Lesson 6 - Zechariah Chapter 3
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THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH
Lesson 6, Chapter 3

I think the best way to frame what Zechariah chapter 3 is all about is first to
provide the context of how Yehoveh saw Judah at the time He exiled them,
and the resulting condition of the returned exiles in general. That is, the
people that journeyed back to what was now the Persian province of Yehud
came home in anything but a healed spirit or renewed heart. They lived in a
pagan place for 70 years and of course had been infected with a heathen
cultural perspective, even if it was sub-consciously so. Much rehabilitation and
a rebuilding of trust in their sacred institutions had to be accomplished.

The Book of Ezekiel gives us a very good synopsis of this condition that we’ll
use as a prelude to what Zechariah has to say.

CJB
Ezekiel 22:23-31
23
The word of ADONAI came to me:
24
"Human
being, tell her this: 'You are a land that is neither cleansed nor rained
on in the day of fury.
25
There is a conspiracy of prophets in it like a
roaring lion tearing up the prey; they have devoured people, seized
wealth and valuables, and widowed many in it.
26
Her cohanim have
done violence to my Torah, profaned my holy things, made no
difference between the holy and the common, not distinguished
between unclean and clean, hidden their eyes from my shabbats, and
profaned me among themselves.
27
Her leaders in it are like wolves
tearing up the prey to shed blood and destroy people, in order to
benefit unjustly.
28
Her prophets have "plastered" for them with
whitewash, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying,
"Thus says Adonai ELOHIM," when ADONAI has not spoken.
29
The
people of the land have extorted, robbed, wronged the poor and needy
and unjustly oppressed foreigners.
30
"'I sought for a man among
them who could build a barricade or stand in the break to oppose me
on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no
one.
31
Therefore I am pouring out my fury on them, consuming them
with the fire of my rage, bringing their own ways on their own heads,'
says Adonai ELOHIM."

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God promised to bring Judah back after 70 years of His anger against them,
but that didn’t mean that the Judeans had undergone a major spiritual
transformation up in Babylon. The place He decided to begin this
transformation was with the Temple and its priesthood, which is one of the
reasons He was demanding that the Temple be reconstructed and put back
into service urgently! The people felt abandoned by the priesthood even before
they had left for Babylon. In exile, apparently the priesthood did little good for
those who had been forcefully moved out of their homeland by the invaders.
What was needed, then, was a restoration of the people’s trust and confidence
in the fidelity and authority of the priesthood. As we just read in Ezekiel, the
priesthood had been equally as sullied and corrupted as every other Judean
institution, and they needed an opportunity to show that they had learned
their lesson.

Turn your Bibles to Zechariah chapter 3.

READ ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 3 all

This is the 4
th
vision of the series of visions given to Zechariah. The first words
of the first verse present us with a conundrum: who is the “he” who “showed
me”? And, the answer is, your guess is as good as mine. I don’t think it is the
Interpreting Angel because that angel tends to explain what is shown, not the
one who presents the vision. Might it be, then, the Angel of Yehoveh? Could
be, and it is my choice as to the most likely candidate. Most Bible scholars say
it is Yehoveh Himself that is the “he”. I am suspicious of that because it moves
far away from all that we have seen so far in the Book of Zechariah. But, what
speaks against my view is that almost immediately the Angel of Yehoveh is
added to the vision as a participating character.

A new character comes onto the scene: the Accuser. We might even list the
character of Joshua as a second new character except that this isn’t actually
about the person of Joshua so much as it is about the office he holds (as High
Priest) and even more that it he representative of the character of the High
Priest office and probably the character of the priesthood in general. On the
other hand, we don’t want to degrade this into purest symbolism because

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Joshua was indeed a real person, who was the High Priest at this time. There
are no imaginary symbolic objects or people involved in this vision.

The way the Hebrew grammar and syntax work together, is to connect this
new vision with the previous one. At the same time, this 4
th
vision stands as
somewhat unique compared to visions 1 – 3 and 5 – 7. For instance, it doesn’t
begin with the more standard opening protocols used by Prophets to announce
visions and oracles. This is the middle vision. It is the fulcrum that operates at
the center of the 7 visions, and without doubt this is why it is somewhat
different in its nature compared to the other 6. If this seems a little odd or
confusing, keep in mind the most unique and challenging nature of the entire
Book of Zechariah as we discussed in the Introduction.

