AN ‘ELABORATE CROWN’ FOR ‘THE BRANCH’ – Zechariah 6:9-15

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 25, 2011 under PM Bible Study |

PM Home Bible Study Group; May 25, 2011

Zechariah 6:9-15

Theme: II. The Prophet’s Night-Visions (1:7-6:15) – The Coronation of Joshua (6:9-15).

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

II. The Prophet’s Night-Visions (1:7-6:15).

I. The Coronation of Joshua (6:9-15).

9 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

10 “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.

11 Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

12 Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:

“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!

From His place He shall branch out,

And He shall build the temple of the LORD;

13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.

He shall bear the glory,

And shall sit and rule on His throne;

So He shall be a priest on His throne,

And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’

14 “Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD for Helem,[a] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.

15 Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

Footnotes:

a. Zechariah 6:14; Following Masoretic Text, Targum, and Vulgate; Syriac reads for Heldai

(compare verse 10); Septuagint reads for the patient ones.

* * * * * * * * * *

For much of the first six chapters of this amazing book of prophecy, we’ve been told about a series of eight “night visions” that had been given to the prophet Zechariah. And now, at the end of chapter six, we come—not to yet another vision given to Zechariah—but to an action that he was commanded to take in the light of those visions. It was an action that was not only made meaningful by the eight visions that preceded it, but that also signified the great event to which all those preceding visions were pointing.

All the preceding visions spoke—in various ways—of God’s devoted love for His people Israel, and to His commitment to keep all the promises He made to her. In the most immediate and final vision (6:1-8), we’re told symbolically of the judgment God will bring upon the ungodly nations of the world that will set themselves against the establishment of His kingdom rule through His people. And now, after all the visions have been given, Zechariah is commanded to symbolize the coronation of the King who will rule that kingdom. Concerning this great passage, Charles Feinberg wrote, “Here we have the end and consummation of all prophetic Scriptures: the crowning of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only after the dark night of world judgment and punishment is passed, that the glorious light of Christ’s coronation day will follow. This is one of the sublimest passages in the Scriptures on the Person and work of the Messiah” (Charles L. Feinberg, God Remembers [Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1979], p. 80).

As we look at this passage, we find . . .

I. THE ACTION THAT WAS COMMANDED (vv. 9-11).

A. That this is not another one of the night visions is shown by the phrase, “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying . . .” (v. 9). This distinguishes what follows from the other introductory statements that pointed to another in the sequence of visions—”I saw by night . . .” (1:8); “Then I raised my eyes and looked . . .” (1:18; 2:1); “Then he showed me . . .” (3:1); “Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep” (4:1); “Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw . . .” (5:1; see also 6:1). This is not presented as a vision, but rather as a distinct command. But the fact that has a close relationship to the eight night visions is shown through the immediacy of the word “then” (in the Hebrew, a waw consecutive that can be translated “and”).

B. The action that was commanded had to do with the reception of a gift of gold and silver that was brought by returning captives from Babylon. Merrill Unger noted the God- honoring names of the members of this three-man deputation; and it may be that their names are meant to be seen as symbolically significant: Heldai, whose name means “The Lord’s World” (and whose name is changed in verse 14 to Helem); Tobijah, whose name means “Yahweh is Good”; and Jedaiah, whose name means “Yahweh Knows” (see Merrill F. Unger, Zechariah: Prophet of Messiah’s Glory [Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1963], p. 110-111). They came to Jerusalem as “captives” (that is, as Jews who had been in captivity in Babylon) with a donation from their fellow captives for the work of the building of the temple (v. 10). And their names may suggest nothing more than their personal piety and worthiness to be entrusted with such a responsibility. It’s interesting to note that it was to Zechariah that this gift was brought; particularly since it was to him that the eight important ‘night visions’ had just been given. Whatever the motivation the captives had for this offering, the Lord used it to symbolize something of great significance through His prophet.

C. The same day that he received it, Zechariah was to take the gift and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah with it. His name Josiah means “The Lord Supports”; and his other name Hen—given in verse 14—means “Gracious” (see Unger, p. 111). These names may suggest that this man Josiah was a host to the three men who had come from Babylon; but by verse 14, he was considered one of the others who would now bear witness to the significant thing that was about to occur:

1. Zechariah was to make “an elaborate crown” from out of the silver and gold. The original Hebrew has the word for crown in the plural (“crowns”); but it’s best to see it as describing a composite crown made from several parts—perhaps part of silver and part of gold—woven together into one elaborate crown. This reminds us of the kind of crown that the Lord Jesus will be said to wear at the time of His return; where “on His head were many crowns” (Revelation 19:12).

