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Visions of Warning (Daily Portion 10224)

Content Author: 
Reagan, David
Scripture Passage: 
Zechariah 5:1-11

In this chapter, God gives Zechariah two visions of warning. First, he sees a flying roll, which is identified as the curse (Zechariah 5:3). This pictures the law of God and the curse on those who disobey it. Second, he sees a woman sitting in a basket called an ephah (after the size of the basket). This vision is called wickedness (Zechariah 5:8) and portrays false religion.

What Does It Say?

  1. The length of the flying roll was ________ cubits and the breadth of the roll was ________ cubits.
  2. When the roll enters into the house of a sinner, it shall remain in the _________ of his house.
  3. In Zechariah’s second vision of this chapter, he saw a woman sitting the midst of an ___________.
  4. The ephah of the second vision had a weight of __________ upon the mouth of it.
  5. The ephah was carried by two _________ who had the wind in their wings and their wings were like the wings of a _________.

What Does It Mean?

  1. What is the roll mentioned in the first verses of this chapter? One good way to understand a word is to look it up in other Bible passages. Read Jeremiah 36:2 and Ezekiel 2:9. What do these verses tell you about the meaning of the word roll ?
  2. Verses 3-4 refer to two particular sins: stealing and swearing falsely in God’s name. Both of these sins break one of the Ten Commandments. Check out the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20. Which of the commandments does each break? Hint: swearing falsely in God’s name is not bearing false witness.
  3. What is an ephah? You may need to look the word up in a Bible dictionary or an English dictionary. Understand also that a unit of measurement is sometimes used to refer to the container that holds that unit of measure. For instance, is a cup a particular measurement or is it the container that holds that unit of measure?

What Does It Mean to Me?

  1. In verse three, Zechariah says of the flying roll, “this is the curse.” Almost certainly, the flying roll is a picture of the law of Moses. How can God’s perfect law be considered a curse? Read Deuteronomy 27:26; Galatians 3:10-13; Romans 7:7-14. How does one escape the curse of the law?
  2. The second vision of this chapter (the woman sitting in the ephah) is almost certainly a picture of false religion. It has a house built for is “in the land of Shinar” (Zechariah 5:11). Where is the land of Shinar? Read Genesis 11:1-4 and explain how Shinar is connected with false religion.
David Reagan
Daily Proverb

Proverbs 26:21

As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.