Return from Exile: Zechariah 4-6 (6)

Pray Psalm 93.1, 2.
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

Sing Psalm 93.1, 2.
(Trinity: Come, Thou Almighty King)
The Lord in majesty reigns, girded and clothed in strength!
Earth stands secure: Nor shall it e’er be moved;
God on His throne above set it in place with love—
His reign is sure!

Read Zechariah 6.1-15; meditate on verses 12-15.

Prepare
1. What will the Branch do?

2. Where did they put the crown?

Meditation
The crown on Joshua’s head served primarily as a symbol of the coming Branch. When He comes, like a living Vine, He will branch out to reach “even those from afar” who will come and join Him in the work of building His temple (vv. 12, 15). Jesus is that Branch, and He builds the temple of the Lord in two senses. First, in each believer, whose body is a temple of the Lord (1 Cor. 6.19, 20); then, in His Church—and individual churches—which are His temple and dwelling place (cf. Eph. 2.19-22; 4.11-16).

The temple of the Lord is the place from which the Lord branches out. He branches out through us as believers to spread His grace throughout our Personal Mission Fields (2 Cor. 4.15). He branches out through our churches to bring the Good News of the Kingdom to our local communities. He rules His temple in glory (v. 13), that is, by the weighty Presence of the Lord, which increases as we grow in grace. And He brings His peace to us and through us to the world (Is. 9.6, 7).

The crown of Joshua would be kept in the temple as a “memorial” or reminder—especially for those who gave the silver and gold by which it was made—of the promise of the coming Branch. Where Jesus rules in glory, grace is the order of the day, as it fills God’s temple with His peace and overflows like rivers of living water to refresh the world (Jn. 7.37-39).

But if we would know that grace and enjoy that peace, we must “diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God” (v. 15). We must not compromise with the world, fail in keeping any of God’s Word, nor neglect the work of our Personal Mission Field. We will either be captive to the Branch and His agenda, or to ourselves and our ease and convenience. And every day we must decide which path we will walk.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
It is much easier to decide which path to take when we fully understand our options.
Do we want to live or die?

God explained to Zechariah the perfect blend of Priest and King the coming BRANCH would be: “So He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zech. 6.13). These are two very powerful occupations rolled into one—One who controls life and death. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10.28).

In God’s purview these are two pivotal positions for His Son to hold:

Priest
“You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest” (Ex. 40.15).
“Then the priest shall offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD….” (Lev. 15.15).
“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2.17).
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4.14).
“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).

King
“Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (Ps. 2.6).
“The LORD is King forever and ever…” (Ps. 10.16).
“But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer. 10.10).
“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).
“He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God…He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19.13, 15, 16).

And this One, this King of kings and Lord of lords, is the only way to God. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14.6).

The Hierarchy of the Kingdom must be understood by those who choose to live therein.
He Who atones and rules is the One to Whom we bow, owe our allegiance, and serve with heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22.37-40).

That truth, branched throughout, enables us to grow aright.
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15.5).

Nothing without. Everything with. Branching out.

For reflection
1. How would you explain to a new believer what it means that Jesus is our great High Priest?

2. How would you explain to a new believer what it means that Jesus is our King?

3. Whom will you encourage today to grow closer and more dependent on Jesus as our High Priest and King?

The peace and welfare of the gospel church, and of all believers, shall be wrought, though not by two several persons, yet by two several offices meeting in one; Christ, purchasing all peace by his priesthood, maintaining and defending it by his kingdom. The crowns used in this solemnity must be kept in the temple, as evidence of this promise of the Messiah. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Zechariah 6.9-15

Pray Psalm 93.3-5.
How is the Lord branching out in you? Through you? Commit your growth in and work for the Lord to Him, for realizing more of the presence, promise, and power of His rule in and through your life.

Sing Psalm 93.3-5.
(Trinity: Come, Thou Almighty King)
What, though the floods arise, raising their voice to the skies,
strong though they be, God on His mighty throne
drowns out their fearsome drone, hasting to save His own,
eternally.

Almighty God on high, Your Word can never lie!
Your truth is sure—holy and just are they
who tread Your holy way; Yours shall they ever stay,
Lord, evermore.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.