What we are witnessing in this 4
th
vision is something that is happening in the
Heavenly court and it is essentially an investiture ceremony for the High Priest
who… again… is representative of both his own office as well as the institution
of the priesthood in general. At a yet higher level, God’s reinvestment of
Joshua and the priesthood as His chosen institution to lead Israel in spirituality
and morality, is also indicative of His assurance that Israel remains His chosen
vessel on earth to bring the knowledge and truth of Yehoveh to the world.

When it comes to attempting to understand the role of Joshua in this vision, I
think we can do no better than to hear the words of the eminent Bible scholar
of the early 19
th
century, Theodore Kliefoth. He says this concerning Joshua’s
presence on the Heavenly court:

“The character of Israel as the holy and priestly nation of God was
violated… violated by the general sin and guilt of the nation, which
God had been obliged to punish with exile. This guilt of the nation,
which neutralized the priestliness and holiness of Israel, is pleaded by
Satan in the accusation which he brings before Malach of Jehovah
against the high priest, who was its representative. A nation so guilty
and so punished could no longer be the holy and priestly nation; its
priests could no longer be priests, nor could its high priests be high
priests any more. But the Malach of Jehovah sweeps away the
accusation with the assurance that Jehovah, from His grace, and for

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the sake of election, will still give validity to Israel’s priesthood, and
has already practically manifested this purpose of His by bringing it
out of its penal condition of exile”.

In contrast to this, we find a wholly different mindset of the preeminent
European Bible scholars of the later 19
th
century, Kiel and Delitzsch, that well
expresses the consensus view of traditional Christianity at that time, and as it
still exists and holds sway over most of the modern Church in the 21
st
century.

I realize that it might seem that too often I pile onto the traditional institution
of the gentile-Church at every opportunity, and for this I am likely guilty. I
have no desire to demonize because the Church has done so much good. Yet,
there are some things that are so off track in their fundamental doctrines that
they must not go unchallenged. So, I want to present you with a quote from
those respected Bible scholars that is really the antithesis of what Kliefoth had
to say.

To open their study about this 4
th
vision of Zechariah they say this:

“In this and the following visions the prophet is shown the future
glorification of the church of the Lord”.

How amazingly different that is from Kliefoth and how grateful I am for those
Christian scholars like him that can accept and write about the truth as it is
found in Holy writ, and not attempt to twist it into something not recognizable.
I cringe every time I read statements like this by highly acclaimed Christian
Bible scholars. One has to ask how in the world one can read prophecies that
are specifically and emphatically ONLY about Judah and Israel, and somehow
conclude that this is actually code for a brand-new gentiles-only faith created
in the 4
th
century. The answer is that perhaps the underlying foundational
principle of the Constantinian Church is that gentile Christians and the Church
have replaced the Hebrew people and Israel. Even though the Church
acknowledges a Jewish savior, and rightfully and successfully has brought this
basic knowledge of Christ to the world, according to Christianity everything
God promises to our Savior’s people, Israel, has been cancelled, taken away,
and re-directed to the gentile Church. Therefore, Israel is to expect nothing

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but God’s anger, wrath and curses because they are the Christ-killers. To that
terribly bigoted and wrong doctrine I say this: if those who truly love Yeshua,
and want to know who the real historical Yeshua was and is, and want to know
the truth about why He came and what He taught , then it necessarily involves
reading the Bible and taking it for what it says; facing up to this 1600- year-
old false doctrine and others like it that form so many of the founding and
ongoing principles of Christianity. Such thoughts are so thoroughly embedded
in Church history, philosophy and theology that nothing but a direct frontal
assault against it is going to eradicate it, or (probably more realistic) get at
least some Believers to sit up and take notice… and then for those Believers to
take action. Enough said.

Getting back to the scene Zechariah is being presented, Joshua has been
brought into a Heavenly courtroom or sorts, in order to be prosecuted by a
new character called The Accuser. Clearly, it is The Father sitting on His throne
who is the great judge. The words “standing before” lend weight to the scene
as a defendant standing before the trial judge. Just as I regularly bring up
certain challenges to confront the teachings of our traditional Christian
institutions because often they do not reflect biblical truth, so I have recently
begun to bring up this issue of the existent reality of Yehoveh’s Divine Council
and of His Heavenly Court. Several sayings of the Psalms, of Job, and of the
Prophets are not really understandable until we recognize that what they are
mentally envisioning are the many administrative and judicial functions going
on in Heaven, and even to a degree who it is that mans the associated offices
and positions. I have explained that it is particular divinely created beings
called the Elohim that sit on God’s Divine Council. And now we get a view of
God’s Heavenly Court system, and for this Yehoveh sits as the sole judge. No
one else is permitted to rule when the issue is judicial in nature, as it is in
Zechariah’s 4
th
vision.

