Zechariah Sermon Series: Sermon 9
9-29-2024 – Pastor Martin Saine
Zechariah 3 – Part 2
Zec 3:4-5 Then He (who’s speaking?) answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” And I (who is speaking now) said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” King James says “fair mitre” which is a headdress with diadem, written on it was “Holiness to the Lord”. This is the headdress the high priest would have worn (Exodus 28:36-37. So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.
- Priestly garments: Lev 8, Ex 28,
- Shoulder pads with the 12 tribes embroidered on them.
- Breastplate of gold with 12 stones, engraved with the names of the 12 Tribes.
- Rev 21: Pearl gates with names of the 12 Tribes…
- “Seamless robe”
- Psalms 22…
- *Numbers 8 …
- *Romans 11:25-29…
Zec 3:6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,
Zec 3:7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
Joshua, the high priest, is being given the charge here to obey so that he would judge the Lord’s house and have charge of His courts. Interestingly, he’s also given a substantial promise that could easily be overlooked; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here. Who is standing here? And where is here?
Solomon was given a similar charge by God to obey in order to be blessed.
See 1 Kings 3:1-15
Israel has been given this charge many, many, many times as well! When Zechariah interjects in vs 5 “Put a fair mitre on his head” he was alluding to Israel being restored to her proper place in God’s blessing as “Holiness to the Lord”, or separated and set apart for the Lord’s use.
Remember that when the High Priest stood before the Lord on the Day of Atonement, he was representing the people to God. In effect, the High Priest would bear the sin of the people onto the scapegoat to go out into the wilderness.
At this point I’ll mention that I also see Joshua in this passage as a foreshadowing of Jesus himself. Even the name Joshua is the same as that of our Lord.
As strange as it sounds, Jesus himself had to comply with vs 7 above to qualify as our High Priest.
Notice that in Zec 3:3 Joshua is standing clothed in filthy rags, but isn’t saying anything. When Jesus went through his trials, he was also silent. Why?
Why didn’t Jesus ever defend himself?
Because as He stood in our place, there was no defense! He BECAME sin for us, therefore there was no denying the accusations against Him.
See : *Hebrews 5:5-10, John 5:14-47, John 6:32-71 *And most importantly, Matthew 26:37-45
Jesus himself had to keep the Fathers statutes, walk in His ways, and keep His commands in order to become both God’s acceptable sacrifice, AND our High Priest.
Zec 3:8 ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
Joshua and the future priests are a foreshadowing (a wondrous sign) of the Messiah to come.
Branch is “tsemech”, a sprout, that which grew forth.
- See:
- Isaiah 4:2-6
- Isaiah 61:1-11 (note vs 11- “bud” = tsemech)
- Jeremiah 23:1-6
- Jeremiah 33:14-21
- Zechariah 6:12
- Special look:
- Hosea 8:1-8
- “Branch”- netser- greenness, a shoot, descendant
- Isaiah 11:1
- Isaiah 60:19-22
Zec 3:9 For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
- “Stone”
- Psalms 118:22- The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
- *Matthew 21:33-42
- 1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
- 1Co 10:2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
- 1Co 10:3 all ate the same spiritual food,
- 1Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
- “Seven eyes”
- Zech 4:10
- Rev 5:6
- “in one day”
- Isaiah 10:20
- Isaiah 66:8
- Daniel 2
Zec 3:9 For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Zec 3:10 In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”
1 Kings 4:25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
Mic 4:1-7 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the name of the LORD our God Forever and ever. “In that day,” says the LORD, “I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.
Isa 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
Isa 10:21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God.
Isa 66:8-13 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.
Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the LORD. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
“Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;
That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her glory.”
For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees.
As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
Personal Implications;
Corporate Implications:
