Pastor Lester Bentley

(Zechariah 3)

Genesis may be my favorite book in the Bible, but Zechariah 3 is my favorite chapter. In the New Testament, my favorite book is tied between John’s Gospel and Colossians. I hope you will enjoy it. Yet Genesis is still my all-time favorite.

In Zechariah’s next vision we are taken into a courtroom scene in heaven.

The prophet sees Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord. Standing beside him is Satan, whose name means the accuser. That is exactly what he is doing—accusing Joshua.

But there is a problem. Joshua is wearing filthy garments.

In the Old Testament the high priest represented the entire nation before God. If the priest stood before God unclean, it symbolized the condition of the people he represented.

So this vision is not really about Joshua alone. It is about Israel. It is about the spiritual condition of the people.

And it is also about us.

If we were to stand before the holiness of God on the basis of our own righteousness, we would stand exactly as Joshua does—clothed in garments that are unclean.

Satan’s accusations are powerful because they contain truth. Humanity has sinned. We have failed. We fall short of God’s glory.

But something remarkable happens in this vision.

The Lord rebukes Satan.

God does not deny Joshua’s condition. Instead, He commands that the filthy garments be removed.

Then the Lord says something extraordinary:

“See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

Joshua is given clean garments and a clean turban.

The transformation is not something Joshua accomplishes himself. God does it for him.

This vision is one of the clearest pictures of the gospel in the Old Testament. God removes sin and replaces it with righteousness.

But the vision goes even deeper. God introduces a mysterious figure called “My Servant, the Branch.”

This Branch is a prophetic title for the Messiah.

Through this coming servant, God says He will remove the sin of the land in a single day.

That promise reaches forward to the cross.

At Calvary, Christ accomplished in reality what this vision symbolized. Our sin was removed, and Christ’s righteousness was given to us.

The result is reconciliation with God.

The vision ends with a beautiful picture of peace. God promises that people will sit under their vines and fig trees—a biblical symbol of safety and rest.

Because when sin is removed, peace with God becomes possible.

Reflection

Our hope before God does not rest on our righteousness, but on the righteousness He provides.