Satan can use our thoughts against us by making some false accusations against us in our own mind… I’ll talk more about that in a moment. As we study through God’s Word and take a look at Satan, we have seen three pictures of him so far… Satan wears subtlety, as we saw from Genesis 3. Satan wears shackles (Job 1 & 2). Last month, we saw that Satan wears pride, in the sense that he can use our strengths against us when we pridefully depend on our own strengths instead of the power from the Lord. Today, we look at the flip-side of that idea. That is, Satan can also use our weaknesses, our sinfulness, to discourage us, to accuse us falsely – to plant into our minds the lie that we cannot be saved. Our sins are so great or so frequent, there is no forgiveness.
God sent Israel into exile because of their sins. God caused them to remain there for 70 years – basically two generations. Israel has been sinful since the day God created them as a nation in Egypt! They have hardly lived one single generation without giving themselves to sin, especially to idolatry. It has been a considerable challenge for God to keep Israel faithful to Him through the years.
Joshua the high priest is standing before the angel of the Lord (3:1). The high priest, of course, is supposed to be the one who represents the people to God. He is the one who is supposed to make the sacrifices – especially on the Day of Atonement – that provide forgiveness of sins for Israel so they can be righteous in God’s eyes. But there is Satan in the picture “to accuse” Joshua! Satan wears false accusations; Satan is a liar and the father of lies Jesus tells us in John 8:44.
But Jehovah God speaks up and rebukes Satan (ver. 2). The One who “chose Jerusalem” rebukes Satan! Why? Because apparently Satan was telling the lie that Jerusalem could no longer be God’s city. Apparently Satan is telling Joshua the high priest that he can no longer be righteous in God’s eyes nor can Israel be righteous anymore in God’s eyes.
Jehovah told others – angels in the vision – standing before Him to remove those filthy garments from Joshua (ver. 4). Why? Because forgiveness of sins is available! Because righteousness in the eyes of God is possible!
In verse 8, the angel tells Joshua that he and his friends – perhaps other priests, perhaps the nation of Israel – are a symbol… Joshua, in particular, is a symbol of God’s servant, known here as the Branch (ver. 8). This word connects with the “root of Jesse” from Isaiah 11:1, so we know that Zechariah is seeing the Son of David, better known as the “Messiah” in this vision.
What is pictured here and in 6:11-15 is a man who will serve both as King and as High Priest! And there is only one man who is both King and High Priest! Jesus Christ! Verse 13 – “Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” There is only one man who is a priest reigning on His throne – Jesus Christ – and that is the whole message of the book of Hebrews!
Once again, in chapter 6 and verse 15, the angel tells Zechariah to share the message with Israel: “it will take place if you completely obey the Lord your God.” There is forgiveness of sins if you will “completely obey” the Lord God. Jesus governs as King and saves as Priest. He governs those He saves and He saves those He governs.
Don’t listen to Satan’s lies! You don’t have too much dirt that the blood of Christ cannot cleanse you! Listen to Jesus and do what He says to do.
Paul Holland
