God requires us to come with Clean Hands and a Clean Heart
ZECHARIAH 5:1 – 11
INTRODUCTION.
God requires us to come to Him with clean hands and a clean heart. This means that we need to look clean but we also need to be clean inside.
I find it interesting that the world so often concentrates on what people look like and what they have done: image, fashion, eating/drinking the right things, wearing the right clothes, wearing the right make-up.
God is more interested in the inside, what we are and what we are like. Jesus, when He was teaching His disciples, emphasised the importance of what we are thinking and feeling, rather than what we are doing.
Matt 5:21, 22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Matt 5:27, 28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
So, spiritually speaking, where were the people of Israel?
They had returned from a long period of exile in Babylonia. Whilst in exile their pagan idolatry had been cured. They had become a righteous people, following the requirements of the law, observing the sacrifices and the various religious festivals.
Rather like those of us who always make sure that we are in church for Christmas, Lent, Easter, Whitsun, and Advent. Their worship of God had become a process and a procedure; it was of the body not of the heart. They had become self-centred and spiritually dry. They were in the desert of their own religious experience rather than the lush plains of God’s deliverance.
They had been delivered from captivity and exile in Babylon and had been transported into the Promised Land of Israel. However, they had become rich in exile and had brought the wealth with them. Just as Jesus had to make the comment of the rich young (Matt 19: 23, 24) “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.””, He was making the same sorts of statements through Zechariah.
A contemporary of Zechariah, Haggai (1:3-8) rebuked them for living in luxury whilst God’s house was unfinished. But they still relied upon the ancient covenant with Abraham; they believed that they were God’s people and deserving of His favour.
Paul reminds us that we are the temple of the living God (1Cor 3:16, 17) “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” Have we put our lives right? Are our bodies and lives finished and fit for God to dwell in, or are we still choosing to live our own wayward life and expecting God to honour His New Covenant? Are we trying to have our cake and eat it? Are we claiming salvation and eternal life with God in heaven whilst we carry on living sinful and dishonouring lives?
God demands that we actually do repent in all aspects:
• That we give up all aspects of wanting to serve the Prince of this world, Satan.
• That we become spiritually clean and worship Him inwardly as well as outwardly.
• That we bow the heart as well as the knees.
God spoke to His people through these two visions to correct the wrong attitudes and ideas that the people of Israel had. It was serious, because these people were living their lives right through the doors of hell, not through the gates of heaven that they were expecting, as a chosen people.
Are we making the same mistake? Are we expecting heaven, but living for hell?
1. The Flying Scroll (1-4).
This scroll was huge: 30’ x 15’. It was big enough that no-one could miss it. It reminded them about the law of God (that they were breaking):
(a) Ex 20:15 "You shall not steal.”
(b) Ex 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name”
(a) “Every thief will be banished” (3) Ex 20:15 "You shall not steal.”
But hold on a minute, we are honest citizens, we do not steal!!! We have not stolen money, goods or thoughts. How can you charge us on that point!
But that is just what God was charging the people with. In one sense God was accusing His people of wronging their neighbours. We do not wrong our neighbour just by physically removing their property from them. We can do so by depriving them of respect, of consideration, letting them suffer when we could help, by ignoring them, by letting the widow and the orphan suffer (and who are the real widow and orphan in today’s society?).
Let us also look at another contemporary of Zechariah, Malachi 3:6-9 “"I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.
"But you ask, `How are we to return?’
"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, `How do we rob you?’
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me.
Are we robbing God? Tithes are not money, or worldly goods, they are an attitude of mind, the giving of ourselves to God as well as a giving of the blessings that He has given us. How much of your time have you given Him? How much of your life have you given Him? How much of your being have you given Him?
(b) “Everyone who swears falsely will be banished” (3) Ex 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name”
This is not about telling lies; it is about using the name of God in vain. This is about not using the name of God in a casual or dishonouring way, and how often we hear that happening every day.
This is about bringing God down to our level, rather than lifting Him up on high and worshipping Him. In recent decades there has been a tendency to think of Jesus as a friend, a pal, who walks along the pathways of life with us. Yes, He is a friend, but He is also Mighty God, the God of Awesome Majesty. It is about having proper respect for the LORD god.
Just these two laws have been selected by God, and He has given a terrible curse to those who break them. He is not just relying upon His human agents, in the form of judges and rulers, to punish these law breakers. God’s word will not be broken and He will punish those who break these laws, driving out the law-breakers from the land of His covenant; driving them out of His peace.
