Every sin is as offensive to God as any other: adultery, murder, idolatry, disobedience to parents, covetous, etc. But in today’s passage, the Lord has highlighted two major sins for which sake a curse is placed upon the land.
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.
However, stealing and false witness will be our focus. It will be our focus because those who do anything that is sinful is guilty of the wrong done. They are particularly hateful to God because, in the first case, He is denied the acknowledgement and glory that is due to Him for providing for our needs.
Stealing is as a result of the sin of covetousness which is a strong desire to have what belongs to someone else. A thief is also someone who deliberately withholds from someone else what legitimately belongs to them. Thus an employer, who refuses to pay his workers for no justifiable reason, is a thief. The person, who neglects paying his tithe, is also a thief. Do you know that when you attain any success in life and you seek to take the glory rather than ascribe to God, you are actually stealing what belongs to God?
Falsehood (lies) on the other hand, is a contradiction of the nature of God whose son, Jesus Christ, is “the Way, the Truth and the Life”. Those who make a practice of lying only show how much control Satan has over them. But a liar is not just someone who tells falsehood. Also, someone who deliberately keeps silence when they should speak the truth is equally guilty of falsehood. A lot of religious people also tell lies and “swear to God” hoping that they would make their testimonies credible. They may succeed in deceiving man for a short time. But in the end, they will be exposed, for no form of duplicity can long flourish without being revealed. It is self deception and will hurt in the end. Whether it is done with the family circle, in business transactions, in the church or else where, it is self deception and will hurt in the end.
Shalom….
Also read this…….
The Lord Will Rescue His People