6. The Third Vision Pt 1. - ZechArian 3:1-5

The Cleansing of Joshua - vs 1-5

Review

Arrived at the Center of the Chiasm

Vision 1: The Horseman and the Man Amongst the Myrtles

Vision 2: The Four Horns and the Four Craftsmen

Vision 3: The City without Walls

Vision 4: The Priest

Vision 5: The King

Vision 6: The Flying Scroll

Vision 7: Woman in the Basket

Vision 8: The Four Chariots

Chiasm points to how God will accomplish all that we have talked about previously and will talk about in the next visions

The Charge of the Third Vision

Flee the daughter of Babylon and come home to be a daughter of Zion where the Servant will protect, bless, live and rejoice with His people

How is that possible?

Satan Rebuked - vs 1-2

Zechariah 3:1 “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Joshua

Real man - The High Priest - Haggai 1:1 “In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest…”

Zerubbabel - governer, descendent of David

Joshua - High Priest - only priest who is able to enter into the Holy of Holies on one day every year - the day of atonement - grand reset

Cleanses the people from their sin

Cleanses the Temple and the priesthood from their uncleanness

Joshua’s cleanness is key for the entire system to work and for the people to be cleansed

Standing before angel of YHWH - He is interceding

Mediator between God and Israel - attempting to minister a relationship

Angel of the Lord

Must be divine Christophony - High Priest is to appealing to YHWH

Joshua appeals to AOL - AOL is the true mediator between God and man

Satan standing on to accuse Joshua

Satan - name means Accuser - see Gen 3, Job 1, 1 Chron 21,

Joshua is not clean - true accusations - threat to the legitimacy of his priesthood

What is he going to say?

Zech 3:2 “And Yahweh said to Satan, “May Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand delivered from the fire?””

YHWH Said

The Angel of the Lord speaks first

Just as in Job, YHWH initiates and Satan can only listen

Angel of the Lord speaks for YHWH - indication that He is divine

May YWWH rebuke you

Petition for YHWH to act - AOL is interceding for Joshua

NT develops this reality further

1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;”

Romans 8:33-34 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

Heb 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Stops the condemnation of Satan - cancels out external threat

YHWH has chosen Jerusalem

Not only rebukes Satan - Makes the case for His intercession based on God’s character and past action

Reference back to God’s purpose of restoring the covenant relationship He established with Israel’s forefathers

Zech 1:17 ““Again, call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “My cities will again overflow with good, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”

Zech 2:12 “Then Yahweh will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.”

Branch delivered from the fire

Should you pick up a burning log? No

This is a description of Joshua and the entire Temple system

Because of God’s election - He will deliver something that should just burn down

Amos 4:11 “I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand delivered from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.”

Prophecy of Israel’s impending judgement of exile, promise of deliverence, and Israel’s continued hard-heartedness

Lack of repentance is the same issue that Zechariah is addressing

Zech 1:3 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts.”

Filthy Garmets to Festal Robes - vs 3-5

Zechariah 3:3 “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.”

Clothed with filthy garments - reason why Satan stands to accuse

Clothes covered in excrement

Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.”

This is disgusting in our modern context, but in the context Israel, and of the Tempple, is Joshua fit to be High Priest?

Joshua is the main representative of the entire priesthood and the entire nation before God - if he’s unclean who else is?

So how could Joshua stand, be delivered, and the AOL intercede for him?

Isaiah 4:2-4 “In that day the Branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the honor of those of Israel who escape. It will be that he who remains in Zion and is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is written down for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and rinsed away the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,”

YHWH will remember His promise to cleanse them

In the day the Branch of YHWH will be beautiful…remember for later

Standing before Angel

Who’s doing the priestly work for the High Priest? AOL

Zech 3:4 “And he answered and spoke to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have made your iniquity pass away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.””

Those standing before Joshua

Leviticus 16 - the priesthood stands before the High Priest who cleanses them during the day of atonement

Why does AOL talk to them?

AOL is carrying out the role of the High Priest - leading the priesthood in the cleansing act

Reiterates the reality that God has made it necessary for Israel to participate in His work of redemption

They must rebuild the temple

They must rebuild the city

They must return from Babylon

They must repent

They haven’t - even now

I have made your iniquity pass away

Even though priesthood is called to participate - AOL is really the one who cleanses Joshua’s filth

Micah 7:18 “Who is a God like You, who forgives iniquity And passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold fast to His anger forever Because He delights in lovingkindness.”

Pass away - points to God’s forgiveness, but also His passing over of their sins

Why is He just to forgive? Passover - the sacrifice of the Lamb

Clothe with festal robes

Isaiah 61:10 “I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh; My soul will rejoice in my God, For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a headdress, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

The priest will again be clothed in robes that have been cleansed - robe of righteousness and salvation

Zechariah 3:5 “Then 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, while the angel of Yahweh was standing by.”

Who is the I? - Zechariah

Shouldn’t this be the AOL speaking?

The prophet is modeling the priest’s participation

vs 4a - Commands the removal of the filthy garments

vs 4b - promises the clothing of festal robes

Turban

Exodus 28:36-37 ““You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘Holy to Yahweh.’ “You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban.”

make this man Holy to YHWH - complete transformation from filthy and unclean to Holy

Ezekiel 21:26-27 “thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Remove the turban and take off the crown; this will no longer be the same. Make high that which is low and make low that which is high. ‘A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until He comes to whom belongs the legal judgment , and I will give it to Him.’”

In the exile the High Priest and the King will be removed until…He comes and receives the Turban and the Crown

this vision of Joshua is just that - a vision, a picture of the One who will receive the Turban of the High Priest

Mirrors the work and the role of who?

Phrase “To whom belongs” - compress these three words together and you get “asher - l - ho” - Shiloh

Gen 49:10 ““The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

And in Zech’s vision who’s there next to Joshua

AOL standing by

Joshua stood before YHWH to minister

Satan stands to accuse

Joshua stood before AOL to be cleansed

AOL is the one who stands by to minister

By interceding

By cleansing

Who’s the real and ultimate High Priest? The AOL

Application Questions

1. What do we learn about the nature of Christ’s Intercession for us?

2. How is sin and uncleaness depicted in this passage and how should that effect our thinking?

3. Did this passage give you greater insight or understanding into the person and work of Christ?