DOCSLIB.ORG

A Brand (Stick) Plucked (Taken, Rescued) from the Fire

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Brand (Stick) Plucked (Taken, Rescued) from the Fire Easy Reading Edition 9 May 21–27 A Brand (Stick) Plucked (Taken, Rescued) From the Fire SABBATH—MAY 21 READ FOR THIS WEEK’S LESSON: Zechariah 1–3; Revelation 12:10; Exodus 3:2–14; Ephesians 2:8–10; John 14:15. MEMORY VERSE: “I have taken your sin away. I will put fine clothes on you” (Zechariah 3:4, NIrV). WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT THE GREAT CONTROVERSY (WAR) BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN IS VERY REAL IN OUR LIVES. Wars, crime, riots, rebellions (uprisings), and human suffering are just visible (things that can be seen) examples of the great war that began in heaven (Revelation 12:7). This great struggle touches upon all creation (Romans 8:20–22). We also must never forget that the great controversy is not over Middle East oil or over geographic, political, and economic changes in the world. It is over the salvation of the human race, one soul at a time. Nations come and go. Governments come and go. Grand themes of history and philosophy (study of truth) come and go. Only those people who are covered by the robe of Christ’s righteousness will last forever. Satan does not care about money, power, or politics. He cares only about taking as many souls down to ruin with him as pos- sible. Through His death, Christ has made it possible to save everyone from that ruin. The important issue of the great controversy is people choosing eternal ruin or eternal life. Nothing else in this life is as important. 61 Lesson 9 A BRAND (STICK) PLUCKED (TAKEN, RESCUED) FROM THE FIRE SUNDAY—MAY 22 EAGER FOR JERUSALEM (Zechariah 1; Zechariah 2) Read Zechariah 1 and 2. You might PIX #33 not understand all the details and symbols in these two chap- ters. But what is the message the Lord is giving to His people here? What is the background to these After Babylon defeated Jerusalem, the city events? What clear Bible princi- lay in ruins. ples (important rules) do we find in these chapters? What promises Lord gave some wonderful encour- are made? What hope is offered to agement. The Lord said, “I am very the Lord’s people? And on what jealous for [hold dear] my people conditions? How are these same in Jerusalem and Zion” (verse 14, principles shown to us today? NIrV). And then, this: “ ‘So the Lord says, Jerusalem lay in ruins because “I will return to Jerusalem. I will show Babylon defeated it 70 years earlier. its people my tender [gentle] love. My But God gave hope for the future of temple will be rebuilt there. Workers the city. Zechariah received the mes- will use a measuring line when they sage from the Lord that both the tem- rebuild Jerusalem,” announces the ple and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Lord’ ” (Zechariah 1:16, NIrV). Zechariah began by telling his lis- The measuring line symbolizes teners that the Lord had not been very (stands for) the plans for the rebuilding pleased with the leaders of Jerusalem. of the city of Jerusalem and the temple But Zechariah gave courage to those in Zechariah’s time. But with only the who were listening. Zechariah told foundations laid, the building of the them that if they would turn to God temple seemed impossible. in repentance,1 He would turn to Zechariah also received and gave them (Zechariah 1:1–3). Zechariah’s another message of promise to the visions were meant to give people the Jews in Zechariah 2:10–13. God told strength and inspiration needed to them to “shout and be glad” (NIrV). continue the building of the temple in Then He promised to live with them. Jerusalem for the worship of God. How encouraging that message must The first vision of Zechariah was have been as the people of God tried given in chapter 1. In this vision the to join together to worship Him. 1. repentance—the act of feeling sorry for your sins and turning away from sinning with the help of the Holy Spirit. 