Pastor Jeon

God’s Wisdom to Judgment

God’s Wisdom to Judgment (Zechariah 5:1-11)

I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.” 3 And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. 4 The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.’” 5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.” 6 I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.” 7 Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! 8 He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it. 9 Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.10 “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.11 He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”

Introduction:

  1. The text reveals the wisdom of God’s judgment through two aspects, the vision of frying scroll and the vision of the woman in an epha in one vision. because two symbolisms explain the judgment to Israel who was corrupted by the severe sins ( idolatry and adultery).

  2. What is the wisdom of judgment that God executed?

  1. God control the sin.

  1. What dos the woman in Epha mean? It means the the sins of the world.

Verse 6  I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”

Verse7-8 “Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! 8 He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.”

  • The cover of lead means to control the conscience of Judah people. This is the wisdom that God prohibit the wicked sins in the world now.

Ex: The flood of Noah controlled violent corruption of world sins (Gen.6:)

Ex: The extreme sinful desire to kill David was controlled by God.( )

  1. Ex: the contemporary sins that spread rapidly to the world shall be controlled by God’s hand, as the voice of rooster(Peter), the saying of donkey ( Baaalam), through some suffering.

We should listen to the voice of good conscience. (Hebrew )

  1. God divide between the goodness and the evil.

  1. Verse 9 says “Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.” God control the sins and also divide the goodness and the evil.

Verse 10-11 says , ““Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”

  1. In the world we have to discern two things obviously in our heart.

This is the wisdom of Holy Spirit.

  1. God gave the freedom by the power of Holy Spirit.

  1. God controls the sinful desire by the work of Holy Spirit.

Verse 9 says, “Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.”

  • The wing is the chariots of Groupim in Ezekiel 1:

  1. The freedom of Holy Spirit make us moved the freedom out of the sins, sufficiency out of the necessity and grace out of the thorn in our Christian life.

Conclusion

In our pastoral ministry and mission field we have to learn the wisdom of Holy Spirit. Pastor elder and deacon should use the wisdom of Holy Spirit in the world. Because our mission field w is filled with worldly crafts against the heavenly wisdom. We have to seek the above wisdom as James emphasized.