Zechariah 3: 1 – 10
The Judge’s Bench Decision
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by. 6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk among these who stand here. 8 ‘ Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; for behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
We begin our study of chapter 3 which only has 10 verses yet it is packed with amazing wonder. So we are about to see what it says as we slowly cover each verse.
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
First of all we read that Zechariah had a vision of Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. Joshua was the high priest of those exiles who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem. The prophet Haggai in chapter 1 informs us of him, 1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.’
In this scene we see Zechariah seeing Joshua standing before God in Heaven. I do not think that the ‘Angel of the LORD’ is God – our Lord Jesus Christ, because within this chapter He will be referred to as ‘The Branch’ Who Is to come. In many cases when you read all capital letters ‘LORD’ it usually refers to the Father – Adoni Yahweh. We are given a glimpse of the Holy Throne Room of our God.
So, let’s take a look at this courtroom scene. As the high priest Joshua stands before the Supreme Justice. What I found interesting is the ‘accuser’ in a court room always stands to the right of the one he brings accusations against, ‘and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.’
You need to be clean before you can come before the Lord to worship Him. That is why we will see Satan, who means ‘The Accuser’ charge Joshua for having this defect. In the book of Exodus chapter 30 we read about God’s rules for approaching Him, 17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they hall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
The high priest represented the people before God as the book of Exodus chapter 28 informs us, 29 “So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the LORD continually. 30 And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.’
Under no circumstances was a high priest to become defiled or unclean is additionally revealed in Leviticus chapter 21, 10 ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes; 11 nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; 12 nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.’
The description of Joshua’s filthiness is so bad that he is described as literally ‘befouled with excrement.’ Satan wants to prevent the restoration of God’s people based on the grounds of their sinfulness. The accusations were accurate – Joshua did stand in filthy clothes. Satan is always accusing believers before God. Look with me at another case in the book of Job to catch a little more of his diabolical attempts to oppose us, 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” 9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the Sabean] raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said: “ Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” 3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” 4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
In our court rooms I have witnessed a judge shut up a lot of people from the ones on trial, witnesses, spectators, and lawyers. Our Holy Jehovah Elyon, the Lord Most High, Supreme Ruler of All, here shuts Satan up,” 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan!’ Remember, Satan is subject to the Mighty God Who can handle him. Satan’s accusations are in vain. He has no right o interfere in God’s purposes for it is God Himself Who has chosen the Jews. Joshua stands there as the representative of them as ‘Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” They have already suffered under the fires of God’s Judgment and they have been burned pretty bad. Now they have been plucked out of that fire by God Himself so as to show His Great Mercy. He chose to save His people in spite of their sins. Satan greatly misunderstands God’s Mercy and Forgiveness toward those who believe in Him.
Satan persists to in trying to destroy God’s kids but in the end he will be the one who is destroyed as the book of Revelation chapters 12 and 20 teache us, 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them[a] in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while… 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’
I love Psalm 109 dealing with our plea to God to help us from our accuser, 1 Do not keep silent, O God of my praise! 2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause. 4 In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer. 5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6 Set a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few, and let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. 10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; let them seek their bread also from their desolate places 11 Let the creditor seize all that he has, and let strangers plunder his labor. 12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him, nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children 13 Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be continually before the LORD, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; 16 Because he did not remember to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him as he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. 18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, so let it enter his body like water, and like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, and for a belt with which he girds himself continually. 20 Let this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, and to those who speak evil against my person. 21 But You, O GOD the Lord, deal with me for Your name’s sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness. 25 I also have become a reproach to them; when they look at me, they shake their heads. 26 Help me, O LORD my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, 27 That they may know that this is Your hand—That You, LORD, have done it! 28 Let them curse, but You bless; when they arise, let them be ashamed, but let Your servant rejoice. 29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle. 30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. 31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn him.’
