Zechariah 3:3

What the Lord did for Joshua the high priest, the Lord has done for every believer. The Bible says in Zechariah 3:3-5, “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.” The “filthy garments” represent sin. All human beings are sinners, and something needs to be done about the sin problem. What have you done about your sin problem? What needs to be done is repentance and turning to Jesus to find His forgiveness. Zechariah 3:4 symbolizes the forgiveness of sins. It says, “Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”

If forgiveness of sins was the only thing that Jesus did for us, then we would still owe Him everything; but the truth is that Jesus has done even more for each believer. Among the things that Jesus has done for each believer is to give us power and authority and honor. That is what is symbolized when Zechariah 3:5 says about Joshua the high priest, “Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.” This “mitre” was a fancy turban or a crown of some sort, and being placed upon the head has always been a symbol of power and authority. That is why kings wear crowns. That is why we sing about Jesus, “Crown Him with many crowns.” The truth is that He crowns us with crowns. He gives us who are sinners power and authority in His kingdom and in His work. That is why the rewards of Christians are called “crowns” in the New Testament. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote in Second Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

Once we are forgiven of our sins, and given authority and other gifts from Christ, God has some things that He wants us to do. It says in Zechariah 3:6-7, “And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” Notice that in Zechariah 3:4 there were no requirements for Joshua the high priest to receive the forgiveness of sins. It was given to Joshua by an act of God. God said, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee.” This is grace. But when we get to Zechariah 3:7, we see that there are requirements for Joshua. That is the way salvation works. We are saved by faith in Christ without works, but after we are saved, God has some things that He wants us to do for Him in this life. Notice the word “if” in Zechariah 3:7, “If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge.”

Some of God’s promises are without condition, such as salvation by faith in Jesus. But some of His other promises do have conditions to them. Let’s look at just a few of the promises that have conditions. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those that love God, to those that are the called according to His purposes.” That is a great promise that “all things work together for good,” but the condition is that we must “love God” in order for such an outcome to be guaranteed. Here is another great promise with a condition. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Jesus promises to take care of all of our material needs, but there is a condition: we must seek “first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Let’s look at one more of the great promises of the New Testament. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.” God promises to give us wisdom, but there is a condition: we must ask for wisdom. Some people are wise in their own eyes, and do not ask. Therefore, all that they can ever attain to is human wisdom and arrogance. They will never have wisdom that comes from God, if they do not ask Him.

Joshua the high priest was given promises, but there were conditions. First notice the promises in Zechariah 3:7, “then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” When the Lord said to Joshua, “then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts,” the Lord was promising Joshua an opportunity to serve the Lord in this world. You can only serve the Lord if He gives you an opportunity to do so. Jesus must equip you with gifts, and He must open the doors that only He can open. It is a great privilege to be chosen to accomplish a work for God, but there is a condition and a requirement. Of course, you must be a believer, but after being saved, there is a condition. The condition is found in the first part of Zechariah 3:7 that says, “If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge.” To walk in God’s ways means that you are willing to change your own ideas for the ideas that you have found in the Bible. To walk in God’s ways means that as you read and study the Bible, you change your own behavior to conform to the principles that you found in the Bible. Let’s take just one example. Human beings easily and often tell lies. Scientifically it has been demonstrated that people tend to lie more, especially when they think they have something to gain from doing so. When a person who has told lies becomes saved through faith in Jesus, that person will read in the Bible that God said, “Thou shalt not lie.” This Christian must now be determined to always tell the truth no matter what the situation, if he or she wants to walk in God’s ways.

To keep God’s charge refers to the fact that God has an assignment for every person. He has a specific work and specific task for each believer to be involved in. Let’s mention a few examples: some believers are called to preach the gospel, and some believers are called to sing the songs of Zion, but other believers are called to listen and to support those who have the other calling. Serious mistakes are made when someone tries to do something for which they are not called. Without listeners preachers have no one to preach to and singers have no one to sing to. Every calling is important because each calling fits into God’s plan. Being a parent is a calling that lasts somewhere between twenty years and a life-time. Like every calling, God determines the outcome, but we determine if we are dedicated to God’s calling for us or not. The human will is very strong, and therefore, it is very difficult for some people to learn to be surrendered.

God promised Joshua that if he met the conditions “then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts.” There was one other promise. In the last part of Zechariah 3:7 God promised, “and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” We desperately need to be guided by the Lord. There are so many different paths and so many different choices. And there are many circumstances that often come to pass over which we have no control because we are mere mortals. To have the all powerful Being giving us supernatural guidance is exactly what we need. This promise of divine guidance is given very clearly in Isaiah 30:21 that says, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

It is a good thing that we have a Savior because we fail so often. Even though we are given responsibilities and conditions from God, we can turn right around and put all of these burdens on Jesus and He will perform them for us. In other words we simply need to put our faith in Jesus even concerning the Christian responsibilities that we have. We do not have a religion of works, but one of faith. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Once we mention or even think about our Christian responsibilities, it is always good to turn immediately to the Savior and talk about what He will do for us. That is exactly what Zechariah did. The Lord tells Joshua what he ought to do in Zechariah 3:7, and then in Zechariah 3:8 the Lord tells us what God is going to do for us: God is going to send a Savior. It says in Zechariah 3:8, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.” First notice that Jesus is called “my servant.” God wanted the children of Israel to be His servants. That is one of the reasons He gave them the law: to show them how to serve Him. Of course, God wants Christians to be His servants. That is one of the reasons that He gave us grace through Christ: to give us the capacity to serve Him. O but how much we all miserably failed. Israel failed to be God’s servants. The angel of light, Lucifer, failed to serve God. And sadly, the church has also failed to serve God. But Jesus did not fail. There is One who truly became the servant of God: Jesus of Nazareth. The Messiah said in Psalm 40:7-8, “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

The Apostle Matthew in Matthew chapter 12 quoted from Isaiah concerning the Messiah who is called the “servant.” It says in Isaiah 42:1-4, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” Submitting to the death on the cross was actually an act of obedience and servitude, the Son serving the Father. What acts of obedience do you perform in your service to the Savior?

Jesus was a servant, but He was also “the Branch.” Calling the Messiah “the Branch” was an emphasis on where He came from: His origin. Of course, He came from Israel. He was of the lineage of David of the house of Judah. That was an important truth for the people to hear who were alive during the time of Zechariah. The people had questions about their destiny and about their future. What was going to happen to their beloved land and their capital, Jerusalem? Would they finally be destroyed by their enemies and come to nothing? Perhaps God would change His mind and send the Messiah from another country or from another people. The Messiah is called “the branch” in order to remind the people that the great promises of a Savior and a Messiah would be fulfilled just as they were told to Abraham and to David. Israel had a future then and Israel has a future now because the Messiah is the Branch. The great prophesy that came through Zechariah 3:8 is very clear: “I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.”

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