xxxii. IG). I will out ond polish this rough entered in once for all U<t>&.,,.a.n into the stone to flt it for its place in the tomple. holy place, having obtained eternal redemp- The verb is used of the hold engraving and tion .... Now once at the end of the ages ornamentation of stone-work, tho finishing bath he been manifested to put away sin hy which it undergoes to perfect its preP.ara- the sacrifice of himself" (Hcb. ix. 11-26; tion (comp. 1 l{ings vii. 36; 2 Chron. ii. 7; comp. Heh. vii. 27; x. 10). iii. 7 ). 'l'hoso who regard the stone as Ver. 10.-Shall ye call every man his typifying the Messfoh, sco In this clause neighbour, etc. In this cleansed and puri- o.n intimation of the Passion of Christ, who fied kingdom shall be found peace, happi- "was wounded for our tro.nsgressions." The ness, and plenty, recalling the pro.spr,rous LXX. hos, "I dig a trench," which Jerome days of Solomon (1 Kings iv. 25). (For a explains of the wounds of Christ on the similar picture of prosperity, see Micah iv. cross. I will remove the iniquity of that 4, and note there.) This is fulfilled in Christ, land. The shaping of the ~tone involves who says to his true disciple,, "Peace I the bestowal of purity and holiness. God leave with you, my peace I givB unto you" will pardon the inhabitante of the land of (John xiv. 27). Dr. Wright notes, "We Israel, and make them o. holy nation (Jer. are told in the Talmud(' Yoma,' vii. 4) that xxxiii. 7, 8). But the promise stretches far when, on the great Day of Atonement, the beyond the limits primarily assigned to it. high priest had performed the various duties In one day. The day when Christ died for of that solemn day, he was escorted home the sins of men. There is an allusion to in a festive manner, and was accustomed 1:o the great Day of Atonement, when the high give a festal entertainment to his friends. priest went once a year into the holy of The maidens and youths of the people went holies with the blood of sacrifice. This, forth to their gardens and vineyards with however, was an imperfect reconciliation, songs and dances; social entertainmen t.s and had to be repeated annually. "But took place on all sides, and universal glad- Christ being come an High Priest of the good ness closed the festival of that solemn day." things to come . . . through his own blood
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-5.-The priesthood restored. "And he showed me Joshua"the high priest," etc. Here begins a new vision, which, like that described in eh. ii. 1--4, takes us back to the date of utterance. In that we saw the restoration of the ancient city Jerusalem. In this we seem shown the restoration of the ancient Levitical priesthood. For seventy years the functions of that priesthood appear to have been in abeyance. Nowhere in Daniel and Ezekiel do we read of sacrifices being offered by the children of the Captivity. It was desirable, therefore-possibly necessary-to have those functions restored ( com- pare, perhaps, the restoration of Peter's apostleship in John xxi. 15-17). Understoc i. as describing a kind of heavenly council called for this purpose, the present vision sets before us (1) the offender; (2) the adversary; (3) the .Advocate; and (4) the decision. I. THE OFFENDER; viz. Joshua the son of Josedech, the lineally descended high priest of that day (1 Chron. vi. 3-15; Ezra iii. 2), and, therefore, the proper and natural representative of the priesthood which had lapsed. As such we see him here: 1. .Appearing in guilt. This shown, of course, by the "filthy garments" (Isa. Ll:iv. 6) in which he is clothed, and by which may be understood more especially those sins of himself and of his predecessors and people by which, in a measure and for a season, the former priesthood had been forfeited. 2. Coming up to be judged. This shown by his "standing" (as noticed both in vers. 1 and 3; comp. Acts x.xv. 10; Rom. xiv. 10) before the Angel-Jehovah, his proper Judge (comp. John v. 22; Rom. xiv. 10). Such, be it remembered, in each respect, if without a Saviour, is the condition of us all. II. THE ADVERSARY. As his name (margin of ver. 2), so his work in this place (comp. Job i. 9-11; ii. 4, 5; Rev. xii. 10). 'l'his a great aggravation of the evil of Joshua's case. It is one thing to be guilty and deserving of punishment. It is another, and even worse, to have a powerful and malignant ad\·ersary claiming, as it were, the actual infliction of_that punish.m~nt upon us. Sin itself c:ies out fo_r justice_ a_gai1;1st the offender <Gen. 1v. 10; Heb. xii. 24). The adversary cnes out agamst the inJustice of allowing him to be spared (2 Sam. xix. 21). III. 'l'HE ADVOOATJ!l; viz. the Judge-i.e. Jehovah himself (see beginning of var. 2). This greatly to be admired (comp. Ps. xxxii. 7," Thou art my Hiding-place;" alsu Ps. cxix. 114). Note, e.150, the two cogent pleas which this great Advocate (1 John ii. 1) 82 THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. [err. xrr. 1-10.