Though some help understanding the vision came through the preceding oracles concerning Zerubbabel, Zechariah still had some questions about what he had seen in the vision. The angel helped him further.
4:11-12 Zechariah asked specifically for an explanation of the olive trees that he had seen (v. 4). He also wanted to know the meaning of the two branches of these trees that emptied olive oil into two golden pipes (spouts) that carried the golden oil into the bowl atop the lampstand. "Golden oil"is literally "gold,"but clearly olive oil, which is golden in color, is in view. However, it may be the pure quality and value of the oil more than its color that the gold implies.94
4:13 Again the interpreting angel expressed surprise that Zechariah needed an explanation of these things (cf. v. 5). He did not want to give an interpretation if Zechariah could figure it out himself. Normally God does not provide additional information until we have done all we can to discover His meaning. To do so would discourage human effort.
4:14 He then said that the two branches represented the two anointed ones who stood by the Lord of all the earth. It was their relationship to the Lord that equipped them for their tasks. "Anointed ones"is literally "sons of oil,"namely, sons of God who had been anointed with oil as divinely appointed leaders. In Israel only the kings and the priests underwent anointing with oil for their ministries, and Zerubbabel and Joshua must be the individuals in view here. The references to anointing with oil and God's enabling Spirit (v. 6) combine to connect the oil as a symbol of the Spirit.95
Zerubbabel and Joshua point ultimately to the Messiah who combined the royal and priestly offices and functions in one person, the Branch (3:8; 6:12; Isa. 11:1; Jer. 23:5; cf. Ps. 110; Heb. 7).96In the Tribulation two other special witnesses will appear (cf. Rev. 11:3-12).
The point of this vision and its accompanying oracles was the Lord's ability to bring a seemingly impossible project to completion successfully and gloriously through His anointed servants (Messiah and Zerubbabel and Joshua) and His supernatural enablement (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). The lesson is applicable to any project that God has ordained and called His people to execute, including rebuilding the temple and building the church (Matt. 16:18).