62 Lesson 9 A BRAND (STICK) PLUCKED (TAKEN, RESCUED) FROM THE FIRE rible for the Lord to forgive? All through history, many souls have fallen into this trap. What makes the threat so powerful is that Satan does not have to lie about our sins. All Satan has to do is remind us of our sins. If we did not know about PIX #34 God’s grace, we could be crushed with The measuring line symbolized the plans hopelessness and loss. Even without for the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem Satan’s “help,” our sins are more than and the temple. enough to make us guilty. The Hebrew word for “accuse” MONDAY—MAY 23 comes from the same word as “Satan”; THE ACCUSER (SATAN) AND THE the same three Hebrew letters form ACCUSED (SINNER) (Zechariah 3:1) both words. There is no doubt, Satan is the accuser. But we all should know What important truths do we find the famous verse: “Then I heard a loud in Zechariah 3:1? Keep in mind the voice in heaven. It said, ‘Now the sal- great controversy and the vision vation and the power and the kingdom itself. of our God have come. The authority of his Christ has come. Satan, who A few important points are shown brings charges against our brothers here. First, Joshua is the high priest. and sisters, has been thrown down. He He stands as a representative of all brings charges against them before our God’s people. In this vision Joshua God day and night’ ” (Revelation 12:10, as a priest is facing the Lord. He rep- NIrV). resents Israel in all their faults (weak- nesses) and sins. There is no ques- It is not good to think about our tion: the people are not innocent. They sins. But sometimes we need to are not sinless. They do not deserve take a hard and honest look at our- the promise of being restored (made selves. What changes must you new) that the Lord is offering them. choose to make in your life? And But they claim this promise for them- what Bible promises can you claim selves by faith and repentance. in order to make those promises And, of course, Satan is there to work well? Think of what you may accuse (bring charges against) the lose if you let sin control you. people. He is arguing against their repentance, their desire to change for TUESDAY—MAY 24 the good, and their desire to find the mercy and grace (favor) of God. What THE ANGEL OF THE LORD better way to discourage people in the (Zechariah 3:1–3) great controversy (war) than to make them think their sins are just too ter- So far, in Zechariah 3, we have 63 Lesson 9 A BRAND (STICK) PLUCKED (TAKEN, RESCUED) FROM THE FIRE talked about two persons, Satan and Numbers 3:12). Of all Israel, the priests the high priest Joshua. But there is a as symbols should have been clothed third person. He is clearly the most in the cleanest of garments. important person in the story: “the The rest of the chapter makes it Angel of the Lord.” clear that we are all sinners with weak- nesses. But “the Angel of the Lord” is Who is “the Angel of the there to defend us against the charges Lord”? Read also Exodus 3:2–14; of Satan. It does not matter how true Zechariah 3:1, 2. or false those charges are. “The Angel of the Lord,” Jesus, is always there Here in Zechariah we find a very clear to save us. This has to be the most picture of the great controversy. This important truth in the whole Bible. battle is fought for every repenting (sor- rowing) soul who has given his or her No matter how unworthy we are, life into the hands of Jesus, the Lord. we must never forget that “the Remember the theme: Israel “humbled Angel of the Lord” is on our side. [repented]2 themselves before God, and How can we always remember this returned to Him.”—Adapted from Ellen truth without misunderstanding it G. White, Testimonies [Messages] for or having false ideas about it? the Church, volume 5, page 468. At What might some of those false this time Satan’s work as the accuser ideas be? Be prepared to discuss (blamer) was made known. What did your answer in class on Sabbath. he exactly say? We do not know. But from what we know about human nature3 from Bible history, it probably was not a pretty picture. PIX #35 According to Zechariah 3:1–3, what do Joshua’s garments (clothes) tell us? As the high priest, Joshua was judged to be wearing dirty garments. This shows how deep sin was. From the earliest days of the covenant (agree- ment) between God and Israel, all priests were very special, even among the chosen nation. The Lord called them out for a holy and special work (Exodus 38:21; Numbers 1:47–53; Joshua the high priest is clothed in dirty garments. 2. repented—to have felt great sorrow over having sinned and to want to stop sinning. 3. nature—the particular aspect or quality of something that makes the thing what it is; the heart and mind. 64 Lesson 9 A BRAND (STICK) PLUCKED (TAKEN, RESCUED) FROM THE FIRE WEDNESDAY—MAY 25 White, Testimonies [Messages] for the Church, volume 5, page 469. CHANGE OF CLOTHES (Zechariah 3) What does “the Angel of the Lord” say to Joshua in verse 7 Read prayerfully and carefully after the change of clothes? Why all of Zechariah 3.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Notes on Zechariah 202 1 Edition Dr
