Zechariah 3:5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.
6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,
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.
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.
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.
10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.
God gave instructions to Moses for the attire of the high priest. All of their garments were symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ. God said Joshua needed a “fair mitre” on his head. The Hebrew word translated as “fair” means “clean, pure”. The mitre was the headdress that was required for the priest. On that mitre was a golden plate with the words: “holiness to the LORD”. Everything about the high priest was to reflect the holiness of the office. He was to be a type of the “Great High Priest” the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see in verse 5 that the angel of the LORD stood by. He directed the purifying of Joshua. He was pleased with what was done to him. The Catholics have tried to copy the law of the Old Testament. The problem is that the Catholic priests are anything but holy. They are imposters. They reject the true God as well as the Lord Jesus Christ. They exalt Mary to a place she does not have. Their “Eucharist” is a blasphemy against God. The entire “mass” is a blasphemy against God.
There is no further need for a priesthood today because Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest and He is alive and well. As we noted in an earlier study, every true child of God is part of a royal priesthood. We have access to the Father in Jesus’ name. Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant.
In verse 6 we read that the angel of the LORD “protested” unto Joshua. The Hebrew word translated as “protested” means to “encompass or go around”. It is not as we see protestors going around with plaques who try to make a statement.
Verse 7 tells us what the angel’s protest was all about. The cleansing of Joshua was connected to what we read in verse 7. The outward cleansing needed to be the fruit of an inner cleansing.
Luke 11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
We can go to the store and buy fancy clothes. We can try to dress up and look our best. However, the outward appearance means nothing if the heart is filthy. In verse 7 we are reminded that it was the LORD of hosts, the LORD of all the earth who was challenging Joshua. “If thou wilt walk in my ways”. Two times in verse 7 we see the word “if”. God’s blessing to Joshua was dependent on his obedience to God’s law.
God was not talking of works salvation. He was talking of fruit that remains. There must be outward evidence to show that the heart is right with God. This again exposes the lie of New Evangelicalism. New Evangelicalism says that as long as you claim to believe in Jesus, that is all that matters. That is why they can use the perversions and sing worldly, ungodly songs, and dress in a manner that does not reflect the holiness of God.
God never accepted that and He never will accept that. The Pharisees were declared to be “hypocrites”. They put on an outward show, but there was no life inside. True Christianity starts in the heart and is revealed by a changed life.
Joshua needed to ‘walk in the LORD’s ways’. He needed to ‘keep the LORD’s charge’. The priesthood had been greatly corrupted prior to the exile. The priests had accepted the paganism of the nations around Israel. In fact the priesthood was still severely corrupted at the time of Jesus Christ.
In our text, as we have noted, Zechariah was challenging the people of his day, but also looking toward to the future — the Millennium. If Joshua would live in truth, then he could judge the LORD’s house. Then he had the authority to keep order and bring order. He would have the privilege of keeping the LORD’s courts and the LORD would give him a place to walk among those that stand by.
Joshua was the high priest and he needed to lead the priesthood. However, he could only do so properly if he was right with the Lord. That is what God wants for all His children. He provides the way of holiness. That way is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a person is saved they are given a new heart and that new heart will affect the body of the saved person. Jesus answered one of the scribes:
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
God expects His children to demonstrate the love of God in their actions. The love of God is a gift given to every born again child of God.
In verse 8 of our text the LORD continued to challenge Joshua. Joshua needed to pay attention to what the LORD required of him. Notice that this commandment was not just for Joshua. However, he was the high priest. He needed to obey the LORD and teach the priesthood to obey the LORD as well.
The LORD of hosts stated that He would bring forth His servant, the BRANCH. That is a clear reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Jesus Christ came as a servant at His first coming. He presented Himself as the King of the Jews at His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but the nation rejected Him as their king. There was much excitement among the common people on that day, but because Jesus did not do what they expected of their king, that same crowd turned against Him and demanded He be crucified. He will come again and He will come as the BRANCH as we read in our text. He is the central BRANCH of the nation of Israel and indeed of all who are saved.
In verse 9 the LORD spoke of a stone with seven eyes. Chapter 4:10 gives us further understanding of what this stone is all about. This is a reference to the chief corner stone of the Temple, which of course is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a reference to the omniscience of the LORD. He sees all and He holds all accountable to Him.
The fact that the LORD will remove the iniquity of the land in one day clearly speaks to a future time. The iniquity was not removed when the people came back to Jerusalem after the seventy years of exile. The iniquity is certainly not removed from the land today. However, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and establishes the Millennium, the iniquity will be removed from the land in one day. No unsaved person will enter the Millennium. It will be a unique day in the history of the world.
Verse 10 tells us of further blessings that will come in that day. The LORD of hosts will make it possible for there to be a peace upon the earth that has not been since the fall of man. People will get along with each other and they will not be so concerned about materialism. There will be time to visit with neighbours under the vine and under the fig tree. We know from other prophetic passages that the Millennium will begin with a time of great peace and blessing because the Lord Jesus Christ will rule and only saved people will enter that time. The Temple will be built and true worship will be established. This will be a picture of what heaven will be like. The difference is that children will be born during the Millennium and they will be born as lost sinners. Many will remain lost and thus will try to corrupt the Millennium. However, there will be no lost people in heaven. There will be nothing there that will corrupt.
Today is the Lord’s Day. God has given us another opportunity to go to His house — the true local church, where we can learn of Him. Don’t miss out on the blessing of fellowshipping with other saints, if you are saved. If you are not saved go and humbly submit to the truth. Get saved and begin to enjoy the blessings that only God can give you.
Pastor Bartel