Zechariah 3
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.” (Zechariah 3:1, NKJV)
God had wonderful plans for Joshua the high priest. He was a sign of things to come. His name means “Yahweh saves”, and he was a type or picture of Christ. But he was not perfect. As the high priest, he was called to be holy and consecrated to the LORD, but Joshua was a sinner like you and me.
In this vision, Zechariah saw Joshua before the Angel of the LORD, whom we know is Jesus Christ. But there is an unwelcome intruder in this heavenly scene. Satan is standing at Joshua’s right hand to oppose and accuse him. This agrees with what the apostle John tells us about Satan. He is “the accuser of our brethren” who accuses us before God day and night (Revelation 12:10).
Warren Wiersbe writes, “When Satan talks to us about God, he lies, but when he talks to God about us, he tells the truth!” Satan doesn’t need to lie about us because we give him plenty of sins to choose from! But we have help against our arch enemy.
“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” (1 John 2:1–2, NLT)
Satan accuses, but Jesus defends. Moreover, for every charge the devil brings against us, Jesus points to His blood that was shed on the cross and says, “This is already paid for.”
“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’” (Zechariah 3:2, NKJV)
Our Lord Jesus rebukes Satan for us—or more precisely, He prays the Father to rebuke him for us. God has already plucked us out of the fire of judgment, and He has made us a firebrand to ignite others with the Spirit’s fire! The Lord has removed our filthy garments of sin and clothed us in His perfect righteousness. He has placed a clean turban on our heads that says, “Holiness to the LORD.” We don’t need to feel ashamed or condemned because Christ has justified us!
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us just as we are. Thank you for giving your Son to be our Redeemer and Advocate. Please remove our filthy garments of sin and clothe us with your perfect righteousness. Fill us with your Spirit and help us to walk in all your ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”