Zachariah 3:3-5 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich/fine garments on you.” Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.”.
According to the Mosaic Law the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year. He stayed in the temple for seven days and performed the daily rituals, offering sacrifices for his own sins and then for the sins of the repentant congregation. He presented the blood of the goat from the sin offering and incense in the holy of holies before the Lord. He would first burn incense and fill the room with smoke of the sweet scent before he entered. Without blood and incense the High Priest would die in God’s holy presence. Incense was symbolic of praise and worship and the blood was for the remission of sins. However, Prophet Zachariah had a vision that Joshua, the High Priest at his time, was standing in the presence of the Lord to perform his priestly duties with filthy clothes. The Lord was revealing to the prophet that all the customary rituals and rites had not cleansed the High Priest. He had to be dressed with the rich garments that the Lord provides. The external clothing and customary cleansing did not make him clean. It was the inner cleanliness that God was looking for.
At the cross all the rituals and legalistic practices came to an end. We are not expected to wash, bow or burn incense to make us acceptable to the Lord. External cleanliness is for hygiene not holiness. Good works do not qualify to stand before God. It is the garment of salvation that qualifies us as holy. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10). Behind the cross, our filthy garment of self-righteousness was exchanged with the garment of salvation.
Behind the empty cross:
1. Rut: It is during our time of personal or corporate prayer that guilt surges and tries to suffocate our soul. We are tormented with condemnation that we are not qualified to preach, praise or profess the name of Christ. When you are pushed to the rut of condemnation, remember you are clothed with the garment of salvation, rich and righteous.
2. Rich: Christ paid the costly price to exchange our reeking sin stained garments with the rich garment of righteousness. We don’t have to live in condemnation as Christ has clothed us with His glorious garment.
3. Righteous: Righteousness does not make us Mr. Right, it positions us in right standing with God where the devil cannot point a finger at us.
Behind the cross, our sins were not buried but cancelled. The cross was the purchase price for our garment of righteousness.
Colossians 1:14 Jesus, paid the price for our sins and made us free.
Prayer: Jesus my Redeemer, thank you for clothing me with the garment of salvation and righteousness. Amen.
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