A Consuming Sleep-Over

The visions of the prophets are not there merely for dramatic effect.  There is meaning behind everything God inspires in His word.  I don't mean to wear out the validity and urgency of scripture.  But really, what else matters when it's all said and done?   And this morning I was so excited by what I read in Zechariah, chapter five.  The first few readings of this chapter earlier in the week brought no thrill to me.  Praise God for giving us the power of perseverance.

Zechariah saw a flying scroll and even determined its size as he observed it.  And on a side note (and I use "side note" loosely as it's really a powerful addition, but for this post is not the subject), the size of the scroll is exactly the size of "The Holy Place" in the tabernacle.  I just love all these details with purpose!  But back to my excitement!  Now keep in mind the scroll represents God's law, God's word, and in verse four, God says, "I will make it go forth and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; (these are actually representative disobediences that encompass all the commands of God) and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones."

Now a theologian may say I am spiritualizing the passage a bit.  I hope not because the picture I get here, using my salvation and transformation (a continual process), is a beautiful portrait of God's power over sin.  He makes His word enter the "house" of the person He saves, drives it home to the very destruction of all the sin that person had formerly embraced.  Whatever that person's sin problem before salvation, God completely disrupts and destroys.  To have the "scroll spend the night" will be a complete turn-around and the former way of life, "its timber and stones", will be consumed.  God's power "will" transform us.  Some of it is immediate, some continual but no believer will ever be comfortable in that "house" again.

The negative side of the verse for the hardened, non-seeker who will not submit to God, and I'm afraid this is what the verse is really saying:  God will have the victory over sin and it will be destroyed forever.

Praise God for Jesus Christ Who made the way possible and for His holy Word that brings continual change and consuming of sin.