The Judgments Of The Lord - Part 1

In this chapter we have two visions, by which "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." God will do great and kind things for His people, which the faithful sons of Israel shall rejoice in, but "let the sinners in Zion be afraid;" for God will reckon severely with those among them that are wicked and profane. While God is showing kindness to the faithful of the nation

and blessing them. The wicked and profane and their families shall be under the curse Zechariah sees in a flying scroll.

Zechariah saw a large scroll of parchment which had been rolled up flying upon the wings of the wind, carried swiftly through the air in open view. The angel asked Zechariah, “What do you see? Zechariah said, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.”

The angel told Zechariah “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side.”

The flying scroll contains a declaration of the righteous wrath of God against those sinners who by swearing affront God’s majesty or by stealing invade their neighbor’s property. Let every Israelite rejoice in the blessings of his country with trembling; for if he swear, if he steal, if he lives in any course of sin, he shall not have the comfort of them.

The flying scroll goes over the face of the whole earth, not only the land of Israel. It goes over the

face of the whole earth because those that have revolted against the law written in their hearts

shall be judged by that law. All mankind are liable to the judgment of God; and, wherever sinners are, any where upon the face of the whole earth, the curse of God can and will find them and seize them.

The sinners this curse is leveled against is thieves. Every one that by fraud or force takes that which is not his own and especially that robs God and converts to his own use what was devoted to God and his honor this curse is leveled against. Those that robs their fathers and mothers and say it is not transgression (Proverbs 28:24) this curse is leveled against.

Swearers. The curse is leveled against those who swears rashly and profanely. They bring the curse upon themselves by their perjury. The curse will be leveled against those who use God’s name to confirm a lie.

The enforcer of this curse is the Lord of hosts. This denotes it is a righteous curse, for He is righteous. He brings it forth with power. Who can put aside or resist the curse which a God of almighty power brings forth?

The effect of this curse; it is very dreadful. Every one that steals shall be cut off, not corrected, but destroyed, cut off from the land of the living. God will not spare the sinners He finds among His own people, nor shall the holy city be a protection to the unholy. They shall be cut off from the face of the whole earth, over which the curse flies. They shall all be cut off according to the curse, for the judgments of God’s hand are exactly agreeable with the judgments of his mouth.

God’s curse comes with a warrant to break open doors, and cannot be kept out by bars or locks. Where the sinner is most secure, and thinks himself out of danger in his own house the curse of God will seize him. It shall fall not only upon him but upon his family. It shall not only beset his house but it shall remain in the midst of his house. It shall dwell where he dwells, and be his constant companion at bed and board, to make both miserable to him. Having got possession of him it shall keep it unless he repents.

The curse shall consume the house even though the timber be the heart of oak and the stones rigidly set they shall not be able to stand before the curse of God. Their ruins will be standing monuments of God’s justice and lasting witnesses of the sinner’s injustice. Sin is the ruin of houses and families, especially the sins of injury and perjury.

The vision of the flying scroll was very plain and easy to understand. In the vision of the woman in the ephah things are dark and hard to understand. Some scholars believe it foretells the final destruction of the temple and the nation and the dispersion of the Jews following the crucifixion of Jesus and the persecution of His followers. Therefore these events are revealed in obscure figures and expressions, "lest the plain denunciation of the second overthrow of temple and state might discourage those who were restoring the temple.