Then
he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the
LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. Zechariah 3:1
I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to
complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume
for this book. For this morning, my focus is a commentary-assisted
review of Zechariah 3:1, which the commentary outlines as the first
of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10). For the entirety of 3:1-10, the commentary shares this historical context: "[t]he people of Judah have come back to Jerusalem after spending years in Babylonia in exile. They have been back in the land of Israel now for about 20 years. God’s people have started rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. But because they faced great opposition from the others who live in the area of Jerusalem, the people have stopped rebuilding the temple. Zechariah, who prophesied 520 years before the time of Christ, has been sent as God’s messenger, calling them to return to the Lord. With the guidance of an interpreting angel, God has shown Zechariah eight visions, of which this is the fourth." The commentary then (1) outlines three actors in this vision, Joshua, angel of the Lord, and Satan, and (2) provides "six principles regarding what Satan does and what God does concerning our guilt. These six principles are actually three pairs of principles. The first half of each pair shows how Satan deceives us in our guilt, while the second half shows how God tells us the truth."
The broad theme specifically for the first division - v1 - is that "[w]hen we are legitimately guilty [of sin] before God, Satan uses our guilt to make us feel hopeless so that we will stay far from God." V1 depicts Satan standing with Joshua "pointing to his sin." The commentary wants us to understand that Satan is real: "according to God’s Word, Satan is indeed real. He’s not merely a representation of evil or a fantasy character invented to frighten people. The Bible talks about Satan as a real spiritual personality. And just as he accused Joshua the high priest, Satan is our accuser. He opposes and attacks all of God’s people." We are referred to Revelation 12:10 where Satan is described as accusing and opposing believers day and night before God. The commentary also points us to John 8:44 where Satan is described as a consummate liar. We are warned about Satan as he seeks to separate us from God and the love and hope He provides. The commentary concludes by sharing: "[Satan] comes into the presence of God and tells the truth about us. We are sinners. We are sinful. We have done, said, and thought things that offend and displease our holy God. But Satan’s accusations against us are always accompanied by hopelessness. He not only accuses us of having sinned, which is true, but he also tells us that we are beyond God’s reach, which is a lie. Satan uses our guilt as his weapon to make us feel hopeless and to keep us from God."
Comment and discuss this post.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who gives sinners like me hope - I know that You have already defeated sin and death, and that I can come to You for mercies every morning that never cease. Thank you Jesus! I am not deserving of such blessings. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus. Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
