In the previous chapters we have seen that the prophet dealt with it, that he encouraged and strengthened the people, so that they should continue to promote and finish building the house of the Lord. Here, in the following, he strengthens the leaders of the people, who preside over the people in both spiritual and civil matters. The chief in spiritual matters was Joshua the priest, in temporal matters Zerubbabel. He encourages both of them by very great and sweet consolations and promises, since it is very important to have a courageous leader among the people, by whose example the rest of the crowd, not frightened by any difficulty, easily follows the leader, as it is commonly said: "A good leader is worthy of all honor.
But this passage concerning life (moralis) is to be especially noted, how exceedingly difficult it is to follow the divine calling, how great an effort, how great a consolation is necessary that we finally renounce our thoughts and inclinations and render obedience to the divine calling. For behold, how the people trembled above, how the prophet, by such exceedingly rich and sweet consolations, accomplished almost nothing; behold, how here with the priest, and afterwards with the leader, nothing is
but trembling and utter despair, so that they could hardly, encouraged by the great promises, be brought to accomplish the work of the Lord which they had begun. And such is the nature of the divine calling that it first attacks the matter with great fear, trembling and despair. Nothing is done in haste here, nothing is done sacrilegiously, nothing is done with a certain audacity or impudence, but many consolations are needed. Therefore, this passage is to be heeded very carefully, so that we too may approach the work of our calling with fear and trembling, otherwise it will come to nothing if, trusting in our counsel and with impudence, we undertake something more brazenly than is right. And there cannot be the right spirit in those who, as it were, rejoicingly triumph immediately in the beginning of their vocation and undertake everything, immediately ascertain everything in the most certain way, as if they had already conquered Satan, while they have not yet seen him. When they have to give an account of their intentions in the face of adversity, it is surprising how much they mistrust their cause, how they cannot stand. We have seen this in our prophets. The prophet Isaiah was completely opposed to the Lord's sending him; he denounced the uncleanliness of the
Moses and Jeremiah prevented their lack of eloquence so that they would not be sent. For all the works of God go beyond all thoughts, powers and understanding of reason; He demands and wants to be done far higher and more difficult things than human understanding could achieve, yes, it seems to be completely impossible 1). That is why we need another master, so that we can break through, i.e. that we hang on the word alone with closed eyes and ears, give God the glory that he is true, and do not doubt that he will accomplish what he wanted to accomplish through us. This is what Paul says [Eph. 3:20]: "God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we understand."
We see the same thing here, how impossible the matter seemed to the priest, how many things deterred him. First of all, his conscience was troubled and not well fortified; he was confronted with the common question: Who knows whether God is pleased with a sinful man? A guilty conscience cannot do anything good; it always approaches the matter with trembling, yes, with the greatest uncertainty, since it is uncertain about God's will. Therefore, the work cannot please God if the heart is so wavering. A good work must be done with a completely good conscience, for we must believe that it is not our work, that it is not in our power or in our counsel, but that it is God's work. Therefore, we must trust with a sure and unshakable conscience that the Lord will accomplish what He has undertaken through us and through our service, that we will recognize that we are God's instrument. Otherwise, if the heart is not so fortified, it is impossible that we should not draw back. For we are immediately frightened by the greatness of the work, by the exceeding difficulty of carrying it out, by reason, by Satan, who makes the work so exceedingly great that he may turn us away, so that he may make us turn back by showing us the difficulty and the many impending evils. Likewise, by making our sin and the weakness of the flesh, he makes us turn back.
1) Instead of iLdeeitlia we have assumed imposgidiüa.