    Notes on Zechariah 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable TITLE AND WRITER The title of this book comes from its traditional writer, as is true of all the prophetical books of the Old Testament. The name "Zechariah" (lit. "Yahweh Remembers") was a common one among the Israelites, which identified at least 27 different individuals in the Old Testament, perhaps 30.1 It was an appropriate name for the writer of this book, because it explains that Yahweh remembers His chosen people, and His promises, and will be faithful to them. This Zechariah was the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo (1:1, 7; cf. Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Neh. 12:4, 16). Zechariah, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, was both a prophet and a priest. He was obviously familiar with priestly things (cf. ch. 3; 6:9-15; 9:8, 15; 14:16, 20, 21). Since he was a young man (Heb. na'ar) when he began prophesying (2:4), he was probably born in Babylonian captivity and returned to Palestine very early in life, in 536 B.C. with Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zechariah apparently survived Joshua, the high priest, since he became the head of his own division of priests in the days of Joiakim, the son of Joshua (Neh. 12:12, 16). Zechariah became a leading priest in the restoration community succeeding his grandfather (or ancestor), Iddo, who also returned from captivity in 536 B.C., as the leader of his priestly family (Neh. 12:4, 16). Zechariah's father, Berechiah (1:1, 7), evidently never became prominent.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Zechariah, Volume 2
    EXPLORING ZECHARIAH, VOLUME 2 VOLUME ZECHARIAH, EXPLORING is second volume of Mark J. Boda’s two-volume set on Zechariah showcases a series of studies tracing the impact of earlier Hebrew Bible traditions on various passages and sections of the book of Zechariah, including 1:7–6:15; 1:1–6 and 7:1–8:23; and 9:1–14:21. e collection of these slightly revised previously published essays leads readers along the argument that Boda has been developing over the past decade. EXPLORING MARK J. BODA is Professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College. He is the author of ten books, including e Book of Zechariah ZECHARIAH, (Eerdmans) and Haggai and Zechariah Research: A Bibliographic Survey (Deo), and editor of seventeen volumes. VOLUME 2 The Development and Role of Biblical Traditions in Zechariah Ancient Near East Monographs Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Boda Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) Electronic open access edition (ISBN 978-0-88414-201-0) available at http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/Books_ANEmonographs.aspx Cover photo: Zev Radovan/BibleLandPictures.com Mark J. Boda Ancient Near East Monographs Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) EXPLORING ZECHARIAH, VOLUME 2 ANCIENT NEAR EAST MONOGRAPHS Editors Alan Lenzi Juan Manuel Tebes Editorial Board Reinhard Achenbach C. L. Crouch Esther J. Hamori Chistopher B. Hays René Krüger Graciela Gestoso Singer Bruce Wells Number 17 EXPLORING ZECHARIAH, VOLUME 2 The Development and Role of Biblical Traditions in Zechariah by Mark J.
    [Show full text]
  • Advent Devotional December 25, 2020 Scripture Zechariah 2:10-13 10 Sing and Rejoice, O Daughter Zion! for Lo, I Will Come and Dwell in Your Midst, Says the LORD
    Advent Devotional December 25, 2020 Scripture Zechariah 2:10-13 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD. 11 Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all people, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling. Devotional The Rev. Nathan Carlson ’11 Every year, our family pulls out an antique, handcrafted nativity set to put up on Christmas morning. The scene still fills our children’s hearts with joy as I tell the story. Just prior to placing the infant Jesus in the manger, we share stories about what it means that Jesus came to earth as a human child. We hear echoes of this meaning found early in the Scriptures, such as this one from Zechariah 2. In verses 10-13 we hear the promise that the Lord “will come and dwell in your midst.” Every year, one or another of our children has a personal epiphany that the greatest present received on Christmas morning came long ago in the birth of this Christ child. During the placement of the pieces of the crèche, one of my favorite moments involves talking about the magi from the East—the ones who show up much later in the biblical story.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Biblical Prophecy?
