Zechariah 1-4
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." – Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Zechariah is given a series of"night visions" or dreams, in which God reveals to him things that are going to take place -- some in the near future and some that have yet to take place even in our day. Zechariah is prophesying to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. God is giving Him a message for them that lets them know what is going on and what is going to take place. God reminds them that all that has happened, including their 70-year exile, has been in exact fulfillment of His Word. "He has done what he said he would do" (Zechariah 1:6 NLT). But God is not done yet. He assures Zechariah and the people of His love for them. "My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong" (Zechariah 1:14 NLT). He lets them know that He has come to show them mercy, to see that His Temple is rebuilt, and to repay the enemies of Israel for their actions against them. One of the visions receives is a future Jerusalem overflowing with people and protected by the presence of God Himself. This is one of those future visions that has yet to be fulfilled. God is revealing what it will be like in Jerusalem during the Millennial Kingdom under the righteous reign of Christ. There is also a day coming when God will replace the sins of the people with purity. He will take off their old, filthy clothes (sin), and give them new clothes (righteousness). This will only be possible through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. So God tells Zechariah that His servant, the Branch is coming, and He will remove the sins of the land in a single day. This is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ, which paid for the sins of all mankind on the cross. On that day, sin was paid for and God's righteous wrath was satisfied, once for all.
God reminds Zerubbabel, the man who was assigned the task of overseeing the rebuilding of the Temple, not to "despise these small beginnings." In other words, he was not to look at the seemingly small role he was playing and think that his part what not significant. Each step in the chain of events God was enacting, was important. It was vital that the Temple be rebuilt and the sacrificial system be restore. It was important that Zerubbabel do his job faithfully and completely, and leave the results up to God. We don't have to worry about the future because God has that part handled. We just need to be faithful to do what God calls us to do. It may seem small and insignificant, even unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but God has a reason for each thing He calls us to do. "The Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). What is God calling you to do? What part has He asked you to play? Do not despise these small beginnings. Just be faithful to do your part and leave the rest up to God. He will do what He has promised to do. He always does.
Father, there are times when what I do doesn't really seem to matter. My part appears to be unimportant and insignificant. But You remind me that my job is to be faithful to what You have called me to do. I don't have to worry about the results because You have that all worked out already. You love to see us doing our parts, faithfully fulfilling Your calling on our lives. Keep me focused more on obedience than significance. Amen