The Judge’s Bench Decision Series

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.’