    What is Biblical Prophecy? What Biblical Prophecy is NOT, and What It Really IS: Contrary to what many fundamentalist preachers or late-night radio hosts would have you believe, biblical prophecy is not primarily about “predicting the future” or finding clues in the Bible that correspond to people or events in our own day and age! The prophets of Ancient Israel did not look into some kind of crystal ball and see events happening thousands of years after their own lifetimes. The books they wrote do not contain hidden coded messages for people living in the 20th or 21st centuries! Rather, biblical prophets were mainly speaking to and writing for the people of their own time. They were challenging people of their own world, especially their political rulers, to remain faithful to God’s commandments and/or to repent and turn back to God if they had strayed. They were conveying messages from God, who had called or commissioned them, rather than speaking on their own initiative or authority. However, because the biblical prophets were transmitting messages on behalf of God (as Jews and Christians believe), much of what they wrote for their own time is clearly also relevant for people living in the modern world. The overall message of faith and repentance is timeless and applicable in all ages and cultures. To understand what biblical prophecy really is, let’s look more closely at the origins, definitions, and uses of some key biblical words. In the Hebrew Bible, the word for “prophet” is usually nabi’ (lit. “spokesperson”; used over 300 times!), while the related feminine noun nebi’ah (“prophetess”) occurs only rarely.
    [Show full text]
  • The Minor Prophets
    The Minor Prophets by Dan Melhus A Study of the Minor Prophets Table of Contents Table of Contents INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 1 WHO ARE THE PROPHETS?................................................................................................................... 5 HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE OF THE PROPHETS?.......................................... 7 OBADIAH..................................................................................................................................................... 9 BACKGROUND................................................................................................................................. 9 DATE............................................................................................................................................... 9 AUTHOR .......................................................................................................................................... 10 THEME ............................................................................................................................................ 12 OUTLINE ......................................................................................................................................... 13 QUESTIONS...................................................................................................................................... 15 LESSONS.........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Zechariah in Revelation
    Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament • 2. Reihe Herausgeber/Editor Jörg Frey Mitherausgeber / Associate Editors Friedrich Avemarie • Judith Gundry-Volf Martin Hengel • Otfried Hofius • Hans-Josef Klauck 199 Marko Jauhiainen The Use of Zechariah in Revelation Mohr Siebeck MARKO JAUHIAINEN, born 1967; 1993 M.Sc. Tampere University; 2000 M.C.S Regent College; 2004 Ph.D. Cambridge University; currently Systems Analyst at Tampere Polytechnic. ISBN 3-16-148663-3 ISSN 0340-9570 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe) Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de. © 2005 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed by Druckpartner Rübelmann GmbH in Hemsbach on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Schaumann in Darmstadt. Printed in Germany. Preface This book is a revised version of my doctoral thesis, '"Behold, I Am Coming': The Use of Zechariah in Revelation", submitted to the University of Cambridge for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in July 2003. The revision consists primarily of addressing and clarifying some of the issues raised by my doctoral examiners, Drs. James Carlton-Paget and Steve Moyise. Their constructive comments were valuable, even at points where I have chosen to follow a different path. I am sincerely thankful to Prof. Jorg Frey, editor of WUNT 2, who deemed the manuscript worthy of being published in the series.
