The Great Accusation and the Greater Advocate: Text: Zechariah 3:1-5
Introduction: The Heavenly Courtroom
We live our lives largely unaware of the spiritual realities that undergird our every moment. We see the world of wood, stone, and spreadsheets, but we are blind to the world of thrones, dominions, and spiritual conflict. The prophet Zechariah is given a series of night visions, and in this fourth vision, the curtain is pulled back, and we are shown a scene from the heavenly courtroom. This is not an abstract legal proceeding; it is the very heart of the gospel. What happens here to Joshua the high priest is what happens to every believer who has ever been brought from death to life.
This vision was given to a discouraged people. The returning exiles were back in the land, but the work of rebuilding the temple had stalled. They were beset by enemies on the outside and by their own sin and apathy on the inside. They felt their own defilement keenly. And so God shows them this vision to remind them where the real battle lies and how their acceptance before Him is secured. It is not secured by their own righteousness, which is a pile of filthy rags, but by a divine transaction of breathtaking grace.
We must understand that this is not just Joshua's story. Joshua stands as a representative for the entire nation of Israel, and by extension, for the entire church. He is the high priest, the one who represents the people before God. His condition is their condition. His cleansing is their cleansing. And the accusation leveled against him is the same accusation leveled against every one of us, day and night, by the great adversary, the accuser of the brethren.
This passage reveals the anatomy of our salvation. We see the accuser, the accused, the advocate, the verdict, and the glorious result. This is the gospel in miniature, a living diorama of justification by faith alone. If you want to understand how a holy God can accept a sinful man, you must pay close attention to what transpires in this celestial courtroom.
The Text
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
And Yahweh said to Satan, "Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand delivered from the fire?"
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.
And he answered and spoke to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have made your iniquity pass away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."
Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of Yahweh was standing by.
(Zechariah 3:1-5 LSB)
The Accusation (v. 1)
The vision opens with the key players assembled for this divine drama.
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him." (Zechariah 3:1)
Here we have Joshua, the high priest. His very name is significant. Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus. So, we have a Jesus standing before the Angel of Yahweh, who is none other than the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Joshua is the representative of the people, standing in the place of judgment.
And where is he standing? Before the Angel of Yahweh. This is the place of ministry, the place of service, but it is also the place of reckoning. And at his right hand, the place of the prosecutor in an ancient court, stands Satan. The name Satan literally means "the accuser" or "the adversary." This is his primary work. As John tells us in Revelation, he is the one who "accuses them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10).
And what is the basis of his accusation? We will see it in verse 3. Joshua is clothed in filthy garments. The accusation is true. Satan is a liar and the father of lies, but his most effective tactic is to use the truth. He points to our sin, our defilement, our rebellion, and he is not making it up. Joshua, representing the people, is guilty. The priesthood had been corrupted. The people were sinful. The exile was a just punishment for their covenant unfaithfulness. Satan has a rock-solid case. He is a brilliant prosecuting attorney, and he has all the evidence on his side. He simply has to point at Joshua's clothes and rest his case.
The Divine Rebuke (v. 2)
Before Joshua can offer a defense, which he cannot, and before the sentence can be passed, which would be condemnation, the Lord Himself intervenes.
"And Yahweh said to Satan, 'Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand delivered from the fire?'" (Zechariah 3:2)
Notice the structure here. The Angel of Yahweh, who is Yahweh the Son, says to Satan, "Yahweh the Father rebuke you!" This is the same formula Michael the archangel uses in Jude 9. It is a profound declaration. The defense does not rest on Joshua's innocence, but on God's authority and God's choice. The argument is not, "This man is not guilty." The argument is, "This man is mine."
The basis for the rebuke is God's sovereign election: "Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!" God's choice precedes our performance. His love for His people is not based on their loveliness, but on His own good pleasure. Satan's accusations, though factually correct, are ultimately irrelevant in the face of God's electing grace. God chose Jerusalem. God chose these people. And that choice is the foundation of their security.
