Zechariah 3:1-5: And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 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.
What an exciting scene! We see our adversary Satan hurling accusations against Joshua, the Lord’s high priest, in the presence of the Lord. Satan is also known in Scripture as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He assaults our minds with guilt and condemnation. His hatred towards those created in the image of God is exceeded only by his hatred of God Himself. Truth be told, the enemy has enough evidence and ammunition to conjure up a guilty and condemned verdict against any one of us. Joshua is a doomed sinner if he stands on his own. But praise God that he doesn’t stand alone and neither do you or I, if you are in Christ.
The Lord Himself rebukes Satan in this courtroom setting. Hallelujah! We have an Advocate with The Father, Jesus Christ, The Righteous One (1 John 2:1). Beloved, it is wise to put The Lord between you and Satan. Even Michael the archangel knows that (Jude 1:9)! We have no power or moral basis to withstand the fiery darts of the devil apart from The Lord Jesus Christ. Joshua is told that his iniquity is passed and he is given a change of raiment. This is a picture of a New Testament saint being forgiven and clothed with the very righteousness of God by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. That sums up the gospel of grace. Do I deserve to be punished for my sin and rebellion against God? Absolutely. But God in His grace and love sent His only begotten Son Jesus to blot out my sins and deal the deathblow to Satan on Calvary’s cross. Praise Him!! We are filthy but forgiven.