2. And Zechariah was told to then take this elaborate crown and set it—not on the head of the governor Zerubbabel (which would have communicated the restoration then- and-there of Davidic rule; and which would not have done justice to the great thing that God was about to communicate to His people)—but rather on the head of the high priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak. This was communicating the promised union of the offices of priest and king under one Person, as is described more fully in verses 12-13. Two things are significant to note: first, that it was the high priest Joshua—and not the governor Zerubbabel—who was identified symbolically as “My Servant the BRANCH” (that is, the symbolic representation of the Messiah) in 3:8; and second, that Joshua’s name is the Hebrew form of the name of the One who truly is the Messiah—Jesus. What a remarkably clear picture this is of the promised ministry of our Savior in His earthly rule!

II. THE PROMISE THAT IT SYMBOLIZED (vv. 12-13).

A. In 3:8, Joshua was told, in the night vision that was given to Zechariah, “Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; for behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH”. “The Branch” is a symbolic representation of the Messiah. As Isaiah 11:1-2 says; “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” It’s a fit symbol, because a “branch” speaks of something that grows out from what seems like humble beginnings but becomes strong. And here, Zechariah is commanded to identify Joshua—with an elaborate crown on his head—as a symbolic representation of the Messiah. He was commanded to speak to Joshua and say, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying, ‘Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!’” (v. 12).

B. Note the ways that the ministry of the Messiah is described:

1. “From His place He shall branch out” (or “sprout up”; v. 12). The coming Messiah would not come from some other place. He would be born in the land of His people; and it would be within the region of His people that His kingdom would begin to be established. He will not go out from His place in order to make conquest of the world; but will gain the world “from His place”.

2. “And He shall build the temple of the LORD; yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD” (vv. 12-13). The most immediate temple would be finished by Zerubbabel (see 4:9). But that temple was simply symbolic of a greater one yet to come (see Isaiah 2:2-4; 56:6-7; Ezekiel 40-43; Micah 4:1-7). The promise of the scriptures is that the nations of the world would bring their wealth to that future temple (Isaiah 60:4-7); but it would be the Lord Himself who will build it.

3. “He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne” (v. 13). This highlights the fact that the Messiah will be a divine King. No earthly king—nor, for that matter, any earthly priest—would dare to think that he could “bear the glory” of the temple. But the Messiah will bear it as He rules from it. He truly will be King of kings and Lord of lords.

4. But note this about His rule: “So He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (v. 13). Before that time, no king ever had the right to sit in the place of the priest. King Uzziah once attempted to do so, and suffered horribly as a result (see 2 Chronicles 26:16-23). And just think of how much of human history has involved the conflict between the two offices of “priest” and “king”! The merger of the two has always resulted in a harmful hybrid. It has never seemed to be the case that the governmental life and the religious life of a people could be brought together in any workable manner under one single head. But here, we’re told that they finally will be brought together perfectly in the Person of the Messiah who is “priest on His throne”. At last, “the counsel of peace shall be between them both”.

III. THE MEMORIAL THAT WAS SET IN PLACE (vv. 14-15).

A. So that there could be no confusion about the role of the high priest Joshua—and so that no one would think that he was anything more than a symbol of the Messiah to come, or that he himself should be expected to sit as a priest upon the throne—this elaborate crown was only placed on his head for a short time. He did not wear it long. It was taken from him and set aside “for a memorial in the temple of the LORD” (v. 14). At some point, after the temple was completed by Zerubbabel, and its ministry was resumed by the high priest Joshua, the elaborate crown was set up on display within the temple. The three captives and Josiah were to be reminded by it of the promise of God. It may be that they themselves were to be understood as symbolic of the returning people of Israel who were to be reminded of the Messiah’s promised reign, and to look beyond the troubled times of the present and ahead to its future glories.

B. But it may also be that they were to be understood as symbolic of the gentile nations who would one day bring their wealth as an offering to Him—either willingly or unwillingly. “Even those from afar”, Zechariah is told, “shall come and build the temple of the LORD (v. 15). As God promises in Isaiah 60:5-7 at the restoration of His people; “Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory.” In the time of God’s great judgment of the nations, Zechariah 14:14 tells us, “And the wealth of all the nations shall be gathered together; gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance”. These captives—again, representative of something far greater than just themselves—are told, “Then you (in the plural in the original Hebrew) shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you”. The “me” may be Zechariah; but given the context, as Dr. Unger has it, “it is taken that Zechariah’s utterance passes imperceptibly into the Lord’s utterance and that Messiah the Branch Himself will establish the truth of the Word of God here declared” (p. 116).

C. The memorial crown in the temple, then, would stand as a perpetual reminder of God’s purpose to—one day—fully restore His people Israel, and set up the rule of the Messiah from the future temple there. And though everything in this prophecy points to an unconditional promise on the part of God, the enjoyment of the benefits of this promise were conditioned on the people’s obedience. “And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God” (v. 15).

* * * * * * * * * *

We do not have this crown-memorial set before us physically today. But we have the enduring testimony of it in Scripture. And as Paul wrote in his instructions to Pastor Timothy;

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us.

If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:8-13).

Knowing then the established purpose of God to set His Son upon the throne, let’s be careful to diligently obey the voice of the Lord now; so that we too will enjoy the full blessings of seeing these things brought to pass then.