July 11, 2012

• Are you sitting in the midst of the ephah? ~ Zechariah 5

  Zechariah 5:1  Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. 2  And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. 3  Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. 4  I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
  
  5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. 6  And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. 7  And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. 8  And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. 9  Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. 10  Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? 11  And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. (KJV)

  The following is an excerpt from Lecture VI. of Ralph Wardlaw's "Lectures on the Prophecies of Zechariah" (Second Edition 1869, ed. by The Rev. J. S. Wardlaw; (Stoke-on-Trent: Tentmaker Publications, reprinted 2002 & 2007), 114-188, 121-122 (italics original, boldface mine).

   "An ephah."

  This was a common Jewish measure, the same as a "bath;" containing ten "homers," or about an English bushel. . . .

  

  1. Who, or what, is represented by the woman? — . . . There is nothing else that can well be supposed to be represented by the symbol, but the Jewish people — the nation of Israel, — the ancient Church of God — " the daughter of Zion." I acquiesce, then, in this interpretation; which is the one most commonly received. . .

  2. But why is this woman represented as seated in an ephah? — As to what the ephah is, there exists of course no difficulty. But to the question just put. Why in an ephah? . . . I am disposed, then, to understand the ephah as the apt emblem of traffic, or merchandise. It was one of the most common measures in use among the Jews. In proof of this it may be noticed, that it is selected as the representative of measures in general. . . The ephah, then, is a sufficiently appropriate symbol of the merchandise, or business, of this world; and the woman seated in the ephah, of the Jewish people immersed in worldliness.

  This worldliness — this eager thirst after earthly things —  mingled with a large amount of dishonesty and deceit in their acquisition, was a ground of divine complaint and expostulation by the prophets, previously to the captivity. Their idolatries might then be the chief theme of censure and remonstrance; but it was far from being the only one. . . [Wardlaw references Amos viii. 4 — 6.] . . .

  We have further to notice, that the same worldly disposition had manifested itself after the return from the captivity, as well as before. [Wardlaw references Neh. xiii. 10, 15 — 18.] . . . Here is the very same evil. There was now no idolatry: but there was still "the love of this present world," setting aside the commands of God and the obligations of godliness. And the same spirit is complained of by Jehovah, through the prophet Haggai (see Hag. i. 3-11; and chap. ii. 10-14). And, although by the remonstrances of Nehemiah and Ezra, and Haggai and Zechariah, this worldly propensity had been so far corrected, that they had set to in greater earnest to the building of the temple, yet still there was a large amount of it. . . Though there was no direct defection to idolatry, — the world had full possession of them; they abode in the "ephah." . . .

  3. The ephah was covered: the heavy lid of lead was carefully put down upon the mouth of it. This appears a sufficiently significant emblem of the impossibility of escape from the execution of God's merited judgments. The woman is shut up securely in the ephah, when it is about to be borne away. So the Jewish people, considered conditionally as retaining their character, should be carried away in their worldliness. There would be no escape, and no power to rescue. As the very "ephah," the instrument of their merchandise and wealth, is represented as becoming the means of confinement; so does the earthliness, the worldly-mindedness, the ambition and covetousness, of the Jewish people, shut them up to retributive vengeance. It was a species of idolatry — spiritual idolatry; alienating their hearts from God ; making them devotees of mammon. With equal truth might it be said of this as of idolatry — "This is wickedness." It is, I conceive, too readily and confidently taken for granted, that this can mean nothing else than idolatry. Worldliness is ungodliness; and ungodliness is "wickedness." You will have seen that I agree with those who interpret the carrying away of the ephah from the land of Judah of the then future and more lasting banishment of Israel from that land, if, through the power of worldliness they persisted in their unbelief and rebellion against Jehovah and his Anointed. . .

  Worldliness is the ruin of thousands and tens of thousands. It is not at all necessary to insure a man's perdition, that he either "steal" or "swear falsely." A man may be a thorough worldling, without the practice of these or any gross iniquities. Whatever shuts God out from His place in the heart as the object of fear and love, and from His place in the conscience as the authoritative regulator of the life, — that, be it what it may, is the ruin of the man. In the parable of the marriage feast, the men who declined the invitation, and "went away to their farms and to their merchandise," are not charged with any selfish and fraudulent dealing in the management of their farms or the prosecution of their merchandise. What was their sin? WORLDLINESS. They preferred the world to God. They declined the blessings of the Gospel for something more to their taste. Instead of "seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," they "neglected the great salvation." They chose the world and the things of the world — no matter in how innocent a form — even the sweets of domestic life itself — to God and the things of God. And in the enjoyment of these, as their chosen portion, they "had their reward." Thus it was of old; thus it is still. Let no man deceive himself by fancying it necessary to his forfeiture of the blessings of God's salvation, that he give himself up to the practice of dishonesty and of open vice. If his heart is in the world, with the world he must have his portion. If he is "in the Ephah," he must be carried away with it.

