A Plucked Out Brand

Text: Zechariah 3:1-5 Date: Sunday 2 nd October 2022

Zechariah saw Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord in his ministerial role as high priest.

He also saw someone else standing there at Joshua’s right hand, he saw Satan standing there, not in acknowledgement of Joshua and his priestly role, absolutely not, he was there to resist, oppose and accuse Joshua.

He was there to prove to the Lord why Joshua did not qualify to be the high priest of Israel, on what grounds was Satan accusing Joshua before the angel of the Lord?

Verse 3 “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel”. Concerning the garment of the high priest, God had instructed Moses in exodus 28:2 “And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty”.

Joshua was certainly guilty of dressing inappropriately; his attire was not that of “Glory and beauty”. It did however depict the sins of his people.

In verse 2 of our text, we see the mercy of the Lord, in it He rebukes Satan and asked him a question, which was really a statement, he said “…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?”.

In his writing to the Church at Rome the apostle Paul rehearsed what God had previously said to Moses in Exodus 33:19. Romans 9:15 “…I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion”.

Joshua’s garment was indeed filthy, but the Lord who is rich in mercy had mercy and compassion on him and Jerusalem, He chose him and His people
Israel.

Israel was that brand which was plucked out of the fire of bondage and death, this same Lord and God is our Lord and God and He has plucked us out of the fire of hell and destruction.

God bless,