Clothed in Righteousness and Crowned with Holiness

Clothed in Righteousness and Crowned with Holiness

Zechariah 3:3-5
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”
So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

   Can you picture this scene in your mind?  Seated on a throne is the Lord God Almighty.  Standing in front of Him are The Lord Jesus, Satan the Accuser, and Joshua the High Priest.  Satan is there to oppose the High Priest, most likely pointing out how unworthy Joshua was to be there before the Lord wearing filthy robes.  In the study of Biblical symbolism, being dressed in filthy robes or rags is a sign of our sinful nature.  Many places in the Bible tell us that when our sins are forgiven, we are dressed in white robes, symbolizing a righteous nature.  One place says our robes are washed clean in the blood of Christ.  So here we see Joshua dressed in filthy robes and God fixes this by having Joshua’s filthy robes taken away and he is given clean robes.
   Last week we saw that Joshua was plucked from the fire and rescued, but here we see God does not leave us like He finds us.  We are cleansed and allowed to stand before Him in Christ’s righteousness.  When we try to stand before God in our own righteousness, we are, like Isaiah tells us, dressed in filthy rags.  I don’t speak Hebrew, but I’m told the text in Isaiah 64 refers to rags that are both dirty and unclean under the Law.
   God addresses Joshua and says He has given him rich robes to wear, and also a clean turban for his head.  The turban the High Priest traditionally wore had a plate attached to the front that read, “Holiness to the Lord.”  (Exodus 28:36-38.)  Ephesians says we are to put the Helmet of Salvation on our heads, and here we see the Lord placing holiness on Joshua’s head.  When we ask the Lord for forgiveness for our sinful life, we receive Christ’s holiness and stand before God blameless of any sin.
   I often find my mind going over this idea.  To think that God Himself intervenes on my behalf and that He has chosen to take away my sinful nature and clothe me with Christ’s righteousness is just awesome.  It is hard to get my head around.  I often joke that if I were God, I’d think twice about choosing me.  But He has and He arranged all this for me and this was settled before the founding of the world.  Wow.
   Take comfort in this story.  God chose you when you were burning in your own iniquity.  He plucked you from the fire and defended His choice to do so when the Accuser came before Him and pointed out your sins and filthy condition.  He took away your sins Himself and gave you clean robes of righteousness.  He placed His holiness on your head to cover you.  This was all decided before you were born; indeed before the world itself was created.  And now Jesus stands at the right hand of the Father and makes intercession for you, and is as close to you as a prayer.
   Zechariah saw such a beautiful vision here, and we can take a great deal of comfort from this.

Stephen Cram                              May 13, 2012                           Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8