The first thing that is revealed and magnified is that God is not pleased with sinners, but rejects and punishes them; it requires holy people to be ordained for such divine works. etc. This is certainly a very fierce battle, for if we stand up to this challenge, we overcome sin, death and the devil at the same time, in that the heart does not tremble, does not doubt the will of God, that God is pleased with him, even though there is weakness and sin; God wants to use his service, no matter how different it appears to the flesh. Certainly it is not in human power to overcome these three things, therefore it is necessary that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, assist us, making our hearts brave, that we may break through cheerfully, letting God use our service, unafraid of the fear of death or sin. Or if we are not completely cheerful and bold, we should still break through in the midst of weakness and trepidation, having our eyes always fixed, not on our weakness, but on the will of God, who has placed us in such a calling according to His will etc. The same can be seen beautifully in this chapter. For the prophet has entirely to do with strengthening the priest, who is so apprehensive and frightened by the greatness of the matter, by the threatening evils, even by his sin, and to make him courageous against all these attempts etc.
V. 1 And Joshua the high priest was shown to me.
It was not the person of Joshua the high priest that the prophet saw, but a kind of image through which Joshua the high priest was indicated.
And Satan stood at his right hand.
"Satan" generally and actually means any adversary. I like that it means here -specifically the devil. And here again it must be understood that he saw a kind of image of a man who always resisted the priest and deterred him, he might perform what he wanted.
It is quite an extraordinarily beautiful face, because in an exceedingly appropriate way it shows
The priest's heart and the innermost movements of his heart are completely revealed to us. For he had heard God's clear command that the temple be rebuilt. Now that he had heard the word, he thought that God must be obeyed, and yet he struggled so with himself: Who knows if GOt will approve; Perhaps he will reject us sinners. And so the human heart struggles with sin before God in general, for the devil inflates sins and makes them great in such a way that it seems to the heart that God will reject it, and God cannot imagine it any other way than that he now threatens to strike with a club. So here Joshua the priest, dejected and frightened by his sins, does not dare to continue. Therefore, he is strengthened and encouraged: the Lord is not angry; he has averted the rebuke of conscience and rebuke even Satan, who makes the heart so despondent through the greatness of sin that it does not continue to fulfill its calling.
V. 2. The Lord rebuke you, you Satan.
This is a wonderful and exceedingly sweet consolation. Everything in it is completely full of consolation, so suitably has he adapted all the words, as if he wanted to say: Lift yourself away, Satan. Set thyself no more against the priest, for the Lord commands that all that the priest timidly thinks of thy interposition, and so is deterred, shall be accursed. You bring him to the point that he is downcast before God and dares nothing before men; you act no differently than if the Lord had utterly rejected Jerusalem, but he has not rejected it, but has now chosen it and loves it as his own.
Is this not a fire that is saved from the fire?
You deal with the fact that Israel will be destroyed from the foundation and perish, that even the remnants will not remain unharmed, but the Lord will preserve the remnants and make them glorious and blessed. For this priest with the few remnants is no different than a firebrand snatched out of this terrifying captivity. But it is the same thing with
Isaiah [Cap. 7, 4.], where he calls the two kings two smoking extinguishing brews, and above in Amos it says Cap. 3, 12: "Just as a shepherd pulls two knees out of the lion's mouth" etc. These are miracles and great deeds of God. Thus he acts with his people as if he could not protect them at all, and lets them be devoured almost completely, 1) and yet he preserves very few, and protects them in such a way that no power, neither of the world nor of Satan, is so great that it is stronger than these few.
V. 3 Joshua was dressed in unclean clothes and stood before the angel.
Always the angel is added, so that quite actually the fight of the conscience before God is indicated. For the priest always had such thoughts silently with him, as it is shown here in the vision. What the unclean garments were, the prophet himself explains, namely the stained priesthood and the sins of the priest, by which he trembled and doubted whether his priesthood would please the Lord. It was the duty of the priest to pray for the sins of the people and to offer sacrifices for the sins. But Joshua the priest was troubled in his conscience and always thought that God was the avenger of sin, but he was a sinner; in vain would he intercede before God for the sins of the people. He could not visualize the goodness of GOtt, since he was frightened by the terrifying and lamentable rejection of the kingdom and the people. Therefore, he still thought that God was angry, that he would undertake anything in vain as a mere man, since things stood so distressed and so gloomy, indeed, so desperate. Therefore the uncleanness is taken away, and he is clothed with ceremonial garments. This is the comfort against sins, just as he was strengthened above against the temptations of Satan. By the way, so that I may also remind you of this, what Lyra and Jerome dream about the uncleanness of the garments in this passage is completely nonsense and fiction.
