Zechariah: Don’t Wear the Lord’s Name Vainly!

Zechariah 5:1-11 — 

“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.’” (Zechariah 5:3)

Something we hear very little of these modern days is judgment. Even at church, few among us take the words very seriously. A sermon on judgment is forgotten just as easily as a sermon on missions; and just as missions is for missionaries, judgment is for those jogging around outside the doors of the church.

But the Bible teaches that judgment begins at the House of God. The third commandment was not about swearing, but about saying you’re a follower of Yahweh and living like you’re just another follower of self. Jesus came to bring judgment to the House of Israel, and he called out the “broods of vipers” who “wore the name of Yahweh in vain.” They claimed the name of Yahweh, but with every unrepentant, self-serving act of worship they proved their true allegiance.

God promised to cleanse the nation in the preceding visions, and now we see that the process begins at the doorstep of every person who wears the name of Yahweh. As in the tenth plague on the Egyptians, judgment flies overhead and consumes the house of every enemy; but how terrifying now to see that the target is Israel! Those who maintain an empty claim to Yahweh’s name are not covered by His protection but are rather swept away, finally exposed as the traitors they have been all along.

Oh Christian, don’t wear the name of Christ in vain. Are you a follower of Christ, the King? Then live for Him! Let the reader understand: No one who says, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart” will inherit the Kingdom of God. God’s horsemen patrol, and no false one escapes their notice. Fear, indeed terrifying fear, is the appropriate response here. Only do not fear as those who have no hope. Hope in God! He has provided a way of escape — the same Son, Jesus, who is both King and Sacrifice!

In Jesus, there is grace enough for all your sin, and His kind mercy is deeper than the Pacific. True followers of the King are not those who never sin, but those who confess their self-serving wickedness to King Jesus and continually rely upon His Spirit for renewal and strength to live free for God. Say you’re a Christian with your life this day!

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