6-7 And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.” 8 “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. 9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, (facets) I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbour to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” Zechariah 3:6-10 English Standard Version

In vs 1-5 of this part of Zechariah's vision we saw a beautiful picture of Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord in filthy garments, and then having those filthy garments removed and being dressed afresh in pure vestments. And the Angel of the Lord had said: “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you.” Today's reading starts with further words of assurance to Joshua that he had indeed been made worthy for the role of High Priest. The words “I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here” would seem to imply that Joshua's ministry would be acceptable in heaven itself. But what was the condition given to Joshua to succeed as a mediating priest? (vs 6-7)

He was called to walk in God's ways in his personal life, and to keep all that God had spoken regarding the role of a High Priest. God's promises inevitably require such a response. The apostle Peter made this clear in a letter to Christians when he said: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5) That's the the wonderful promise of the gospel. So how should the Christian respond?

Peter tells us, and says: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, don't be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

Verse 8 of today’s reading implies that the words spoken to Joshua went further than just himself and his friends. We will see later in this chapter that one of those friends was probably a man named Zerubbabel whom God would use for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. These men were 'signs' of God's intention to restore Israel's fortunes following their years of exile. But who else, in verse 8, did the Angel of the Lord say was to appear on the scene?

The word 'branch' is a term the prophets often used when speaking of the coming Messiah. For example, in Isaiah 11:1-3, we read: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.” Does this mean that 'the branch' in Zechariah also refers to the Messiah? (vs 9)

We see there that Zechariah, and Joshua and his friends, are told that through this person called 'the Branch', God would “remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.” That's surely something that could only be done through the perfect offering Jesus would make at Calvary. I'm not sure what the meaning of the 'engraved stone' in vs 9 is, but Exodus 28:9-11 says that the on the shoulder piece of the garment worn by the High Priest there were two onyx stones with the names of the 12 sons of Israel engraved on them. The High Priest, as it were, bore the tribes of Israel before the Lord. So too the Lord Jesus Christ, our perfect High Priest, bears all those who by faith are in Him, before God. Their iniquity was also removed in that single glorious day at the cross. Oh what a day that was.