In the opening verses here we have vision number five of the total of ten visions given to Zechariah. In this vision Zechariah saw Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The LORD chose Aaron as the first high priest. He needed to understand the importance of serving the true God at all times. We know that Aaron failed in his responsibilities on several occasions. He did not walk in the fear of the Lord as he needed to. He proved the fallibility of a human high priest. Jesus Christ is the ultimate and the great High Priest. He is without sin and thus can mediate between God and man perfectly.
Joshua was standing before the LORD to receive his orders from the LORD. We see that Satan was standing at his right hand to resist him. There is nothing good in Satan. He is a fallen angel and he is a destroyer of that which is good. Those who are saved do not need to fear him. We need to understand he has power and we do not fight with him. We draw nigh to God and He fights against the devil. We see that Satan was there to resist Joshua. Satan does not want any good work to be done. He will try to distract and to disrupt any work of the LORD.
In verse 2 the LORD spoke to Satan. Joshua did not speak to Satan. God does not want man to talk to Satan. We are taught to draw nigh to God and He will take care of Satan. The LORD here is described as the LORD that had chosen Jerusalem. There is only one true God and there are many ways to identify Him. Satan is referred to as a brand plucked out of the fire. This is a reference to the time when Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. That is the final end of Satan. At the end of the Millennium, he will be loosed for a short season and he will gather the majority of the people who have lived during the Millennium, and he will convince them to fight against the Lord. The Lord will come in on His white horse and He will defeat the rebellion and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. There will be no need for him to stand at the great white throne judgment. He will be cast directly into the lake of fire. All those who have rejected God from the time of Cain all the way through human history, will be resurrected and stand before the Lord at the great white throne judgment. We have the completed Scriptures and we can study and understand what is being said.
In verse 3, Zechariah noted that Joshua was not dressed properly. His garments were filthy. This filth was from his duties as a high priest. In that capacity he needed to deal with the sins of the people. Verse 4 shows us this. He did not need to commit the sins, but it was his duty to bring the appropriate sacrifice before the LORD to atone for the sins of the people. In order for Joshua to be able to serve God, he needed clean garments on. Of course his heart needed to be right with the Lord. The garments were a symbol of the need of the heart. Thus we see in verse 4 that the LORD had caused his iniquity to pass from him. Joshua was not a rebellious sinner. He was not seeking to walk in sin. Nevertheless he was tainted by sin and needed to be cleansed. The change of raiment was the picture of the spiritual cleansing. We know that when God instituted the ministry of the high priest, he needed to wash himself and change his garments in order to minister before the LORD. He also needed to wash himself and change his garments when he was done serving the LORD. The clean garments are a picture of the garments of salvation as spoken of in Isaiah 61:10. They are a picture of the righteousness of Christ as seen in Romans 10:4 that the child of God is clothed in.
In verse 5 Joshua needed the fair mitre on his head. The word translated as “fair” speaks of “pure, clean”. The fair mitre is a picture of the helmet of salvation that Paul wrote of in Ephesians 6:17. The Catholics try to copy the Old Testament priestly garments, but they are lost people who corrupt the priesthood anyway. Furthermore, we do not need human priests today. Jesus Christ is the final and great High Priest. Pastors are not priests. Pastors are not commanded by God to intercede on behalf of the people. Pastors can pray for the people, but every person has access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. The key is to turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and then we can enjoy that sweet fellowship with the Father and with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 5 we see as well that the angel of the LORD stood by as they clothed Joshua. God’s work needs to be done God’s way. He makes sure that His servants are properly dressed. The proper clothing is symbolic of the nature of the heart. Outward appearance without a cleansed heart means nothing. Those whose hearts have been cleansed will be teachable and will understand the significance of having the right garments on.
In verse 6 we read that the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua. The word translated as “protested” means “to repeat, or to go around”. Joshua needed to be reminded again of what his responsibility was.
In verse 7 Joshua was reminded of the words of the LORD of hosts. Notice that important but little word “If”. That is a very important word in the Bible. God had promises for Joshua. Those promises were dependent upon Joshua’s willingness to obey the LORD of hosts. Joshua needed to keep the charge of the LORD of hosts. As we have noted many times, God promises to bless His children. He also expects His children to obey Him. The blessings are dependent upon being a willing recipient of the blessings. It is not a matter of holding one’s hand out to receive the blessing. It is a matter of having one’s heart changed by God to receive the blessing.
If Joshua would keep the charge of the LORD of hosts, then he would judge the LORD’s house. Then he would keep the LORD’s courts. Then he would be given places to walk among those that stand by. God is willing to bless. He knows the value of His blessings. They are far too precious to just throw them into the mud.
It is important for God’s children to be taught properly. We need to understand the significance of being a child of God. God’s people are different from the inside out. We do not dress to impress people. We dress to glorify God.
Some years ago I pastored in a small town church for the summer. The people came to church in everyday clothing. They were welcome to come. I spoke with the members of the church and asked them about that. They stated that they did not have anything better. I accepted that until the school graduation day came. We lived close to the auditorium where the graduation was held, and all the people walked past our house to go to the ceremony. They were all very sharply dressed for that occasion. I mentioned that to the people at our next meeting. It was not that they did not have better clothing. It was that their hearts were not right with the Lord. It should be of much greater importance to dress for the glory of God, than to dress to impress others at a graduation event.
Those who are saved will be given white robes in heaven. There will be no work clothes there. There will only be born again Christians in heaven, and all will be dressed to glorify God. The clothing does not make a person a Christian. The saved person will want to dress in a way that glorifies God. It is a motivation that comes from a changed heart. We do not dress to try to blend with the world. We dress to glorify God and show the world the blessing there is in knowing the true God.
God first mentioned the garments of Joshua and then spoke of the symbolism of the garments. The clean garments would never be suitable if Joshua’s heart was not right with the LORD.
Pastor Bartel