The Accuser (the prosecutor, if you would) bringing a judicial complaint before
God is, in Hebrew, called ha-satan. The Angel of Yehoveh (in this scene we
could call Him the advocate for the defendant), then stands in opposition to
The Accuser. Interestingly, we don’t hear The Accuser speak, nor do we get a
narrative from him about what his accusation amounts to; it is only implied by
what God’s response to it is.

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The Hebrew term ha-satan is where the Christian world gets its term Satan
from. Like many terms, this one has morphed in meaning over the centuries.
If we were to literally translate the Hebrew it would say “the satan”, which in
the way Christianity thinks of it is odd. That is, in this era the term satan was
not used as a formal name the way Christians do. So, we have to search to
determine what the term satan best translates to in English. Here, since very
clearly he is depicted as the prosecutor in a trial, then the title of The Accuser
is probably the best choice. So, is ha-satan necessarily doing evil, or is he
merely a prosecutor doing his job? A good parallel to what we find here in
Zechariah is Psalm 109. In verse 6 we read:

CJB
Psalm 109:6 [They say,] "Appoint a wicked man over him, may an
accuser stand at his right

So, in this Psalm we find a judicial setting, and the term “wicked man” is made
synonymous with “accuser” (which, by the way, is in this Psalm also the
Hebrew satan). However, it is only later Christianity that takes this term and
turns it into a formal name for the Devil. In the KJV of this same verse we
read:

KJV
Psalm 109:6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand
at his right hand

Whether or not we ought to call this accusing figure Satan or just leave it at
The Accuser notwithstanding, this is some kind of spiritual being that opposes
God in a number of ways, and therefore opposes those whom God uses ,
elects, or anoints. For us to get a better sense of this accusing figure, let’s turn
to the Book of Job.

CJB
Job 1:6-12
6
It happened one day that the sons of God came to
serve Yehoveh, and among them came the Adversary <N1>.
7
Yehoveh
asked the Adversary, "Where are you coming from?" The Adversary
answered Yehoveh, "From roaming through the earth, wandering here
and there."
8
Yehoveh asked the Adversary, "Did you notice my
servant Iyov, that there's no one like him on earth, a blameless and

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upright man who fears God and shuns evil?"
9
The Adversary
answered Yehoveh, "Is it for nothing that Iyov fears God?
10
You've
put a protective hedge around him, his house and everything he has.
You've prospered his work, and his livestock are spread out all over
the land.
11
But if you reach out your hand and touch whatever he has,
without doubt he'll curse you to your face!"
12
Yehoveh said to the
Adversary, "Here! Everything he has is in your hands, except that you
are not to lay a finger on his person." Then the Adversary went out
from the presence of Yehoveh.

Everywhere we see the word “adversary” in this Job excerpt, the Hebrew is
ha-satan, just as we find it in Zechariah chapter 3. And, in this Job story it
might not be entirely out of place to use the term The Accuser instead of
Adversary. Apparently, this divine being has been assigned the job of
wandering around on Earth, and then bringing back reports on what he sees to
Yehoveh. On the other hand, this is less a judicial setting and more simply a
regular meeting of God’s Divine Council. We can know this because of how this
story begins with the words: “it happened one day that the sons of God came
to serve Yehoveh…” In Hebrew the “sons of God” is ben Elohim. While I can’t
spend the time today to fully flesh this out, you can go to previous lessons in
others of the books of the Minor Prophets that I’ve taught where I explain it
more thoroughly. The bottom line is that ben Elohim is a term that speaks of
a special class of divine beings who are the administrators of Heaven. These
are the creatures that form God’s Divine Council. God (Yehoveh) delegates
duties and tasks to them and they carry them out. Here we learn that ha-
satan is one of those creatures. Yet, just as those several Elohim are not
given names, neither is ha-satan. Rather, ha-satan is a description of his
purpose or function, and that purpose is to wander the Earth and to bring back
reports of things he finds suspicious or wrong, and present those things to
Yehoveh to decide on what to do about them.

