Not by force or strength but by My Spirit

Zechariah 4:6 (NLT)

This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

In the summer of 1987 I lived in Mobile, AL by myself on a special assignment with my employer at the time.  One weekend in July I drove to Atlanta for two main reasons---to see an Atlanta Braves baseball game and to attend a worship service at First Baptist Church to hear Charles Stanley preach.  Zechariah 4:1-10 was his sermon text with the main focus on verse 6.  Therefore, some of my writing here will be what Dr. Stanley preached about.    

Zechariah is a prophet who lived during the reign of the Persian King, Darius the Great, after the fall of Jerusalem by the Babylonians who were then conquered by the Persians.  Darius appointed Zerubbabel to be governor of the province of Judah (called Yehud Medinata).  Darius was succeeded by Xerses I who then was followed by Artaxerxes who was the Persian king who allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Jewish temple.  Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai (whose little book appears before Zechariah’s book) and Daniel. 

Zechariah was given many visions by angels.  The angel told Zechariah in this verse that the conquered nation of Israel will not see its problems solved by might nor by power.  The only way the people of Israel will flourish again is to trust and rely on the Holy Spirit.  “Might” in the Hebrew is “chayil” that appears 243 times in the Old Testament and can be translated as “army” (56 times), “man of valour” (37 times), “riches or wealth” (21 times), valiant, force, strength, power, etc.  “Power” in the Hebrew is “koach” that can be translated as “strength”, power, force and might.  Yet all the might and power in the world cannot help the Israelites in the conditions they find themselves in. 

“Spirit” in the Hebrew is “ruach” that means breath or wind.  The breath of God.  The breath of God, not any kind of earthly or human power, can enable Zerubbabel, the Jewish king at the time, to accomplish what is needed for the restoration of Israel.  God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the only dependable source of power. 

What was true then is definitely true today.  What were the last recorded words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven after His resurrection?  “……..you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you……” (Acts 1:8).  The same Greek word was used by Jesus when He told the disciples how to pray and concluded the prayer with “for Thine is the kingdom and the power     

and the glory forever……” (Matt 6:13).  This Greek word for power (“dynamis”) is used several times in the New Testament that is translated “mighty works”.  Thus, the Holy Spirit enables the willing Spirit-filled follower of God to do mighty works that would be impossible to do otherwise.

What are mighty works that the Holy Spirit enables you to do?  Jesus said in John 14:12 that if you believe in Him, you will do the works He does; in fact even greater works.  We know that Jesus performed many miracles that mere humans cannot perform, but we can do some of the works He did such as ministering to the needy, teaching and exhorting others, forgiving, showing compassion, sacrificing your needs for the needs of others, and so on.  Jesus said in John 15:4 that you cannot be fruitful in your life if you are not in an intimate relationship with Him.  His power in the Spirit is manifested in the lives of those who choose to live their lives by the power of the Spirit not their own human power.    

This verse also has application if you are dealing with great discouragement in your life.  Please realize that you cannot overcome your circumstances by your own force and strength, but you can rely on the Holy Spirit to help you.  Ask Him, trust Him, and see what happens.  Truly, the term “let go and let God”, even though this phrase is not found in the Bible, might be based on Zechariah 4:6.  Just as God through Zechariah wanted Zerubbabel to know that the Spirit of God would provide the power to face and overcome the challenges Zerubbabel and the Israelites faced, He desire you to realize the same thing.  Pray for the faith and the willingness to let God show you His power through His Spirit, but of course, you must have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and the only way that happens is asking the Lord Jesus to become your Savior and Lord (Eph 1:12-14).  Not by your might, power, force, and strength, but by the Spirit declares the Lord.