We adopted two of our sons from Ethiopia nine years ago today. It has been a long journey for all of us, and I am so glad that I’m nine years down this road and not back at the starting line. As soon as we leapt over that starting line and landed on the ground in Africa, I thought I was probably going to die. We later realized I was just pregnant with baby number four. When the nannies thrust two sweet, sad, screaming boys at us we realized we were massively unprepared.
The early part of our adoption story is filled with diapers, fungi, and giardia. I remember how I longed to have all of the filth removed from my children and my home, but it seemed an unending struggle. And our boys couldn’t fix it themselves. Those sweet babies needed love, and sometimes latex-gloved hands, to help them out.
Just like helpless, sick toddlers from an orphanage with no running water, we, too, came to Christ dressed in filthy clothes. And we couldn’t get free of it on our own. Notice that in the fourth vision from today’s reading, the Lord doesn’t say to Joshua, “Get yourself cleaned up!” but instead “Take off his filthy clothes!” (Zechariah 3:4). He needed someone to do it for him, and so do we.
Christ removes our iniquity, and then He clothes us in festive robes (v.4). I love how the gospel gives us a total turn-around. He could have replaced filthy garments with a reasonable and sensible second-hand T-shirt. That’s certainly better than where we were. But Christ loves us and dresses us in the best He has to offer. He washes us clean and elevates us from the gutter to His right hand, like true sons and daughters.
Not only are our filthy rags removed, but we are made to dwell in the shadow of His covering, where we, now filled with the joy of the good news of the gospel, may invite our neighbors to also find rest (v.10). And as sons and daughters, we are invited to walk in His way and keep His mandates (v.7).
Just as we are unable to make ourselves clean by our own scrubbing, we are also dependent upon Him and His constant character. Our newness of life is achieved “not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6). God is the one who makes the mountains a plain (v.7) and removes all obstacles. In this case, Zechariah prophesied the seemingly impossible completion of the temple. But in its true fulfillment, Christ establishes His temple and makes the mountains into plains (Isaiah 40:4). He alone breaks down the barriers of sin, and declares us righteous, a fit dwelling place for His Spirit.
And, newly cleansed, we will see that just as the temple completion in restored Jerusalem was the work of God alone, so also the conversion of our hearts and the cleansing of our guilt is achieved through grace (Zechariah 4:7).
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40 thoughts on "Zechariah’s Visions"
Thank you! Loved that, so helpful!
Zech3:1 says that Joshua appeared in the vision as the high priest he would have been wearing the high priest garments described in Leviticus… and yet even these are described as filthy garments… my best attempts at righteousness are ‘filthy garments’ in comparison to my saviour… thank you Jesus that you give me your righteousness and clothe me in pure vestments.
Amen! It is God who cleanses us and makes us whole. So often, I try to make myself better and try to live the Christian life in my own strength but I continue to struggle. I will only find rest and strength if I turn to Jesus instead.
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It feels like my life is one mountain after another. But I serve a God who makes mountains a plain! Praise God! Not by power, not by might, but by his Spirit.
Amen!
The lord really spoke to me today. He wants me to simply seek him in order to be made clean and whole. All I need to do is run to my fathers door and ask for his help, and his grace will do the rest. Here I am. Full of filthy, anxious spirits, breaking a sweat because of the amount of pain I have gone through. You took it upon yourself to cover my sweat with your blood once and for all. You didn’t want to see me suffer even though I deserved it, and it doesn’t make sense to me. I love you so much Jesus. Thank you for speaking to me today and making me realize I don’t have to be insecure, angry, or anxious if I simply just seek your guidance and care.
I am a perfectionist, and I’m constantly trying to “fix” myself. Today’s devotional reminds me that it is God’s sweet grace, awesome power and perfect love that will change /cleanse / transform me. I am not doing this alone. In fact, I can’t do it alone! I can read books and take courses, but the most important thing is for me to submit myself to his cleansing, transforming power. This is such a soothing realisation.
thank you so much! it helped so much!
I wish the SRT commentaries go a little deeper into the explanations- visions/prophecies can be so confusing and even the book (i bought) which I thought would has very little….
I use the ESV study Bible. There are notes on almost every single verse that explains what’s going on and helps to decipher the oracles and visions throughout this book.
…Angel returned and roused me (Zechariah) as one awakened out of sleep – and asked “What do you see?” Jesus also woke up his disciples from sleep to pray on the night of Gethsemane…
God wakes us up from spiritual slumber and asks – “What do you see?”
I wish to see the amazing work of the Lord of Armies and his kingdom come!
This grace upon grace. My heart is grateful beyond words for Jesus and his sacrificial overabundant unashamed love for us. How awesome is the Lord.
The beauty of her story with her adopted sons made things so real and alive to the truth of the verses read today. Thank you for sharing your experience and make the reality of the Word more sweet.
The phrase “The Lord Of Armies” always catches me and makes me pause. It was said four times in today’s reading. I see it as God’s absolute power and sovereignty- King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It leaves me in awe of not only His power, but His incredible grace to offer us His righteousness.
I didn’t come to Jesus on my own. I was pursued and lovingly guided by the Holy Spirit. That day I stood in the sanctuary of Immanuel Bible Church was the beginning of my new life. I walked into Immanuel filthy, broken, wretched and wrecked and after giving my life to Christ, I walked out clean, new, holy and a righteous daughter of God the Father. That was a wonderful day in my life and I’ll never get over the wonder of it. That’s the day I inherited a new family and began to embrace my new identity. As part of our welcome packets from Immanuel Bible Church, we all received our very own Bible. The women received beautiful pink Bibles with silver gilding and the men received attractive brown Bibles with gold gilding. I fell in love with the Word of God that day and all these years later I’m even more in love with it. Today, it’s only by God’s spirit and none of my own strength or might that I continue to walk with the King. He alone has cleansed me and He alone calls me beloved daughter and for that I rejoice!
