Why Does God Say "Not by Might, nor by Power"?
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In the book of Zechariah, there is a popular verse you may have heard quoted once or twice.
“…‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty." – Zechariah 4:6
If you have heard Zechariah 4:6 before, chances are that is the only part of the verse you have heard. Most of the time when this scripture is quoted, we focus on the part where God says, not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit. What we often don’t think about is why he said it and who he was speaking to when he did. This verse can have different applications but to make them real, you must know the story behind the verse. When you know this, it will help you understand why God says not by might nor by power.
To begin with let’s look at the full verse in context:
I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
Then the word of the LORD came to me: "So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty." – Zechariah 4:4-8
Following their exile in Babylon, 50,000 Jewish individuals were granted permission by Persian King Cyrus to return to Jerusalem and commence the reconstruction of the temple, led by Zerubbabel, the governor. During this period, Zechariah, a prophet and priest, was given several divine visions. One particular vision contained a pivotal message for Zerubbabel from God, stating, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts" - Zechariah 4:6.
When we look at the full verse this lets us know there is something else going on that leads up to God making this statement. There is a story behind the verse. When you connect the story then you will understand completely why God said what he said and why this is such a wonderful verse that is so right on time.
In Zechariah 4:6, "by might or by power" refers to human strength and abilities, including military force, personal effort, or any form of human resourcefulness and capability. God promised Zerubbabel that the completion of the temple in Jerusalem would not depend on human strength or effort, but would be accomplished by the Spirit of the Lord. This promise highlighted God's direct involvement and divine empowerment in the rebuilding process, ensuring success despite any obstacles or opposition, and emphasizing God's sovereignty and the importance of faith and reliance on Him.
Zerubbabel Rebuilds the Temple
To begin connecting the dots we need to know who Zerubbabel is and why would God need to send him a word like this. The story of Zerubbabel is found in the book of Ezra. Before we go there let me share with you a quick Bible study tip. Whenever you are reading the books written by the prophets in the Old Testament you can correlate those books with what was happening in Israel and Judah by reading some of the historical books like Chronicles, Kings, and in our case the book of Ezra.
What we learn from Ezra is Zerubbabel was an exile from captivity in Babylon who returned to Jerusalem along with other exiles. Here is how Ezra words it.
"Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah)" - Ezra 2:1-2
When he returned to Jerusalem he set out on a mission. First to rebuild the altar and then to rebuild the temple.
"When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices." – Ezra 3:1-3
"In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord." – Ezra 3:8
When the work began on building the temple it should come as no surprise they were met with opposition. The enemies of Judah and Benjamin came to Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families saying they wanted to help build but Zerubbabel refused their help. When this happened, they tried to disrupt and stop the building. Here is what they did.
"Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia." – Ezra 4:4-5
Despite this Zerubbabel and his team of workers pressed on but their enemies were relentless in their desire to shut this work down. They wrote a letter to the king with accusations in it and this led to the work on the temple being stopped.
Why does God say 'not by might nor by power'?
Now that you understand Zerubbabel’s situation then it becomes easier to understand why God says not by might nor by power. If you keep reading through the book of Ezra, you will discover the two main prophets who prophesied to the people in Israel during this time were Haggai and Zechariah. In addition to their leadership, these men were there to offer encouragement and support to the efforts in rebuilding the temple. With all this in mind let’s put the pieces of the puzzle together to answer our question why does God say not by might nor by power?
We are going to look at Zechariah once more but this time as you read it put yourself in Zerubbabel’s situation. He has started to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, but the opposition has shut the work down and for a period there is no work happening at the temple. He is not sure if or when this work will ever be completed because the edict has come from the king, and he has no power to override what the king says. It is easy to say that frustration and disappointment have probably set in, and Zerubbabel was most likely discouraged. Within that framework now read these verses.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. 'What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.'" – Zechariah 4:6-8
Can you imagine how these words lifted Zerubbabel’s spirit? God is literally telling him what you have started with your hands I will make sure you finish with your hands not by your might nor by your power but by my Spirit. In the face of opposition that attempted to destroy the work I am going to personally oversee and make sure this work gets done and this temple is rebuilt. These words had to bring a shot of enthusiasm to the work Zerubbabel was doing.
What does Zechariah 4:6 for you and me today?
There is a practical truth in this verse that is as true today as it was when God spoke this to Zerubbabel. God is committed to completing any work that he has begun and any work he has asked you to do. When you align with his will and purpose then you can be certain he will finish what he started. While you will lend your hands to the work, God will accomplish it through the power of the Holy Spirit working in you.
Whatever God has assigned you to do work at it with all your might and with the confidence that God will finish what he has begun in you and through you. Not by might nor by power but by his Spirit.
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This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy-to-read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. We hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in your life today.