Skip to main content

Zechariah 3:6-8 Joshua, the high priest gets new clothes - Day 350

Good morning fellow exiles and sojourners,

As we near the finish line for this year's challenge, I am reminded that this world is not our home.  We should live as exiles and sojourners, just passing through.  The returning exiles to Judah were probably thinking of permanent residence in the Promised Land.  Let us look to heaven as our permanent dwelling.

Blessings,

Jeff

Joshua, the high priest, is subject of Zechariah's vision.  Another one of the many ways at many times Hebrews 1

Zechariah sees the angel addressing Joshua.  Zechariah is the one who writes it down and then tells Joshua what he saw. The angel is the one who says "Thus says the Lord...", not Zechariah.

The post exile prophets generally have a positive or encouraging message.  If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge...  God is giving the same conditions to Joshua as He had given to the nation of Israel.  I think this is encouraging in that the failures of Israel and Judah are not held against the current generation.  The exile is a picture of the debt being paid.  The return is a picture of new life.  Of course, Jesus is the true payment and in Him is new life.

What is "the right of access"?  Who are "those who are standing here"?  The answers have to go together. This whole vision is "before the angel of the Lord".  So it makes sense that "those standing here" are the same ones from V 4 who were directed to remove his filthy garments and clothe him with pure vestments.  Furthermore, it is clear that this change o clothes is symbolic of taking away his iniquity.  So I conclude that they are angels, not men.  So the access would have to be spiritual not purely physical.  As high priest, Joshua would have physical access to the holy of holies (once the temple is rebuilt), but the angel of the Lord seems to by speaking of spiritual access to God.  The angels have always had access to God.

Finally, we must remember that the priest is the representative of the entire people before God.  He is the intermediary.  As we think about this, isn't it a wonderful picture of Christ's work.  He took our filthy garments on himself and stood before the Father and paid the penalty.  Through Him we have access to the Father.  Blessed he His name.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2 Chronicles 33:7-9 Thoughts on Davidic covenant - Day 362

Good morning faithful readers, The finish line is in sight!!!  One of the themes of scripture is that God is a covenant keeping God.  There are many between God and man. Adam, Noah, David are examples.  Covenants are more than promises.  They are made between a superior and inferior with conditions for each side and blessing and penalties based on keeping the conditions.  These are covenants of works which fallen man was unable to keep.  Thanks be to God that the Father made a covenant of grace with Christ, the second Adam, which he fully kept. Blessings, Jeff The promise in v8 was made to David when he had planned to build the temple and God promised to build him a house forever. (2 Sam 7:10).  Seems like there are only two possibilities about Manasseh's disobedience.  Either he knew of this covenant that God had made with his 13th great grandfather and chose to disregard it, or he didn't know of it and was unaware of the penalty.  Let's con...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 30:16-20 Hearts set to seek the Lord - Day 359

Good morning fellow members of the household of God, After writing the devotional, I am thinking about the Passover as a household event.  In ancient Israel, the physical household of man was covered by the blood of the lamb.  Now, it is the spiritual household of God that is covered by the blood of the Lamb. Blessings, Jeff The account of the greatest celebration of Passover since time of Solomon (v 26).   Observations: One of the things that made this one great is participation of some of the tribes from the northern kingdom.  Israel was a united kingdom and Solomon and now toward the end of the northern kingdom, there is at least a semblance of being united. God allows some exemptions: Who offers the sacrifice:  The original Passover was a family by family sacrifice of a lamb.  However in  Deuteronomy 16:5-6 this changed to a centralized location once they entered the promised land.  (You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 35:23-26 Lament for the last good king - Day 364

Good morning fellow exiles and pilgrims, One more day of devotions.  We are indeed exiles and pilgrims in this world as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  The 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks can serve as a reminder that this world is not our home. Blessings, Jeff The lamentations for Josiah written by Jeremiah.  However, the book of Lamentations does not include any reference to Josiah as they are focused on the fall of Jerusalem.  While these lost lamentations were "made the rule" there are only 4 more kings and none of them were good like Josiah and none died in Jerusalem.  The phrase "to this day" generally refers to the time of the author (post exile).  Taken together, it may be that these laments were for the last good king and during the exile the people were longing for the next good king. Zerubbabel in a way was the next good king as temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt. But Jesus truly was the next king and He...
Post a Comment
Read more