The nature of ha-satan always seems to be to present to Yehoveh the
suspected dark side to those whom God declares as righteous or at least His
elect. Thus, it is not that ha-satan is necessarily always doing an evil thing in
the way we might think about it, but rather that he likes being a tattle-tale on
those whom God especially favors. In fact, in Job, just as in Zechariah, God

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doesn’t tell The Accuser that he is wrong or wicked for bringing these charges,
only that God is not going to rule against these people and instead is going to
respond by showing them special grace. Therefore, it is likely that the ben
Elohim who is given the task of roaming the Earth to report back to God what
he sees is not lying about it. So, the reason we are even given these glimpses
into the workings of the Divine Council seems to be to see how Heaven
functions, to learn about some of the divine beings involved, to understand
that God does know what goes on down here, and that there is a specific,
authorized ben Elohim who seems to enjoy bringing bad news to God about
those on Earth that God favors. No doubt, whom God favors is no secret
among the members of the Divine Council.

What I’ve just explained to you is more or less how the Israelites and Judeans
of Zechariah’s era understood how things operated in the spiritual realm. This
was their mental image of it all, and therefore this is why we find these
Scriptures written as they were. It sounds pretty strange to us. Be that as it
may, until we can grasp how it is they saw it, then we cannot grasp what this
was meant to convey.

Of course, ha-satan went on to represent a demonic figure, especially after
he was cast down out of Heaven. But, still, in Zechariah 3 we’re left to wonder
what, exactly, precipitated The Accuser bringing this charge against Joshua to
Yehoveh. My take is that I think it is self-evident what the cause was, and that
is why I presented an excerpt from Ezekiel 22 to open today’s study. The
priesthood had become a clearly sullied institution, Yehoveh obviously knew it,
and The Accuser was questioning why God would want to have the High Priest
and the priesthood reinstituted, and why He would still favor the badly
corrupted Israel.

God responds to The Accuser starting in verse 2.

CJB
Zechariah 3:2
2
Yehoveh said to the Accuser, "May Yehoveh rebuke
you, Accuser! Indeed, may Yehoveh, who has made Yerushalayim his
choice, rebuke you! Isn't this man a burning stick snatched from the
fire?"

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Yehoveh puts The Accuser in his place. He says “rebuke you!”. God finds the
charges irrelevant and so is rejecting the prosecuting attorney’s reasoning for
bringing these charges. Further, we see Yehoveh respond to part of ha-
satan’s accusation that was not recorded for us, but now is implied. It is that
in addition to bringing a case against Joshua the representative of the High
Priest office, it is also against Jerusalem as God’s favored city. Why would ha-
satan think that God might agree with him that Jerusalem should no longer be
God’s chosen city? Because once before God’s choice of a favored city was
revoked: Shiloh. That revocation was permanent. So, it’s not that Joshua was
somehow perfectly suited or not to be High Priest, nor that Jerusalem was
perfectly suited or not to be God’s Holy City. It is that this is purely God’s
prerogative to made these choices, He has decided, and that’s that.
Remembering what we discussed earlier that Joshua is representative both of
the entire priesthood, and at a higher level also as all Israel, then we get
another proof that God has not and never will permanently reject Israel,
Jerusalem, or the Hebrew people… and He certainly is not going to replace that
which He has not rejected.

Verse 2 concludes with these words (that are the more literal translation of the
Hebrew): “Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”. I wanted to present it
this way because hidden just beneath the surface is a play on words. We get
this nearly exact same statement from the Book of Amos.

CJB
Amos 4:11
11
"I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew
S'dom and 'Amora; you were like a burning stick snatched from the
fire; still you haven't returned to me," says Yehoveh.

A brand is a stick, or even better a thorny weed or vine (that is, it is
something useless or troublesome). But the key word is “fire”. In Amos the
Hebrew word used for fire is serepha. This statement, then, is something of a
proverb or an expression that was in use in that time. It has special
significance for Joshua because His grandfather, Seraiah, which is taken from
the word serepha, was the High Priest who was executed when
Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah. So, whereas some Judeans (and obviously
ha-satan) may have looked at what could only be viewed by most of them as
a failed and corrupted High Priesthood that ought to be done away with

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permanently (burned up like a brand), God rescued it, and used this statement
He had made some years earlier to Amos to make His point. The point is that
whatever consequence may have been well -deserved, God will at His own
determination instead offer rescue and mercy.

