"I, the Lord, silence you,
Satan!" (Zechariah 3:2). We cannot silence Satan. The Lord can silence
Satan. This is why we must answer Satan with the Word of the Lord. Satan
has no answer to the Word of the Lord. "See, I have taken your sin away
from you, and I will dress you in fine clothing" (Zechariah 3:4). This
is God's great salvation: our sin is removed, and we are clothed in the
righteousness of Christ. Satan has no answer to this. He may try to
accuse us, but the Lord's Word will prevail over him: "For those who are
in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation" (Romans 8:1). Those who have
been forgiven by the Lord are called to "live according to His ways"
(Zechariah 3:7). We are to walk in the Spirit. He gives life to us. He
raises us up from and above the way of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
"These men are a sign of things to come" (Zechariah 3:8) - a sign that
pointed forward to Jesus, God's Servant, "the Branch" (Zechariah 3:8).
We are to point to Jesus. We are to bring something of heaven and its
glory into the lives of the people we meet. "The stone" - Look at the
stone (Zechariah 3:9). This is a call to look to Jesus, the cornerstone,
the Foundation Stone of our faith. "I will remove this land's sin in a
single day" (Zechariah 3:9). The forgiveness of our sin comes in a day.
Its effects last for a lifetime - "each of you will invite your
neighbours to sit under your vine and fig tree" (Zechariah 3:10). We are
to invite people to rest in Jesus.
“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God” will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be
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