Category Archives: Judgment

Affliction, Battles, Bible, Confession, Defeat, Exile, Forgiveness, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Obedience, Persecution, Restoration, Scripture

NO TRAFFIC

ZECHARIAH 7:14

“‘but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they did not know. So the land was desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, since they made the pleasant land desolate.’”

No traffic sounds good, doesn’t it? I live in a city where we have daily traffic jams. One spot in particular causes daily delays. They have attempted to correct that spot and improve the flow of traffic, but it really hasn’t helped a lot. But traffic congestion can also mean that many people are coming to your area or at least coming through it. It helps the economy which in turn helps your community.

God promises the traffic will stop in Israel. He says, “so that no one went back and forth.” Because of their unrepentant sins, God “scattered them…among all the nations.” They were led into exile by foreign invaders. Their land would be left desolate. There would cease to be any reason to come to that land because everything of value was gone.

APPLICATION

Has your life been left desolate because of your sin? There is hope in Jesus. He can restore that which was lost. He can return you to a place of fruitfulness. But that is only possible as you confess and submit to Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

You see, our cleansing is just waiting – waiting on us to respond to His calling on our lives. When we do respond, He is there – faithful and righteous to forgive us. What are you waiting for? Aren’t you tired of the windswept streets of your life – desolate due to sin? He can restore the flow of His Spirit.

Warning: When you decide to go all in with Jesus, He will make your life exciting and real. He will lead you to new opportunities for service. He will give you a hunger for His Word that can only be sated by study and application. He will give you a passion to reach the lost with the Gospel. Are you ready for some “traffic” in your life?

Lord, lead me and I will follow. I want to be about Your business.

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Asking, Belief, Bible, Blasphemy, Choices, Confession, Heart, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Wrath

HARD-HEARTED

ZECHARIAH 7:12

“‘They also made their hearts as hard as a diamond so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the LORD of armies had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of armies.’”

I’ve known some pretty hard-hearted people in my days. They cared for no one but themselves and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. I later learned how damaged these people actually were. They had all been hurt by someone, so they decided to hurt before they got hurt again. It’s very sad.

The Lord refers to some individuals who “made their hearts as hard as a diamond.” The Hebrew word translated diamond can also be called adamant or flint. It was a hard rock or gem that could not be scratched or engraved. It was impervious to change. These people God is referring to had rejected the Holy Spirit’s leading through the prophets and were now destined for wrath.

APPLICATION

In Acts 7:51 Stephen gives us a good picture of this. “‘You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.’” One of the most dangerous things you can do is resist the Holy Spirit. He is the One who draws us to the Father. He is the One who shows us the way to salvation and is the seal of that salvation.

Matthew 12:31 Jesus tells us, “‘Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.’” The unpardonable sin! Rejecting the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how many “chances” we have to respond. There may be a breaking point when the Holy Spirit stops wooing you if you continually reject Him. Just like those “hard as diamond” people in today’s verse, you refuse to be affected by the Spirit.

I am so grateful that I did respond on that day back in 1977. I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear. I continue to hear Him as He directs me each day. I pray if you are believer that you are hearing Him. And if you are not a believer, stop and listen. Ask the Spirit of God to speak to you. He will. Then you must decide how hard your heart really is.

Thank You, Lord, for sending Your Holy Spirit to woo me and win me. I am so glad He lives within me.

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Battles, Bible, Defeat, Famine, God's Will, Judgment, Persecution, Prophesy, Scripture

JUST WHAT DO THESE COLORS MEAN?

ZECHARIAH 6:2

“With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,”

If you know anything about me, you know that these two colors, red and black, mean one thing to me. Go DAWGS! The University of Georgia’s colors are red and black. I went to school there and have cheered for our teams ever since. In my office and in my wardrobe, there are a lot of red and black things. Some people say I bleed red and black. I am sure that’s quite true, lol.

We’ll look at the colors of the horses today and tomorrow and see what they represented in the vision of Zechariah. The first one is the red horse. Scholars pretty much agree that this represents the bloody empire of Babylon. They were known for their ferociousness in battle. And the black horse symbolized the Persian (Medes and Persians) empire which also brought in famine and death. We’ll see the other two horses tomorrow.