1) Thus we have translated according to the Zwickau manuscript (teMdi sgeschunden Werdens. Perhaps UeZtutirl is to be read.
V. 4. 1) Behold, I have taken away your sin from you.
All this is shown in the vision, so that afterwards he may proclaim and reveal the will of God to the priest and strengthen him in such a way that he will not doubt that the Lord will approve of his service; the impurity has been removed, the sin has been taken away from him. And he is clothed with new clothes, that is, with a cheerful and confident conscience, which no longer flees from God, which does not even think of anything evil from God, but hopes for everything good. Thus, the ceremonial garments do not mean works, but grace and faith. By works the conscience is not adorned to attain peace before God, but by faith. And so the heart is strengthened by faith and is joyful, and does not fear the attempts and violence of all the heathen, not Satan, no longer worries because of sin, but despises it with a cheerful brow and accomplishes the work of the Lord with joy.
V. 5. Put a clean hat on his head.
The priestly hat was an ornament, see in the third book of Moses Cap. 8, 9. Now that the person is made righteous and worthy, the office is also approved. That is why the hat is put on here, so that he may continue to be a priest; the Lord will approve everything. The purity of the person must be there sooner than that of the office, because if the person is pure, then everything else is pure. For how can an impure man do pure works? A bad tree cannot bear good fruit etc.
V. 6. And the angel of the Lord testified unto Joshua, saying.
After Satan has been driven back, the sins have been taken away and the priesthood has been confirmed, the angel adds an admonition in which he very delicately attaches the priesthood of Christ to the legal external priesthood. For all this happened only for the purpose and was arranged so that it was only a kind of preparation, and a very small one at that, for the future priesthood.
1) This verse number is missing in Weimar's.
of the high priest of Christ. For for his sake alone everything happened. Because he was promised to come from this people, it was necessary that the people and the priesthood should last and be maintained until he came. Therefore, the opinion of the passage is: "Now that you have been placed in office, your works are pleasing, therefore continue and administer this priestly office of yours. If you do this.
This is how you shall rule my house.
That is, you shall be judge in my house, you shall preside over the people and rule in the things that belong to the service of God. But it is the law, he speaks legally, therefore it does not happen immediately, because it is a speech in the conjunctive, as the speech of the law tends to be. The gospel says [in the indicative: I do, I do etc.
And I will give thee of these which stand here, that they may guide thee.
Some interpret this from the angels. My very simple opinion is that it does not indicate angels, but that the Lord will also give people and listeners who will hear the priestly teacher, who will not despise him, and so the priesthood will be blessed.
V.8. Listen, Joshua, you high priest.
He beautifully connects these two priesthoods, the legal and the true one of the highest priest Christ, as if he wanted to say: Listen, high priest Joshua, what I want with this external priesthood of yours: I renew the promises of the future Christ. Denu that contain the manifold promises of the law, that Christ will be priest. Therefore, continue to preside in this outward priesthood until he comes. For his sake, both the people and the priesthood had to be restored, so that the promises would be true.
For they are vain miracles.
This is not to be taken in an evil sense, but in a good sense, that he calls them "miracles" (portentosos). Because the same opinion and
Isaiah Cap. 8, 18: "Behold, here am I, and the children whom the Lord hath given me, for a sign and for a wonder in Israel" etc. Hence the opinion is, You and those who stand with you are wonders and marvels to the world, that is, as Paul interprets it [1 Cor.4, 9.], you are a spectacle GOtte, to the world and to the angels. For Christians undertake and attack things that are quite impossible, and quite remote from all reason. Everything is beyond human comprehension, as I have abundantly said above in the beginning of this chapter about the victory over Satan, death and conscience.
