@Zec 3:1-10. FOURTH VISION. Joshua the high priest before the angel of Jehovah; accused by Satan, but justified by Jehovah through Messiah the coming Branch.
1. Joshua as high priest (@Hag 1:1) represents "Jerusalem"
(@Zec 3:2), or the elect people, put on its trial, and "plucked"
narrowly "out of the fire." His attitude, "standing before the Lord," is
that of a high priest ministering before the altar erected previously to
the building of the temple (@Ezr 3:2,3,6 Ps 135:2). Yet, in this
position, by reason of his own and his people's sins, he is represented
as on his and their trial (@Nu 35:12).
he showed me--"He" is the interpreting angel. Jerusalem's
(Joshua's) "filthy garments" (@Zec 3:3) are its sins which had
hitherto brought down God's judgments. The "change of raiment" implies
its restoration to God's favor. Satan suggested to the Jews that so
consciously polluted a priesthood and people could offer no acceptable
sacrifice to God, and therefore they might as well desist from the
building of the temple. Zechariah encourages them by showing that their
demerit does not disqualify them for the work, as they are accepted in
the righteousness of another, their great High Priest, the Branch
(@Zec 3:8), a scion of their own royal line of David (@Isa 11:1).
The full accomplishment of Israel's justification and of Satan the
accuser's being "rebuked" finally, is yet future (@Re 12:10). Compare
@Re 11:8, wherein "Jerusalem," as here, is shown to be meant primarily,
though including the whole Church in general (compare @Job 1:9).
Satan--the Hebrew term meaning "adversary" in a law court: as
devil is the Greek term, meaning accuser. Messiah, on the
other hand, is "advocate" for His people in the court of heaven's
justice (@1Jo 2:1).
standing at his right hand--the usual position of a prosecutor or
accuser in court, as the left hand was the position of the defendant
(@Ps 109:6). The "angel of the Lord" took the same position just
before another high priest was about to beget the forerunner of Messiah
(@Lu 1:11), who supplants Satan from his place as accuser. Some
hence explain @Jude 1:9 as referring to this passage: "the body of
Moses" being thus the Jewish Church, for which Satan contended as
his by reason of its sins; just as the "body of Christ" is
the Christian Church. However, @Jude 1:9 plainly speaks of the
literal body of Moses, the resurrection of which at the transfiguration
Satan seems to have opposed on the ground of Moses' error at Meribah;
the same divine rebuke, "the Lord rebuke thee," checked Satan in
contending for judgment against Moses' body, as checked him when
demanding judgment against the Jewish Church, to which Moses' body
corresponds.
2. the Lord--JEHOVAH, hereby identified with the "angel of the Lord
(Jehovah)" (@Zec 3:1).
rebuke thee--twice repeated to express the certainty of Satan's
accusations and machinations against Jerusalem being frustrated. Instead
of lengthened argument, Jehovah silences Satan by the one plea,
namely, God's choice.
chosen Jerusalem--(@Ro 9:16 11:5). The conclusive answer. If the
issue rested on Jerusalem's merit or demerit, condemnation must be the
award; but Jehovah's "choice" (@Joh 15:16) rebuts Satan's charge
against Jerusalem (@Zec 1:17 2:12 Ro 8:33,34,37), represented by Joshua
(compare in the great atonement, @Le 16:6-20, &c.), not that she
may continue in sin, but be freed from it (@Zec 3:7).
brand plucked out of . . . fire--(@Am 4:11 1Pe 4:18 Jude 1:23).
Herein God implies that His acquittal of Jerusalem is not that He does
not recognize her sin (@Zec 3:3,4,9), but that having punished her
people for it with a seventy years' captivity, He on the ground of His
electing love has delivered her from the fiery ordeal; and when once
He has begun a deliverance, as in this case, He will perfect it
(@Ps 89:30-35 Php 1:6).
3. filthy garments--symbol of sin (@Pr 30:12; Isa 4:4 64:6); proving that it is not on the ground of His people's righteousness that He accepts them. Here primarily the "filthy garments" represent the abject state temporally of the priesthood and people at the return from Babylon. Yet he "stood before the angel." Abject as he was, he was before Jehovah's eye, who graciously accepts His people's services, though mixed with sin and infirmity.
4. those that stood before him--the ministering angels (compare the
phrase in @1Ki 10:8 Da 1:5).
