Not by might, nor by power

Zechariah 4:6

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.

One of the most wonderful and yet mysterious books in all of the Bible is this masterpiece of Zechariah. What a book! What a treatise of Israel and of the end times! What great statements, promises, and prophecies are contained in it! Christ is present on every page, and the last days are often the subject of discourse. The headstone! The BRANCH! The shepherd! He is there! And how this parallels the book of Revelation—the eyes of the Lord being the seven Spirits of God, and the olive trees being the two anointed ones. What a congruency we find in Scripture, what a uniformity we see throughout the Word of God! One points to the other, and the other explains the passage in fuller detail.

But here we find that the man this book is addressed to several times over is Zerubbabel, who we know led some of Israel back to the land of Judah after the Babylonian captivity. Joshua, whom is referred to much in this book, was a priest in those days that led the remnant to build the house of the Lord. And what was the message to Zerubbabel and to Joshua? It was a much needed message! For these men would be fighting the Lord’s battle and the devil himself would resist them. The people of the land would stand against them in opposition. They would be hindered, thwarted, hated, and threatened by the enemy’s comrades as they sought to do the work of the Lord. And the message was, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts!” Not my might, Zerubbabel! Not by power, Joshua! Remember this! It is only by my Spirit! Do not be discouraged in the work. Expect opposition, persecution, and insolent ridicule. But know that you will not accomplish it by your strength or power. It will only be by my Spirit!

Now, dear friends, do you hear this message to you? This message which God has delivered to you this very day? Are you seeking to serve God? Are you seeking to fulfill and accomplish His will? My dear brother or sister, remember today that it will not be by might or by power. Nothing will be accomplished in your strength alone. The arm of flesh will fail you, says the hymn writer, ye dare not trust your own. It is not by might or by power; therefore, be not discouraged. It is by His Spirit alone. He is the one that gives vitality, life, and energy. He is the source of all strength and power. You and I are no sources. We only can draw from that unfathomably deep spring. We can infinitely extract from its never-ending fountain the continual strength that every day requires. It is only by His Spirit that you will receive all the power that you need. Always remember this, amid the events and circumstances of every day, that you are not to live off your strength. Live off the strength of God’s Spirit!

“O Father, we thank you that we may receive the spiritual strength that we require from you every day and every hour. You told us that as our days would be, so shall also our strength be. That strength will come from you alone. Help us to lean on you for that, and not to seek our strength from a weak and failing source that we ourselves always are. Help us not to look within or without, but help us draw from the source that is never depleted or dried up. And now, this day, fill us with adequate and over-abounding strength by your Spirit. And we ask and pray these things humbly in Jesus’ name, Amen.”