Zechariah 3:1-10 For Joshua
Zechariah receives a vision for Joshua. He is declared clean and made clean by God for service to the people of Jerusalem. “Shut up Satan! He’s MINE!”
When God brought back the people of Judah, He made certain to include some of the Levites in that remnant. They were the only ones who were allowed to minister to the people on His behalf. Joshua was assigned the position of high priest. We don’t see that ceremony of choosing by the “lot” or by the people but we see God validate that calling.
Zechariah most likely related this vision to Joshua, unless God showed them it simultaneously. That would have been AWESOME! NOT beyond the realm of possibilities with God. I imagine that Joshua was both honored and humbled in the revelation of this message from God; however he learned of the calling.
There was no higher calling in the service to the Lord. And there was no higher position of responsibility when caring for the people. The high priest was the ONLY one who could enter the Holy of Holies; the place where God’s presence dwelt in the Temple. The Ark of God no longer occupied the Holy of Holies but God’s presence would again reside there. It was still the place where the high priest met with the Lord once a year to atone for the sins of the nation.
The high priest was also responsible for the direction of the nation and ensuring that they were following God and NOT another idol. He was the ultimate authority when interpreting the Law and responsible to ensure that those under him taught God’s Law with integrity. If the nation went astray, he was ultimately responsible for it. A position of HEAVY responsibility.
When Joshua stood before the ‘court’, he did so in filthy rags. He had no righteousness of his own to stand before God or to stand above the people. But he had a heart after the Lord. He wouldn’t have been put in this place otherwise. I’m certain he knew his own state of sin.
The first thing that happened in the ‘courtroom’ was Satan tried to attack Joshua. Before Joshua could even get a word of protest out of his mouth, if he even believed he could protest, God shut Satan down. God didn’t wait for the charges to be brought. He didn’t defend Joshua’s character. He didn’t even let Satan get a word out of his mouth before being shut down completely. And God had the AUTHORITY to back that command up! Satan was completely unable to speak against Joshua as God dealt with him.
Once Joshua was chosen by God, GOD did the work to clean him up. The angel of the Lord changed his clothes from the filthy rags to the robes of righteousness. Zechariah even reminded the angel to put a “clean turban” on his head; the symbol of authority. NOT that God wasn’t already going to do that. Zechariah probably jumped in out of excitement.
After Joshua was clean, God charged him to stay that way. He would do this by walking in integrity in the office he was called to. He would also be required to walk in integrity in his personal life. NO WAY would God let him have a sinful personal life and lead the people. Yes. I’m CERTAIN that he fell short from time to time. But sin could not be a pattern for his life as he served the Lord and the people.
We are not all called to stand in a place of authority like Joshua was, but we ALL experience the same process he did. When we recognize our own state and come to God, we are CHOSEN by Him as His child. We don’t get to join His family because we are such ‘great people’. We come in filthy rags. And HE cleanse us. He takes off the rags and replaces them with His righteous robes. He makes us clean and charges us to stay that way.
Yes. We will ALL fall short from time to time, but God will NEVER remove His name from us or strip us of HIS garments. He will wash us again until nothing but His righteousness can be seen. Men may still hold the memory of our fall but God doesn’t. NOT because He can’t remember but because He chooses not to remember. He chooses to give us a clean slate to start again. Sometimes He lets us pick up where we left off and other times He puts us on a new direction where He knows we will grow and regrow from the ’damage’ from our fall. He NEVER tosses us on the trash heap. He continues to clean us, walk with us, direct our path, and encourage us to grow deeper in love with Him.
I know. We went farther on our walk/transformation than the vision God showed Zechariah, but we KNOW He went through these same processes with Joshua after calling him to Himself. What God did show Zechariah to share with Joshua though, is that there was COMPLETE deliverance on the way. There was One who would completely wash away the sins of ALL who were His own. The Branch. The Messiah. Jesus Christ. God’s only begotten Son.
And HIS righteous blood is what washes us clean. And it is HIS robe that He puts on us so we can stand before our God.
Father God, THANK YOU for Jesus! THANK YOU for washing me clean. THANK YOU for Your forgiveness when I ‘get dirty’ again. I am UNWORTHY of this AMAZING gift You have given me. And I am honored to be called Your child. NOT because I earned that place but because You loved me enough to make it possible for me to come to You. Help me to grow every day deeper in love and relationship with You.
Father God, I’m going to throw in an extra prayer for personal help. You know the challenges I’m facing in caring for my husband. You know the equipment I have requested that will allow me to meet his increasing needs. PLEASE provide the resources to acquire this equipment VERY SOON. If it will be coming through insurance coverage, make them process and approve it in record time. If from another source, show me where to turn. I would sing Your praises of a MIRACLE if You stepped in and made the one company return the money they owe me immediately! It is exactly the amount needed to complete the purchase. I’m asking for that miracle now Father God. But I’m leaving the direction of all this in Your hands. And if You have something more I should do in the process, show me clearly what those steps are.
