Zechariah 4:11 - Meaning and Application

Enough had been said to Zechariah to encourage him, and to help him encourage others, about the good work of building the temple that they were now carrying on. That was the main purpose of the vision he saw. Still, he wanted to know the details, and we should not blame that on idle curiosity. He valued God’s revelations and found joy in learning more about them. Those who know much about God’s things will always have a humble desire to know more.

Notice what he asked. He understood the meaning of the lampstand with its lamps: it pointed to Jerusalem, the temple, and their salvation, which would go out like a burning lamp. But he wanted to know what the two olive trees were, and what the two olive branches were (Zech. 4:11, 12). First, he asked. Those who want to understand God’s things must be ready to ask about them. Ask, and you will be told.

Second, he asked twice, because his first question got no answer. If we do not get a clear answer to our requests right away, we must ask again, repeat them, and keep pressing on. In time, the vision will speak plainly and will not fail. Third, his second question was a little different from the first. At first he asked about the two olive trees, but then he asked about the two olive branches, the branches that hung over the bowl and poured oil into it. When we ask about God’s grace, we should be more concerned with how it comes to us through the fruitful branches of the Word and the ordinances, which are things revealed for us and our children, than with how it remains in God’s hidden fullness, which belongs to him alone.

Fourth, he described what he had noticed in the vision. He saw that the two olive trees stood, one on the right side and one on the left side of the lampstand. This shows how near and ready God’s grace is to the church. He also saw, on closer look, that the two olive branches, from which the lampstand received its root and richness, poured out golden oil through the two golden pipes into the golden bowl on top of the lampstand. That oil was clear, bright, and rich, like liquid gold. Our Lord Jesus gave himself up to fill us, and his precious blood is the golden oil by which we receive all we need.

Now the angel made him admit his ignorance before explaining the vision (Zech. 4:13). “Do you not know what these are?” he asked. If Zechariah knew that the church was the lampstand, he should have guessed that the olive trees supplying it with oil could be nothing other than God’s grace. Zechariah admitted that he did not fully understand, or at least feared he might misunderstand. He said, “No, my lord. How could I know unless someone guides me?”

Then the angel told him, “These are the two sons of oil,” or, as we usually read it, the two anointed ones, better understood as the two oil-rich ones (Zech. 4:14). A similar phrase appears in Isaiah 5:1, where “a very fruitful hill” in the original means “the horn of the son of oil,” a rich, fertile soil.

If the lampstand means the visible church, especially the Jewish church at that time, then these sons of oil are the two great offices of government and ministry, held then by Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest. Kings and priests were anointed, and these two, prince and priest, were richly supplied with God’s Spirit for the work they were called to do. They stood before the Lord of the whole earth, serving him and receiving direction from him. They had a strong influence on the life of the church at that time. Their wisdom, courage, and zeal kept flowing into the golden bowl and helped keep the lamps burning. When they were gone, others would be raised up to carry on the same work, so Israel would not be left without prince or priest. Good rulers and good ministers, when they are themselves anointed with God’s grace and stand before the Lord as loyal servants, do much to preserve and advance true religion and to make the light of life shine.

If the lampstand means the church of the firstborn, that is, all true believers, then these sons of oil may point to Christ and the Spirit, the Redeemer and the Comforter. Christ is not only the Messiah, the Anointed One, but also the good olive tree for his church, and from his fullness we all receive (John 1:16). The Holy Spirit is the anointing we have received (1 John 2:20, 27). From Christ, the olive tree, by the Spirit, the olive branch, all the golden oil of grace is passed on to believers. That grace keeps their lamps burning, and without a constant supply, they would soon go out. They stand by the Lord of the whole earth, who is in a special way the Lord of the church, for both the Son and the Holy Spirit were to be sent by the Father at the appointed time, ready to do his will.