A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

 August 15, 2020

 

Zechariah 3:1-10

 

A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.   And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”  Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.   And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him, he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”   And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”  So, they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.   Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.   For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.   In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”

As you read the first verse you should recall that the battle that took place in heaven in Revelation 12:8-10, but the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. “But he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.   And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.   And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

 

When I was just a young man on my first mission trip with my mentor Jack Archer, and we met Pastor Joe, who was a missionary in Mexico.   When the day had ended, and we were getting dinner it was still very bright outside and as we entered the bar where we ate it was so dark you could see just the person closest to you.  As we sat at our table it became apparent that people were sitting all around us.  Pastor Joe ask me if I knew these people were all around us and I said no.  He said young man that is how sin works at first it looks so dark, but the longer you allow yourself to stay in the darkness it just gets lighter and lighter, as did this room.  We live in darkness, it is on our TVs and in the books we read, and the movies we watch, but it’s a choice, do we let the darkness in, or do we say no to it?  

Joshua, the high priest is being accused by Satan before God, and the devil is one slick dude, first, he deceives us and then he accuses us, he is a master in both areas.  As one that is a follower of Christ, we are his biggest targets, and pastors and leaders get special attention from him and his co-workers.  We see in the vision Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord in his filthy clothes.  That is, you and me, but because of the blood of Jesus, we have been declared not guilty.  Sweeter words have never been spoken that these about Joshua the high priest, who is representative of the people and the nation of Israel.  “And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” 

 

What is the brand plucked from the fire?  We see the prophet, Amos, using those same words, and he is referring to Israel and Judah, in Amos 4:11, “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.  And so, they entered judgment, and now God is showing mercy and forgiveness to a people of His own choosing.

 

God gives Joshua the same promise that He has given us in Jesus, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.   

 

Do not forget the deceiver and accuser are very real and it is up to you to not allow him access to your life.  Also, you have access to God in the form of the Holy Spirit, He is referred to as the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, the Intercessor and He is a gentleman and will not force you to listen to His still quiet voice, but a wise person will find a quiet room and be still and wait for Him to speak.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice