THE CROWNING OF JOSHUA

                                Zechariah 6:9-15

      The last act on the prophetic stage introduces us to the dramatic crowning of Joshua who is later identified as The Man who is The Branch.   Note the golden thread weaved through this vision!  It begins with (1) the Horse and the Rider (1:7-17)standing among the myrtle trees as the pre-incarnate Christ to comfort and aid His returning remnant. (2) The four Horns (1:18-19) represents the empires that oppressed Judah: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian and Roman Empires. However, God ordained that these same empires would ultimately be destroyed. (3) The Four Workmen (1:20-21)are God's agents sent to destroy these empires: Persia destroyed Babylon; Greece destroyed Persia; Rome destroyed Greece (Rome was never destroyed from without); Daniel 2 indicates that at Christ's return, the Rock would not only destroy Revived-Rome but crush the entire world system. (4) The Man with the Measuring Line (2:1-13) pictures Israel’s future restoration and deliverance when Christ returns and becomes the wall around Zion. (5) The Re-clothing of Joshua (3:1-10) sees Israel’s filthy past cleansed when “they look upon Him whom they pierced.” (Zach.12:10) and are given the holy garments of Messiah’s righteousness. (6) The Candlestick and two Olive Trees (4:1-14) symbolic of Christ, the Light of the world, also pictures Israel’s witness during the Tribulation period. (7) The Flying Scroll (5:1-4) pictures God’s perfect Law, broken and trampled on by Israel. (8) The Woman in a Basket (5:5-11) is a dramatic illustration of lawlessness and godlessness that had it roots in ancient Babylon, where it must ultimately be taken and destroyed. (9) The Four War Chariots (6:1-8) represent God’s apocalyptic Agents sent to bring judgment upon a God-rejecting world (Revelation 6-18). The final vision involves Zechariah who is asked to take part in fulfilling the last scene: The Crowning Of Joshua.

      Verses 9-11: The Word of the Lord came to me: “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.”

      There are three men who had recently arrived from Babylon who were part of those who wanted to stay behind because of the comforts and riches gained through their lucrative business dealings. We are not told what prompted these men to come except they had silver and gold as a possible offering for the Temple.

     Zechariah was told to take the silver and gold from these men, “make a crown and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak”. The word crown is in the plural, suggesting more than one crown but most likely consisting of a number of gold and silver strands woven together into a crown (Rev.19:12). This was indeed a strange request since the office of priest and king were never united. As James Boice states: “In Israel the priestly and kingly offices were kept separate. The king never performed the priestly functions. Yet here a crown is placed upon the head of Joshua, not Zerubbabel, pointing forward to the one who should be both king and priest. It is said that 'he will be a priest on his throne'(v.13)” (The Minor Prophets, Vol.1, p.514). Why place a crown on Joshua instead of Zerubabbel who would more likely qualify coming from the Davidic line? McComiskey concludes, “As the high priest stands crowned before us, we are aware that this event has a significance that transcends the traditional order of things in ancient Israel” (The Minor Prophets, p.1113). There is no mention whatever of Zerubabbel in this passage, neither was a silver or gold crown ever worn by a high priest. However, as we shall discover in a moment, Joshua is a type of Christ who is our High Priest (Heb.4:14).

      J. Vernon McGee weaves a beautiful triad of the ministry of Christ as our Prophet, Priest and king. “The first time span in His ministry as God’s PROPHET was when he came to this earth over nineteen hundred years ago. He came down here to speak for God....he revealed the love of God by dying upon the cross for your sins and my sins. He was God’s Prophet. The day in which you and I live, He is God’s PRIEST ....He ascended into heaven, presented His own blood for our sins (and) today He is there to make intercessions for us....as our High Priest. One day in the future He will be coming again. The Book of Revelation makes it very clear that he will come as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, p.933).

      Though this elaborate silver/gold crown was placed on the head of Joshua, the High Priest, the act served as a symbol of that future crowning of Messiah, THE BRANCH, upon Whom the three offices of Prophet, Priest and King unite.

