THE WOMAN IN A BASKET

                                             Zechariah 5:5-11

The Lord had warned Israel over and over again about their sin and idolatrous behavior. But they refused to listen! So He sent Nebuchadnezzar to destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple and Judah became their slaves for 70 years. Ultimately, we reap what we sow! Or as someone put it: “sin will take you farther than you want to go; keep you longer than you want to stay; cost you more than you want to pay.” Under Cyrus, Judah was finally able to return. The returning remnant under Joshua the High Priest and Zerubabbel the governor demonstrated obedience by returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the Temple. So Yahweh showed His grace and compassion by comforting them through His prophet Zechariah. This ten-fold vision was a promise He would never forsake His covenant people. The Lampstand was a reminded that He was the Light of the world! That Light exposes sin as revealed in the Flying Scroll. The present vision demonstrated the importance of not only exposing sin but removing it. It has a present warning with a future fulfillment (Ezekiel 20:33-38).

Verses 5-6: Then the angel that who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is appearing.” I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a measuring basket” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”

Zechariah may still have been pondering the full meaning of the earlier vision or just tired of looking up when the angel broke in: “Look up and see what this is that is appearing.” It appeared to be some kind of flying object! The appearance was of a basket with a woman inside. Strange indeed! His curiosity was immediately aroused as he asked: “What is it?” The basket seemed to be moving, anticipating its removal to a distant location. The angel then identifies the “measuring basket” as “the iniquity of the people throughout the land.” The “land” in scripture refers to the land of Israel. But there is something even more mysterious that captures his attention. There is a lead cover over it and when it is removed, suddenly a woman appears!

Verses 7-11: Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness.” And he pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover over its mouth. Then I looked up -- and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth. Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylon to build a house for it. When it is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”

Many of us can remember the day Alan Shepherd made that historic flight into space. He was the first American in space. Well, here is a woman in space and Zechariah is mesmerized by the sight! While the prophet watched, he saw “a lead cover over its mouth.” When the cover was removed, “there in the basket sat a woman.” In Scripture, a woman was often used symbolically to represent religious apostasy. The angel identified her: “this is wickedness” meaning this woman represented evil (Matthew 13:33;I Timothy 2:12;Revelation 17:3-5).

As Zechariah continued to observe, something further took place: the basket cover was raised, a woman sat up, and two women with wings like a stork, carried the basket away. Since storks were unclean birds (Lev.11:10,20), these women were probably demonic agents of evil. When the prophet sought information concerning their destination the angel explained they were going: “to the country of Babylon to build a house for it.” The ultimate destination of this basket was Babylon. Babylon was the place where evil had its headquarters. The Tower of Babel was the place man sought to remove God. So He scattered them throughout the world.

While the returning remnant may not have understood the full meaning of this vision, they knew that somehow God had removed the iniquity that had previously driven

them into exile. The vision would have been meaningless to the builders of the Temple if its perspective was only future. Now they could work encouraged by the assurance that their past sins would not hinder their present efforts.

When the angel “pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover over its mouth” it not only indicated Yahweh was “covering” over their sin but revealed a future day when it would be completely removed and taken to its origin of evil:“Babylon.” Revelation 17 and 18 describes the two end time Babylons: one religious; one commercial. When Antichrist enters the world stage he will use religion to unite the world under his control: “the lawless one will be revealed....in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing”

(2 Thess.2:9-10) He will become the religious and commercial dictator of the world. Then in the middle of the Tribulation he will destroy the religious system, set himself up in the Temple at Jerusalem and demand universal worship (2 Thess.2:4; Revelation 13:4,8). But when Messiah-King comes (Revelation 19:11) the wickedness of Babylon will not only be fully revealed but completely removed and destroyed: “whom the Lord Jesus will overthrows with the breath of his mouth and destroys him by the splendor of his coming” (2 Thess.2:8).

                 THE WOMAN IN A BASKET

                THE ANGEL CALLED TO LOOK ON HIGH
               TO VIEW SOME OBJECT IN THE SKY
               A BASKET WHERE A WOMAN LAY
               WAS USED TO PICTURE SIN THAT DAY.

               THE PROPHET COULD NOT COMPREHEND
               WHAT THIS ODD PICTURE WOULD PORTEND
               SO WHEN HE ASKED TO PLEASE EXPLAIN
               THE SIN OF BABEL WAS MADE PLAIN.

               WAY BACK IN SHINAR'S FERTILE CREST
               WHERE MAN REFUSED GOD'S ONE REQUEST
               A TOWER OF CONFUSION CAME
               AND BABYLON'S PRIDE GAVE BIRTH TO SHAME

               THE SIN THIS WOMAN REPRESENTS
               IS MAN'S REBELLIOUS WICKEDNESS
               THAT SPREAD THROUGH ISRAEL'S HOLY LAND
               REPLACING YAHWEH'S MIGHTY HAND.

               BUT SOMETHING STRANGE COMES INTO SIGHT
               TWO STORK-LIKE BEINGS APPEAR IN FLIGHT
               AND TAKES THIS BASKET MADE OF LEAD
               BACK TO THE SERPENT'S EVIL HEAD.

               THE FUTURE WHERE THIS DRAMA ENDS
               IS FOUND IN JUDGMENT YAHWEH SENDS
               WHEN BABYLON IS FOREVER CRUSHED
               AND SATAN'S PRIDE IS TURNED TO DUST.

                   THOUGHT QUESTIONS

1. SINCE THE FLYING SCROLL REVEALED GOD'S HOLINESS THROUGH THE LENS OF THE MOSAIC LAW, WHAT DOES THE WOMAN IN A BASKET REPRESENT?

2. WHAT MIGHT BE SIGNIFICANT WHEN THE ANGEL "PUSHED THE WOMAN INTO THE BASKET AND THE LED COVER OVER ITS MOUTH? PICTURED IN CLOSING THE LED TOP OVER THE WOMAN?

3. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MEANT BY THE TWO WOMEN WITH STORK-LIKE WINGS TAKING THE BASKED TO BABYLON?


4. WHERE DID SIN ORIGINATE AND WHY IS WICKEDNESS TAKEN BACK TO BABYLON? DOES THE EXPLANATION OF VERSES 7-11 SEEM TO BE FULFILLED IN REVELATION 17-18? WHY OR WHY NOT?