1And he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, Who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you! Is not this man (Joshua, representative of the remnant returned from captivity) a brand plucked out of the fire?” 3Now Joshua was standing before the Angel in filthy clothes. 4And the LORD said to those who stood before Him, “Take the filthy clothes from him.” And to him He said, “Look, I have caused the removal of your sin from you, and I will clothe you with fine garments.” 5And I (possibly Zechariah, who could not remain passive, or perhaps the Angel of the LORD – Bible expositors are not sure) said, “Let them set a clean turban on his head.” So, they set a clean turban on his head, and clothed him with (clean) garments, while the Angel of the LORD stood by. 6And the Angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: 7”Thus says the LORD of hosts; ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My laws, then you shall also govern My Temple, and shall have charge of My courts, and I will give you standing among these who stand by here. 8Hear now, O high priest Joshua - you, and your associates who sit before you - for you and they are symbolic of things to come; for I will bring forth My Servant, the BRANCH. 9For, behold, the Stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one Stone shall be seven eyes; behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘And I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. 10In that day’, says the LORD of hosts, ‘Every man shall invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree’”, declares the LORD Almighty. This vision is of a trial at the bar of God. Zechariah’s role is that of a reporter; the other four are the principals in this trial: the defendant is Joshua, the high priest; Christ (the Angel of the LORD), is Joshua’s advocate or defense attorney; Satan is the prosecutor (Joshua’s accuser). And God as the Judge. The defendant, Joshua, stands laden not with his own sins, but the sins and defilement of the remnant of Israel returned from exile, represented by his filthy garments (V.3). In verse 2, the LORD rebukes Satan; and in the latter part of the verse, there is a quote where the LORD asks the question: “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” The LORD seems to be saying “Is not this small remnant returned from captivity, represented here by Joshua, miraculously rescued (or redeemed) from utter destruction, like a fire brand plucked out of a fire?” The verdict from God is: “I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with a change of raiment”, a beautiful picture of cleansing, redemption and restoration into the good graces of the LORD (v.4).
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