SALVATION AND REDEMPTION
Zechariah 3
“Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
This is who we all were: sticks destined for the fire.
Yet when we are saved by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, our status changes in God’s eyes. Satan wants to keep us in his grip but God would have none of it. Our Lord Jesus has snatched us away and has made all the difference.
Note that Joshua contributed nothing to the whole process. He is the greatest beneficiary because he deserved to be despised for his filth and yet God deigned to remove his filth and cleanse him.
“See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
The fine garments is a promise for the future but for a start, a clean turban for his head. As Paul tells us in Romans 12, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
The path forward is simple and clear: “If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.” This is how we will gain fine garments.
So what does it mean to walk in obedience? The simplest answer is from Jesus: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself. What does it mean to walk in righteousness? At the very least, conform to the positive goals of the 10 commandments. We are not to take life away, let us restore and build lives; we are not to steal, let us be generous instead; we are not to commit adultery, let us love our families and commit to their joy; we are not to slander our neighbour, let us highlight their good points; we are not to covet, let us be content.
This is the Christian path. Let us do our best to walk in it.
“If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.”