2. The Woman in the Basket (5-11).
Israel was a people living amongst pagans. It would have been virtually impossible to keep their worship absolutely pure and completely untainted by the practices of those around. After all, just like us, they were humans, with all their frailties.
The woman represented all the evil which tainted the Israelites because of their association with the pagan world in which they lived.
(a) The acceptance of commercialism as being the centre of their lives. The love of money becoming greater than the love of God, which links back into the accusation of stealing in the previous vision.
(b) The acceptance of sexual permissiveness and sexual practices which were prevalent in the pagan society around them.
(c) The acceptance of religious compromise. There is more than one way to God. You can see God in different facets of human life/creation.
(a) The acceptance of commercialism as being the centre of their lives.
Is there any difference for Israel now from what it faced then? Is the message for them now any different for then? Don’t we, as Christians in Britain now face the same pressures?
There has been an ever increasing rise in commercialism in all parts of our lives. So many, even non-Christians, complain about the commercialism of Christmas, but what about other festivals? The desire to sell, sell, sell has resulted in us now being encouraged to celebrate (and thus buy gifts, cards, and celebratory foods) ever more festivals which are not Christian: Chinese New Year, all the relatives’ days (Fathers, Grandfathers, etc).
I have noted in my own profession of accounting an ever decreasing willingness to give time and money to charitable or life enhancing activities. The focus is on making as much money out of every moment of the day. Success is measured by how much money is made, how many trappings of wealth you can flaunt. Have we gone that way?
(b) The acceptance of sexual permissiveness and sexual practices.
Sexual permissiveness is everywhere, not just on television, or the books/magazines that we read, or the clothes that we wear. As Jesus said, (Matt 5:27, 28) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Sexuality has pervaded every facet of society in this country and we have become tainted by it, accepting so many things in an attempt to become accepted by the world, but they are contrary to the law of God. We can accept the argument that God loves the people of the world. We can accept the argument that Jesus died to save all that accept Him as Lord and Saviour. But that also means that all those who want to be saved have to live according to the standards which God has set, because He detests the sin of the world.
God would love to see the whole of mankind walk through the gates of heaven, but He will not allow those who have clung to the sin of this world through.
(c) The acceptance of religious compromise.
This is a very large problem for us in Britain at the moment, as our politicians are trying to make us ‘multi-cultural’. Requiring that we embrace all cultures and religions and forbidding us from distinguishing the differences. There is a great problem with having a large and active Muslim population in Britain. It is a problem that Satan wants us to have. Satan wants anything that is going to divert us from Christ; that is going to stop people being able to enter through the gates of heaven; anything that is going to result in vast numbers of people falling into the depths of hell with him.
We need to be very careful not to embrace anything from a foreign religion, whether it is Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other of the myriad of religions that are now flourishing in Britain. The result can easily be the confusion of New Ageism where you come to believe any and everything.
Be on your guard. You are not called to become separate from the people of the world. We have been called to live amongst them. But we have also been warned not to accept the practices of the world. We should uphold the standards of God. We should shine out the light and goodness of God in a Godless society.
Matt 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Do we give up just because people do not accept what we are proclaiming from God? Human beings down through the generations from Adam have rejected the light of God, as Jesus said, (John 3:19-21) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
Do not think that you are the source of the light for this world, Jesus is the Light of the world: (John 8:12) “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” When the people of this country reject the truth that the people of God proclaim, they are not rejecting us, they rejecting the one who has sent us, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.
CONCLUSION.
We live in a pagan society which is centred on money, sex and religious compromise.
Every day our senses are assaulted by the pagan way of life. We are encouraged to join their way and even become like them. More and more Christians are becoming the minority, the outcasts, the different ones, the law-breakers.
We need to stand firm on the law of God. God’s law is not a set of rules; it is a set of principles, a set of standards which require us to have the right attitude of mind.
Following rules will leave us in the desert of self-righteousness.
Following God’s standards will take us into the Eternal Kingdom.
We must resist the pressures to secularise our faith and to accept the beliefs of other gods. We must seek the peace of God in His Word, not in the words of humans.
The people of Israel did repent from these evils. They did hear the words of God through these visions given to Zechariah and they did respond.
Will the people of this country respond? Will you respond if God is speaking to you?