APPLICATION

Okay Carl, what can you get out of this verse to apply to our lives? Well, let’s see. Both of these horses represented empire that had defeated Israel and had been used by God to judge the nation. So, what has defeated you? What has caused you a spiritual famine? We have all faced those times.

In my life, I can point to one thing that has caused defeat and famine. When I stop having my daily Quiet Times with the Lord, my world begins to fall apart. I stop seeing things like God sees them. I become selfish and self-centered. I long for the things of the world. That always brings spiritual defeat and famine.

It is so important for us to spend time every day with Jesus. Read John 15 today. Make a note at the number of times the word “remain” or “abide” appears in that chapter. Do you not think it is important? You have got to spend time with Him to stay attached to Him. Then and only then will you ward off that defeat and famine. Will you still have tough times? Sure, but He will be with you. Do not fear!

Father, I know through You I can walk victorious every day.

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Accused, Bible, Captivity, Death, Devil, Evil, Forgiveness, Judgment, Redemption, Salvation, Satan, Scripture, Sin

A WHAT IN A WHAT?

ZECHARIAH 5:7

“And behold, a lead cover was lifted up. He continued, ‘And this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.’”

I have seen some strange things in my life. I remember once in Liberia; I saw a woman carrying a car engine on her head. That’s right, a car engine. I was told by a Liberian man that a Liberian woman could carry whatever two men could lift and put on her head. Now, that was strange. I wonder how she got it down.

I bet Zechariah was a little shocked when he saw what was inside that ephah. Under the lead cover was a woman. A what? A woman. What in the world? Albert Barnes explains it this way. The woman represented Israel’s sin. Her sitting symbolized their comfort in their sinful condition. And the lead cover showed the weight of their sin. Not a pretty picture. The largest measure (ephah) with the heaviest weight (lead) was what Zechariah was seeing.

APPLICATION

Do you realize the weight of your sin? Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,…” You can’t run weighted down. Sin is heavy, much heavier than you think.

I love this quote. “Sin will cost you more than you ever thought you would pay. It will take you further than you ever thought you would stray. And it will keep you longer than you ever thought you would stay.” Zechariah saw the weight of Israel’s sins portrayed in his vision. We can see it all around us today.

Sin destroys families. It cost people their livelihoods. It wrecks relationships. And it keeps some people tangled in unhealthy lifestyles. You don’t believe in sin? Satan loves that. He loves you not believing in it because he knows he has you right where he wants you. But there is a way out. You can be set free from the chains that bind you. Just come to Jesus.

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood His mercy reigns, unending love, amazing grace

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Appearance, Battles, Bible, Confession, Deception, Evil, Forgiveness, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Sin

THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

ZECHARIAH 5:6

“And I said, ‘What is it?’ Then he said, ‘This is the ephah going forth.’ Again he said, ‘This is their appearance in all the land.’”

Let me begin this blog by saying that I cannot get the picture of our world right now as it relates to this verse out of my mind. Every day when I walk around our city, I see the appearance of evil. Maybe the Lord has just given me spiritual eyes right now. I do not want to sound judgmental. Believe me, I know my sins stink just as bad. But there just seems to be a flaunting of sin all around us.

God, through the angel, is showing Zechariah the ephah, the measuring basket, that is full of the people’s sins. They had been unrepentant. Their sins were rampant. They had reached a full measure demanding justice. Some scholars equate the use of the ephah with their sin of stealing mentioned earlier since they would use it falsely for measuring grain to sell.

APPLICATION

I recall my late brother-in-law telling me that the older he got, the more he saw how sinful he was. The light exposes sin, and the closer we get to it, the more we see it. Look at the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:11-13. “11 Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

Our sins will be exposed one day. As a matter of fact, they are exposed now to God. He knows everything we do. I love verse 8 in Psalm 90 which says, “You have placed our guilty deeds before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your presence.” Actually, I don’t really love that verse, but you know what I mean.

