WHAT DOES THE VISION MEAN?
1. God’s Word is not hidden and is seeking you out.
- Zechariah 5:1-2.
- Let’s begin with the vision statement in v. 2 and its three pieces.
a. “Scroll.”
- This obviously points us to God’s Word. A scroll is parchment with writing, which is how the manuscripts were transmitted back then.
- Further, the mention of two of the commands of God in vv. 3-4 cements this.
- Why are those two specific commandments mentioned? I think there are a couple likely possibilities.
- The first is that these commands are commonly broken during that day and time. People were stealing from each other and their word was not good. It’s worth noting that these are sins that most of us would consider “minor.” “At least I didn’t murder anyone.” But they are mentioned anyway.
- It reminds me of an evangelism technique that Ray Ortland (I believe) uses. He asks the unsaved person if they are a sinner. They usually say something like, “not really.” He goes through the Ten Commandments, asking a person if they’ve broken that command, bringing up examples of common things people do that would qualify as breaking the command. By the end, he has shown them that they’ve broken all ten commands, which he uses to point out that they are worse sinners than they thought.
- To use the thief example, we might say, “Well, I’m not a pickpocket and I’ve never robbed a bank.” True enough, but have you ever taken office supplies from your office? Have you ever used a streaming service without paying for it? Have you ever done things like that where if your actions were found out you would have gotten in trouble or at least been embarrassed? But we don’t think that way – we say it’s not a big deal and figure that what people don’t know won’t hurt them.
- The second possibility paints a broader picture. Some commentators note that the Ten Commandments, which represent the whole Mosaic Law, were given on two tablets to Moses. The first transgression mentioned here was the middle command on the second tablet; the second transgression was the middle command on the first tablet. Perhaps that central position is meant to point us toward thinking about the Law of God in general. That would mean that the vision is pointing us toward the overall sinfulness of the people.
- Either of these interpretations gets us in the neighborhood of what I think is the fundamental point here: that there were unsaved people who were not obeying the Word.
b. “Flying.”
- This points us toward the message being public. If something is sailing across the sky, it’s there for everyone to see.
- This also points us toward the message seeking you out. The Word will find you even if you aren’t searching for it. This is not a comforting truth if you’re someone who is seeking to avoid God and His truth.
c. “Thirty feet long and fifteen feet wise.”
- This points to the message not being hidden. This is not secret wisdom for the elite few, but rather it’s writ large across the sky.
2. If you haven’t received God’s mercy, God’s Word becomes a curse.
- Zechariah 5:3a – “This is the curse . . .”
- This is a painful truth. We like to think of God’s Word as welcome news – and, indeed, it is Good News. But not always. If you don’t want God’s mercy, if you refuse to believe His standards, if you want to go your own way, it’s something entirely different.
- Here we see God’s Word “flying” out and it’s a curse. This, of course, means that there are those who are about to encounter God’s truth who aren’t ready for it.
- Now here we don’t mean that it’s a curse word – that’s God’s Word becomes an epithet. Rather, I mean that the punishment promised in God’s Word becomes a curse to them. Punishment is coming.
3. Every person in the whole land is affected.
- Zechariah 5:3b – “. . . over the whole land . . .”
- As the scroll goes out, it’s not to a select few. No, it’s to the “whole land.”
- We live in a culture where most believe they have the right to choose their own moral standards and that those are the standards by which they will be judged. The idea that someone should have the right to impose their moral standards on you is repugnant to many.
- But God is the one who is perfectly just and wise. He has given us His revelation in the creation and in our conscience. But more than that, in the Word.
- Because He is God, His standards are binding. That’s true for everyone.
4. The punishment for sin is banishment.
- Zechariah 5:3c – “. . . is banished . . .”
- The punishment for those found guilty (here the thief and the false swearer are noted) is banishment.
- This points us toward hell.
- The worst part of hell is that you are banished from the presence of God. To come into the presence of God for judgment and to see His beauty and love, but then to be banished forever from His presence because of the consistent choice you made to reject His offer of grace, that will be terrible.
- Banishment speaks of being sent away. It’s an interesting word to use here.
5. This destruction is initiated by God.
- Zechariah 5:4a – “The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out . . .’”
- It’s important to note that God is the initiator of this destruction. Of course, He doesn’t want to bring this destruction. His desire is for mercy and forgiveness. But there is a point where He brings it. He is not afraid to bring the just destruction.
- This is a view of God that many modern people cannot fathom. God is love, right? God is grace, right? Yes, He is those things, but He is also truth and holiness.
6. The destruction brought by God’s Word will be complete.
- Zechariah 5:4b – “It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.”
- As though the last point wasn’t bad enough, we go a little further with what comes next. The destruction is complete. Look at what it says there. First, God says that He will destroy the house. The house here is obviously a metaphor for individual lives. Secondly, that destruction will wipe out the timbers. That’s pretty thorough. But, thirdly, the stones will also be wiped out. Holy cow. Do you know what kind of destruction you’re talking about when even the stones are gone?
- Again, this speaks to the nature of hell. There is a reason that it’s called the “second death.”
