What is the meaning of Zechariah 5:7? And behold Zechariah hears the angel’s call to pay attention. Scripture often uses this word to pull back the curtain so readers see what God is doing. • Zechariah 2:4 says, “Run, tell that young man, ‘Behold, I am measuring Jerusalem’ ”, signaling a fresh vision. • Revelation 4:1 echoes the same tone: “Behold, a door standing open in heaven.” Here the command underscores that what follows is not imagination but a divinely granted glimpse of reality. God wants His people to notice His active judgment against sin. the cover of lead was raised A lead lid is a weighty, unbreakable seal. Lifting it pictures God deliberately exposing what has been hidden. • Psalm 90:8 affirms, “You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” • Luke 8:17 reinforces, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.” Lead also speaks of heaviness—sin carries real, measurable weight. God’s justice is not casual; it brings a firm hand that both contains and reveals transgression. The removal of the lid tells the prophet that judgment is already in motion, not merely promised for a distant day. and there was a woman Verse 8 immediately explains, “This is Wickedness.” The woman personifies active, deliberate evil that had infiltrated the land. • Proverbs 5:3-4 paints the “forbidden woman” as alluring yet destructive, a fitting parallel to sin’s deceit. • Revelation 17:4-5 shows another prophetic woman, “Babylon the Great,” embodying worldwide corruption. The image is not a slight against women; it is a graphic symbol chosen by God to communicate the seductive nature of rebellion. By revealing her identity, God leaves no doubt: wickedness is a tangible foe that He names and confronts. sitting inside the basket The woman is not roaming free; she is seated, confined within an ephah—a standard marketplace measure. • Psalm 1:1 warns of “the seat of scoffers,” linking the act of sitting with settled defiance. • Revelation 18:7 portrays arrogant Babylon declaring, “I sit as queen,” confident yet doomed. Key observations: • Containment: God restrains evil under His sovereign hand. • Measurement: The ephah suggests that wickedness has filled up to its allotted limit, echoing Genesis 15:16 where “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” • Temporary state: Verse 11 will move the basket to Shinar (Babylon), showing that God intends a final relocation and ultimate destruction of sin away from His covenant people. summary Zechariah 5:7 presents a snapshot of God exposing and restraining wickedness. The raised lead cover shows His power both to reveal hidden sin and to keep it under control. The woman inside depicts rebellion personified, alluring yet condemned, seated in a measured container that signals God’s precise judgment. The verse assures believers that evil is neither overlooked nor unchallenged; the Lord already has it weighed, sealed, and scheduled for removal, guaranteeing the triumph of His holiness among His people. |
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