The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 2: Commonly Called the MinorSmith, George Adam
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 2: Commonly Called the Minor
Smith, George Adam
Bible. Minor Prophets -- Commentaries
The next Visions deal with the moral condition of Israel and their
standing before God. The Fourth is a judgment scene. The Angel of
Jehovah, who is not to be distinguished from Jehovah Himself,[824]
stands for judgment, and there appear before him Joshua the High Priest
and the Satan or Adversary who has come to accuse him. Now those who
are accused by the Satan—see next chapter of this volume upon the
Angels of the Visions—are, according to Jewish belief, those who have
been overtaken by misfortune. The people who are standing at God’s bar
in the person of their High Priest still suffer from the adversity in
which Haggai found them, and the continuance of which so disheartened
them after the Temple had begun. The evil seasons and poor harvests
tormented their hearts with the thought that the Satan still slandered
them in the court of God. But Zechariah comforts them with the vision
of the Satan rebuked. Israel has indeed been sorely beset by calamity,
a brand much burned, but now of God’s grace plucked from the fire. The
Satan’s role is closed, and he disappears from the Vision.[825] Yet
something remains: Israel is rescued, but not sanctified. The nation’s
troubles are over: their uncleanness has still to be removed. Zechariah
sees that the High Priest is clothed in filthy garments, while he
stands before the Angel of Judgment. The Angel orders his servants,
those _that stand before him_,[826] to give him clean festal robes. And
the prophet, breaking out in sympathy with what he sees, for the first
time takes part in the Visions. _Then I said, Let them also put a clean
turban on his head_—the turban being the headdress, in Ezekiel of the
Prince of Israel, and in the Priestly Code of the High Priest.[827]
This is done, and the national effect of his cleansing is explained to
the High Priest. If he remains loyal to the law of Jehovah, he, the
representative of Israel, shall have right of entry to Jehovah’s
presence among the angels who stand there. But more, he and his
colleagues the priests are a portent of the coming of the Messiah—_the
Servant of Jehovah, the Branch_, as he has been called by many
prophets.[828] A stone has already been set before Joshua, with seven
eyes upon it. God will engrave it with inscriptions, and on the same
day take away the guilt of the land. Then shall be the peace upon which
Zechariah loves to dwell.
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