Zechariah 5: God Purifies His People By Removing Sin
Zechariah 5: God Purifies His People By Removing Sin
Collin Leong. January 26, 2025
(v1-4) Vision of a Flying Scroll
(v1-3) Again I lifted my eyes and saw a flying scroll! And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said I see a flying scroll - it's length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits. 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."
Exp: The "curse" or judgement on the scroll is written on both sides of the scroll. One side is for theft, and the other side is for false swearing. These two represents violations of the commandments (stealing, bearing false witness, misusing God’s name). To Hebrew word for "clean out" is often translated “purged,” “banished,” or “cut off”. It conveys the idea of being uprooted or eliminated. It’s not just punishment but removal from covenantal protection.
(v4) 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.
Exp: The curse doesn’t just strike the offender—it “enters the house” of the guilty one (whether thief or false-swearer). This means that it will strike his assets and financials, causing suffering for the whole family. It uproots the offender’s household and erasing their place in the covenant community.
(5-11) Vision of a Woman in a Basket
(v5-8) Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said: "Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out". I said, "What is it?" He said: "This is the basket that is going out. This is the iniquity in all the land." And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! And he said, "This is Wickedness." And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight of its opening.
Exp: The passage above is similar to Rev 17:3-5 that describe the future tribulation, where a woman, called "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes" sits on a scarlet beast. Like Zechariah’s woman, she personifies corruption and idolatry. By thrusting her back and sealing the basket with a lead cover, the vision dramatizes how sin is not only exposed but also locked away, destined for removal.
(9-11) Then I lifted my eyes and saw 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. I asked the angel where are they taking the basket. He said, "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."
Exp: v9 seems to imply that there are female angels. No where else in scripture were angels related to females. Some believe that this is allegories of wickedness being carried away, not literal angels. Angels are spiritual and do not marry or reproduce (Matthew 22:30). They are genderless. However, angels are frequently describe as "man" or "men". Angels in Hebrew (mal’akh) and Greek (angelos) are grammatically masculine nouns. When angels appear, they often take on a human-like form so that people can interact with them without terror or confusion. In Genesis 18–19, Abraham and Lot encounter angels described as “men” who eat, speak, and walk. But in reality, they are not men, but spirits. (See Appendix for theories about the Nephilim.)
In v11, the basket is carried to Shinar (Babylon, Genesis 11) the archetypal place of rebellion against God. The "house" represent a permanent dwelling place or shrine, where it will be contained until God’s final judgment. This was not about final forgiveness, which is through faithfulness in the law and later through faith in Christ (Hebrews 9:26). God is putting a hedge around his people and separating His people from evil influences. Zechariah’s vision was part of the unfolding story. It showed Israel that sin must be removed, preparing them to understand why Christ’s sacrifice was necessary. What was symbolically “sent to Shinar” is finally “nailed to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).
Key Messages
1. The Flying Scroll (Zech 5:1–4)
Application:
God’s Word is not just comfort but also accountability.
We must align our lives with His truth, knowing hidden sins are exposed.
Integrity in speech and action is essential for covenant faithfulness.
2. The Woman in the Basket (Zech 5:5–8)
Application:
Sin must be named and confronted, not ignored.
God’s holiness requires separation from wickedness.
In our lives, we must not tolerate or excuse sin but allow God to expose and restrain it.
3. The Basket Sent to Shinar (Zech 5:9–11)
Application:
God purifies His people by removing sin from their midst.
Evil may seem enthroned in the world, but it is contained under God’s sovereignty.
For believers, this points forward to Christ, who removes sin not just symbolically but eternally.
Zechariah 5 teaches that God’s Word judges sin, God restrains wickedness, and God removes it from His people. Yet the vision is incomplete—it anticipates Christ, who fulfills the removal of sin through His death and resurrection.
Appendix
1. Are The Nephilim Fallen Angels?
Genesis 6:1- 4 : “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. … The Nephilim were on the earth in those days … These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
Early Church Fathers, like Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Clement, and others taught that Genesis 6 referred to angels who rebelled by marrying women. However, Augustine of Hippo proposed that “sons of God” were the righteous descendants of Seth, while “daughters of men” were from Cain’s line. His line of reasoning is that angels are spiritual beings, not sexual, and Matthew 22:30 says they “neither marry nor are given in marriage." Some scholars argue “sons of God” refers to ancient rulers claiming divine status, who took women by force.
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