Looking to the Future
Zechariah 3:1–10
📖 Scripture
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.
2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.
4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.
6 The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua:
7 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
8 “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.
9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
10 “‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
💡 Scripture Summary
Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing to accuse him. The Lord rebukes Satan and commands Joshua’s filthy clothes to be removed. Joshua receives clean garments and a turban. The Lord promises that His servant, the Branch, will come and He will remove the sin of the land in one day.
🔎 Reflection
Leaving the Past Behind (3:1–7)
In a vision, Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before God in filthy clothes while Satan stands nearby to accuse him. God, however, rebukes Satan. He commands that Joshua’s filthy clothes be taken away and gives him fine, clean garments instead. Past sins often cling to us, keeping us from experiencing the bright future God has planned. Satan, the accuser, is quick to list all our offenses as we seek to renew a right relationship with our Lord. But the filthy rags of our past failures are removed by God’s grace, and in their place, we are clothed in robes of righteousness provided by our Lord. Our rags exchanged for robes; this is the message of the cross of Christ.
What sins and failures from your past continue to hinder you as you seek to follow Jesus into the future He has for you? What image or word in this passage speaks to you in a personal way?
A Fruitful Future (3:8–10)
God informs Joshua the high priest that he and his associates are symbols of things to come. God promises that His servant, called the Branch, will come and that He Himself will remove the sin of the land in a single day. Scripture shows us that “the Branch” refers to the Messiah (see Isa. 11:1). The stone with seven eyes or facets is a symbol of strength and the infinite wisdom found in Christ. Those who cling to the Branch and build their lives upon the rock of His wisdom will know the forgiveness of their sins, enter into healthy relationships with their neighbors, and experience the blessings that come from a relationship with God’s Son in this life as well as in the life to come.
Reflect on how the symbols in this vision reflect Christ’s work in the lives of those who believe in Him. How have you seen this work in your life?
📜 Memory Verse
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
– Zechariah 1:3
💬 Today’s Inspiration
“At the cross Jesus took the full extent of my (and your) uncleanness onto himself.”
– Sam Allberry
🙏 Prayer
God, You are the God who removes our filthy rags and replaces them with clean, fine robes. My heart overflows in worship and praise for the cleansing power of Your Son’s blood shed on Calvary’s cross. In Jesus’ name, amen.
🖋 Essay
Robes of Righteousness
The enemy of our souls loves nothing more than to make us feel rejected, ashamed, and unworthy of God’s love. He works day and night to remind us of our past sins and failures, taunting us with the many ways we’ve fallen short throughout our lives. He never stops trying to convince us that God’s mercy and love are meant for others but surely not for someone as broken and shameful as we are. If we don’t remain careful and alert, we may begin to believe these nefarious lies and baseless accusations. We may start to think of ourselves as beyond God’s forgiveness and mercy.
So, what can we do to ensure that we don’t fall into the enemy’s trap? We fix our attention on what God says about us. The truth is, we are all unworthy of God’s forgiveness based on our own merit; we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standards for salvation. And that’s why we desperately need Jesus. Psalm 103:12 tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
God doesn’t dangle our failures in our faces. When we turn from our sin and commit our lives to Him, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Lay down your burdens of shame and defeat and accept God’s healing and restoration. Just like in today’s passage, God longs to take off our filthy robes of past sin and failure, and instead give us His garments of dignity, purpose, and wholeness.
Written by Natasha Spiers