ZECHARIAH
3
A
Bible Study - Commentary by Jim Melough
Copyright
2002 James Melough
3:1.
“And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the
Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist (accuse; be an adversary
to) him (Joshua).”
This further vision given
Zechariah, while anticipating what will be in the Millennium, was of what
would be at least in a measure fulfilled in the prophet’s own day, for in the
Millennium Satan the adversary will be bound in the bottomless pit and denied
any activity whatsoever. The angel of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself, represented in chapter one by the rider on the red horse.
As we learn from Haggai,
Joshua was the high priest in the days of Zechariah’s ministry, and then, as
always, Satan plays his customary role as the accuser and adversary of those
who belong to God.
Interpreters differ as to
whether Satan was standing at Joshua’s right hand, or at that of the angel of
the Lord, but the settlement of that point is inconsequential.
3:2.
“And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord
that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the
fire?”
Commentators are divided in
their opinions as to the identity of the two Lords mentioned here, some taking
the first to be the Lord Jesus Christ; and the other, God the Father. Others
take the reference to be to the Lord Jesus Christ in both instances, the
translation then being, “And the Lord said unto Satan, I, the Lord rebuke
thee, etc.” The settlement of that point is also inconsequential. What is
important is that God rejects Satan’s accusations because Joshua is a man of
faith, and like every other believer, is justified in God’s sight by faith,
that of the OT saints anticipating the Lord’s vicarious death; and that of the
NT believers looking back to it.
Joshua, like every other
believer of every age, was like a stick pulled out of the fire, just in time
to be saved from eternal burning.
Relative to God’s having
chosen Israel, this is not to be understood as His having predestinated them,
for it is to be remembered that there were always two Israels: the small
believing remnant, and the apostate mass of the nation amongst whom that
believing remnant dwelt. Then as now, a man placed himself amongst God’s
elect by an act of his own free will to believe God; and it was only when he
had made that choice that he became a true Israelite then predestinated
to eternal blessing apart from any other choice or works on his part. See Ro
9:6 “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel....”
3:3.
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.”
In the original the word
“filthy” means literally excrement, dung, vomit. The filthy garments
portray the moral state of the nation except for that small believing remnant
that had returned from Babylon when the opportunity was given them; a further
description of the unbelieving mass being recorded in Isa 1:6, “From the sole
of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and
bruises, and putrefying sores. They have not been closed, neither bound up,
neither mollified with ointment.” And lest the moral, self-righteous, but
unconverted religious church-goer should imagine himself to be any better than
these, God has also recorded his state in Isa 64:6, “But we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do
fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
In this, as in everything
else, however, Israel is the mirror in which God bids us see ourselves as we
were, and as is every man prior to conversion.
3:4.
“And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away
the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused
thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of
raiment.”
One of the evidences of
Joshua’s faith was his having returned from Babylon when the opportunity was
presented, and in this we see a typological picture of the experience of every
believer. Babylon represents the world’s false religious systems, including
apostate Christianity, and every believer, prior to conversion, was in bondage
to one of them; but faith in Christ ends that bondage, and leaves the man free
to return to God from Whom, in Adam, every man has departed. Joshua, having
availed himself of the liberty to leave Babylon, and return to Canaan, is a
type of every obedient believer.
It is to be remembered,
however, that he was one of a small minority: the majority of his fellows
having chosen to remain in Babylon. And so is it still: those who constitute
the bulk of Christendom have chosen to remain in the unscriptural religious
systems of Christendom (spiritual Babylon).
In verse 1 Joshua is called a
priest, reminding us that every man who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior
during this present dispensation of grace, which began on the day of
Pentecost, is also a spiritual priest, as it is written, “But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people ....” 1 Pe
2:9.
Virtually the same language,
however, is used of Israel when God brought them out of Egypt, see Ex 19:5,
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye
shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is
mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”
Israel has not yet had this experience, what she was in OT times being but an
empty form, a spiritual charade. Fulfillment will come only in the Millennium
after the Tribulation judgments will have brought a remnant of Israel and also
of the Gentiles, to repentant faith in Christ as Messiah Savior, that Jewish
remnant being the new Israel in whom all God’s promises to Abraham will
ultimately be fulfilled; the converted remnant of the Gentiles constituting
the Gentile nations who will also enjoy millennial blessing.
But Joshua was “clothed with
filthy garments,” and in this we see another brush stroke in the typological
picture painted by the Divine Artist. Garments in Scripture represent
righteousness: the “filthy rags” of our own self-righteousness, or the
spotless righteousness of Christ which clothes every believer; and Joshua is
set before us here as a new convert about to have the filthy garments removed
and replaced with a “change of raiment,” i.e., the spotless righteousness of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
The assurance given Joshua is
the same as that given every believer, including the remnant that will emerge
from the Tribulation judgments, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass
from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment.”
3:5.
“And I said, Let them set a fair miter on his head. So they set a fair miter
upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood
by.”
The miter was the official
headdress of Israel’s high priest, and to it was attached a golden plate
engraved with the words Holiness to the Lord.
The speaker here is usually
understood to be Zechariah, and “fair” is literally “pure, clean.” The
spiritual lesson is easily read. What is written in 1 Pe 2:5, 9 is true of
every believer of this present Church age, “Ye also, as living stones, are
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.... ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew
forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light.”
Since the head is the seat of
the intelligence, this placing of a pure clean miter on Joshua’s head is also
the symbolic announcement of the further truth explicitly declared in Ro 12:2,
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind...” and Php 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form
of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross.” True conversion is evidenced by a transformed thought life.
“And the angel of the Lord
stood by.” This is the symbolic reminder that, “The word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,“ Heb 4:12.
