Zechariah 3 -- A Courtroom Scene

In this night vision, Zechariah saw Joshua, the current High Priest, standing in front of Christ, the Angel of the Lord.  “Joshua is the defendant, Satan is the prosecuting attorney, and Jesus Christ is the defense attorney,” my commentary said.   The nation’s low spiritual level was evident in Joshua’s clothing, which the Hebrew word translates as “excrement-covered”.  “The Jews became defiled while they were attempting to serve the Lord.  If their service was unclean in God’s sight, what must their deliberate sins have been like!” my commentary added.

Satan tried to accuse, but God cut him off with His grace.  My commentary also added:  “When Satan talks to us about God, he lies, but when he talks to God about us, he tells the truth.”

Despite Satan’s accusations here, God cleansed and forgave, taking away sin.  “Don’t get the erroneous idea that the Father yearns to punish us and the Son pleads with Him to change His mind, because that isn’t the picture at all.  The Father and the Son both love us and want the best for us, but God can’t ignore our sins and still be a holy God.”

What Satan forgot was that he “cannot accuse us, nor God condemn us, for sins for which Christ died!” my commentary said.

Joshua (representing Israel) was cleansed and restored, and that “always involves responsibility.  Joshua and his fellow priests weren’t put on probation; they were cleansed and restored to service.”

Father, thank You for cleansing me when I sin and for not disqualifying me for service, but restoring me to service.  You love for me is incredible!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford