ZECHARIAH LESSON FIVE

Welcome to Bible study online! Zechariah is a terrific book to study, especially as we see the Day of the LORD approaching. I like to think of it as the “Apocalypse of the Old Testament”, because it contains so many parallels with the New Testament book of Revelation. There are plenty of Scriptures to look up, so grab your Bible, and thanks for joining us!


ZECHARIAH LESSON FIVE

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?


If we want something for ourselves, we must pay a price for it. If we want to give something to someone else, we must also pay a price. The gift of God is grace; how much did it cost Him?


JOSHUA BEFORE THE LORD

The next vision in Zechariah’s fantastic night is concerning the high priest of Israel whose name was Joshua. Let’s see what he says in Zechariah 3:1-3:

“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. 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?’ Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.”

Joshua is standing before the Lord in his own person, but he is also standing as the representative of Israel. It was the chief duty of the high priest of Israel to stand before the Lord and minister on behalf of the people. No one could approach the Holy Place in the Temple except a priest, and no one could approach the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant reposed except the high priest, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement. The meaning of this was that, until the Perfect Offering was made, the people were separated from God by their sin. The sacrifices made in the Temple were merely symbolic of the coming Sacrifice, but could not actually take away their sins. Salvation could only be found by trusting in God’s promise of a coming Redeemer (Hebrews 10:5-7).

As we see Joshua standing before the Lord, the word “standing” refers to a court appearance, as in “standing trial.” Joshua is standing and awaiting judgment, not only for himself, but for all Israel. Who do we find standing at his right hand? Satan is there to accuse (incidentally, the name Satan actually means “accuser” or “adversary; he introduced sin into the human race, and now he stands around accusing us). Psalm 109:6 says, “Set a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand.” This calls to mind a criminal trial I recently attended on behalf of the victim, and the prosecutor was seated to the defendant’s right.

Let’s examine Satan for a moment and see who he really is and what his interest is. He is first introduced in Genesis 3, as a serpent in the Garden of Eden. He begins speaking to Eve, and this gives us a big clue that he is not really a serpent, but has disguised himself in a form likely to deceive. Women by their nature tend to be sympathetic toward animals (of course there are exceptions; I am speaking of general tendencies that I have observed) and so this deceiver assumed the form of a creature that Eve would respond to. Apparently reptiles were more appealing before the fall! He intimates that God is not telling Eve everything and that if she will listen to the Serpent’s advice and eat the forbidden fruit, she will become something far greater than what she presently is. What is the Serpent’s real intention? Jesus said in John 8:44, “The Devil was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” So we see that Satan’s real agenda in the Garden of Eden was the murder of the human race. Cutting them off from God by introducing sin would result in death because God is the real source of their life. Once the race fell into sin, Satan became their accuser, not some sympathetic adviser. In Job chapters 1 and 2, we again see Satan standing before God accusing someone. He is accusing Job of serving God out of impure and selfish motives. God allows Satan to put this to a test and Satan robs Job of all his earthly possessions, family, and health. However, Job overcomes the Evil One, and his victorious cry of faith has echoed for thousands of years, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know that in my flesh I shall see God.” Job 19:25-26. Revelation 12:10-11 echoes that same affirmation of faith against the accuser.

How does God respond to Satan? He simply rebukes him. In Jude 9, we find “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” God treats all of His creatures with respect, even Satan. How much more should we respect each other, even our enemies! And we ought to be careful how we speak of the adversary. He is not some red-suited creature with a pitchfork to be mocked and ridiculed. I think we would also do well not to teach our children to mock him by singing, “If the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack” either. He is not to be reverenced, but he is to be respected as a creature whom God has created for a purpose.

