Visions of Victory

DEVOTIONS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Visions of Victory

If you randomly started reading the Bible in Zechariah 5, you might think you had picked up the wrong book! “I looked up and saw a scroll flying through the air (5:1). Then I saw two women flying toward us… They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky (5:9). These verses sound more like the script from a fantasy movie rather than Holy Scripture, right?

However, when you read the whole chapter, you find it’s an account of two visions that the prophet Zechariah received from God.  In the first vision he observed an extraordinary sight:  a giant scroll, flying over the countryside like a missile, and destroying the houses of certain sinful people.

In his second vision, Zechariah saw a bizarre scenario:  a woman trapped in a basket, and being whisked away through the air by two winged women!

What’s going on here?!  We know God didn't give visions to the OT prophets for entertainment value.  Important meaning was always associated with visions, so Christians today should study to discern the meaning of this imagery - just as we do with any other part of God's Word.  

As we seek the meaning from Scripture, we should keep several important principles of interpretation in mind: 

1.  We should determine the focus or main theme.  

In both visions, the main theme is the judgment and removal of sin and wickedness.  In the first vision, the thief and the liar are judged (5:3).  In the second vision the woman called "Wickedness" is removed (5:8).  

2.  We should look at the overall context of Zechariah 5.  

We should try to determine the occasion of the writing of the book.  
- What was the historical situation at that time?  
- Why did God give Zechariah these visions?  
- What was God's message to the people of that day?  

The answers to these questions will prepare the way for the proper interpretation and application of this Scripture.

Background

Zechariah lived in a day when the people of God needed renewal.  He wrote his book about 20 years after the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem from their 70-year exile in Babylon.  The initial joy and spiritual enthusiasm of their return had worn off after a few years.  Many of the people had become complacent and materialistic.  They were more concerned with building and embellishing up-scale homes than prioritizing the Lord in their lives (Ezra 4 and Haggai 1). 

At this point, God raised up two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah.  Haggai challenged the people to put an end to their more selfish lifestyles and return to serving God.  Zechariah encouraged the people not to give up!  God hadn’t forgotten His chosen people, and His power was still available.  The Lord was still in control, and He has a great future planned for His people!

God's people need renewal today as well.  We need to put God first in our decisions and actions.  We need to experience a freshness in our faith.  We need to be exhilarated by the joy of the Lord.  We shouldn’t settle for the status quo of complacency, or the worldly trap of materialism. 

Renewal comes about today just as it did in those Old Testament days.  The Lord raises up individuals to challenge and encourage His people through His Word.  Challenge brings conviction, and encouragement brings comfort and hope.  God's Word can “afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted.”   Although that’s not a Bible verse, when believers respond to the preaching and teaching of His Word, renewal will follow. 

Zechariah 1-6 is the record of eight visions that God gave to Zechariah.  They were meant to bring encouragement and hope to God's people, and ultimately find their fulfillment in the coming Messiah.  This is seen not only in the direct Messianic predictions within some of the visions (2:8-9; 3:8), but also in the word from the Lord at the end of the visions (6:9-15).  Here Zechariah was told to crown Joshua the high priest as a symbolic foreshadowing of the coronation of the coming Messiah.

Judgment and removal of sin

So what about the visions of the flying scroll and the woman in the basket?  How did they encourage God's people in Zechariah's day?  The details of the visions stress the main point:  the judgment and removal of sin.  

The giant flying scroll contained the Law of God.  It entered and destroyed the houses of sinners.  This stressed that the judgment of God will be sweeping and complete!  No secret sin or evil that’s practiced behind closed doors will be left unjudged.  Knowing that a holy God judges sin was encouraging to God’s people back then.  As believers today, we can be thankful that all our acts of rebellion against a holy God have already been judged and forgiven in Jesus Christ!

Christians differ on the precise meaning of some details in the second vision, but the overall theme of judgment and removal of sin are clear.  The woman called "Wickedness" is forcefully trapped in a basket with a heavy lead cover.  This seems to imply God’s control over evil.  

As a side note, a question might come up as to why God would use a woman to portray wickedness in this vision.  One reason is the Hebrew word translated “wickedness” is a feminine noun.  So, using feminine imagery throughout this section would be appropriate from a grammatical standpoint.  It's also worth noting that the Bible is not teaching here that these are female angels.  Remember, this was a vision, and the record says that Zechariah saw “two women with wings like storks,” not two angels.

God has a lid on evil now, even before it’s finally and completely removed.  The world is bad enough as it is, but imagine a world with absolutely no control over the spread of evil!   

The visions of a flying scroll and basket are certainly comforting for believers who are sick and tired of sin and all its tragic fallout.  And the Bible is clear that what was promised to Israel in the visions of Zechariah 5 can be applied to God's people today.  The promises would find their fulfillment in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  He’s coming back to the earth and He’ll bring justice with Him.  The Lord will judge every kind of wickedness and eventually remove evil altogether. 

This should be a source of joy and encouragement for every Christian who is distressed and discouraged by the proliferation of ungodliness in every sector of society.  We're looking forward to a "new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).

- Dave Reid

(Updated 2023, Ron Reid)