For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”Indeed, who despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are Yahweh’s eyes, which run back and forth through the whole earth.”For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.For who hath despised the day of small things? for these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; these are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
5 sermons cite this verse
… Same exact way this truth is revealed. Zechariah 4.10. Zechariah 4.10, Old Testament says, For who has despised the day of small things? Don't be discouraged because things are small. For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth. The eyes of the Lord. The Lord doesn't have seven eyeballs. This means absolute, perfect understanding. By the manifestation of these seven attributes, the Spirit of God is upon you. The Holy Spirit meaning sees all. He knows all. The Holy Spirit. And believer, he's the one that's in you so that you and I would never be silent. God is living out his will and his plan in your life and mine. Think of that. What a lofty calling to be a Christian. We need to get back to that reality. It's not a game. It's not a club. When you come to know Christ, you understand that you are a sinner on your way to hell. …
… the text that is the anchor text for small beginnings is found in the Old Testament. Don't even go there. You may be familiar with Zechariah chapter 4, verse 10, where the prophet says, do not despise these small beginnings. Do not despise these small beginnings, or as some translations say, the days of small things. Who was the prophet speaking to? A guy named Zerubbabel, the governor of Jerusalem, who had come to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They started, the people ran out of steam, they were opposed and oppressed by their enemies. and so the prophet comes along and says get started once again don't despise the days of small beginnings it's going to be finished and in that same chapter not by might not by power but by my spirit says the lord mark chapter one tells us the small beginning of the greatest thing ever, which is the gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's how Mark begins. The beginning, verse 1, of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Then he talks about John the Baptist. Here in our text today, beginning in verse 9, he pivots, he shifts. He shifts from the anticipation of the Messiah to the arrival of the Messiah. He now comes on the scene. …
… He wants our vision to grow. Zechariah 4.10 says, Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. This is going to be big. God sees something, and he sees the bigness of the tininess. And even though I can't see it, I can believe it. This right now might be tiny, the least of all the seeds, nothing significant. But what is the result? What do we see is the result? It's something surprisingly supernatural. It's something that you would never believe or dream of, something unlikely, probably not possible, actually impossible, but not with God. What is the result of the mustard seed? But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs. I like when. When it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree. So that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. We want quick growth. We want to see the seed and we want to see the immediate growth. …
… Zechariah 4.10. You don't have to turn there. You've probably heard this before. Absolutely one of my favorite verses in the Bible. And I learned it in NIV a little different than the ESV renders it. Zechariah 4.10. And it's absolutely foundational. It's one of my life verses. It's one of my foundational planks in my philosophy of ministry. There you have, in Zechariah 4, the temple's completed. And they're bringing the plumb line, like the level. They're squaring off the last corner. We've done it. The temple is completed. They're looking forward to that day, and they say, when they square off the last corner, when they measure it out, they put the last finishing touches, and you stand back, and you see the completion of that glorious temple, Zechariah 4.10 says, you will learn, do not neglect the days of small things. That temple wasn't built in a day. Small things. Maybe some of you are feeling in particular with the volatility in our country and upheaval that we sense and certain cultural dynamics. Maybe you're sensing in a really powerful way, how can I make a difference with my life? How can I serve Christ most effectively? Maybe you're saying, I will do whatever it takes. I just want my life to count. And if you're asking that question, first of all, good that the Lord is stirring in you to ask that question. …
… my spirit, says the Lord. It's the same thing. People are building the temple and they're discouraged. It looks small. Zechariah 4.10 says, do not neglect the days of small things. their lives seem very ordinary, just like our lives. Almost all of our days are very ordinary lives, and you will not grow in godliness. You will not make a difference for Christ if you don't know how to live in the 95% of your life that is very ordinary. That's what it took. If you want to get to the celebration of the temple and have the big party that the temple has done, you better buckle up for a lot of hard work, ordinary days, one stone upon another. God says through Haggai, you're not alone. I will be with you. We come to sermon number three, verse 10. On the 24th day, the ninth month in the second year of Darius, the word came to the Lord, and now he's speaking to the priests. The people are busy at work on the temple, but there's a deeper issue to deal with. It's a technical argument. They're wondering, the temple is a holy place. So, if we're working on building the temple, are we then made holy just by working on the temple? Does ritual holiness work like ritual uncleanness? Because ritual uncleanness in the Old Testament means if you're unclean, You have an omission. …