It's when we see this statement in this light that we get further validation of
one of Yehoveh’s most wonderful attributes: He will forgive what seems like
the unforgivable if He so chooses. This is a choice and decision that only He,
as God, has the right to make and is on a case-by-case basis. In the Law of
Moses, Yehoveh hands down many laws and their accompanying punishments
for breaking them. For many of these infractions God offers no provision for
human judges to forgive or to lessen the punishment He has ordained. For
instance, the Law makes it clear that unjustifiable killing of a person must
bring with it the death penalty. No other resolution is possible. But… God in His
mercy, has the option for His own good reasons, to offer such special mercy as
and when He sees fit. Depending on one’s viewpoint, this is an attribute of God
that you may like or not like; that is, seeing it as serendipitous, unfair,
perhaps expressing partiality, or even as hypocritical. I caution: don’t let your
mind go there. Our sitting in judgment over God is never a good idea. What is
a good idea is to read the Holy Scriptures to better understand God, accepting
Him as He is and not attempting to either create a doctrine to change it or to
think we are in a position to anoint ourselves with the same choices He
reserves only for Himself. If He won’t even allow His highest spiritual
creatures, the ben Elohim, to make judicial decisions in the Heavenly court,
then it follows that we mere humans certainly have no such right.

Verse 3 explains that Joshua was standing in filthy garments before God and
The Accuser. The Hebrew word used here to describe his garments is tsow,
and it is much more than meaning dirty or soiled. It represents the foulest of
the foul. It is a word used to describe what I will (as delicately as possible)
compare to used toilet paper. That is, it can’t get any worse than this. So, the
condition in which those who are part of the Heavenly court are viewing
Joshua as High Priest and as all Israel, is the lowest of the low and it is
painfully obvious to all who are present (no wonder ha-satan thought he was
bringing a pretty solid case before God).

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When we are told that Joshua was standing next to (or before) the “angel” this
seems to mean the Angel of Yehoveh… at least I can’t find a better candidate
to explain him… and we find Joshua more or less described as standing in that
position back in verse 1. Beginning in verse 4, the Angel of Yehoveh speaks
out to everyone present and orders (rather surprisingly, I think) to take those
filthy garments off of Joshua. Whom, exactly, is tasked with doing that isn’t
specified. But, what we are witnessing is a divine act of cleansing. Joshua is
helpless to do this for himself. His impurity was so great that no ritual he could
perform, no task he could commit to, no apology or repentance he could offer,
would ever solve the problem. Only the sovereignty of The Father had the
authority to do it.

That it is the Angel of Yehoveh that issues the order makes clear His authority
to speak for Yehoveh. And, yet, it is equally as clear that the person of
Yehoveh is right there, so why didn’t He order it? While I don’t have any
answer to this, it does bring up the issue of these various manifestations of
God that we encounter throughout the Bible that do have a unity, but at the
same time have a quality of separateness. Here in this scene, we find The
Father and The Angel of Yehoveh appearing together but as separate entities
for separate purposes in the proceedings of the Heavenly court. The Father is
the judge, The Angel is the defender. What this removal of the filthy garments
means is explicitly stated:

CJB
Zechariah 3:4 …Then to him he said, "See, I am taking your guilt
away. I will clothe you in fine robes."

More literally, it says: “…I have taken away your iniquity and will clothe you in
festal robes”. Joshua is being purified, and whatever impurity and guilt there
was is now gone. Forgiveness, restoration, and acceptance have happened. It
is immediate. The mention of festal clothing means a reinstatement of all
Joshua’s High Priestly roles and lofty position. This scenario is also envisioned
in Isaiah, and is something we all need to be thankful for.

CJB
Isaiah 61:10 I am so joyful in Yehoveh! My soul rejoices in my
God, for he has clothed me in salvation, dressed me with a robe of

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triumph, like a bridegroom wearing a festive turban, like a bride
adorned with her jewels.

As a reminder, because the role Joshua plays in this scene is as representative
less of himself and more of the priesthood and Israel in general, then we can
easily agree with Kliefoth that this is clearly a picture of all Israel still having
validity in God’s eyes for their existence and purpose as God had originally
ordained for them. Israel has been reinstated as a holy and priestly nation. In
other words, it completes the reversal of their guilt and exile.

