attempted, by assurances that Jerusalem should be restored to a great measure of its former splendour and prosperity: and the latter he now endeavours to promote, by declaring to them a vision with which he had been favoured, wherein it had been shewn him, that, however improbable such an event might be, it was ordained of God, and should surely and speedily be accomplished.
[Joshua the high priest is here represented as ministering before the Lord Jesus Christ, in the regular exercise of his priestly office a.
What the precise state of Joshua's mind was at the time, we are not certainly informed : but, from the whole of the vision, it appears, that he was bemoaning his own sins, and the sins both of the priests and people, and entreating God to interpose for the restoration of his own worship among them.
To obstruct his efforts, Satan put forth all his power. Satan is peculiarly active when the honour of God and the interests of immortal souls are to be opposed. He knew how greatly the restoration of divine worship would advance both the one and the other of these objects, and therefore he set himself instantly to counteract the designs of Joshua. It is probable that the means he used for this end were, first, by representing to God the greatness of the people's sins, to alienate the mind of God from them (in this way it was that he resisted Jobb ;) and then by similar representations to discourage the heart of Joshua, and to fill him with despondency.
In support of Joshua, " the Angel of the Lord," that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, rebuked Satan, saying, " The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan." In this form of speaking, a distinction of Per- sons in the Godhead is clearly marked, as it is also in many other places c. The Angel of the Lord is here exercising the unalienable prerogative of Jehovah in forgiving sins ; yet refers it to the Father to rebuke Satan, because he is acting the part of an Advocate with the Father in behalf of Joshua and the Jewish Church : and in the rebuke itself, he assures Satan, that all his attempts against Joshua shall fail. " The Lord had chosen Jerusalem ;" and would not suffer his own eternal pur- poses to be defeated. Besides, Joshua, and the Jewish Church whom he represented, were " as a brand plucked out of the fire." This Satan could not but know and acknowledge: could he think therefore that they had been plucked out of the fire in order to be cast back again into it ? Was this ever the way
a The priests stood to minister. See Deut. x. 8.
b Job i. G — 12. and ii. 1 — C. c Gen. xix. 24. Ps. ex. 1.