Take away the filthy garments--In @Zec 3:9 it is "remove the
iniquity of that land"; therefore Joshua represents the land.
from him--literally, "from upon him"; pressing upon him as an
overwhelming burden.
change of raiment--festal robes of the high priest, most costly and
gorgeous; symbol of Messiah's imputed righteousness (@Mt 22:11). The
restoration of the glory of the priesthood is implied: first, partially,
at the completion of the second temple; fully realized in the great High
Priest Jesus, whose name is identical with Joshua (@Heb 4:8),
the Representative of Israel, the "kingdom of priests" (@Ex 19:6);
once clad in the filthy garments of our vileness, but being the chosen
of the Father (@Isa 42:1 44:1 49:1-3), He hath by death ceased from
sin, and in garments of glory entered the heavenly holy place as our
High Priest (@Heb 8:1 9:24). Then, as the consequence (@1Pe 2:5),
realized in the Church generally (@Lu 15:22 Re 19:8), and in Israel
in particular (@Isa 61:10; compare @Isa 3:6 66:21).
5. And I said--Here the prophet, rejoicing at the change of raiment
so far made, interposes to ask for the crowning assurance that the
priesthood would be fully restored, namely, the putting the miter or
priestly turban on Joshua: its fair color symbolizing the official
purity of the order restored. He does not command, but prays; not "Set,"
but "Let them set." Vulgate and Syriac version read it, "He then said," which is the easier reading; but the very difficulty of the
present Hebrew reading makes it less likely to come from a modern
corrector of the text.
angel of . . . Lord stood by--the Divine Angel had been sitting (the
posture of a judge, @Da 7:9); now He "stands" to see that Zechariah's
prayer be executed, and then to give the charge (@Zec 3:6,7).
6. protested--proceeded solemnly to declare. A forensic term for an affirmation on oath (@Heb 6:17,18). God thus solemnly states the end for which the priesthood is restored to the people, His own glory in their obedience and pure worship, and their consequent promotion to heavenly honor.
7. God's choice of Jerusalem (@Zec 3:2) was unto its
sanctification (@Joh 15:16 Ro 8:29); hence the charge here which
connects the promised blessing with obedience.
my charge--the ordinances, ritual and moral
(@Nu 3:28,31,32,38 Jos 1:7-9 1Ki 2:3 Eze 44:16).
judge my house--Thou shalt long preside over the temple ceremonial
as high priest (@Le 10:10 Eze 44:23 Mal 2:7)
[GROTIUS]. Or, rule over
My house, that is, My people
[MAURER] (@Nu 12:7 Ho 8:1). We know
from @De 17:9 that the priest judged cases. He was not only to obey
the Mosaic institute himself, but to see that it was obeyed by others.
God's people are similarly to exercise judgment hereafter, as the reward
of their present faithfulness (@Da 7:18,22 Lu 19:17 1Co 6:2); by
virtue of their royal priesthood (@Re 1:6).
keep my courts--guard My house from profanation.
places to walk--free ingress and egress (@1Sa 18:16 1Ki 3:7 15:17),
so that thou mayest go through these ministering angels who stand by
Jehovah (@Zec 4:14 6:5 1Ki 22:19) into His presence, discharging thy
priestly function. In @Eze 42:4 the same Hebrew word is used of
a walk before the priests' chambers in the future temple. Zechariah
probably refers here to such a walk or way; Thou shalt not
merely walk among priests like thyself, as in the old temple walks, but among the very angels as thine associates.
HENGSTENBERG translates,
"I will give thee guides (from) among these," &c. But there is no
"from" in the Hebrew; English Version is therefore better. Priests
are called angels or "messengers" (@Mal 2:7); they are therefore
thought worthy to be associated with heavenly angels. So these latter
are present at the assemblies of true Christian worshippers
(@1Co 11:10; compare @Ec 5:6 Eph 3:10 Re 22:9).