Heavenly Father, I love You! You rescued me, cleansed me, adopted me and called me Your own. How magnificent to know that I belong to You. How refreshing it is thay my sins are forgiven, and what a privilege it is to be called Your daughter and a citizen of Heaven. All honor and Glory belong to You Father. In Jesus Name! Amen.
He removed the filthy rags, forgave my sin and placed festive robes on me to give me a new beginning. The Light, the Truth, a Shepherd. Oh God all that you have given and forgiven that we might be called your children and run into your arms Father. Please open my mouth in praise and help me not to be a stumbling block but to be one of the voices shouting Grace to it. I have failed so many times and yet your arms are open. Thank you my mighty and gracious King.
Love this.
I too am reading to catch up…
This exchange of clothing has built a mental picture for me to hold onto when I am holding onto my own ways and sense that God is working in my life to teach me that he is leading me away from my own sinfulness and into His glorious light. I must invite Him to work and allow Him to work in me… allow this exchange… not hold onto the filthy robes.
The verses about the clean clothes reminded me of a story we used to tell all the time at camp called “Ragman.” “New rags for old,” the character cries out, taking upon the infirmities of the people he comes across. It was really cool to find a verse that matches that story!
Filthy robes replaced with festive robes of righteousness.
From despair to celebration.
From unworthy to chosen.
From earthy to heavenly.
From dirty to clean.
From rags to royalty.
From humiliation to redemption.
“On THAT day”—the day Christ took my sins, filth, earthiness, despair, rags, humiliation and unworthiness to the cross—everything was transformed.
God shared His love and grace and I accept His gift by faith. Now, regardless of the guilt I choose to carry around, my Father sees me as His beloved daughter dressed in clean, heavenly, festive, royal, celebratory, redemptive robes of righteousness and adorned with His love, grace, and mercy. Let me dance, not shuffle; sing, not cry; rejoice, not lament—for, look! My Father has dressed me in festive robes!
That is so beautiful, Shawn! Thank you for sharing. What a great summary and encouragement of/from today’s reading.
Amen! Very beautifully said Shawn! This blessed me this morning :)
Cassandra, I found the Bible Project overview of Zechariah super helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_106IfO6Kc0
I wish the “study” portion of this explained a bit more about what the other visions meant. Does anyone have insight they can offer?
Check out You Tube video by The Bible Project on the book- I love them and they give a good overview
https://youtu.be/_106IfO6Kc0
Me too!!! These prophecies are difficult to understand and I know I’m missing all of the context here
What a helpful resource, Jenn! Thank you!!
That video helped so much! Thank you, Jenn!
This was great, Jenn! Thanks!
I love that a clean turban for Joshua’s head came first and then replaced his garments. The clean turban reminds me that God covers all of me, including power over my thoughts and emotions. The Lord of Armies battles my brain and has won. His thoughts become my thoughts, his heart my heart, and I pray, his image my image.
vs. 10 “For who despises the day of small things?” Also stood out to me. So much of the success of things is in the small details, the incidents and choices along this journey that become habits. Habits that either make us more like his imagine or less as we draw closer to our destination-our heavenly home. Little things matter. Yet, I do not need to be stressed about “doing everything right,” because, (1 Cor. 1:28-29) “God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world-what is viewed as nothing-to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence.”
Step by step, breath by breath, moment by moment is about You, Savior and LORD, and that is so freeing. You free me. Your blood cleanses me, and your love surrounds and guides me, always. I thank you my God, and my King.
Amen, Selah
Who despises the small things caught my eye too. In other translations I looked up it says small beginnings. I so loved that translation as it brought to mind that we begin our journeys in different ways, some have huge conversions of great change, others come gradually and then there are those like me who began as small children not really understanding all there is but the small beginning when continued faithfully and continually seeking is just as awesome and wonderful.
Beautifully said. Amen, Angie!
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Satan has no power over me, a righteous and redeemed child of God. He can accuse all the live long day but those words fall on deaf ears. I once wore a sin – covered garment of shame and guilt but Jesus has replaced it with a pure white robe of mercy and grace. This great clothing exchange did not occur because of anything I did. I did not earn my robe. It was a free gift bought by the blood of Jesus, bestowed on me through faith. Zechariah’s vision of Jesus rebuking Satan reminds me of my holy position. May I wear my robe confidently on earth until the day I stand in the presence of Jesus forever.
This is meaningful to me. Thanks for sharing.
Amen!
Amen!!
“Festive robes.” Jesus painted a picture of this in the story of the Prodigal Son. That is one of my favorite parables in the Bible. It continually amazes me that God doesn’t bring us back as hired hands, which we don’t deserve. He brings us back as His sons and daughters with all the benefits and responsibilities that goes with that.
Lord, forgive me for all the times I am complacent about Your grace and mercy. Forgive me for the times I am the older brother and refuse to celebrate my brother and sister coming home. Help me to always be willing to “remove the filthy garments from him.” I love you, Papa God. Fill me with Your Spirit. Make my life so compelling that those around me want to know the source of my water.
So true, we are not brought back as hired hands but as precious, priceless princesses of the Most High God! Such a great reminder, Kathy!
It’s so easy to try and do things all our own. Then we realize what a mess we have made. I’m thankful for the reminder that our strength comes from the Lord. Amen