Zechariah chapter 3 is one of my favorites in all of the word. God is speaking to the prophet about Israel and their redemption as a nation, that was to come at the last day, but as always, we also have a picture of the individual believer here that is so wonderful. I wanted to share.
The Bible is written about historical events, and in a parallel way, spiritual truths are there as well. Some are more hidden than others, but patterns of truth and prophecy are always there. Here is one:
We see a man Joshua standing before God in a heavenly, spiritual way. He was the High Priest in Israel at that point in time when Zechariah received the vision.
“Be silent O all flesh, before the LORD, for He is raised up out of His holy habitation.” This reminds me of the scene in heaven in Revelation where all was silent for the space of half an hour.
This is earth shaking. There is a pronouncement in Heaven telling all to be silent because the LORD is raised up from His Holy Habitation. Something is about to happen…something earth shattering. God Almighty is about to declare what He is about to do. It is absolute. It is unchangeable. It is on its way.
Next, we see that Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Angel of the LORD (this is God). Satan is standing at his right hand to resist him.
The picture here is one of Satan, always coming against God’s people. Namely, at this point, it is Israel. Joshua was the High Priest at the time so he is representing Israel. God takes care to mention that Satan stands at Israel’s right hand. The right hand represents God’s instrument of power. So Satan is there to fight against the power of Israel. He wants to defeat her.
The same is true for the believer. Believers are instruments of God’s power. Satan stands by us continually to prevent us from doing God’s work and to accuse us.
“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD Rebuke you, oh Satan; even the LORD that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire?’”
So this is the first thing God says after He raised up from His holy habitation: “The LORD rebuke you Satan”. He comes to fight for us because we are unable. So Satan is rebuked and made powerless at that rebuke. Then God declares to Satan that Jerusalem, and this also applies to the church, is a brand plucked from the fire. These were Isaiah’s words as well. So what is a firebrand? It is an ember in the fire that is about to be consumed but pulled from destruction before that could happen. So was Jerusalem, so are we. The saved are those who have been plucked from the destroying fire by God.
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel.”
Joshua, meaning Israel, meaning all of the lost but yet to be saved, has filthy garments on and there is nothing he can do about it. And he just stands helpless before God in a lost and unfit state. Can’t you hear the compassion in God’s voice in the way this sentence is composed? He starts it with “now Joshua”. We sense that God’s heart is moved by the man standing before him who is unfit and filthy…dead in sin.
“And He answered and spoke unto those that stood before Him saying, ‘take away the filthy garments from him’ And he said to him, ‘Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass away from you, and I will clothe you with a change of raiment.’”
The filthiness is our sin and the new garments is Christ’s righteousness covering us…taking away our sin.
But it doesn’t end there. This is why this is so earth shattering. God goes on…as if this were not enough.
“AND I said, let them set a fair mitre upon his head”.
God is crowning the believer. This is a fair crown, a righteous one. Kings wear crowns. Priests wear robes and he has already been clothed with a priestly garment, so we have a king and a priest. Such a thing never existed before Jesus came to be our High Priest and King. And if we will be made one in God with Him, we will also be kings and priests, Revelation tells us. This is what we are seeing here in the spirit realm.
“So they set a fair mitre on his head, and clothed him with garments. And the Angel of the LORD stood by”.
God is watching the angels clothe and crown those who will be saved and made one in God with Christ.
Now hear this part: “And the Angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep my charge, then you will also judge My house ( meaning family), and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you places to walk among these that stand by”. Oh my word let’s break this down. Do we know what has been said and what awaits the believer? It is unfathomable.
To protest here means to admonish or declare, to warn and charge. So God is warning, admonishing, charging the believer to what? Let’s see:
“If you will walk in My ways AND keep My charge”. Charge here means post, sentry, office, watch. So if we will walk in His ways, not just affirm them but live in them, and keep watch, then we will do what?
1- Judge His family
2-Keep His courts (ruling and reigning His hedges in places, villages, walled regions, read… cities, nations)
3-Given a place to walk among these…who? Well, who was standing by that He was referring to? Angels.
My prayer this very minute is that every believer would know this and walk in it. Amen