8. Hear--On account of the magnitude of what He is about to say, He
at once demands solemn attention.
thy fellows that sit before thee--thy subordinate colleagues in the
priesthood; not that they were actually then sitting before him; but
their usual posture in consultations was on chairs or benches before
him, while he sat on an elevated seat as their president.
they are--From speaking to Joshua He passes to speaking
of him and them, in the third person, to the attendant angels
(compare @Zec 3:9).
men wondered at--Hebrew, "men of wonder," that is, having a typical
character (@Isa 8:18 20:3 Eze 12:11 24:24). Joshua the high priest
typifies Messiah, as Joshua's "fellows" typify believers whom Messiah
admits to share His Priesthood (@1Pe 2:5 Re 5:10). This, its typical
character, then, is a pledge to assure the desponding Jews that the
priesthood shall be preserved till the great Antitype comes. There may
be also an indirect reproof of the unbelief of the multitude who
"wonder" at God's servants and even at God's Son incredulously
(@Ps 71:7 Isa 8:18 53:1, &c.).
behold--marking the greatness of what follows.
my servant--the characteristic title of Messiah
(@Isa 42:1 49:3 50:10 52:13 53:11 Eze 34:23,24).
the Branch--Messiah, a tender branch from the almost extinct royal
line of David (@Zec 6:12 Isa 4:2 11:1 Jer 23:5 33:15). @Lu 1:78,
where for "day spring," "branch" may be substituted
(@Mal 4:2, however, favors English Version).
The reference cannot be to Zerubbabel (as
GROTIUS thinks), for he was then in the full discharge of his office,
whereas "the Branch" here is regarded as future.
9. For--expressing the ground for encouragement to the Jews in building
the temple: I (Jehovah) have laid the (foundation) stone as the chief
architect, before (in the presence of) Joshua, by "the hand of
Zerubbabel" (@Zec 4:10 Ezr 3:8-13), so that your labor in building
shall not be vain. Antitypically, the (foundation) stone alluded to is
Christ, before called "the Branch." Lest any should think from that term
that His kingdom is weak, He now calls it "the stone," because of its
solidity and strength whereby it is to be the foundation of the Church,
and shall crush all the world kingdoms (@Ps 118:22; compare
@Isa 28:16 Da 2:45 Mt 21:42 1Co 3:11 1Pe 2:6,7). The angel pointing
to the chief stone lying before Him, intimates that a deeper mystery
than the material temple is symbolized.
MOORE thinks the "stone" is
the Jewish Church, which Jehovah engages watchfully to guard.
The temple, rather, is that symbolically. But the antitype of the
foundation-stone is Messiah.
upon one stone shall be seven eyes--namely, the watchful "eyes" of
Jehovah's care ever fixed "upon" it (@Zec 4:10)
[MAURER]. The eye
is the symbol of Providence: "seven," of perfection (@Re 5:6;
compare @2Ch 16:9 Ps 32:8). Antitypically, "the seven eyes upon the
stone" are the eyes of all angels (@1Ti 3:16), and of all saints
(@Joh 3:14,15 12:32), and of the patriarchs and prophets
(@Joh 8:56 1Pe 1:10,11), fixed on Christ; above all, the eyes of the
Father ever rest with delight on Him.
CALVIN (perhaps better) considers
the seven eyes to be carved on the stone, that is, not the eyes
of the Father and of angels and saints ever fixed on Him, but His
own sevenfold (perfect) fullness of grace, and of gifts of the
Spirit (@Isa 11:2,3 Joh 1:16 3:34 Col 1:19 2:9), and His watchful
providence now for the Jews m building the temple, and always for His
Church, His spiritual temple. Thus the "stone" is not as other stones
senseless, but living and full of eyes of perfect intelligence
(@1Pe 2:4, "a living stone"), who not only attracts the eyes
(@Joh 12:32) of His people, but emits illumination so as to direct
them to Him.
engrave . . . graying--implying Messiah's exceeding beauty and
preciousness; alluding to the polished stones of the temple: Christ
excelled them, as much as God who "prepared His body" (@Heb 10:5;
compare @Joh 2:21) is superior to all human builders.
remove . . . iniquity of that land in one day--that is, the iniquity
and its consequences, namely the punishment to which the Jews heretofore
had been subjected (@Hag 1:6,9-11). The remission of sin is the
fountain of every other blessing. The "one day" of its removal is
primarily the day of national atonement celebrated after the completion
of the temple (@Le 23:27) on the tenth day of the seventh month.
Antitypically, the atonement by Messiah for all men, once for all ("one day") offered, needing no repetition like the Mosaic sacrifices
(@Heb 10:10,12,14).
10. under . . . vine . . . fig tree--emblem of tranquil prosperity (@1Ki 4:25). Type of spiritual peace with God through Christ (@Ro 5:1); and of millennial blessedness (@Mic 4:4).