  And let Christians be on their guard against "the love of this present world." It is an insinuating and perilous principle. In proportion as it gains upon the heart, it tends to enfeeble the energies, and deaden the sensibilities, of the divine life in the soul. God will not have a divided heart. "YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON."

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  Are you currently sitting in the midst of the ephah?
  Are you declining the blessing of the Gospel for something more to your taste?
  Are you preferring the world and the things of the world to God?
  Are you choosing the world and the things of the world to God and the things of God?

  The Hebrew word translated "sitteth" in verse 7 is  yashab, which means to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle), (down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry. ~ From Strong's Concordance

  Implied there, this is more than just a quick stop, so Wardlaw's use of the word "abode" is definitely appropriate. And it ought to give us great pause, since these things are written to us as an example: – each and every one of us is prone to sitting in, abiding in, dwelling in, settling in, tarrying in the ephah.

  And, as Wardlaw alluded, this sitting in the midst of the ephah can be a subtle thing. Remember: the devil himself specializes in subtlety – he is crafty and scheming, he is a liar and the father of lies – he manifests himself as an angel of light. Good and innocent desires can be twisted and corrupted, our hearts can be divided, and our affections can lapse – and before we know it, we find ourselves in the sad and sorry position of the Ephesian Church, to whom Jesus gave this rebuke:

  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

  Remember this: you may possibly be fooling others by putting on a good show, and you may even be fooling yourself, but Jesus Himself knows each of our hearts:

  Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

  Let's consider those gifts of work, marriage, and family, to which Wardlaw alluded as he spoke of the parable of the great supper.

  Luke 14:15  When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16  But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17  And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18  But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19  And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20  And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21  So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22  And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23  And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24  For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

  Now, don't get me wrong –– there's nothing wrong with work, and there's nothing wrong with marriage and family –– except when our affections for those things keep us away from the great supper and prevent us from tasting and savoring and enjoying and being satisfied at the banquet of the Lord Jesus Christ! In that case, that's a pathetic, frightful, and downright deadly exchange –– similar to Esau's selling the birthright for a bowl of stew! For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.

  God Himself gave Adam and Eve work to do before the fall. And certainly the gifts of marriage and parenthood are high and holy callings. But how many Christians become sinfully obsessed with career and finances? How many become sinfully obsessed with getting married and having children? How many get into that ephah and then sit there –– and languish there –– mesmerized, consumed, and controlled by worldliness – unholy thoughts and selfish ambitions revolving around career, marriage, and family –– to the exclusion of Christ? Remember this: the LORD our God is a consuming fire and He is jealous; His name is jealous (Deut. 4:24, Ex. 34:14).

  Days slip away into weeks, and weeks slip away into months, and months slip away into years . . . and what have you done all that time? Have you supped with Christ? Have you savored your Bridegroom? There you are: abiding in the midst of the ephah –– instead of abiding in Christ. Sitting in the midst of the ephah and oblivious to the free gift of God:  the heavenly banquet set before you. Your heart has been hardening, your ears are closing to Christ's knocking at the door –– all because you are too consumed, captivated, and enamored by the worldly to smell the aroma of the celestial feast and to hear His call. All the while, the Father was proclaiming: "All that I have is yours!" – and the only begotten Son was pleading: "Would that you knew the things that made for your peace. O, come and take up My yoke! Come and eat! Come and drink!" –– but you would not! And there you sit in the midst of the ephah year after year, after year, perhaps even gaining the world, but your heart hardening, and your soul growing ever more worldly, sicker, and increasingly unsatisfied.

  In I Samuel 8, the Israelites showed their desires were worldly as they rejected God as their King, and as they lusted after and demanded from God a king LIKE ALL THE NATIONS. Let us take heed, lest we fall, for the very same thing can all too quickly happen to any of us...

  Now give me a career LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
  Now give me possessions LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
  Now give me property LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
  Now give me a portfolio LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
  Now give me a husband (wife) LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
  Now give me a child (children) LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.

  Know this:  much as God did give the Israelites a king in answer to their request at that time, and much as God did give the Israelites meat in answer to their request –– and quail came out their nostrils and it became loathesome to them (Numbers 11) –– you may indeed get what you are asking for . . .  but at what cost? At the loss of enjoyment of Jesus Christ in this life – and perhaps even at the loss of your very own soul for eternity.

  As you continue to sit in the ephah, as you continue to eat and drink of the world, you are robbing yourself! You are depriving yourself of the True Bread and the Living Water – and in the process you will continue to become hungrier and thirstier and emptier; you will wither as you become more and more discontent, more and more restless, and less and less satisfied.

  Proverbs 27:20  (KJV) Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

  Ezekiel 16:28  You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29  You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.

  The only true contentment, genuine happiness, pure joy, and full satisfaction is found outside the ephah – in the courts of the LORD:

  Psalm 36
  7  How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
  The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
  8  They feast on the abundance of your house,
  and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

  Psalm 65
  4  Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
  to dwell in your courts!
  We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
  the holiness of your temple!

