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. 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: 1, 2, NKJV.
Dear LORD and Savior, thank You so much for putting Your hands in the fire and snatching us out of the flames, and saving our souls. We praise Your most holy name, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
For the past two days we have been seeing Jesus Christ at the right hand of David; first to save him from condemnation, and then to keep him from being moved. Our devotional today presents a drastic shift. In the place where Jesus Christ alone has a right to stand, is the Adversary, in a role which is diametrically opposed to that of the Savior!
Before we look at all that this scene represents in the life of believers, let me just insert a word of warning to our readers: “Beware of some of the whispering that goes on in your ears! Some of the advice that you may be attributing to the Angel of the LORD, may well be the voice of the Adversary! So, Caveat lector!
What a good thing that Jesus showed up when He did! I believe that this statement stands true not only for Joshua (representing the people of Israel), but for the entire human race! We were all condemned to die! We had no merits of our own! We had been auctioned off, and were “going once, going twice, going, and almost gone,” (Myra Brooks Welsh), but thank God, Jesus came! Chapter three of Zechariah is a beautiful depiction of where the human race was when Jesus found us. The last part of our Scripture for today, in the NIV, reads as follows: Is not this man [woman] a burning stick snatched from the fire?”We had already been identified as “Ready for the flames.” But “Mercy said No” (Cece Winans).
The next three verses describe what Jesus does for us when we make good use of the salvation that He has provided:
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘ “Take away the filthy garments from him.” ‘ And to him He said, ‘ “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” ‘ And I said, ‘ “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” ‘ So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by” (3-5, emphasis provided).
Jesus will free us from our own human-made methods of salvation. He will also free us from our fallen nature, “Take away the filthy garments from him [her].” Then He will forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1: 9), “See, I have removed your iniquity from you,” Only then, will we be ready to receive His robe of righteousness “and I will clothe you with rich robes.” Next, He will write His law upon our hearts (minds), and enable us to walk in His ways, “So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. Hallelujah! But the best is yet to come,
“And the Angel of the LORD stood by.“ He will never leave you (Matthew 28: 20)! He who began the work in you, will “stand by” until it is completed (Philippians 1: 6)! He knows that we can do nothing without Him, He remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103: 14)! So He will remain with us until the work is done! Praise His holy name!
So do not be afraid when the Accuser of the believers (Revelation 12: 10c) stands at your right hand to accuse you. When the Savior came, he had to get out of the way and make space for the only One who could claim that right, by virtue of His death, burial, and resurrection, on behalf of His creatures, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10: 12), where He intercedes on our behalf!
And He will take His place at our right hand, and save us!