What is meant by the term “firebrand?” I actually looked up this word in the dictionary and it means “a stick of burning wood.” I think what God means here is that Babylonian captivity was the fire of God’s judgment against the sin of Israel. Israel has now been plucked out of that fiery judgment because God deemed that they had been punished enough. After God has executed His judgment, there should be no more room for accusation; therefore, Satan is rebuked. In the game of football, there is such an offense called “piling on” and this is what Satan is doing. God is saying, “Foul!”

Continuing on, in verse 3 we read, “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.” Exodus 28 describes the garments made for the high priest of Israel, and they were garments of glory and beauty. They were made of finely twisted linen dyed blue, purple, and scarlet with gold threads interwoven. He had a special breastplate, a turban, an ephod, and a sash. It was embroidered with pomegranates and had little gold bells attached to the hem that tinkled as he walked. The Jews have finished making the garments for the new high priest to wear when the Temple is constructed again and these are on display at http://www.templeinstitute.org/. So what is Joshua’s present situation? His priestly garments are filthy, and that word “filthy” actually carries with it the idea that Joshua is covered in excrement. This is not ordinary sweat and dirt! Joshua is supposed to smell like the incense he carries in the Holy Place, but he is standing before the Lord smelling like a feedlot.

OBSERVATION: Sin stinks, but if you work in a smelly place, you get used to it. Only the holiness of God can make us begin to realize our own filthiness.

This is a humiliating and despairing situation for Joshua. But the Lord has matters well in hand, because we read in verse 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.’” Joshua had no power to clean up the mess. Jesus said that in order to enter the Kingdom of God, we must become like a little child (Matthew 18:2-4). A baby can’t clean himself up; he must rely on someone else. Joshua stands humbly before the Lord and allows himself to be cleaned up. Now, his sin is removed along with the sin of Israel.

OBSERVATION: So many people make the mistake of thinking that they have to clean themselves up before they can come to Christ for salvation. The point that God is making in this vision of Joshua is that no one, not even the high priest of Israel, can “clean himself up” well enough to be pleasing to God. That is why salvation is necessary. In coming to Christ and trusting Him to remove our sin, we acknowledge that we simply can’t do it ourselves.

In the next verse, we see that Zechariah expresses a particular concern for a clean turban for Joshua. What is the significance of the turban? The Amplified Version of Exodus 28:36-38 puts it like this: “And you shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO THE LORD. You shall fasten it on the front of the turban with a blue cord. It shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may take upon himself and bear any iniquity connected with the holy things which the Israelites shall give and dedicate; and it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord in the priest’s person.” So we see from these verses that without a high priest, the offerings of Israel could not be accepted. Aaron symbolically bore away their sin. Only a holy person could perform this sacred office.

QUESTION: What did it cost God to be able to once again choose Jerusalem? What did it cost Him to take away iniquity and clothe us in garments of glory also? (John 3:16)

Verses 6-7 constitute a transition from despair to hope. “Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My commands, 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.”’”

Revelation 1:6 tells us that believers in Christ have been made priests to God, and as priests, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18). The Lord promises Joshua three things in these verses. What do they mean, both for Joshua and for us?

1. You shall judge My house

In his ministry before the Lord, Aaron symbolically bore away the sin of the people as they brought offerings and confessed their sin; he annually carried blood for atonement into the Holy of Holies where the Presence of God dwelled continually. Thus, the high priest had direct contact and intimacy with God. Romans 5:1-2 tells us “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” When Jesus died, the veil in the Temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple split in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:38), signifying that access, once denied because of sin, has been granted to any who will come. Let us remember that we do not come before God merely on our own behalf, but that we come to minister on behalf of others.

