THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS

This program of daily Scripture studies is designed to help you in daily honoring God with adoration.

Each day, Monday through Friday, a Scripture with commentary is posted.

We have a great friend in Gary Godard. He has set up an archive page. To view ALL the prior Scripture studies by book and chapter, just clik

HERE.

Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the books of Genesis through Obadiah are
now available in hard copy for $17.50. (Smaller books are only $9:50) Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON (BOOK NAME) to:

Bruce McGee
P.O. Box 1627
Columbia, LA 71418

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE STUDY
ZECHARIAH

1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

Zechariah sees Joshua, the high priest of Israel at that time, standing before the Lord. However, Satan is standing next to him, in order to accuse him of sin. But God gives a rebuke to Satan in His own Name. That rebuke is based on the fact that God has CHOSEN Israel as "a brand plucked out of the fire."

Let us, as Christians, remember that God has made us "priests" through salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are priests for a two-fold purpose. First, we are to offer up sacrifices "acceptable" to God. Second we are to stand before mankind and witness to the glory of our Lord, and be ambassadors of His salvation offered to men.

But we are ALL sinners (Rom. 3:23)! Indeed, Satan is correct in His accusations! And we, like Joshua, stand "clothed with filthy garments." Isaiah said, "...all our righteousenesses are as filthy rags" before Him (Isaiah 64:6). BUT...

4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

God has CLEANSED us, just as He pronounced Joshua clean! God HIMSELF has "caused thine iniquity to pass FROM thee..." And we are clothed in a "change of raiment" for we are clothed in the blood and Spirit of Christ!

Now. When a person is saved and cleansed, that person will LOOK and ACT differently than he did before. We do not look and act differently in order to BE saved. It is WHEN we are saved, we begin to be changed from the inside out. God's Spirit begins to work IN us, and we begin to take on the characteristics of our Lord. And then, TWO things will characterize our lives: we will LOOK and ACT differently. HOW? Well, let's read on.

5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. 6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

The priest was given a "mitre" (crown) and clean robes. He no longer LOOKED filthy! To the Christian, it is much the same. Because of God's miraculous salvation IN us, we no longer attend to the filthiness of the world. We no longer LOOK filthy, because we no longer DO filthy things. That does not mean we will not fail and sin at times. But it does mean that we will not live a life full of sin. We have a genuine spiritual fellowship with God. And, because of that fellowship, we live according to His truths (See 1John 1:1-10). So we LOOK different from the world.

Second, we ACT differently from the world. We will care for the things of God's house (see verse 7). A truly saved person will WANT to be involved in God's work THROUGH the ministry of the local church. And the ministry of the church is:
1) to EVANGELIZE the lost, 2) to EDUCATE the saved, 3) to HELP the unfortunate.

So, we will ACT differently from the world because we will take an active part in the ministry of God's church.

8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

All of the "fellows" which sit before Joshua are like Christians today. They ALL point toward ONE Who is coming - "the Branch!" He is the Lord, Jesus Christ.

He is the "Stone." Jesus referred to this Himself when talking to the chief priests and elders in Israel (Matthew 21). He asked them had they not heard of "the stone which the builders rejected." (Matthew 21:42)

Upon THIS Stone (Jesus) is engraved all the fullness of God spiritually. And BY this Stone, God removes the "iniquity" of men.

Jesus is also referred to as "the Vine." ((See John 15:1-5)) He is the stalk through which the Holy Spirit flows to the smaller "branches" (that's you and me). Without Him we can do nothing, but with Him we can do the work He has planned for us.

GO AND CALL!! Jesus HAS come! He has provided the cleansing for ALL mankind! And we are to go and call "every man his neighbor" to come under this Stone - and this Vine.