I have mentioned earlier that this 4
th
vision, this fulcrum at the center of the 7
visions, is rather unique as compared to the other 6. So, here in verse 5 we
see Zechariah suddenly being interjected into the vision as a character
operating within it, as opposed to what he has been up to now… a reporting
observer. It is Zechariah that says to no one in particular: “They should put a
clean turban on his head”. And, in the response the unnamed “they” who are
present do put a clean turban as well as clean garments on Joshua.

In reality, the word to describe the turban and the fresh garments is not
“clean” but rather “pure”. The Hebrew word is tahor, and it is used in a ritual
sense. So, while it is indeed the opposite of unclean, when it comes to the
priests then ritual purity is the issue and it is not about something that is
merely dirty and has now been washed. The turban, or mitre, is the headpiece
worn by the High Priest. A special metal plate is attached to this kind of turban
that says “holy to Yehoveh”, and only the High Priest may wear it.

While this investment… or maybe better, re-investment… ceremony might
usually conclude with the High Priest donning his turban, instead the scene
continues on with what we read in verses 6 and 7.

CJB
Zechariah 3:6-7
6
Then the angel of Yehoveh gave Y'hoshua this
warning:
7
"Yehoveh-Tzva'ot says this: 'If you will walk in my ways,
obey my commission, judge my house and guard my courtyards; then
I will give you free access among these who are standing here.

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A warning is given to Joshua not by the Angel of Yehoveh, but through the
Angel. The message itself comes from the mind and authority of Yehoveh and
are His words. The warning essentially says that this entire reinstatement is
prefaced upon obedience. The word “if” means what has been done for Joshua
(and essentially for all Israel) is conditional. The conditions are spelled out: if
you will walk in my ways, obey my commission and judge my house and guard
my courtyards. IF Israel and IF the priesthood does that, then the
reinstatement will continue. Please note that this sounds so similar to when
the Law was first given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. All covenants of God, despite
what you may have heard and believed, are conditional. Both sides have
responsibilities. While it would be a stretch to call this reinstatement scene a
covenant renewal ceremony, in effect it acts like one. Thus, the expectations
of God upon Israel have been reconfirmed, with some words added that apply
mostly to the Levite priesthood. Judging God’s house means to rule over the
Temple. Guarding His courtyards refers to the courtyards that are contiguous
with the Temple, and it means to protect them from being defiled.

Now, to parse these instructions a little further, we need to recall some
material from earlier lessons in Zechariah. Up to now in Israelite history, the
existence of a Hebrew King as head of the Israelite monarchy that ruled over
Israel and Judah was presupposed. The Temple with its priesthood were at
least partly a visual validation of that king to rule and reign. But, conditions at
the moment were very different than in the past. Not only was the former
Judah now a Persian province called Yehud, but also there was no Hebrew
king. Instead, a Persian civil servant was hired to act as governor of Yehud.
That it was a Jewish man as that governor didn’t change that fact. The High
Priest, Joshua, was given an expanded role into governing the province. While
the Persian-appointed Jewish governor dealt with purely civil matters, the High
Priest now dealt not only with religious matters but also some civil issues
including the justice system. Therefore, we get these strange instructions from
Yehoveh to Joshua about “judging My house”. In prior times the king had
always been the chief judicial authority. God was now confirming Joshua as
that judicial authority. So, it is almost incorrect to speak of Joshua as “High
Priest” because he was now so much more than that in Judah’s current
situation. Perhaps we should think of Joshua as the “Chief Officer” of the
Temple, who was responsible to execute justice in most facets of Jewish life.

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As head scratching as this entire verse is, none of it causes such uncertainty of
its meaning than its final words: then I will give you free access among
these who are standing here. “Those who are standing here” can only be
referring to the members of God’s Heavenly court, and those various divine
beings who are present in this scene. So, in what way is Joshua to have access
to that Heavenly court? Perhaps the point is that Joshua is now the head of the
supreme court of the earthly realm of Israel, in a similar way that the court in
Heaven is the supreme court for justice in Heaven. Or, maybe it is that since
Israelite kings were to have access to Heavenly direction through their
Prophets, now Joshua as High Priest will have that same access to Heavenly
direction. It is my opinion that it is the latter because of this strange new
governance over Israel that they are faced with, and that God seems to be
giving His official stamp of approval. That is, whereas God’s highest
representative on earth had, up to now, been Israelite kings, now it is Israelite
High Priests, beginning with Joshua.

We’ll stop here for today and finish up chapter 3 next time.