I WILL REMOVE THE SIN OF THIS LAND IN A SINGLE DAY
Zechariah 3:1-10
“ ‘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. 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. (8b-9)
chapter 3
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."
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. In Zechariah’s fourth vision, he saw Joshua the high priest standing before an angel and beside Satan. Satan was there to accuse Joshua. Joshua was a sinner. Satan had many reasons to accuse Joshua of being unqualified to serve God. But the LORD rebuked Satan. As God had chosen Jerusalem, so he had snatched Joshua from the fire to serve him as high priest.
2. Joshua’s filthy clothes symbolized his spiritual filthiness. He could not represent the people before God. He could not clean his own clothes. But God told the angel to take off Joshua’s filthy clothes and put fine garments on him. God put a clean turban on his head. God cleansed Joshua. If Joshua obeyed the LORD Almighty, he could serve the people as high priest at the temple.
3. Zechariah’s vision of Joshua looked forward to an even greater high priest who did not need to be cleansed – the Branch. The Branch is Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the high priest had a stone on his clothing that symbolized the priest’s authority to bear the sin of the people. Jesus Christ would not only come to bear our sins; he removed our sins in a single day when he died on the cross. All who believe in Jesus have their sins removed.
Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus our high priest who removed our sins in a single day!
One Word: Jesus is our true high priest