Don’t let your sins fill the ephah. Empty them out every day. Confess them to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. If you are not a believer in Jesus, come to Him now and receive forgiveness and eternal life. If you are a believer, purify your heart and walk in holiness today.

Cleanse me, Father, and let me walk hand in hand with You today.

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Accountability, Bible, Confession, Forgiveness, Judgment, Redemption, Scripture

FOR ALL TO SEE

ZECHARIAH 5:4

“‘I will make it go forth,’ declares the LORD of armies, ‘and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and destroy it with its timber and stones.’”

We have all done things which we hope no one ever finds out about. When we were little, we would lie to cover up a broken lamp. The infamous “nobody” did it, right? We lie to cover up another lie. We steal and hope no one sees. Am I right? Of course, I am. Sin lurks in dark places.

Today’s verse continues the thought from yesterday’s blog. Those who swear and steal will be found out and their homes will be made into a spectacle by the Lord. He wants all who see them to know that this is what happens to those who break His commands. This is what happens to the unconfessed.

APPLICATION

God’s wrath is still real today. Those who thumb their nose at God and His commands will suffer judgment. Romans 1:18 tells us, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,…” It doesn’t have to be that way.

But John tells us plainly in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We want the world to see this. We want all the world to see us confessing and being forgiven. Why? To draw them to Christ. Confessing our sins is a great way to show the power of our holy God.

So, let me ask you something. Are you all “confessed up”? Are you clean before Him? If Jesus appeared right now, how would He find you? I come to Him every day with a repentant heart because I long to be more and more like Him. I want to be holy because He is holy. Don’t you?

Father, I do not have anything hidden from Your sight. Purify my heart this day.

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Angels, Attention, Belief, Danger, Dreams, Judgment, Looking, Scripture

A FLYING WHAT?

ZECHARIAH 5:1

“Then I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll.”

I have seen a few things in my life that I could hardly believe. Have you? You had to do a double take because what you were seeing did not make sense. You were seeing it, but you were not believing it. Sometimes our eyes can deceive us. And sometimes we just can’t comprehend what we are seeing.

That seems to be the issue in today’s verse. Zechariah is seeing a flying scroll! This flying scroll represented God’s swift judgment that was about to fall upon the people. A scroll was a normal thing. That was what was used to write upon. But to see one unrolled and flying through the air – that was something new. God’s message was written upon it and was coming down from heaven.

APPLICATION

Listen carefully – God’s judgment is coming! There is no doubt. His final word will be confirmed. All throughout His Word we have the warnings. Jesus warns us of the coming judgment of God over and over again. In Luke 6:46-49 Jesus gives us a parable about the wise and foolish builders. This is a clear warning about God’s coming judgment.

46 “‘Now why do you call Me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.’”

Who are you in that story? The wise or the foolish builder? One day we will all face God. We cannot fathom that sight right now. It is kind of like seeing a flying scroll. We can’t wrap our brain around the idea of seeing God. But one day we will. The time to get ready to see Him is now. Are you ready?

I cannot wait to see Your face, O Lord. Right now I cannot imagine that, but I am looking forward to the sight.

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Accused, Advocate, Angels, Bible, Consequences, Denial, Guilt, Innocent, Judgment, Justice, Redemption, Scripture

THE ACCUSER

ZECHARIAH 3:1

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right to accuse him.”

I hate to be accused of something, whether I did it or not. If I did it, the accusation brings shame. If I didn’t do it, it goes against my flesh. I want to respond. As my grandma used to say, “I get plum riled up.” I have been accused by the best of them, too. Some of those accusers were right, and I was wrong. For those accusations I justly deserved my consequences. But how do you handle those wrong accusations?

As we begin chapter 3, Zechariah has another vision. This time the angel shows him Joshua, the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. And we also find Satan, the great prosecutor, right beside him to make his accusations. Joshua was guilty of not rebuilding the temple as he should. He and Zerubbabel had given in to the people’s apathy. So, how will the angel of the Lord deal with this accusation? You will have to come back over the next few days to see that.