Then comes the beautiful image: "Is this not a brand delivered from the fire?" A brand is a stick, blackened, scarred, and smoking, pulled out of a fire. It is not a pristine piece of lumber. It still smells of the smoke. It is ugly and charred. This is what we are. God did not save us because we were attractive. He saved us out of the fire of judgment that we deserved. We are fire-brands. The evidence of the fire is still on us, but we are in His hand. Satan wants to throw the brand back into the fire, but God has plucked it out, and what God has delivered, no one can snatch away.
The Great Exchange (v. 3-4)
Now we see the grounds for Satan's accusation made explicit, and the divine remedy applied.
"Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. And he answered and spoke to those who were standing before him, saying, 'Remove the filthy garments from him.' Again he said to him, 'See, I have made your iniquity pass away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.'" (Zechariah 3:3-4)
Here is the problem in plain sight. The high priest of Israel is clothed in garments that are not just dirty, but ceremonially and morally filthy. The Hebrew implies excrement. This is the righteousness of man. This is what Isaiah meant when he said, "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6). Joshua stands mute. He has no defense. The evidence is undeniable. He is utterly defiled.
But then the Angel of the Lord acts. He doesn't tell Joshua to go clean himself up. He doesn't give him a list of steps for self-improvement. He issues a sovereign command to the other angels in the courtroom: "Remove the filthy garments from him." This is the negative aspect of justification: the removal of sin. Our sin is taken away from us.
Then comes the positive declaration directly to Joshua: "See, I have made your iniquity pass away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." God does not just make us neutral. He does not just strip us of our sin and leave us naked. He clothes us. And not just with clean clothes, but with "festal robes," glorious, rich, celebratory garments. This is the positive aspect of justification: the imputation of Christ's perfect righteousness. This is the great exchange, the glorious transaction of the gospel. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). Our filthy garments of sin were placed upon the other Joshua, Jesus, at the cross. And His perfect festal robes of righteousness are placed upon us. This is double imputation, and it is the heart of our salvation.
The Restoration of Office (v. 5)
Zechariah, overwhelmed by the vision, cannot contain himself and interjects, and his request is granted.
"Then I said, 'Let them put a clean turban on his head.' So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of Yahweh was standing by." (Zechariah 3:5)
The high priest's turban was a crucial part of his vestments. It had a golden plate on the front inscribed with the words, "Holy to Yahweh" (Exodus 28:36). For Joshua to stand there with filthy garments meant his mind, his thoughts, his entire consecration was defiled. Zechariah asks for the sign of his office and his holiness to be restored. And it is done immediately. A clean turban is placed on his head.
This signifies a full restoration. He is not just forgiven; he is reinstated. He is not just a pardoned criminal; he is a consecrated priest, fit for service. His mind is made holy to the Lord. His service is now acceptable. And notice the final detail: "while the angel of Yahweh was standing by." The Lord Jesus Christ Himself presides over this entire transaction. He is the one who commands it, He is the one who accomplishes it, and He is the one who approves it. He is our Advocate, our Judge, and our Righteousness.
Conclusion: Dressed for Heaven
This vision is our story. We all stand before God like Joshua, clothed in the filthy rags of our own sin and our pathetic attempts at self-righteousness. And at our right hand stands the accuser, pointing out every stain, every rip, every defilement. And his accusations are true. We are guilty. We have no defense.
But we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. He does not argue our innocence. He pleads His own blood. He points not to our record, but to His. He silences the accuser not by denying our sin, but by declaring, "I have paid for that sin. This one is mine. I have chosen him. He is a brand plucked from the fire."
And then He performs the miracle of grace. He commands that our filthy garments be removed, and He clothes us in His own perfect righteousness. He takes our sin, and we get His standing. He takes our condemnation, and we get His commendation. He takes our rags, and we get His robes. He cleanses not just our record, but our minds, giving us a clean turban, setting our thoughts apart as holy to the Lord.
Therefore, when the accuser comes to you, as he will, and whispers the long, true list of your sins and failures, you must not argue with him. You must not try to defend yourself. You must simply point to your Advocate, the Angel of Yahweh, and say, "He has rebuked you. My garments have been changed. I am clothed in the righteousness of another." This is our only hope, our only plea, and our everlasting security.