2. The second thing that Joshua is promised is charge of His Courts

Here, God is telling Joshua that he will be in charge of the Lord’s Temple. The spiritual life of Israel revolved around this Temple. Here the people came to worship, to confess, and to receive instruction from God. Having charge of the Temple was probably the most serious responsibility a person could hold. I Samuel 2-3 is a sobering passage that details the judgment of God against the house of Eli, the high priest, because he allowed his sons to desecrate the offerings of the people and abuse the House of the Lord. As priests to God, we do not serve in a literal physical temple, but the Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of the living God (I Corinthians 3:16-17). Do we do a good job policing our bodies? Do we lovingly help our brothers in this respect? Do we respect others as temples (or potential temples) of God? We are warned that the one who destroys God’s temple will himself be destroyed. We are also told that all believers are growing together into a temple for God (Ephesians 2:19-22). Do we respect this Body of believers and seek to unify and edify it?

3. The third thing that Joshua is promised as High Priest is a place to walk

Joshua will receive a place to walk, meaning as a course of life, among the saints and angels of the living God. He will have a position of honor among those who are honorable. He will have fellowship with God and with the people of God. As believers, where will we walk? “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7) As believers we are to walk in the Light of the Lord, shunning every appearance of evil and fellowshipping with God and the saints.

Notice that this is a conditional promise. The Lord says to Joshua, “If you will walk in My way and keep My charge…” These are not unconditional, automatic promises. Joshua must walk in a worthy manner. Likewise, we are instructed to walk in the Light, to walk in the Spirit, and to keep our testimony. This does not mean that our salvation is conditioned upon our perfection (we would all be doomed from the start), but that our ministry as priests to God on behalf of others depends on walking in a worthy manner.


THE VISION OF THE COMING BRANCH


Zechariah 3:8 completes the transition from despair to hope, by introducing the real high priest. “Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you (the other priests) for they are a wondrous sign; for behold I am bringing forth My Servant, the BRANCH.” Joshua and the other priests are only a type – a shadow – of the real, true High Priest. The Old Testament repeatedly refers to this coming High Priest as the Branch (Isaiah 4:2; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 6:12). The message for Zechariah here is, “Don’t get caught up in your own importance. Keep your eyes on the real High Priest who is coming.” Likewise, the message to us is to keep our eyes on Jesus and the work He has for us. Focusing on our own wishes and desires in life constitutes an abandoning of our service as priests.

Verse 9 employs another often-used metaphor for Jesus, “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.” Throughout the Scriptures, the coming Messiah is referred to as a rock or stone (Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22-23; Matthew 21:42-44; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; Daniel 2).

This verse tells us that the Stone has seven eyes or facets. I believe these “eyes” or “facets” or “radiations” are detailed for us in Isaiah 11:1-2. They are listed as follows, and I have given the definitions of each:

1. The Spirit of the LORD – the Self-Existent One; the covenant name of God forever

2. The Spirit of Wisdom – the intelligent attitude toward experiences of life; it produces reverence for God

3. The Spirit of Understanding – the discernment allowing one to distinguish good from evil

4. The Spirit of Counsel – advice, plan, or consultation

5. The Spirit of Might – strength, valor, mastery, or power

6. The Spirit of Knowledge – knowledge gained through the senses

7. The Spirit of Reverential Fear of God – terror, awe, a reverential fear reflected in one’s daily attitude and life.


Notice that this stone has an inscription. An inscription is normally a name or a dedication, and it is determined by the one doing the inscribing. The one who names someone or something does so because he has the authority to do so. An example of this is the naming of children. Parents name their children because they have the authority to do so. In this instance, the inscription is done by God Himself. This is a picture of Jesus, the One Who is equal to God, submitting Himself to the authority of God. Revelation 2:17 tells us that believers will receive a stone inscribed with a new name. These are likewise people who have submitted themselves to the authority of God.

These two visions of the restoration of Joshua the High Priest, and the coming of the BRANCH are meant to encourage the people of Israel, as well as all who will trust in the Messiah. God’s plans in creating the world have never been thwarted. He did not have to “figure out” what to do about sin when Adam and Eve fell. His plans have been right on schedule all along. Jeremiah 50:20 says this, “In those days and in that time, says the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I preserve.”

This week is spring break and I will be taking a week long "breather", so the next lesson will post in two weeks. Thanks for following along!