Don’t be Discouraged by Small Beginnings!

6 Then he said to me, “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. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’[a]”8 Then another message came to me from the Lord: 9 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” 

Who is Zerubbabel? 

He is the grandson of Jehoiachin of Judah, therefore a descendant of David and ancestor of Jesus.  He was the governor of Judah after the exile. (Haggai 1:1, Haggai 2:2, 21) 

The foundation of the new temple had been laid prior to Zerubbabel and the people could see that it was much smaller than Solomon’s original temple and they were discouraged and saddened. (2 But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. Ezra 3:12)  But God says in Zech 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”  And in Haggai 2:4, “But now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord…Be strong all you people of the land, declares the Lord, and work.  For I am with you, declares the Lord Almighty. 

So let us not be discouraged by the small things or small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin!  Let us remember that just as He called Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple, He has called us to our work…”For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10 BUT it is not in our own power, but by submitting ourselves to God and letting His spirit lead us and work in us to accomplish His will, which is always better than our own! ( Zech 4:6, Eph 3:20)