Zechariah 3:1-5: a reflection

1He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the LORD’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. 2The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Yes, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?” 3Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. 4He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, “Take the filthy garments off him.” To him he said, “Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing.” 5I said, “Let them set a clean turban on his head.” So they set a clean turban on his head, and clothed him; and the LORD’s angel was standing by.

In a vision, Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before God in filthy garments, accused by Satan; but God rebukes the accuser, removes the filthy garments, and clothes Joshua in clean, rich clothing. Take the filthy garments off him, God says; behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing. The filthy garments picture Joshua's guilt and sin; and God, rather than let the accuser prevail, removes the filthy garments, declares his iniquity taken away, and clothes him in clean, rich garments. This is a beautiful picture of the gospel: God taking away our guilt and clothing us in righteousness, silencing the accuser. God removes our guilt and clothes us in righteousness. Our filthy garments of sin are exchanged for clean. God silences the accuser and clothes us anew. God takes away our iniquity and clothes us in righteousness.

Notice the movement of this vision. Joshua stands before God in filthy garments, the picture of his guilt and sin; and Satan stands to accuse him, as our sins give the accuser ground to accuse us. But God does not let the accuser prevail. He rebukes Satan; and then he acts, commanding the filthy garments be removed, declaring Joshua's iniquity taken away, and clothing him in clean, rich garments. This is a vivid picture of what God does for us in the gospel. We stand before God guilty, clothed in the filthy garments of our sin, and the accuser has ground to accuse us. But God, in Christ, takes away our guilt, removes the filthy garments of our sin, and clothes us instead in the clean, rich garments of Christ's righteousness. He silences the accuser, not by denying our sin, but by taking it away and clothing us anew. This is our hope: not that we are guiltless in ourselves, but that God removes our guilt and clothes us in righteousness. God takes away our filthy garments of sin and clothes us in righteousness. God silences the accuser by taking our guilt away. Our hope is that God clothes us in righteousness, not our own innocence. In Christ, our guilt is removed and we are clothed anew.

That is worth resting in, for God takes away our guilt and clothes us in righteousness, silencing the accuser, as he removed Joshua's filthy garments and clothed him in clean. We can stand before God feeling the weight of our guilt, the filthy garments of our sin, with the accuser accusing us; but God, in Christ, takes away our iniquity, removes the filthy garments, and clothes us in the rich garments of righteousness. Our guilt is removed. When the accuser accuses you and you feel the filth of your sin, remember that God takes away your guilt and clothes you in righteousness. Rest in the truth that God takes away our guilt and clothes us in righteousness, silencing the accuser, as Zechariah saw Joshua the high priest standing before God in filthy garments while Satan accused him, and God rebuked the accuser, commanded the filthy garments removed, declared his iniquity taken away, and clothed him in clean, rich clothing; for we stand before God guilty, clothed in the filthy garments of our sin, and the accuser has ground to accuse us, but God in Christ does not let the accuser prevail, taking away our guilt, removing the filthy garments of our sin, and clothing us instead in the clean, rich garments of Christ's righteousness, silencing the accuser not by denying our sin but by taking it away and clothing us anew, so that our hope is not that we are guiltless in ourselves but that God removes our guilt and clothes us in righteousness, and when the accuser accuses us we can rest in what God has done.

Lord, in a vision, Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before you in filthy garments, accused by Satan; but you rebuke the accuser, remove the filthy garments, and clothe Joshua in clean, rich clothing. Take the filthy garments off him, you say; behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing. The filthy garments picture Joshua's guilt and sin; and you, rather than let the accuser prevail, remove them, declare his iniquity taken away, and clothe him in clean, rich garments. This is a beautiful picture of the gospel: you taking away our guilt and clothing us in righteousness, silencing the accuser. Show me the movement of this vision. Joshua stands before you in filthy garments, the picture of his guilt; and Satan stands to accuse him, as my sins give the accuser ground to accuse me. But you do not let the accuser prevail. You rebuke him; and then you act, removing the filthy garments, declaring Joshua's iniquity taken away, and clothing him anew. This is a vivid picture of what you do for me in the gospel. I stand before you guilty, clothed in the filthy garments of my sin, and the accuser has ground to accuse me. But you, in Christ, take away my guilt, remove the filthy garments, and clothe me instead in the clean, rich garments of Christ's righteousness. You silence the accuser, not by denying my sin, but by taking it away and clothing me anew. Let me rest in that, for you take away my guilt and clothe me in righteousness. When the accuser accuses me and I feel the filth of my sin, help me remember that you take away my guilt and clothe me in righteousness, Lord, as you removed Joshua's filthy garments and clothed him in clean, so that my hope is not my own innocence but what you have done for me in Christ.