We continue with thoughts from this book of
prophecy entitled Zechariah. I have taken up the theme of Theres
Still Hope. If there was ever a day of hopelessness it was
that day of Zechariah but he still preached hope. I would remind us
that hope is confident expectation that all will turn out as our God
has planned. We have looked for several weeks at the 10 visions,
which has been the basis of his writing. Let us look at Chapter 3,
verses 8-10 which is the vision of Jehovahs Servant. This
text says, 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.
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. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call
every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.
In this vision we are confronted in
verse 8a with The Sounding Look. The thought is addressed
to Joshua the high priest. He was pictured in vision 5 as the lost
state of religion in need of being clothed with righteousness and
the filthy garments of self-righteousness removed. Now in a
redeemed state there is an exhortation to hear and to behold.
The word hear means to listen attentively to with the
thought of giving obedience to what is heard. The word behold
means to see with an expression of surprise. Our Lord said that the
man that sits with Joshua are men wondered at. They are
men who are a miracle. All of those redeemed and clothed in His
righteousness are people who have experienced the miracle of
salvation.
The Lord now introduces the one who
has done the miraculous redeeming work. Zechariah introduces Him
under three word pictures. The first is in verse 8b where He is
called the servant BRANCH. If anything is born into the
family tree of God it will come as the direct result of the Branch
of Jehovah. Isaiah 4:2 says this about the Branch. In that day
shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the
fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are
escaped of Israel. I am glad I can testify to be of the fruit
of that beautiful and glorious Branch of the redeeming Christ.
In verse 9 Zechariah introduces the
redeemer as The Sovereign Stone. Christ is surely the
stone pictured here. Some calls him the chief corner stone.
He is that stone in the middle of the arch. By Him all things are
held together. Take that corner stone away from the arch and all
that we will have is a pile of rubbish. He is the rejected
stone. His own rejected him and He is rejected by those today
who would rather build on sinking sand. He is the stone of
stumbling. He lies in the path of the lost and He is that
which they stumble over and fall head long into hell itself. My
greatest thought is that He is the Rock Of Ages. On
Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
We are told this stone has seven
eyes. Seven is the number of perfection. The eyes speak of ability
to see and know. He sees all and knows all. We are told of the
engraving work of the stone. I bless the day this stone removed my
sin and set me in Him, the Rock of all the ages. I am now steadfast,
unmovable, always abounding in Him and through Him.
In verse 10 we see the redeemer as
The Secure Connection. He speaks of the redeemed being
under the vine. Our connection to the fig tree and being a
spiritual Jew is through being engrafted in the vine Jesus Christ.
He grafted us in as an old dead stick, brown with no life. It had
no connection on either end. He placed us in that tree of the
family of God; breathed life in us, and that old dead brown stick
turned green and began to live. I not only began to live but to
bear fruit, yea much fruit. It makes me want to say, Glory to
His name, Glory to His name. There to my heart was the blood
applied, Glory to His name.
