 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll!2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.” 3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4 I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”
A Vision of a Woman in a Basket 5 Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.”6 And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the basket that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity in all the land.” 7 And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8 And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening. 9 Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11 He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.” Meditation We can wonder if wickedness will win in the world. Depending on the news of the day there will be stories of evil and suffering that immediately come to mind. Lament is the only path I know connecting the pain of our fallen world with the promises of God. The apocalyptic visions of Zechariah are both a prophetic call to covenant faithfulness and revelation of what is to come. His sixth vision concerns keeping the law despite the lack of a finished temple, an invitation to repent and return to relationship (1-4). The seventh concerns God’s sovereignty over wickedness in the world (5-8). Grace invites people to return to the Lord. God’s absolute authority invites us to trust Him. The woman in the basket is explained: “This is wickedness” (7). The Apostle John’s apocalyptic vision in Revelation 17:1-6 sees a woman drunk with blood, the Babylonian mother of earth’s abominations. So here, this vision is personifying evil and iniquity. Here wickedness is “thrust back into the basket” with a “leaden weight” thrust onto the opening. God’s sovereign rule contains wickedness in the world. God’s sovereignty is greater than our circumstances and understanding. Joseph experienced wickedness from the hands of his brothers and he proclaimed: “What the enemy intended for evil God intended for good” (Genesis 50:20). Ruth and Naomi, two widows with deep loss, experienced the fullness of God’s faithfulness to redeem all He allows. But the cross communicates with greatest clarity- Jesus conquered wickedness so believers can have a well of hope in hard times. Wickedness won’t win! God is faithful to the end. Richly Dwelling -Where do you feel the weight of wickedness in the world? How do you handle it? -Why is it empowering to see how God deals with wickedness, thrusting it into the basket and removing it from the land? How does this promise point to the new heavens in the future while giving strength for today? -Jesus experienced and overcame wickedness so that you can be sure of His love and be secure in Him. Where do you need to more fully trust Jesus and His work? Key Verse 7 And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8 And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening. Comments are closed.
|