      Verses 12-15: "...this is what the Lord Almighty says, here is the man whose name is the Branch, he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two” The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jediah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your god.”

      The Messiah is spoken of again as The Branch. Only this time he is referred to as The Man. The Branch is not the name of Joshua but a prophetic name for the Messiah. He was the “root out of dry ground” (Isa.53:2), springing from the root of Jesse, the family of David. As promised, Zerubbabel did rebuild the Temple (4:9-10). However, the building of this Temple, is the Messianic Temple promised to a repentant and prepared people (Isa.2:2-4; Ezek.40-43; Hag.2:6-9).

      The crown did not remain on the head of the high priest nor did it become his possession. It was to reside in the Temple as a symbolic diadem to be place upon the head of The Branch who would return to earth as the Priest-King, prophesied in Psalm 110:4, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”’ and further explained in Hebrews (Heb.5:6,10; 6:20; 7:1,10-11,15,17,21). He is the one the Apostle John saw on the Isle of Patmos as coming in clouds with power and great glory. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.....on his head are many crowns...out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. On His robe and on his thighs he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev.19).

        

      THE  CROWNING OF JOSHUA

        THE HIGH PRIEST WITH A CROWN OF GOLD

        DEFIES ALL LOGIC AS TOO BOLD

        THERE WAS NO PRESCIENCE BEFORE

        SINCE ISRAEL’S KING REIGNED THERE NO MORE.

        SO WHY DO PRIEST AND KING COMBINE

        IN THIS LAST ACT TO INTERTWINE?

        THE PLOT WAS MEANT TO ILLUSTRATE

        GOD’S MYSTERY PLAN UNHEARD OF YET.

        AS ZECHARIAH WALKS ON STAGE

        THE LORD INVITES HIM TO ENGAGE

        THE BAND OF POST EXILIC MEN

        WITH GIFTS OF GOLD THE TEMPLE MEND.

        GOD DRAWS A PICTURE OF THE TWO

        THE HIGH PRIEST REPRESENTS THE JEW

        THE KING IS CROWNED AS SOVEREIGN HEAD

        OF BOTH THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.

        THE CROWN ON JOSHUA WAS A SIGN

        THE BRANCH FROM DAVID’S ROYAL LINE

        WILL RULE THE WORLD FROM ZION’S HILL

        AS KING OF KINGS VICTORIOUS STILL.

                                        THOUGHT QUESTIONS

1. AS YOU COMPARE JOSHUA IN CHAPTER 3 WITH THIS CHAPTER, WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD WAS TRYING TO TEACH? WHAT SPIRITUAL LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM IT? 
   
   
2. WHY WAS THE GOLD CROWN PLACED ON JOSHUA INSTEAD OF GOVERNOR ZERUBABBEL? WASN’T THIS A CONTRADICTION OF JEWISH LAW? EXPLAIN!

3. THE TEXT IS FURTHER WRAPED IN MYSTERY BY STATING THAT HE WOULD BUILD THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD. EARLIER IT WAS STATED THAT ZERUBABBEL WOULD DO IT? HOW SHOULD WE RESOLVE THIS SEEMING DISCREPANCY?
   
   
4. VERSE 13 IDENTIFIES JOSHUA AS “THE BRANCH.” WHAT DOES THIS SYMBOL REPRESENT? CAN YOU NOW BEGIN TO SEE WHERE THIS IS LEADING AND WHY THIS “BRANCH” CAN ASSUME THE TITLE OF BOTH HIGH PRIEST AND KING?
   
   
5. IN VERSES 14 AND 15, THE CROWN IS TO BE PLACED IN THE TEMPLE AS A MEMORIAL. HOW WOULD THE JEWS UNDERSTAND THIS REQUEST? WHAT FUTURE PROPHETIC VIEW WAS INTENDED AND WHEN WILL IT BE FULFILLED?