I. THE HIGH PRIEST
A. READ ZECHARIAH 3:1-4A
B. IF SOMETHING SOUNDS INCREDIBLE, MY SON
ASKS ME, "DID THAT HAPPEN
ON THIS EARTH?" OR SOMETIMES IF HE HAS A HARD TO SWALLOW STORY TO
TELL
ME, HE FOLLOWS IT WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT IT DID HAPPEN "ON THIS
EARTH."
1. DID THIS
HAPPEN ON THIS EARTH? HIGH PRIEST, SATAN AND JESUS
ALL STANDING AROUND? (NO/MAYBE. JOSHUA WAS A REAL PERSON WHO WAS
HP
AT TIME OF RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON. THINK THAT IT IS
PRIMARILY
SYMBOLIC.)
C. LETS FOLLOW EACH CHARACTER TO SEE WHAT
IS MEANT:
D. FIRST THE HIGH PRIEST.
1. DO YOU THINK
THAT THIS VISION IS SYMBOLIC OF A SINFUL HIGH
PRIEST THAT JESUS RESCUED? (EZRA TALKS ABOUT JOSHUA (JESHUA) AND IN
CHPT.2 SEEMS TO SAY POSITIVE THINGS AS DOES THE BC.)
2. IS THE HIGH
PRIEST SYMBOLIC IN REAL LIFE? (YES).
3. SO WHAT DO
YOU THINK THAT THE HP IS DOING? (THE SYMBOL
HERE IS THE DAY OF ATONEMENT WHEN THE SIN TRANSFERRED TO THE HP.
AS
A
RESULT HIS GARMENTS WERE FILTHY.)
4. SO THE REAL
MEANING IS THAT THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE
SAYING, "I CONFESS MY SINS, TAKE MY SINS AWAY." AND V.4B SAYS
THAT THE
SINS WERE TAKEN AWAY.
E. NEXT, SATAN.
1. LETS ASSUME
THAT SATAN IS SYMBOLIC OF SATAN.
2. IS SATAN
DOING THE KIND OF THING THAT HE LOVES TO DO, HELP
PEOPLE TO AVOID SIN?
a. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT HE IS THERE TO PURSUADE
JESUS THAT THE PERSON IS EVIL?
b. IF SATAN WERE RIGHT, WOULD JESUS NEED TO BE
PURSUADED?
c. IF SATAN WERE WRONG, WOULD HIS POWERS OF PURSUATION
DO ANY GOOD?
(I REMEMBER IN PAST YEARS SAYING THAT SATAN IS LIKE THE PROSECUTOR
AND
JESUS IS LIKE THE DEFENSE ATTY. OUR LESSON EVEN SAYS THAT. BUT I'M
NOT
SURE THAT THIS PARALLEL MAKES ANY SENSE AT ALL. THE DEFENSE IS
NOT
GOING TO GET ANY EVIL PEOPLE "OFF" AND IN HEAVEN, AND THE PROSECUTOR
IS
NOT GOING TO CONVICT ANY INNOCENT PEOPLE. SINCE NEITHER JESUS NOT
SATAN
ARE IDIOTS, THEY WOULDN'T BE WASTING THEIR TIME IF THE CONCLUSION
WERE
FOREGONE.)
F. SO IF I'M RIGHT, AND THIS LITIGATION MODEL
MAKES NO SENSE, WHAT IS
IT THAT SATAN IS DOING? (HE CANNOT PURSUADE JESUS, BUT HE CAN
PURSUADE
YOU. THE GOAL IS TO MAKE YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL LOSE YOUR CASE.)
1. HOW DOES
SATAN DO THIS? (SELF DOUBT. STATEMENTS OF OTHERS)
G. TELL ME HOW THIS WORKS OUT. DO EVIL
PEOPLE, AS SATAN'S AGENTS
ACCUSE THE RIGHTEOUS OF THEIR SINS? (YES. LESSON MAKES THIS PT.)
H. DO GOOD PEOPLE ACCUSE THE WICKED OF THEIR
SINS? (YES. ZECHARIAH
1:4)
I. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE BEING ACCUSED
TO DISCOURAGE YOU
AND HOW KNOW WHEN ACCUSED BECAUSE YOU NEED IT?
J. WAS THE ACCUSATION JUST IN THIS CASE?
WAS THERE SIN?
1. WHAT MEANT
BY "FILTHY GARMENTS?" (IS. 64:6 SAYS THAT ALL OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AS FILTHY RAGS.)
2. WHAT MEANT
BY A "BRAND [OR BURNING STICK] SNATCHED FROM
THE FIRE?" (THE PICTURE OF FIRE CONSUMING THE WICKED IS A COMMON ONE
IN
SCRIPTURE-ESP. REV. THE PICTURE THAT I GET IS THAT OF A WICKED PERSON
WHO
DESERVES DEATH IS BEING PULLED FROM DEATH. NOT SOMETHING THAT
SHOULDN'T BE ON FIRE PULLED OUT.)
K. WHO PULLED THE BRAND OUT OF THE FIRE? (JESUS.
WHOLE PICTURE IS
THAT HE IS PLUCKED FROM FIRE, FILTHY GARMENTS ARE TAKEN AWAY AND A
CLEAN TURBAN IS PUT ON HIS HEAD).
II. HOW LIVE
A. READ 3:4B-7.
B. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE "I WILL GIVE
YOU A PLACE AMONG
THESE STANDING HERE"? (PICTURE OF HEAVEN)
C. TELL ME HOW THE HP (HOW YOU) GET FROM THE
BURNING BRAND STAGE
TO HEAVEN?
1. DID JOSHUA:
a. PULL HIMSELF FROM THE FIRE? (NO)
b. TAKE OFF HIS FILTHY GARMENTS? (NO)
c. PUT ON A CLEAN TURBAN OR CLEAN GARMENTS? (NO)
2. DID THAT
GET HIM A PLACE WITH THE ANGELS? (FROM THIS STORY,
NO)
D. HOW DID HE GET TO HEAVEN? (V.7. "WALK IN
MY WAYS AND KEEP MY
REQUIREMENTS.")
E. IF NEED MORE TIME TALK OF BRANCH AND STONE.
III. NEXT WEEK: ZECHARIAH4 VISION OF CANDLESTICK AND OLIVE TREES.