The purpose of the vision of the surveyor, Zechariah chapter 2, was to assure the Israelites the nation would be reestablished. The vision of Joshua the high priest assures the Israelites that they shall be put into a good position again, and the promise of this also points to Christ, who is not only our Lord, but the high priest of our profession, of whom Joshua was a type.
The angel that talked with Zechariah showed him Joshua the high priest. It is possible Zechariah saw Joshua many times, spoke to him, and that there was a close friendship between Zechariah and Joshua, but Zechariah only saw how Joshua appeared before men. If Zechariah is to know how Joshua stands before the Lord, it must be shown him in a vision.
In this vision Satan is standing at Joshua’s right hand as the prosecutor, or a witness stands at the right hand of the prisoner. Joshua is accused by Satan of being an unfaithful servant. There are those who believe Satan has brought the charge of unfaithfulness
against Joshua because the priests under his authority were marrying foreign women (Ezra 9:1, 2; Nehemiah 3:28). When God is about to reestablish the priesthood Satan brings a charge against the high priest that would render him unworthy of the honor bestowed
upon him.
In this vision Satan stood before the Lord with Joshua to oppose the service Joshua was doing for the public good. He stood at Joshua’s right hand, the hand of action, to discourage Joshua and place obstacles in his way.
When we are fulfilling our call to serve the Lord we must expect to meet with all the resistance that Satan’s subtlety and malice can give us. We must resist him that resists us in the performance of our duty and he will flee from us. We must never let the obstacles placed in our paths discourage us or turn us away from the course the Lord has set for us.
In verse two a victorious defense is made for Joshua. Satan is silenced by the One who has authority over him. His indictment is quashed, and his charge against Joshua is shown to be malicious and frivolous. Those that belong to Christ have Him ready to vigorously
defend them when Satan viciously attacks them. He does not plea bargain with Satan but shuts his mouth immediately with this sharp reprimand, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan.” This is the best way to deal with a furious enemy.
The Lord lets Satan know his charge against Joshua will be fruitless; it will serve no purpose to attempt any thing against Jerusalem or His chosen high priest. He has chosen Jerusalem to be His dwelling place and Joshua to be the head servant in His house and He
will abide by his choice. The Lord said, Joshua is a “brand plucked from the fire.” He has been wonderfully delivered out of the fire of captivity, that God might be glorified in him, and He will not cast him off or abandon him. A converted soul is a brand plucked out of the fire by a miracle of free grace. He shall not be left to be a prey to Satan.
Joshua appears before the Lord as one polluted, clothed in garments that were not fitting of his office and the sanctity of his work. By the law of Moses the garments of the high priest were to be “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). But Joshua’s garments were a shame and reproach to him. He had no clean linen wherein to minister and to do the duty
of his office. This conveys the idea that the priesthood was not only poor, despised, and
loaded with contempt, but that there was a great deal of iniquity cleaving to the holy things.
The returned Jews were so taken up with their troubles that they thought they didn’t need to confess their sins, and were not aware that they were hindrances of the progress of the Lord’s work among them. Because they had turned from idolatry they thought they were
no longer chargeable with iniquity. But God showed them there were many things wrong in them, which hindered the bestowing of the Lord’s favor towards them. Their sins were spiritual enemies warring against them and more dangerous than any of the neighboring nations.
Joshua had sons who married foreign women ( Ezra 10:18). Yet Joshua was permitted to stand before the angel of the Lord. Though his children did not do as they should, yet the covenant of priesthood was not broken.
Christ bears with his people, whose hearts are right with Him, and admits them into communion with Himself, notwithstanding their many infirmities. Provision was made for the cleansing of Joshua. Christ gave orders to the angels that attended Him, and were ready to do His pleasure, to put Joshua into a better state. Joshua presented himself before the Lord in his filthy garments and Christ graciously looked upon him with compassion, and not as He might have justly done. Christ loathed the filthiness of Joshua’s garments,
yet He did not put him away, but put them away. This is what the Lord by His grace does with those whom He chooses to be priests to Himself. He parts them from their sins and this prevents their sins from parting from their Lord. He reconciles Himself to the sinner,
but not to the sin. Two things are done for Joshua, representing a double work of divine grace wrought in and for believers. His filthy garments are taken from him and he was given clean garments.
Joshua’s guilt is taken away by pardoning mercy, the stench and stain of it by peace spoken to the conscience, and the power of it broken by renewing grace. When the Lord forgives our sins He causes our iniquity to pass from us, that it may not appear against us, to condemn us; it passes from us as far as the east is from the west. When He sanctifies
the nature He enables us to put off the old man. He cast away from us the filthy rags of our corrupt affections and lusts, as things we will never have any thing more to do with or appear in us. Christ washes away our sins in His own blood.
Joshua is cleansed from the pollution of sin. He is clothed in clean garments. He has not only the shame of his filthiness removed, but the shame of his nakedness covered. Joshua had no clean linen of his own, but Christ provided for him clean garments, because He will not let a priesthood of his own instituting be lost, contemptible before men or
unacceptable before God.
Those that minister in holy things shall not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well. The Lord will make them wise, and humble, diligent, and faithful, and examples of every thing that is good. Those whom Christ makes spiritual priests are clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness and appear before God in them, and with the graces of His Spirit, which are ornaments to them. The righteousness of the saints, both imputed and implanted, is the fine linen, clean and white, with which the bride of the Lamb’s wife, is arrayed (Revelation 19:8).
Joshua was reinstalled and established in his office. He not only has his sins pardoned, and is furnished with grace sufficient for himself, but acquitted in the Lord’s court. He is restored to his former honors and trusts. The crown of the priesthood is put upon him. Now that he looks clean, let him also look great; let him be dressed up in all the garments of the high priest. When the Lord plans the restoring or reviving of religion He stirs up his prophets and people to pray for it, and does it in answer to their prayers. Zechariah prayed that the angels might be ordered to set the turban on Joshua’s head, and they did it immediately, and clothed Joshua with the priestly garments while the angel of the Lord stood by
overseeing the work of the angels. He stood by, as one well pleased with what has been done, and resolved to stand by the orders He had given for the doing of it and to continue His presence with the priesthood.
The angel of the Lord told Joshua if he would do the duty of his office, he would enjoy the dignity and reward of the office. The Lord of hosts put Joshua on notice. He must live a good life and be holy in all manner of conversation; he must go before the people in the paths of God’s commandments, and walk circumspectly. He must keep the Lord’s charge to carefully do all the services of the priesthood. He must see to it that the inferior priests perform their duties.
The power of the church, and of church rulers, is not legislative, but judicial. The high priest is not permitted to make any new laws for the Lord’s house, nor ordain any other rites of worship than what God had ordained. He must see to it that the Lord’s laws and ordinances are observed. He must protect and encourage those that observe them, and enquire into and punish the violation of them. The angels are inspectors and assistants.
They shall stand by while Joshua is at work for the Lord, and shall be as a guard to him. Those that walk in the Lord’s way may be said to walk among the angels because they do the will of the Lord as the angels do that are in heaven and are their fellow-servants
(Revelation 19:10).