For behold, I will send for my servant Zemah (orientem).
This actually goes to Christ alone. By the way, instead of what we read [in the Vulgate]: orientem, we should read more correctly: germinantem, as the grasses or shrubs sprout and shoot out. Thus Christ is also called in Isaiah cap. 4, 2: "At that time the branch of the Lord will be dear and valuable." And Jer. 23:5: "I will raise up a righteous plant for David." So also here I would prefer that the word germen [branch] be used, so that one reads: "I will let my servant, the branch, come. But he calls Christ a branch, as also Isaiah calls him [Cap. 11, 1.] "a rod", which as a noble and glorious branch brings forth fruit, by which he indicates that the kingdom of Christ is always on the increase. For the Spirit and the Word of Christ are always growing, always running and gradually bringing forth more and more abundant fruit. The world opposes this branch with all its strength and efforts, so that it withers and makes it dry, it attacks it with death, with shame, with poverty and all evils, but God always makes it sprout, provides enough moisture so that it can sprout and bear fruit even in the greatest heat.
V. 9 For behold, on the one stone I laid before Joshua.
This is also what he is called in the Psalm [Ps. 118, 22.]: "The stone that the builders rejected
And Isaiah says [Cap. 8:14], "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel." And Cap. 28, 16: "Behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone. "etc. But Christ is called a stone because all of us who are Christians lean on Him. He alone is our firm foundation on which to build, as Paul also interpreted [1 Car. 3:11.
Shall be seven eyes.
This is what Isaiah says [Cap. 61, 11: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, therefore the Lord has anointed me." Therefore the seven eyes are seven spirits or gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are distributed through Christ in the church. These gifts cause this branch to always sprout against the will of the world, the devil and all creatures.
Behold, I will hew him out, saith the Lord of hosts.
In the interpretation of this passage, the interpreters struggle in many ways. Some interpret it from the formation in the body of the Virgin, others from the adornment of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, while this is already said through the seven eyes. But I, according to my opinion, think that by this "hewing out" (sculpturam) the sufferings of Christ are to be understood, as if he wanted to say: I will hew out my image work (sculpturam), that is, I will finally complete and prepare through the suffering, so that he is a corner stone, on which is built. For Christ is hewn out and formed through his suffering and resurrection, for thus he first began the right kingdom etc.
And will take away the sin of the same land for One Day.
For in the day of suffering He bore the sin of us all, as Isaiah says [Cap. 53:4, 11], "He bore our sin." For God took away the sin of the whole world through Christ and in Christ crucified. Thus He indicates that He will finally be the true High Priest who will bear the sins of the people and deliver them from sins. This will
finally be the true sacrifice, which the priesthood of the legal priest Joshua is not able to offer. By the way, the fact that he says: "on one day", in one word he is dismissing the whole Old Testament, as if he wanted to say: another day will be necessary, and that alone will be enough, by this day the sins of the whole world will be taken away. He will accomplish everything through one sacrifice, so that there will be no need for another day, another priesthood or another sacrifice. See Hebr. 7, 24. ff.
V. 10. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall one invite another etc.
This is spoken literally, as if to say, "Very often many promises have been made to you.
full of your very great peace and supreme security have been inculcated. This, however, has not yet been fulfilled, but will be when he comes. His kingdom will be a kingdom of peace and security, that is, peace of conscience and abundance of all spiritual goods. Thus he takes a common saying and turns it around to the spirit, lest anyone think that such a peace and security is promised in the flesh and outwardly, because the Christian life is not a life of pleasure; "it does not go on with good days". For "all who want to live godly in Christ JEsu must suffer persecution" [2 Tim. 3, 12.], and thus become like the image of the Son of God etc. [Rom. 8, 29.]