APPLICATION

The important question for today is how this verse applies to me. If you don’t know it already, Satan is our great accuser.

Revelation 12:10 tells us, “…the one who accuses them before our God day and night.” 1 Peter 5:8 describes him this way. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” So, what hope do we have? How can we defend ourselves against these accusations.

Look at the first part of Revelation 12:10. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down,…” Praise God! Hallelujah! Satan has already been defeated. We have victory in Jesus.

I have been declared forgiven in the high court of heaven. This wasn’t because of anything I have done, however. As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9. “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” So, bring it on, Satan! Jesus has got this!

Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.

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Advice, Bible, Encouragement, God's Will, Judgment, Scripture

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE

ZECHARIAH 2:1

“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.”

My dad always told me to remember the most important rule about cutting anything. That was to measure twice and cut once. It’s better to take the time to measure again, just to make sure. Because once you have made that cut, there’s no going back. I have tried to remember that tip all through life. It can apply to lots of situations, not just carpentry.

This vision that starts chapter two is very similar to the once by Ezekiel. Look how similar they are. Ezekiel 40:3 gives a similar description. “So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a thread of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.” Both men (many believe to be the Lord Jesus Himself) is measuring Jerusalem, much like Nehemiah measured as they rebuilt the walls. This is a good and positive vision.

APPLICATION

Is the Lord measuring you? I believe He is constantly measuring our lives and seeing the best way to build us up in Christ. Sometimes after measuring He may cut off the undesirable parts. Ouch! Yep, but that is crucial as He builds us according to His perfect plan. We tend to want to add on things that aren’t conducive to Christ. Then the Lord come along with that measuring line and whacks it off.

As believers, it is also our job to build up our brothers. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:8, “For if I boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,…” Some of us carry around a measuring line of judgment and look for ways to tear our brother or sister down. That is not our job. Let God handle the judging. We need to concentrate on building up.

When I get my hammer and saw out, my wife cringes. She knows I can handle small jobs, but she doesn’t want me to tackle the big stuff. My carpentry skills are okay, but I am by no means a master craftsman. I need to stick to the small stuff. But I can spend more time building her up. Take some time today to build up a brother or sister in Christ. We all can do that.

Thank You, Lord, for seeing the parts of me that need cutting off and for building me into the replica of Your Son.

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Affliction, Belief, Bible, Covenant, God's Will, Judgment, Rescue, Scripture, Suffering

SCATTERING

ZECHARIAH 1:19

“So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘What are these?’ And he said to me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’” 

I love Waffle House, a restaurant chain here in the U.S. Their specialty is breakfast. Their staff have a certain lingo they use to describe the orders that are called out loud from the waiter(ess) to the cook who you can see at the grill. One particular word they use is “scattered,” which means to spread the hash browns on the grill. I love mine scattered and smothered (with onions), “covered” (with cheese), “chunked” (with diced ham), “diced” (with diced tomatoes), “peppered” (with jalapeño peppers), and “topped” (with chili). Where is my nearest Waffle House?

The angel tells Zechariah in today’s verse that the horns “have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” They had been spread out due to these nation’s conquest of them. Of course, these nations had been the “hand of God,” delivering His judgment. After all the scattering, God is bringing them back. It’s as if the Lord wants to make sure Zechariah and the people don’t forget.

APPLICATION

You may feel “scattered” today. You may believe God has forgotten you and left you in exile. That is not true. God has a unique plan for your life, unlike any other. He will not leave you destitute and forgotten. Jesus said this concerning the last days. “‘And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.’”

Do you think He has forgotten you? No way. That is just a lie from the pit of hell. The devil loves to whisper those words to get us to doubt who we are in Christ. Philippians 2:15 tells us this about who we are. “…so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,…”

You and I are children of the Holy God. He may scatter us at times on the grill of life, but He will gather us back in. He will not allow His children to go unguarded and unprotected. So why does God allow the wicked to prosper and me to suffer? Aww, the question of the ages. Trust! He is there. Just like that short order cook at the Waffle House, He is always listening. And His preparation is always perfect.

On the days I feel I am scattered, gather me in, Lord.

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