Zechariah 5:3-4 (ESV)

[3] 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. [4] I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

In a vision Zechariah saw a giant scroll 30 feet long and 15 feet wide flying through the sky. These verses explain the curse written on the scroll. It addresses two sins in particular: swearing falsely and stealing. Why those two? Some of God’s People had been allowed to come back out of captivity to rebuild the temple and their homeland. It was idolatry that got them in trouble in the first place, why not address that issue? Why swearing falsely, or false testimony, and stealing?

Within the remnant that were allowed to return there were both wealthy and poor. The wealthy were working to make themselves comfortable. The poor were looking for a new start. Unfortunately the wealthy were still wealthy and the poor were still poor. The biggest sin issue these communities were facing was that of taking advantage of others. The wealthy were continuing to build their wealth off the backs of the poor. This was not God’s intent. False testimony and stealing had become a way of life on both sides.

God’s design was for those who had more to work for the help and relief of those who has less. The wealthy were to leave some of their crop as they harvested so that the poor would have something to glean. Instead the wealthy were lending to the poor and then forcing them into labor to repay their debts. It was not unlike the early mining towns where the mine bosses owned the houses and stores as well as the mine. Remember the old spiritual, “I owe my soul to the company store.” The workers were paid just enough to keep them in debt to the mine bosses. The wealthy got their wealth off the backs of the poor. Several years ago I talked with a guy who was selling roses along the street in a large southern city. He and several others lived in a house owned by their boss. They were paid just enough to cover their rent, a small amount of food, and a few cigarettes. They never made enough to save anything, or to be able to leave. The wealthy were making their wealth off the backs of the poor.

It is not right to increase one’s wealth off the backs of the less fortunate. Neither is it right to use dishonest law cases or dishonest gain to increase one’s wealth. Proverbs 19:1 warns, “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.” Proverbs 28:6 adds, “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” We live in a day when we value our comfort. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear the sentiment that we have earned our comfort, retirement, or rest. The question is whether is was earned by honest labor, or dishonest gain.

Additionally, we recognize that all we have is a gift of grace from God. We truly don’t deserve any of it. So the real question for believers is not: How can we gain wealth and comfort? The real question for believers is: Am I being a good steward of what God has gifted me? Am I using it for self-indulgence or service? Am I primarily concerning about maintaining my own comfort in life, or am I concerned about serving others. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). May that be said of us as well. We are not here to be served, but to serve. Or, in the words of Katie Barclay Wilkinson, “May the mind of Christ my Savior Live in me from day to day, By His love and pow’r controlling All I do and say.”