Zechariah 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
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?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
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 change of raiment.
We know from the Bible that there was a man named Joshua who is mentioned in the book of Exodus. In fact there is a book named after Joshua. That Joshua was chosen by God to be the second human leader of the nation of Israel. He was of the tribe of Judah. The priesthood was assigned to the tribe of Levi. The only exception to that was the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our text, we are introduced to a man by the name of Joshua who was the high priest. He was not the same Joshua as we read of earlier in the history of the nation of Israel. This Joshua is seen by Zechariah to be standing before the angel of the LORD. We are also told that Zechariah saw Satan standing at Joshua’s right hand to resist him. This is typical of Satan. He is real and his work is to resist the work of God in any way possible. We have already stated that Zechariah is a contemporary of Ezra. When you read the book of Ezra you will find that Ezra needed to address the interference that was there with regard to the rebuilding of the temple. In Ezra 5 we read of both Zechariah and Joshua. We also read in that same chapter that there was opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, both the walls and the temple. In our text we are told that behind that opposition was none other than Satan himself. He is the enemy of God and he will use anyone who will allow him to play with them. His desire is to hinder the work of God.
We notice in verse 2 of our text, that it was the LORD who spoke to Satan. It was not Joshua nor Zechariah, who spoke to Satan. There are people who think that they have the right and the power to address Satan. They are mistaken and deceived. The Bible never tells us to address Satan. The apostle Paul, was an apostle. The apostles were given the power to rebuke Satan and his angels. We are not apostles. There are no living apostles today. Those who claim to address Satan are playing with fire and do not have the protection of God in so doing. Satan is not a toy. He is real and he has been given the power to deceive and destroy.
In verse 2 we read that the LORD rebuked Satan. We are further told Who this LORD is. He is the One Who chose Jerusalem to be His city. Zechariah recorded that Satan was a brand plucked out of the fire. That is where Satan is headed. He has had some six thousand years now to inflict his evil upon humanity. He is limited in what he can do. No one should play around with him. He will be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium. The book of the Revelation makes that clear.
In verse 3 we read that Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and that he stood before the angel. We need to remember that Joshua was the high priest. He was the mediator between God and man in Old Testament times. In Ezra chapter 10 we read that Zechariah’s sons were not faithful to the calling of the priesthood. They defiled the priesthood. Joshua may have personally been involved in sin, but it may be that as the high priest he was tainted with the sins of the people. We must remember that the high priest needed to make atonement for his own sins before he could make atonement for the sins of the people. The point is that sin defiles not just the clothing, but the person. The garments of the priest were a type of the need for purity of the soul and heart of the person.
In verse 4 we see that the angel commanded that those filthy garments be taken from Joshua. Joshua needed to be cleansed. Only God can remove sin. That is the picture here. God cleanses the saint of sin through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The filthy garment needs to be removed and replaced by a clean garment. That is a picture of what happens when a person is saved:
II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
It is also the picture of the need for cleansing as a true child of God:
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God requires holiness of His children. Whether that be the high priest, in Old Testament times, or the pastor in New Testament times, or the common true child of God. The New Testament pastor is not equal to the high priest of the Old Testament. However, the Old Testament priests were to teach the people the law of God. The New Testament pastor is to teach the people the law of God. I Peter 2 tells us:
I Peter 2:9 But 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 marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
The evangelists and pastors and teachers have a responsibility to preach and teach the Word. However, all New Testament saints are part of the royal priesthood. All true saints are to live holy lives. When a true saint sins, he or she must confess that sin to God and ask forgiveness. He or she must desire victory over sin. God makes a way of escape when one of His children is tempted to sin. It is up to us to listen to Him and choose that way of escape. We do not need to be bogged down with sin. We can have victory over sin and the flesh.
New Evangelicalism has tried to cheapen the holiness of God and the holiness that He demands of His children. Seeking to live holy lives is not legalism. Seeking to earn salvation is legalism. Seeking to live under the power and authority of the love of God is pleasing to the LORD. The wise person submits to God’s will, rather than the lies of the New Evangelical crowd. It is true that crowd is loud and large. God is greater than the lies of that crowd. Believe Him and enjoy the blessings of the changed heart and life. Don’t settle for second best. That will never satisfy your soul and will not help you at death.
Pastor Bartel