    [Show full text]
  • The Structure of Zechariah 8 and Its Meaning
    Journal of Hebrew Scriptures Volume 12, Article 12 DOI:10.5508/jhs.2012.v12.a12 The Structure of Zechariah 8 and Its Meaning ELIE ASSIS Articles in JHS are being indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, RAMBI, and BiBIL. Their abstracts appear in Religious and Theological Abstracts. The journal is arch ived by Library and Archives Canada and is accessible for consultation and research at the Electronic Collection site maintained by Library and Archives Canada. ISSN 1203–1542 http://www.jhsonline.org and http://purl.org/jhs THE STRUCTURE OF ZECHARIAH 8 AND ITS MEANING ELIE ASSIS, BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY Chapters 1–8 and 9–14 of Zechariah are considered by most scholars today to be two separate prophetic books; only chs. 1–8 are attributed to the post-exilic time of the beginning of the 5th century BCE1 Most scholars believe that Zech 7–8 should be regarded as one unit. This conviction is based mainly on the fact that 8:19 is the prophet’s answer to the people’s question in 7:1–3 as to whether fasting for the destruction of the Temple should be continued even after its construction had begun.2 This approach is based on two main arguments, the first of which is formal, and the second of which concerns content. The formal argument is that 7:1 opens with a new formula that includes a date, as do 1:1 and 1:7. The second argument is that the people’s question to the priests in 7:3 is answered in 8:19.
    [Show full text]
  • Norman Golb 7 December 2011 Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
    This article examines a series of false, erroneous, and misleading statements in Dead Sea Scroll museum exhibits. The misinformation can be broken down into four basic areas: (1) erroneous claims concerning Judaism and Jewish history; (2) speculative, arbitrary and inaccurate claims about the presumed “Essenes” of Qumran; (3) misleading claims concerning Christian origins; and (4) religiously slanted rhetoric concerning the “true Israel” and the “Holy Land.” The author argues that the statements, viewed in their totality, raise serious concerns regarding the manner in which the Scrolls are being presented to the public. Norman Golb 7 December 2011 Oriental Institute, University of Chicago RECENT SCROLL EXHIBITS AND THE DECLINE OF QUMRANOLOGY While significant advances have been made in Dead Sea Scrolls research over the past decade, defenders of the traditional “Qumran-sectarian” theory continue to use various publicity tools to push their agenda. These tools include, for example, the recent media campaign surrounding the claim that textiles found in the caves near Qumran “may” demonstrate that the site was inhabited by Essenes — a sensationalist argument that misleads the public with a mix of speculation and presuppositions.1 The tools have also included museum exhibits where efforts, either overt or subtle, are made to convince the public that the traditional theory is still viable. If we focus merely on the museums, we find that a noteworthy aspect of the exhibits involves the dissemination of certain erroneous and misleading facts concerning Jewish history and Christian origins. I here discuss some of the more obvious distortions, quoting from various exhibits of the past two decades.
    [Show full text]
  • Prophecy and Enervation in the American Political Tradition
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 Right Without Might: Prophecy and Enervation in the American Political Tradition Jonathan Keller Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/358 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] RIGHT WITHOUT MIGHT: PROPHECY AND ENERVATION IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION by JONATHAN J. KELLER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 JONATHAN J. KELLER All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. PROFESSOR COREY ROBIN _______________ __________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee PROFESSOR ALYSON COLE _______________ __________________________________________ Date Executive Officer PROFESSOR ANDREW J. POLSKY PROFESSOR THOMAS HALPER PROFESSOR BRYAN TURNER PROFESSOR NICHOLAS XENOS __________________________________________ Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract RIGHT WITHOUT MIGHT: PROPHECY AND ENERVATION IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION by JONATHAN J. KELLER Adviser: Professor Corey Robin This dissertation examines the ways Old Testament prophecy has influenced American political thought and rhetoric. Although political scientists have long recognized the impact of the Scriptures on the ways Americans express and think about themselves, they have misunderstood this important part of America’s political tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Haggai and Zechariah 1-8: Diarchic Model of Leadership in a Rebuilding Phase
