Series: The Book of Zechariah
Sermon: Consequence for Disregarding Covenant Relationship with God
Bible Passage: Zech 5:1-4
I. Introductory Information on a Covenant:
1. We see the practice of covenant making in non-biblical and biblical world
a. Essentially, the substance of covenants in both the world is pretty much the same
b. Covenants have been made between two equals or between a superior and an inferior
c. In the Bible, we see different kinds of covenants
d. Gen 21:31 Abraham and Abimelech
e. Gen 26:28 Abimelech and Isaac
f. Joshua 9:15 Joshua and Hivites (Joshua was tricked by them)
i. Gen 22:16 The Angel of the LORD and Abraham
ii. The LORD’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3, 7, 17:8)
iii. The LORD’s covenant with the people of Israel (Exod 20)
iv. The LORD’s covenant with David (2 Sam 7:12-13)
v. The LORD’s promise of a new covenant (Jer 33:14-26)
2. A covenant is a sacred bond between two parties who have entered in it with an oath swearing—it has following components
a. At least two parties
b. Agreement (an offering of one party and the acceptance of it by the other party)
i. Promise
ii. Oath swearing
c. Stipulations for both the parties (conditions!) (duties and privileges)
d. Results of adhering and consequences of not adhering to the stipulations—blessing for adhering; curse for not adhering
i. Ezek 16:59 this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant
ii. Ezek 17:16 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant!
iii. Jer 34:18: I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces
iv. Deut 29:21 The Lord will single him out for judgment from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law
e. In the Old Testament, circumcision is a covenant oath swearing (cf. Gen 17)
f. Symbolic meaning of circumcision: whoever violates this covenant will, like this foreskin, be cut off
g. Any type of covenant-breaching has embedded curse!
h. This is true with marriage (in a marriage, the concept of covenant is a lot stronger)
Zechariah 5:1-4
1. This is one of the eight visions regarding the LORD’s restoration plan of Judah and Jerusalem
2. In this vision, Zechariah sees a large scroll of 30×15 cubits, the size of the Tabernacle
3. The one who explained about the scroll to Zechariah said, “This is a curse traveling across the whole land” (verse 3)—
4. The word “curse” אָלָה here needs to be understood in the background of covenant and covenant-breaking
a. The LORD had made a covenant with the people of Israel (here, it is “Judah”)
b. They constantly failed in their covenant stipulations and paid big-small prices
c. Invasion of Judah, exile, the destruction of the Temple, and life in Babylon were part of the “curse,” covenant unfaithfulness
d. Even after their return from the exile, some people had problems with covenant unfaithfulness
e. Covenant unfaithfulness activates the curse clause of the covenant
f. Though only two covenant-breaking is mentioned in this passage, they represented the entire covenant stipulations
i. Stealing “whoever steals will be removed from the community”
ii. False prophecy “whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate”
g. The interpreter of the vision says, “it [the curse] will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones” (verse 5)
i. Curse affects the concerned person in all areas of his life: physical, social, and economic
ii. The curse is listed in Haggai is a consequence of covenant-breaking/despising (cf. Hagai 1:6 “You have planted much but have harvested little. You eat but are never filled. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags”)
iii. Covenant-breaking has consequence
▪ Covenant-breaking refers to not adhering to the stipulations
▪ Covenant-breaking is to live outside of the parameters of covenant stipulations
▪ In Zech 5:3-5, stealing and false representation of God are living outside the parameters of covenant lifestyles (covenant faithfulness vs covenant unfaithfulness)
▪ The consequence is that the curse will slowly consume the person who breaks the covenant (scary warning)
▪ I repeat! Every covenant breaking has consequence!
iv. As much as covenant-keeping has blessings and promises, covenant-breaking has consequences
v. Covenant-keeping is not just one sided where the LORD shows his covenant faithfulness
vi. Covenant with the LORD does not automatically secure everything
vii. The other party in the relationship must also adhere to the stipulations
Two relevant NT passages
1. Luke 22:20: This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood (cf. 1 Cor 11:25 “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.”)
2. 1 Cor 11:27-31
a. 11:27 For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
b. 11:28 A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup.
c. 11:29 For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself.
d. 11:30 That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. 11:31 But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged.
e. Christian life is a sacred covenant with God the Father who has made a covenant with us through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus
f. Baptism and Communion are our covenant-responses
i. Baptism is the oath-swearing
ii. Communion is the reminder that we are in a covenant relationship with the Father
iii. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us is the supernatural help in this relationship
g. In this covenant relationship, a covenant loyalty is implied from the parties
h. If one of the parties break the covenant or fail to follow through the stipulations, “curse” or punitive judgement is implied
Take Away:
Correct your covenant unfaithfulness to avoid God’s punitive judgement