkness will be brought about by God’s work in each individual church.
Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world.” (Matt. 5:14) This is so by virtue of His life within us. He goes on to say, “Let your light shine before men…” How? By believing WHO God is, believing in the finished work of Christ, and relying wholly upon the Spirit of Christ to work in and through us, as we follow Christ. Christ is the “gold,” and to God belongs all the glory, by the power of the Spirit.
Father, be in and through us this day by the power of the Spirit, LIGHT to all, that they might know that Thou art the only true God. In Jesus’ name, we thank Thee. Amen.
Love, Dad