It is a somber and weighty day; the iron infused clouds reflect the atmosphere in the crowded room. You have been summoned to appear before the king. You pause at the entrance, two heavy doors made from the cedars of Lebanon, richly embossed with intricate gold patterns, intermixed with jewels of onyx, rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and topaz. On both sides stand two towering men, dressed in purple caps, with breastplates and helmets made of bronze, each holding an 8ft iron spear, with a sword made of the sharpest steel guarding the entrance. They make you feel small and insignificant. They barely glance at you as they open the giant wooden doors. As you pass through you are overwhelmed by the sheer size of the room. The ceiling towers above you, held up by pillars made of marble, covered in golden ivy. You walk down to the center of the room, on a purple carpet that is rich and luxurious, on either side are people in all manner of exquisite apparel. The color of the clothing is dizzying, rich purple and blues silks, mixed with vivid reds and crisp white satins. Draped in delicate veils with gold and silver necklaces, laced with pearls, rubies, diamonds, and emeralds. For such a large group, it was eerily quiet, and you could feel a sort of apprehensive tension. Every eye is upon you as you make your way through the crowd. Your heart begins to pound as you draw near to the throne. As you halt at the steps you glance up and see the king standing there before his golden throne, you drop your head and bow in a graceful but humble manner.
A moment passes, no one speaks. You’re desperate to know why you have been summoned. From the corner of your eye, you notice movement to your right. You glance over and your heart stops. The color drains from your face, you feel weak and lightheaded. There stands your accuser. You know this man well; he appears at random times during the day just to point out everything you have done wrong and how you have failed and how disappointed the king must be in you. He is always quick to list out the many ways you will never measure up, how unlovable and unwanted you are. He seems to know how many times you have sinned that day. You could easily brush off empty accusations, but the worst part is, you know what he says is true. And no matter how hard you strive, how long you labor, it is never enough. His words and actions must have finally captured the attention of the king, and now you must face your punishment. Your mind fills with all sorts of horrible ideas. Will it be death, banishment, humiliation, the loss of all your wealth? Will you lose your position, will your family be taken from you, will you be sold into slavery? What will it be?
Your accuser opens his mouth, but before he can speak a word the King silences him. “Be silent oh accuser, for I have chosen this man, I have chosen him to serve me and his people.” The king turns to those standing nearby, and says “come and dress this man, take off those dirty clothes and place on him robes of satin and silk. For I have forgiven him, and placed on him a clean white turban.” You are completely dumbstruck; you hear gasps of surprise and shock sweep the room. The accuser looks utterly shocked, his mouth hangs open in a silent rebuke. Suddenly feeling out of place, he quietly backs away. Instantly you are surrounded by servants as they obey the kings’ orders, your filthy clothes are stripped from you, and placed on you is a rich green silk robe, a belt made of the finest leather with silver leaflets is placed around your waist. A pure white turban is placed on your head. Once the men finished, they stepped back. Your heart fills with the deepest gratitude, tears begin to flow down your cheeks as the king approaches you. He places a gentle hand on your right shoulder and says “If you do all I say, and obey my word you will rule my house, and have a place amongst my court. For I am going to send my servant and as I have done for you, I will do for all your people.” Your mind continues to reel as you try to process this information. Instead of receiving condemnation, you’ve received grace. Instead of being an outcast, you are renewed and affirmed. Instead of losing everything, you gained access to the king and his court. Instead of judgment, you received forgiveness. The king then hands you a cloth to wipe your tears and invites you to join him for a banquet. You, of course, accept both the cloth and the invite, and walk with him to the hall.
This little story is adapted from Zechariah 3:1-10. It is such an incredible piece of literature; it is one of the most vivid pictures to the coming Messiah in the Old Testament. In the text we see Joshua the High Priest standing before the LORD, with the accuser on his right hand. Since the High Priest was a representative for the people of Israel, it isn’t just the High Priest being judged, it is the whole nation of Israel, or by this time in history Judah. It was critical that the High Priest fully was fully attuned to the keeping of all of God’s law, thus it is striking that Joshua was discribed to have filthy clothes. What its showing is visual representation of the inward state of Joshua’s heart and by extension all of Israel. From what we understand, when the High Priest would enter the presence of the Lord, there were extensive purity rituals, sacrifices and special clothes that he would have put on (Ex. 28, Lev 16). Thus, I propose that when Joshua was standing before the Angel of the Lord, he would have thought he was in good standing. None of the commentaries I’ve read on this passage seem to mention this, so this may be my own opinion, but it seems to make sense given that we know God commanded His priests to do these rituals. Therefore, to be told your clothes are filthy, signifying the state of your heart before God is terrifying. For it would mean that the appropriate response from a righteous and just God is to punish Joshua. This punishment is death and eternal seperation from God, but if Joshua is judged then so to is all of Israel.
How utterly hopeless and discouraging is this? If Joshua, the High Priest, who is supposed to attain the highest most acceptable level of righteousness, is still considered to be clothed in filthy rags, then what chance do any one of us have? Even if Joshua could have fooled God, still the accuser, whom we call Satan, was present and ready to highlight every single way that Joshua failed and remind God of His justice. Hence, we are utterly doomed. If keeping the Holy Laws of God, including the sacrifices, the purity laws, moral laws, the ceremonial laws, is not enough, then there is no hope. For it says Isaiah 64:5-9 “You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned, in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
But in that moment, when all seems lost; the Angel of the Lord, He who is the preincarnate Christ, speaks and provides the way. He takes off the dirty clothes, and places on him clean clothes. He tells Joshua that the Lord of Hosts is going to send his servant, the Branch. This Branch is the same one that Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 53. This is the coming Messiah whose mission it is to take away the sins of the world. Just as he removes Joshua’s iniquity, so to does He remove our iniquities. This is the whole message of the Scriptures, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Going to church every time the doors are open, tithing, taking communion, participating in church activities, preaching His name, not celebrating certain holidays, clean eating, dressing modestly, refraining from movies, having pure speech, getting married, having kids, homeschooling, feeding the poor, being a missionary. All these things, although good, can never remove the stain of sin against you. That can only be done through the work of Christ. As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” What glorious news is this?! We are saved by the work of Christ, our sins are removed by His blood, and we are now clothed in clothes of righteousness. Thus, we are no longer condemned, and when Satan tries to stand against us, he too is silenced. When our conscience becomes overzealous, we look to Jesus and His saving love. When we stand before the Throne of God, our hearts can be at peace, for we know that Jesus has covered us. Blessed be His name!!
Deeper Joy 