“The angel of the Lord (the
Lord Jesus Christ)” still stands by discerning our thoughts.
It is instructive, however, to
consider how this transformation has been made possible. Joshua, clothed in
filthy garments, is also a figure or type of what the Lord Jesus Christ
became when He assumed responsibility for our sins, going out to Calvary
bearing them, being Himself made sin, made a curse, becoming Himself the One
upon Whom must fall all God’s wrath and judgment against sin.
But Joshua, clothed in clean
garments, and having a fair miter upon his head, is a figure of Christ in
resurrection glory, our great High Priest at God’s right hand in heaven making
continual intercession for us, His presence there the guarantee of ours, His
promise being, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, there ye may be also,” John 14:2-3.
3:6.
“And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,”
“... protested” as used here
is literally, “did testify” or “did solemnly affirm.”
3:7.
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt
keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my
courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.”
These words, directed to the
remnant that had returned from Babylon, are applicable to God’s people in
every age. To walk in God’s ways is to live in a manner that is pleasing to
Him; and to keep His charge is to live and worship according to the ritual He
has prescribed; to judge His house is literally to rule or guide His people;
and in the present context to keep His courts is to watch over or rule within
His Temple. The directive applies to every aspect of life, and significantly
begins with the need for obedience in Joshua’s personal life, for if our
personal lives aren’t right, nothing else will be right either.
“... I will give thee places
to walk among these that stand by,” means simply that he would have the
God-given right to come and go amongst those who stood by, i.e., those who
were also obedient to God, many understanding that company to include the
angels who stand continually ready to do God’s bidding.
3:8.
“Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before
thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant
the BRANCH.”
“... thy fellows that sit
before thee,” were the other members of the priestly family, and their being
“men wondered at” means that they were representative of the good things God
has in store for Israel; and since “the BRANCH” is a symbol of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the truth being declared is that those good things will be available
when He is “brought forth,” i.e., when He is revealed, the reference in the
present context being, not to His incarnation, but to His coming in power and
glory as the mighty Lion of Judah to end the Tribulation and inaugurate His
millennial kingdom.
It is significant that Joshua
and his fellow priests are seated, the position that speaks of rest and of
work completed. The figure is of Christ now seated at the Father’s right hand
because His work is done; and of us also seated with Him, resting in His
finished work.
Relative to Christ’s being
called “the Branch” it is instructive to note that He was also called “a
Nazarene,” Mt 2:23, because He lived in Nazareth which means “a branch:
preservation,” prompting the question of Nathanael “Can there any good thing
come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46. For other references to Christ as “the
Branch” see Isa 4:2; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 6:12.
3:9.
“For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be
seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of
hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”
The stone here is a precious
stone, the seven eyes upon it being seven facets, and clearly it is a figure
or type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since seven is the biblical number of
perfection or completeness, the seven eyes (symbols of discernment) represent
His omniscience, the graving or engraving upon it appearing to refer to the
display of His glory to be given on the day of His appearing at the end of the
Tribulation. On that day “the iniquity of that land (Palestine)” will be
removed by means of His judgment of the nations prior to the inauguration of
His millennial kingdom, for that judgment will result in the banishment into
hell of every unbeliever on the face of the earth, leaving only those Jews and
Gentiles who will have trusted Him as Savior during the preceding Tribulation
era. To them will be extended His gracious invitation, “Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world,” see Mt 25:32-34.
How blind were the eyes of the
Israel to which He came two thousand years ago!. They saw Him only as “a
stumbling stone” and a “rock of offence,” as Peter has written, “Unto you
therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the
corner, a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient,” 1 Pe 2:7-8.
3:10.
“In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor
under the vine and under the fig tree.”
In that day, the Millennium,
there will be universal peace, prosperity, and blessing, portrayed here
symbolically under the figure of each man sitting under the vine and the fig
tree, and regarding every man as his neighbor. As another has put it: In the
Millennium “There are no enemies - only neighbors.”
As has been noted in other
studies, the vine represents Israel redeemed and brought out of Egypt, “Thou
hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted
it,” Ps 80:8; and the fig tree represents her as cursed and withered, but then
brought to life again, ”And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it,
and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit
grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered
away,” Mt 21:19. But in Mt 24:32 we see the fig tree brought back to life,
“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye
shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I
say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all things be fulfilled,”
Mt 24:32-34.
The fig tree covered with
leaves, but fruitless, represents the Israel of Christ’s day, for fig leaves
always represent mere empty profession, and that was all that Israel had. She
had no spiritual fruit to satisfy the Lord’s heart. As a result, that
generation died in AD 70.
But in Mt 24 the Lord speaks
of the fig tree revived and budding, and He bids us see in that fig tree
restored to life again a picture of Israel as she is today. Following the
Diaspora of AD 70 she has been scattered amongst the nations, having neither
homeland nor national identity. But all of that changed in 1948. In that
year her autonomy was restored, and a remnant, regathered from amongst the
nations, dwelt again in Canaan, her people having continued to stream back to
that land until the present.
And we are the generation that
has been privileged to witness Israel’s national resurrection, and that is not
to pass “till all things be fulfilled.” The Lord’s return is near; as one has
written, “We can almost hear His footstep on the threshold of the door.”
It is to be noted, however,
that that revived fig tree is also putting forth leaves, but not yet bearing
fruit. The Israel of today, like Israel of the past, has nothing except an
empty profession of being God’s people; but the imminent Tribulation will
change that. The terrible judgments of that era will be the equivalent of the
digging and dunging mentioned in Lk 13:6-9, for the fig tree mentioned in that
parable is also a figure of Israel, fruitless, but yet to bear fruit for the
Lord’s glory.
[Zechariah
4]