WHO ART THOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN.
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Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Zachariah 4:6-7 (KJV)
I remember a book I read many year back, tittled "The Pilgrim's progress.".
The story of the prigrim is such a rigorous journey full of ups and downs. It was not such a straight course journey.
"But we are able to go up and take the mountain. From Jerusalem, Jordan to the sea. Though the giants may be on our way to hinder, God will surely give victory".
WHO WAS ZERUBABEL?
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Zerubbabel was the leader of the builders who had the responsibility to finish the work of rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem that was destroyed in 587/586 B.C.E., when the Babylonians captured the city, burned it, and exiled the Judean leadership to Babylon. These were done by nebuzaradan, the chief bodyguard of the king Nebuchadnezer of Babylon. 2Kings 25:8-9.
The work had stalled, and Zerubbabel needed encouragement to carry on the work.
Here the Spirit of the Lord was handy to encourage the work to go on because Jehovah has no abandoned project.
Engineer Zerubabel and his co-builders needed words of encouragement to go on with the work. And the Lord brought forth through prophet Zachariah.
The Spirit of the Lord acknowledged the fact that there was a mountain on their way to completing the project.
WHAT IS MOUNTAIN.
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Mountains in this biblical sense means problems. Obstructions. Hindrances. Impediments. Holdups. Discouragements. Etc.
These became distractions and discouragements to the construction work.
Zerubabel and his team may have removed their eyes from almighty God and focussed on the mountain before them.
The bible said,
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
The assurance Jehovah gave to Zerubabel and his collages was that He Jehovah will accomplish the building by himself and that not by any human power but by the power of the Spirit of the Lord.
Child of God be assured that God will not abandon you half way.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)