CHAPTER III. hood to trnin them in righteous ways, to oppose the attacks of the adversary, anJ to Vere, 1-10.---'-§ 6. The fozwth 1Jision: intercede for them effectually. The remove.I Joshua the high p1·iest uefore the angel. of their impurity is represented in the fourth vision. J'oshua the high priest (see note on Ver. 1.-He showed me. 'l'he Septungint Hag. i. I). The name is written Jeshua iu and Vulgnte give, "The Lord showed me." Ezm ii. 2, etc. He wo.s the first of the high Some suppose that it wo.s the interpreting priests after the Cnptivity, succeeding, as by angel who showed this vision; but his duty hereditary right, his fo.ther Josedecb, who wns to explniu, not to present, the visions, died in Babylon. For his services iu re- So in oh. i. 20 it is the Lord who shows the storing the temple he is praised 1tn10ag "fom crnftsmen." '.rhis vision is closely great men in Ecclus. xlix. 12. Standing connected with the last. In thnt it wns before the angel of the Lord. Joshua is deolnrod that the Lo1·d woulcl ngain d we 11 the representative of the priesthood, and in Jerusalem, and visit his people with through that Riso of the whole people. The blessings. But to fit them for the presence nagel of Jehovah (see notes on eh. i. 11, 13) and favour of Jehovah they must be pure. is the representAtive of and endowed with To thiM end they must have a holy priest- attributes of Jehovah, the Friend un,l Leu.Jer 28 THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH, 1011. III, 1-10,
of lmMll. The phffllle, "standing before," and rendered innocuous. Some commen- is uaed in a ministerial sense, 88 of a servant tators he.ve supposed that St. Jude is allud- rendering sen;ce to I\ superior (Gen. xli. ing to this p&Bsago when (ver. 0) he quotes 46 ; l Kings xii. 6, S), and a priest or Levite the words of Michael contouding about the performing his official duties (Deut. x. S; body of Moses, "The Lord rebuke thee ; " Ezek. xliv. 15) : al"°, in a judicial aensc:', of but it is more probable that Judo is refer- a person appearing before e. judge, either ring to some rabbinical tro.clitiou, or to the 88 phintiff (Numb. xxvii. 2 ; 1 Kings iii. e.pocryphal 'Assumption of Moses' (see JG) or defendant (Numb. xxxv. 12). Many tbe matter examined in Dissertation I. of Mmmentators find in this scene a judicial Dr. Gloag's 'Introduction to the Catholio process, Joshua appearing before the angel Epistles'). That hath ohosen J'erusalem 11.S before hi8 judge ; and Ewald supposes (eh. i. 17; ii. 12). God's election of Israel that it adumbrates his actual Rccusation and renewod acoeptance of her is the reason at -the ,Persian court. The mention of the why Satan's accusation is rejected (Deut. adversary at the right hand (Ps. cix. 6) is vii. 7, 8). She is not to be abandoned to supposed to confirm this interpretation. But the consequences of her sins, nor were God's it is obnous that the ndversary might stand gracious purposes towards her to be frus- at the right hand, not e.s n formal accuser trated. "God bath not cast away his in n trial, but in order to resist and hinder people, which he foreknew;" and, "Who Joshua's proceedings; the angel, too, is not shall lay anything to the charge of God's represented as sitting on a throne of judg- elect?" (Rom. \'iii. 33; xi. 2, 29). This. ment, but standing by (ver. 5), and there This man, Joshua., saved from his father'a is no further intimation of any judicial and grandfather's fate (see on Hag. i. 1), a process in the vision. It is therefore best type of the deliverance of Israel. A brand to conceive that Joshua is interceding for pluoked out of the fire. Israel had been the people in his official capacity in the already punished by defeat, captivity, dis- presence of the representative of Jehovah. tress, and misery. From these evils, which 'fhe lOC'Ality is not specified; it may have had almost destroyed her, she had been been before the altar, which, we know, was delivered ; and the deli vera.nce would be built and used at this time. The special completed ; she should not be cast again mention of his garments implies that he was into the fire (see Amos iv. 11, and note engaged in official duties in a consecrated there). The expression is proverbial(comp. spot ; but the place is immaterial. Satan ; 1 Cor. iii. 15; Jude 23). the adVet"sary, or a.ccuBer. The personality of Ver. 3.-Clothed with filijiy garments. Satan is here pla.inly recognized, as in Job The soiled, or dark mourning garments i. 6, etc. ; ii. 1, etc., rendered by the LXX. represent not BO much the low estate to in all these pla.ces, I, ~uiflo>-.os (see Appendix which the Aa.ronic priesthood had been B, in .Archdeacon Perowne's ' Commentary reduced, as the defilements of sin with' on Zechariah '). At his (Joshua's) right which Joshua was encompassed, especially, hand. Not as a judicial accuser, but as an perhaps, his error in allowing his descend- enemy to resist his efforts for the good of the ants to intermarry with heathens (Ezra people, and to thwart his interests with the x. 18). But the sin was not only personal; angel of the Lord. To resist him ; to act he appeared laden with the guilt of the the adversary to him. The verb is cognate priesthood and his people. He is a type of 1.0 tLe noun above. From what follows we Chridt in this. Christ, iudeed, was without must suppose that Satan objects against sin; yet he be.re our sins in his own body Joshua both his own personal sin and the on the tree, and was made sin for us transgressions of the people whose burden (Rom. viii. 3; 2 Cor. v. 21). Some consider he bore (comp. ver. 9, where his sin is that the soiled garments denote the mean called "the iniquity of the land," which address in which an accused person appeared wonld include the guilt which had led to in court. But this is to import a Roman the Ca.pti vity, their dilatoriness in building custom (comp. Livy, ii. 54; vi. 20) into the temple, and all their ba.ckslidings since Hebrew practice. Others deem it inoon- the return). grnous to make a high priest violate the Ver. 2.-The Lord said. The Angel of decency of his office by officiating in uaclean Jehovah speaks. TLe appellations are often apparel. But the violation of propriety hen, used interchangeably. The Lord rebuke was a requirement of the vision, that thus thee. The Lord's rebuke falls with effect the defilement of sin might be symbolical. where it is directed; it paralyzes the hostile He stood before the angel. To ask his c.id power (comp. Ps. cvL 9; Nab. i. 4). Sa.tan's and protection ( ver. 4). 11.CCW!o.tion may have been well founded, but Ver. 4.-He anawered. The Angel of it sprung from malice, and was directed Jehovah answered the mute petition of against tLe people whom God was receiving Joshua. Those that stood before him. Tho i.Q10 favour, and therefore it WW! rejected attendant an-"ds, who waited on the Angel OH, III. 1-10.] THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. 29