    http://scriptura.journals.ac.za/ Scriptura 102 (2009), pp. 579-593 HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH 1-8: DIARCHIC MODEL OF LEADERSHIP IN A REBUILDING PHASE Danie O’Kennedy Old and New Testament University of Stellenbosch Abstract Yahwists in the post-exilic community in Jerusalem envisioned their future in diverse ways. The books of Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 emphasize that in a rebuilding phase God does not merely use a holy place but also special leaders. These books advocate a diarchic model of leadership in which the responsibilities are shared by a religious leader (Joshua) and a political leader (Zerubbabel). This article focuses on this diarchic model of leadership and offers possible responses to the following questions: What do we know of these two leaders? Why did Joshua need purification (Zech 3)? Who was the most influential leader or was there a balance of leadership? Was there conflict between these leaders? The article concludes with a comparison between the diarchic model of leadership in the post-exilic community in Jerusalem and leadership in the first years of a new democratic South Africa. Keywords: Haggai, Zechariah 1-8, Joshua, Zerubbabel, Leadership Introduction Birch et al. (1999:423-424) discuss the diverse ways in which Yahwists in the post-exilic community1 envisioned their future. According to them Haggai, Ezekiel 40-48 and Zechariah 1-8 (either Proto-Zechariah or First Zechariah)2 present the most concrete options. Ezekiel’s restoration vision represents a belief that Israel should be a hierocracy, a nation ruled by priests. Haggai seems to believe in the restoration of the Davidic monarchy through Zerubbabel, a member of the Davidic house.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chronology of the Events in Zechariah 12-14
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Honors Theses Undergraduate Research 3-28-2016 The Chronology of the Events in Zechariah 12-14 Won Jin Jeon Andrews University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/honors Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Jeon, Won Jin, "The Chronology of the Events in Zechariah 12-14" (2016). Honors Theses. 134. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/honors/134 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. ABSTRACT J. N. Andrews Honors Thesis Andrews University College of Arts & Sciences Title: THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS IN ZECHARIAH 12-14 Author’s Name: Won Jin Jeon Advisor: Rahel Schafer, PhD Completion Date: March 2016 In current scholarship, there is a lack of consensus on the timing of the specific events in Zechariah 12-14, with a focus on eschatological or sequential chronologies. Preliminary exegetical research has revealed many connections between the three chapters. For instance, the occurs 17 times (versus four times in the rest of Zechariah). This (ביום־ההוא) ”phrase “in that day concentrated usage closely interconnects the three chapters and suggests that the timeliness of all of the events is in close succession.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Priest's New Clothes: Exploring Zechariah 3:1–7 As a Backdrop to Paul's Doctrine of Baptism Joshua Seth Houston
    THE PRIEST’S NEW CLOTHES: EXPLORING ZECHARIAH 3:1–7 AS A BACKDROP TO PAUL’S DOCTRINE OF BAPTISM JOSHUA SETH HOUSTON1 Paul’s doctrine of baptism can be established based on his baptismal commentaries found most specifically in Rom 6:1–11, Gal 3:27, and Col 2:11–15 as well as his own personal salvific experience as recorded in Acts 9, 22, and 26.2 Much ink has been spilled in other works more extensive than this essay concerning Pauline theology, the doctrine of baptism, and how these two topics intertwine. While one might jump at an evaluation of Paul’s quotations of the OT scriptures within his theological treatises, often neglected are those sections of the OT that have certain allusions in Paul but are not verbatim quotations. I suggest Zechariah 3:1–7 is one such allusion. The vision of Joshua the High Priest has unfortunately been neglected as a backdrop to the theological development of Paul’s “putting on” language as found namely in in Eph 4:17–24 (καὶ ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; kai endusasthai ton kainon anthrōpon) and Gal 3:27 (Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε; Christon enedusasthe). This essay will explore Zech 3:1–7 as the backdrop of Paul’s baptismal theology for “putting off the old man,” “putting on the new man,” and being “clothed in Christ.” The emphasis of this essay will be directed at the dirty/clean clothing imagery used in Zechariah’s vison of Joshua the High Priest rather than the imagery of ceremonial washing (cf. Lev 8:6; 2 Kgs 5; 1 Pet 3:21) or that of circumcision as a marker of God’s people (cf.
    [Show full text]