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
What is not said here speaks volumes. What do I mean? The vision that our Holy Father gave Zechariah speaks about mankind, that’s you and me, my dear friends. This is how God sees us. As the prophet Isaiah tells us in chapter 64, 4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. 5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; and we need to be saved. 6 But we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities. 8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. 9 Do not be furious, O LORD, nor remember iniquity forever; indeed, please look—we all are Your people!’ Thank you Adoni Holy Spirit. You inspired David to write these impacting words that displays our hearts and thoughts.
Our Lord replaced the dirty garments of Joshua. The Greek name for Joshua is ‘Jesus’. Our sin was removed by the precious sacrifice of our King, Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ at the cross. He shed His blood and gave His life for us. He gave us His Righteousness as the book of Romans chapter 5 says, ‘18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.’ The fact that Joshua had no part in his cleansing indicates for him and for us that this work is totally by God’s Grace.
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.
Have you ever got so wrapped up in seeing or hearing something that moved you that you say or do something spontaneous? Zechariah was watching this court hearing and was so joyful in the way God had dealt with Joshua that he just shouted out,’5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.’ Did the Holy Judge respond, ‘Order in this court?’ No, they listened and agreed with his recommendation, ‘So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.’ The high priest’s headpiece of fine linen bore on it the inscription ‘Holy to Yahweh’ on a plate of pure gold. Here a royal turban has replaced it.
6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk among these who stand here.
Our Lord informs Joshua that he will be set in authority if he is obedient and faithful. He will be given authority over God’s people, His Temple and its legal system. We all need to take note of this, that authority and obedience go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.
8 ‘ Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; for behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
While the exiles were in captivity in Babylon there was no priesthood so it had to be reinstated upon the Israelites return to their land. Joshua, as the newly installed high priest, and his fellow servants [priests] were signs of the coming Messiah – The BRANCH. He will be God the Father’s true Servant as these wonderful verses teach us,
Psalm 109:28, ‘Let them curse, but You bless; when they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice.’
Psalm 119:23, ‘Princes also sit and speak against me,But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.’
Psalm 119: 140, ‘Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it.’
Isaiah 42: 11, ‘Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.’
The BRANCH will also be a stone. He is the cornerstone of God’s Temple as our Lord clearly emphasized in the Gospel of Matthew 21 verse 42, “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘ The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
The Old Testament reveals our Jesus in various great ways, He was the rock that was struck in the wilderness that brought forth water in Numbers 20 verse 11, ‘Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.’ Psalm 78 verse 20 says, ‘Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?”
Our Lord Jesus was the Urim and Thumim as Exodus 28 verse 30 teaches, ‘And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.’ These two stones stand for omniscience and intelligence. Is this not our Master Lord Jesus Christ?
The ‘seven eyes’ speaks about our Holy Spirit. Look at what chapter 4 of Zechariah tells us, ‘6 So he answered and said to me: “ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts…10 For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” Our Holy Father Will fulfill His purpose and He as this verse indicates watches over all His creation.
You know that our Father watches over us 24/7. There is no time that He does not know everything about us – whether we sleep or are awake. Look at these verses;
Deuteronomy 11,’ 8 “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, 9 and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 10 For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; 11 but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.’
Psalm 34, ‘15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.’
I hope you didn’t miss this one portion of verse which is awesome, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.’ Iniquity is willful sin. If we get right then everything else is blessed. In the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 7 we find how to improve the world, ‘14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’
Mankind was asleep but our Holy Father provided a day like no other as Psalm 118 teaches us,’ 24 This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ It is the day that I thank my Lord and Savior ever day and for all eternity. Thank you Lord Jesus for dying in my stead. I love you.
10 In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
Have you ever just sat under a tree on a beautiful warm summer day? It is quite peaceful. This is what verse 10 is telling us. There will come a day where you will not always have to be on guard as the prophet Micah tells us in chapter 4, ‘4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.’ You can sit and enjoy the Lord our God and everything that He has provided. Please come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen.
