Tag Archives: High Priest

In Zechariah, the Branch will remove iniquity in one day, will build the temple, and be king and priest

6 May

branch

In Zechariah, the Branch will remove iniquity in one day, will build the temple, and be king and priest:
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” Zech. 3:4,8,9
“Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:
“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’ Zech. 6:11-13
“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—‘The LORD is one’, and His name one.” Zech. 14:9
In these verses, believed to be Messianic, He is called “My Servant,” “the Man,” and “the Branch” who will “remove the iniquity of the land in one day,” “build the temple of the LORD,” “bear the glory,” “rule on His throne,” “be a priest of His throne,” and “there will be peace between those roles.”
Jesus is called God’s servant in many other Scriptures (Isa. 42:1-4, Isa. 52:13, 53:11, Ezek. 37:24,25, Hag. 2:23, Matt. 12:18). Here He is also identified as a Man. This tells us He will be a Man, not an angel. He is also called the Branch. We know from other verses that use this designation, that He will be a descendant of David, the son of Jesse.
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Isa. 11:1
“In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” Jer. 33:15
According to the genealogies, Jesus was a descendant of David legally, through Joseph, and by blood through Mary. (Matt. 1:6, Luke 3:31.32) so He fulfilled the requirement. This same Branch will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. This was accomplished when He died on the cross as a sin offering.

It also says He will build the temple. Some believe this means He will build a physical temple during the Millennium, but we know in the New Covenant the church is the temple, and individual believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19) Jesus promises to build His church. Just as the work of the temple was started by Zerubbabel and would be completed by him, so the work of building the church which was started by Jesus, will be completed by Him. “…I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matt. 16:18b
This is the temple He is building. He is the glory of the temple, because He would physically be in the temple built by Zerubbabel (Hag. 2:7), and then because He indwells His people through His Spirit.

As a sign of His current favour to them, He assured them that as Zerubbabel had laid the foundation of the temple, he would also complete it, because he would be empowered by God’s Spirit, and all obstacles which seemed like mountains, would become as a plain.

“The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.” Zech. 4:9

“So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” Zech. 4:6

“Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Zech. 4:7

Further, He will rule on a throne, as well as a priest on His throne. These roles are not usually mingled, in fact, they are forbidden to be mingled, as King Uzziah learned (2 Chron. 26:16-23). But with the Messiah, He will be prophet, priest and king. There will be no disharmony among the roles. He will be a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, not Aaron. (Psalm 110:4, Heb. 5:6,10,6:20,7:1,10-21)
This is further demonstrated when Zechariah is instructed to make an elaborate (kingly) crown for Joshua the High Priest to wear. This crown was not to be worn by Joshua, but placed in the temple as a memorial, to remind them that the fulfillment was for a future date by One who was yet to come.
Joshua (the High Priest) and Zerubbabel (from the kingly line) together foreshadowed Jesus, who is both King and Priest.
His reign will be universal. He is King over all the earth.

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In Zechariah, Jesus is the Angel of the LORD interceding for His people in court

28 Nov

Joshua high priest
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
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.’
‘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.”
Zech. 3:1-5
In many places in Scripture we see someone called the Angel of the LORD, who is identified also as the LORD (Gen. 22). We studied this idea of theophanies or appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ previously (in Genesis).
In this instance we have a vision of a courtroom scene. Satan is at the right side in the role of prosecuting attorney, which is appropriate since he is also called the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). The Angel of the LORD is the Judge and Joshua the High Priest clothed in filthy garments.
Joshua appears as one polluted, but he is purified. We are filthy in God’s sight until we are washed and sanctified.
God sees our filthiness but He doesn’t send us away or overlook it. He does something about it. He clothes us in the righteousness of another, Jesus Christ. White robes signify the righteousness of the saints.
The LORD rebukes Satan, claiming Joshua as a brand plucked from the fire. He then orders his servants to remove Joshua’s filthy garments (which represent his sin), and then He clothes him with rich robes and a clean turban. These represent the righteousness of another imputed to him.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21
“And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” Rev. 19:14
“And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Rev. 19:8
He pronounces him justified. Jesus is our Advocate before the Father, so when Satan accuses us before God, and points out our filth, which we have, Jesus claims us as clothed in His righteousness and hidden in Him.
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1

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Jesus as the High Priest

7 Nov

High Priest
The first High Priest was Moses’ brother, Aaron. All subsequent priests were to come from the tribe of Levi only and the High Priest from among the sons of Aaron. For their duties, they were to be consecrated (set apart) and sanctified (made ceremonially clean and holy) through some rituals like washing, wearing priestly garments and being dabbed with blood from the sacrifice.
The priestly garments were designed “for glory and for beauty.” Ex.28:2 Two articles of clothing contained the names of the twelve sons of Israel; the ephod had 2 memorial stones set on the shoulders, Ex. 28:12 and the breastplate had the names engraved over his heart.
“So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually.” Ex. 28:29
This represented Jesus’ cross-work where He died specifically for His people and His future intercession for us before the throne as our Advocate. His death wasn’t to make salvation theoretically possible if only someone would believe. Jesus said, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:15b
The High Priest was consecrated as holy. He had to offer sacrifices first for himself, because he was a sinner, and then for the people. But Jesus, because He was sinless, only offered up the sacrifice of Himself on our behalf.
“…who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” Heb. 7:27
The High Priest had bells on the hem of his garment. This way people could hear him. They were never sure if God would accept the sacrifice and forgive them.
“And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD and when he comes out, that he may not die.” Ex. 28:33-35
Side point. It’s believed the pomegranate was there to remind them of the first sin of eating the forbidden fruit.
“He had bells and a rope attached, because the experience could be so overwhelming that those outside listened to the bells ringing, meaning that the priest was moving about; but if the bells stopped ringing, they would pull him out, not daring to enter themselves.” Vladimir Berzoonsky
But we know that Jesus’s sacrifice was accepted. The evidence of this was His resurrection from the dead. If He was a false teacher He would have stayed dead. God vindicated both His life and His work. “…who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Rom. 4:25 and “…because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:31
The High Priest was charged with keeping the light burning at all times. He also burned incense, which represented prayer.
“Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.” Exodus 30:7,8
Jesus not only intercedes for us in prayer, but the oil in the lamp is often compared to the Holy Spirit, which Jesus sent after He had ascended to Heaven. This oil now lights our lamps continually.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:16

The High Priest/priest/people would lay their hand on the sacrifice to identify with it/lay their sins on it, and then witness its’ death. This showed them the penalty for sin. They probably wouldn’t appreciate how serious and heinous sin is by giving a piece of fruit.
“And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering, and Moses killed it.” Lev. 8:14,15a
Jesus identified with us, taking on our sins even though He was the innocent Lamb of God.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” 1 Pet. 3:18

Jesus is a better High Priest because He lives forever.
“Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Heb. 7:23-25
”But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Heb. 9:11,12
Jesus is considered our High Priest even though He was from the tribe of Judah, rather than the tribe of Levi, because He was a priest after the order of Melchizedek. We studied this in Genesis. See also all of Hebrews 7.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Rev. 5:10
So if we believers are priests, what kind of sacrifices do we offer to God?
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Heb. 13:15
“But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Heb. 13:16
So our sacrifices are our lives, daily, our praise and thanksgiving, and our good works.

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