9. 6th Vision Zech 5:1-4

Review

Visions 4 and 5 are at the center of the chiasm of Zechariah’s visions - zooming in on the person who will accomplish all the things promised, prophesied and alluded to in all the other visions.

Vision 4 centered around…Joshua…the High Priest

picture of the Ultimate High Priest’s work

mirror of the Ultimate High Priest’s character and ministry

Vision 5 centered around…ZRB…the Davidic Governor

vision of the Lampstand - represented the presence of God manifested through the Spirit

Meaning: the Spirit will be with ZRB for his task to build the Temple - task of the Davidic King

ZRB’s completed task will point to the reality that a future ZRB will come and complete His work

Vision ends with a question about the significance of the two olive trees on the sides of the Lampstand

Zech 4:14 “14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.””

Two anointed ones - Priest and King - united completely with the Lampstand who represents...

Lord of all the earth - this word is not YHWH or Adoni, more generic Adon…why?

Where in the Bible do we have reference to Priest, King, and Lord?

Ps 110:1-4 “1 Yahweh says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.” 2 Yahweh will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Have dominion in the midst of Your enemies.” 3 Your people will offer themselves freely in the day of Your power; In the splendor of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, The dew of Your youthfulness will be Yours. 4 Yahweh has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The 6th Vision - vs 1-4

The Scroll - vs 1-2

Zech 5:1-2 “1 Then I lifted up my eyes again and saw, and behold, a flying scroll. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.”

Lifted up my eyes - same introduction as visions 2 and 3 - act as a mirror in the chiasm

Vision 2 - Four horns of the oppressive nations and the four craftsmen that tear them down - culminating in ultimate Craftsman - corresponds with vision 7

Vision 3 - Measuring man of the city without walls - call to Israel to flee daughters of Babylon and return to being daughters of Zion - corresponds with vision 6

Flying scroll

Difficult to tie to previous revelation - other scrolls in Jeremiah and Ezekiel aren’t flying

Why flying - extremely visible

20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide

Measurements made…like Vision 3

1 Kings 6:3 “3 And the porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its depth along the front of the house was ten cubits.”

Same ratio as...

Ezek 41:2 “2 The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. And he measured the length of the nave, forty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits.”

Corresponds to the Porch/Entrance of the Temple - In order to dwell with God in the Temple/City of the 3rd Vision you must pass through the Flying Scroll

The Curse - vs 3-4

Zech 5:3 “3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole earth; 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.”

Curse

Deuteronomy: blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience - Scroll points back to the Law

Everyone who steals…Everyone who swears

Steals - Commandment 8 Exodus 20:15 “15 “You shall not steal.”

Swears - Commandment 3 - Exodus 20:7 “7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

In general - each side points to each table of the Law

In specific - each side points to two specific violations of the Law

Haggai 1:3-6 “3 Then the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house lies waste?” 5 So now, thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Set your heart to consider your ways! 6 “You have sown much, but bring in little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

Famine in the land why?

Swore to build the house of God - supplied with gold and silver and articles of the Temple by King Cyrus - swore in vain

Instead of using resources meant for building God’s House, they built their own house - stealing

Purged away

Same word found in Isaiah 3 - Isaiah 3:16-26 “16 Moreover, Yahweh said, “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty And walk with outstretched necks and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And tinkle the bangles on their feet, 17 Therefore the Lord will smite the skull of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And Yahweh will make their foreheads bare.” 18 In that day the Lord will remove the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, enchanted charms, 21 finger rings, nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, and shawls. 24 Now it will be that instead of sweet perfume there will be the smell of rot; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men will fall by the sword And your mighty ones in battle.26 And her gates will lament and mourn, And purged she will sit on the ground.”

Prophecy of the lavish and haughty women of Jerusalem being completely humiliated and stripped of all their hair, dressed in sackcloth instead of fine clothes, and widowed. Everything has been purged away as they became exiles

The women dressed like Babylonians, they acted like Babylonians, they worshiped like Babylonians - so what did God do?

Strips them of their wealth (showing the worthlessness of sin

Sends them to Babylon (gives them what they desired/deserved)

Zech 5:4 “4 I will make it go forth,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”

I will make it go forth - YHWH is directly involved

YHWH of Hosts - the Lord of Armies - Divine Military Might

Enter the house of law breakers

Why? Because they broke the Law to build their own houses

Consume its timber and stones

Doesn’t kill the people - just destroyed the house, even the foundation

This is truly a purging - He is refining His people, tearing down the sin and the idols so that He remains as the only affection of their heart

Why National Israel is still in Exile - still in Sin, not destroyed as a people, just a people without a true home - still being purged

Main Point - Connecting back to Vision 3: Flee Babylon - stop acting like Babylonians, building lavish houses for yourself like you had back there. Flee the daughters of Babylon and become daughters of Zion where God will dwell with His people in His Temple which will be like a city without walls

Application Questions

1. How does the lesson of the purging scroll relate to us New Covenant Exiles who are not under curse but do receive trials and discipline?

Read 1 Peter 1:7