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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.” ~ Zechariah 3:6-10
Justification is different than sanctification. The believer in Christ is justified by his faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of his sin. Justification is a one time event in the life of the believer.
Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process that the believer in Christ enters into once he is justified and made alive to God. God loves us just as we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are. Thus, we have sanctification, and, His goal through our sanctification or the change of our souls (including our minds, wills and emotions) is our ability to be used by Him in the lives of others for eternity.
In context, we have been considering the fourth vision that God gave to Zechariah in Zechariah 3. The first three visions are all physical and they focus on the externals. As we pointed out in our last blog and podcast, the next set of visions all will deal with the heart of Israel. So, the thrust of this fourth vision is God changing the hearts of the Jews.
In v.6-7 in today's text we read, "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."
This is sanctification teaching, not justification teaching. The justification of the believer in Christ is the result of the work of God, totally. God justifies us only through His Son who earned our justification, or rightness before God, on the cross. This is not the case with our sanctification which is the process whereby God equips the believer for ministry to others.
In the day when Israel believes on the Lord Jesus, they will receive the indwelling Spirit. It will be at that point that they will be able to pattern their lives after God's way of thinking and living. This is why in v.7 we read, "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."
We experience God's sanctification when we are faithful to do His will. So, when Israel becomes like God and obedient to Him, that will be the sign that they have been justified through believing in the Messiah's work on the cross for the forgiveness of their sin.
Then, at the end of v.7, God defines their ministry. God says, "Then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here."
When we study the millennial kingdom, it will be Israel who will bring the nations into the presence of God. Israel will serve God and the people as priests. Even in the Tribulation, it will be Israel who will go out and convert the Gentiles to the Lord.
At the end of v.7 we read, "and I will give you a place among these standing here." God will let Israel have access to the places that angels do now. Israel will not only be special as a nation of God's priests, they will have the special privilege of ruling over Israel in the Millenium.
In v.8 of today's text we read, "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."
The Israel of Zechariah's day were symbols of the future Israel, the Israel of the Tribulation and the Millenium. The Branch will come and He will be Israel's Redeemer. The word Branch speaks of the Lord Jesus' humiliation, rejection and death. Or, His cross. Literally it means the sprout or the shoot.
In the Old Testament, "the Branch" is consistently used of Messiah in four ways. In Isaiah 11:1, the Branch of David speaks of His place as King. The Gospel according to Matthew presents the Lord Jesus as the KING. Here in Zechariah 3 He is called "My servant the Branch." The Gospel according to Mark describes Him as the SERVANT. In Zechariah 6:12-13, He is called "the Man whose name is the Branch." In the Gospel according to Luke, the Lord Jesus is presented as the MAN. And in Isaiah 4:2, He is called "the Branch of YHWH." In the Gospel according to John, John presents the Lord Jesus as GOD.
In v.9-10 of today's text we read, "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."
God uses a third name to describe the Lord Jesus. Here He is "the Stone." This stone, here in Zechariah 3, has seven eyes which speaks of His ability to see and to know completely. It also speaks of the promise that at His second coming, when, in one day, He will destroy Israel's enemies, and then, He will set up His kingdom and bring in holiness and peace.
Notice that there are seven eyes. This is figurative and the number seven speaks of His perfection. Perfect knowledge. Omniscience. He is the Omniscient Stone.
In Isaiah 8:14, the Messiah was called a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. But in Isaiah 28:16, He was called a stone of refuge. The Lord Jesus Christ is either a stone of refuge or a stone that causes one to stumble. It depends upon what we do with Him. Believing in Him makes Him our refuge. Rejecting Him makes Him our stumbling stone.
There is coming a day when Israel will believe on the Lord Jesus and when that happens, "each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree." Throughout the Scriptures, the vine and the fig tree are associated with peace. And people sitting under vines and fig trees are associated with peaceful times. There will be no more fighting at that time, and His peace will reign throughout the whole earth.