  Can any of us continue to sit in the midst of the ephah – to be immersed in worldliness – and rightly claim to have fellowship with God?

  I John 1:5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
  
  I John 2:5  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
  
  James 4:4  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
  
  Psalm 5
  4  For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
  evil may not dwell with you.
  5  The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
  you hate all evildoers.
  
  Malachi 1:13a (KJV)  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:
  
  II Corinthians 6:14  Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16  What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;  as God said,
  
  

  “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
  and I will be their God,
  and they shall be my people.
  17  Therefore go out from their midst,
  and be separate from them, says the Lord,
  and touch no unclean thing;
  then I will welcome you,
  18  and I will be a father to you,
  and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
  says the Lord Almighty.”

  
  7:1  Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

  One reason the apostle John wrote the book of First John was to exhort God's people to examine themselves, to call them to repentance, to call them to confess their sins, to call them out of darkness, out of lies, out of wickedness, out of unrighteousness, out of worldliness – out of the ephah – so they might once again enter into and experience the all-surpassing joy of fellowship with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and all the saints:

  I John 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

  5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

  2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

  Are you abiding in the midst of the ephah?
  Does the world or does Christ currently have full possession of you?
  Are you preferring the world to God, are you continuing to decline Christ's request to sup with you?
  Have you ever tasted and seen that He is good?

  Christian, show yourself to be born of incorruptible seed, show yourself to be Christ's bride, show yourself to be sons and daughters of the Holy One of Israel! Linger no more in the ephah! Leap forth from the ephah! Tarry no more in the ephah! If you are Christ's, He has made you a new creation with new desires –– a mind, heart, and soul that are no longer pleased or satisfied with earthly offerings or worldly fare. Show yourself to be His new creation with transformed desires and high affections, spring up with quickened footsteps, arise from out from the midst of the ephah. Don't presume upon God's grace, don't think you can rest or recline in the ephah a single moment longer. The Son of Man is coming as a thief in the night, the time at which all worldliness and all worldly joys will be consumed:

  Isaiah 24
  7  The wine mourns,
  the vine languishes,
  all the merry-hearted sigh.
  8  The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
  the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
  the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
  9  No more do they drink wine with singing;
  strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
  10  The wasted city is broken down;
  every house is shut up so that none can enter.
  11  There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
  all joy has grown dark;
  the gladness of the earth is banished.
  12  Desolation is left in the city;
  the gates are battered into ruins.
  13  For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
  among the nations,
  as when an olive tree is beaten,
  as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.

  All who sit in the midst of the ephah, all who abide in wickedness at the end of the age will be taken away to outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, where the worm will not die and the fire is not quenched.

  "If his heart is in the world, with the world he must have his portion.
  If he is "in the Ephah," he must be carried away with it."

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  Text of Wardlaw's Commentary is available here: http://archive.org/stream/lecturesonprophe00ward/lecturesonprophe00ward_djvu.txt

  Related:

  Advent # 7 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might be satisfied with Him
  occupy ~ do you seek your own – or the things of Christ? does His Spirit occupy?
  Finding pleasure in Him
  Letter 18 on assurance and fighting for joy (my testimony of joy)
  Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
  Half a heart, half a heart (How long? If the LORD is God, follow Him)
  If you knew the gift of God... (John 4:1-15)
  don't waste your new year ~ teach us, satisfy us, make us glad (Psalm 90:12-15)
  Happy Birthday, John Piper ~ reflections on year-ends, aging, fruit bearing & Christian hedonism
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  Advent # 5 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might draw near to God | Even a Vapor
  Is your ambition holy? / What are you living for? (Louis Paul Lehman) | The Christian's Aim
  Be not an Esau (Genesis 25:29-34, Hebrews 12:15-17)
  Are you wasting your life living like all the other nations? Ezekiel 25:8
  Profitable Preaching ~ Kenneth Stewart: "And your soul will be a damp squib..."
  As a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)
  Sin is determined. Are you? (Judges 1:27-36)
  Don't Waste Your Singleness | Single one ... be single-eyed
  to My seeking unmarried child (letter 40 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  my dear single sister in Christ: Christ & Christ alone for your joy (Letter 62 on joy)
  wives, your husband is not your Husband | letter 77 on assurance & joy
  the lover's inquiry | letter 114 on fighting for joy
  200 years ago ... Adoniram & Ann Judson ~ Don't waste YOUR marriage
  Don't Waste Your Singleness | Single one ... be single-eyed
  Flame of Jehovah! Jealousy's Love
  Why read Christian biography? To help us examine our love for God.
  Have you forgotten? Will you REMEMBER and REPENT?
  God, Love & Cookies ~ Have you abandoned your first Love? (Revelation 2:4)
  my notes on Tim Keller's talk on idols @ The Gospel Coalition Conference
  tangled
  Dearest idol, how can I find rest?
  Fourth Sunday of Advent: Are you preparing Him room?
  Written for our example

  Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

  Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
  
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