Zechariah 3

6. protested--proceeded solemnly to declare. A forensic term for an affirmation on oath ( Hebrews 6:17 Hebrews 6:18 ). God thus solemnly states the end for which the priesthood is restored to the people, His own glory in their obedience and pure worship, and their consequent promotion to heavenly honor.

7. God's choice of Jerusalem ( Zechariah 3:2 ) was unto its sanctification ( John 15:16 , Romans 8:29 ); hence the charge here which connects the promised blessing with obedience.
my charge--the ordinances, ritual and moral ( Numbers 3:28 Numbers 3:31 Numbers 3:32 Numbers 3:38 Joshua 1:7-9 1 Kings 2:3 Ezekiel 44:16 ).
judge my house--Thou shalt long preside over the temple ceremonial as high priest ( Leviticus 10:10 , Ezekiel 44:23 , Malachi 2:7 ) [GROTIUS]. Or, rule over My house, that is, My people [MAURER] ( Numbers 12:7 , Hosea 8:1 ). We know from Deuteronomy 17:9 that the priest judged cases. He was not only to obey the Mosaic institute himself, but to see that it was obeyed by others. God's people are similarly to exercise judgment hereafter, as the reward of their present faithfulness ( Daniel 7:18 Daniel 7:22 , Luke 19:17 , 1 Corinthians 6:2 ); by virtue of their royal priesthood ( Revelation 1:6 ).
keep my courts--guard My house from profanation.
places to walk--free ingress and egress ( 1 Samuel 18:16 , 1 Kings 3:7 , 15:17 ), so that thou mayest go through these ministering angels who stand by Jehovah ( Zechariah 4:14 , 6:5 , 1 Kings 22:19 ) into His presence, discharging thy priestly function. In Ezekiel 42:4 the same Hebrew word is used of a walk before the priests' chambers in the future temple. Zechariah probably refers here to such a walk or way; Thou shalt not merely walk among priests like thyself, as in the old temple walks, but among the very angels as thine associates. HENGSTENBERG translates, "I will give thee guides (from) among these," &c. But there is no "from" in the Hebrew; English Version is therefore better. Priests are called angels or "messengers" ( Malachi 2:7 ); they are therefore thought worthy to be associated with heavenly angels. So these latter are present at the assemblies of true Christian worshippers ( 1 Corinthians 11:10 ; compare Ecclesiastes 5:6 , Ephesians 3:10 , Revelation 22:9 ).

8. Hear--On account of the magnitude of what He is about to say, He at once demands solemn attention.
thy fellows that sit before thee--thy subordinate colleagues in the priesthood; not that they were actually then sitting before him; but their usual posture in consultations was on chairs or benches before him, while he sat on an elevated seat as their president.
they are--From speaking to Joshua He passes to speaking of him and them, in the third person, to the attendant angels (compare Zechariah 3:9 ).
men wondered at--Hebrew, "men of wonder," that is, having a typical character ( Isaiah 8:18 , 20:3 , Ezekiel 12:11 , 24:24 ). Joshua the high priest typifies Messiah, as Joshua's "fellows" typify believers whom Messiah admits to share His Priesthood ( 1 Peter 2:5 , Revelation 5:10 ). This, its typical character, then, is a pledge to assure the desponding Jews that the priesthood shall be preserved till the great Antitype comes. There may be also an indirect reproof of the unbelief of the multitude who "wonder" at God's servants and even at God's Son incredulously ( Psalms 71:7 , Isaiah 8:18 , 53:1 , &c.).
behold--marking the greatness of what follows.
my servant--the characteristic title of Messiah ( Isaiah 42:1 , 49:3 , 50:10 , 52:13 , 53:11 , Ezekiel 34:23 Ezekiel 34:24 ).
the Branch--Messiah, a tender branch from the almost extinct royal line of David ( Zechariah 6:12 , Isaiah 4:2 , 11:1 , Jeremiah 23:5 , 33:15 ). Luke 1:78 , where for "day spring," "branch" may be substituted ( Malachi 4:2 , however, favors English Version). The reference cannot be to Zerubbabel (as GROTIUS thinks), for he was then in the full discharge of his office, whereas "the Branch" here is regarded as future.

9. For--expressing the ground for encouragement to the Jews in building the temple: I (Jehovah) have laid the (foundation) stone as the chief architect, before (in the presence of) Joshua, by "the hand of Zerubbabel" ( Zechariah 4:10 , Ezra 3:8-13 ), so that your labor in building shall not be vain. Antitypically, the (foundation) stone alluded to is Christ, before called "the Branch." Lest any should think from that term that His kingdom is weak, He now calls it "the stone," because of its solidity and strength whereby it is to be the foundation of the Church, and shall crush all the world kingdoms ( Psalms 118:22 ; compare Isaiah 28:16 , Daniel 2:45 , Matthew 21:42 , 1 Corinthians 3:11 , 1 Peter 2:6 1 Peter 2:7 ). The angel pointing to the chief stone lying before Him, intimates that a deeper mystery than the material temple is symbolized. MOORE thinks the "stone" is the Jewish Church, which Jehovah engages watchfully to guard. The temple, rather, is that symbolically. But the antitype of the foundation-stone is Messiah.
upon one stone shall be seven eyes--namely, the watchful "eyes" of Jehovah's care ever fixed "upon" it ( Zechariah 4:10 ) [MAURER]. The eye is the symbol of Providence: "seven," of perfection ( Revelation 5:6 ; compare 2 Chronicles 16:9 , Psalms 32:8 ). Antitypically, "the seven eyes upon the stone" are the eyes of all angels ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ), and of all saints ( John 3:14 John 3:15 , 12:32 ), and of the patriarchs and prophets ( John 8:56 , 1 Peter 1:10 1 Peter 1:11 ), fixed on Christ; above all, the eyes of the Father ever rest with delight on Him. CALVIN (perhaps better) considers the seven eyes to be carved on the stone, that is, not the eyes of the Father and of angels and saints ever fixed on Him, but His own sevenfold (perfect) fullness of grace, and of gifts of the Spirit ( Isaiah 11:2 Isaiah 11:3 , John 1:16 , 3:34 , Colossians 1:19 , 2:9 ), and His watchful providence now for the Jews m building the temple, and always for His Church, His spiritual temple. Thus the "stone" is not as other stones senseless, but living and full of eyes of perfect intelligence ( 1 Peter 2:4 , "a living stone"), who not only attracts the eyes ( John 12:32 ) of His people, but emits illumination so as to direct them to Him.
engrave . . . graying--implying Messiah's exceeding beauty and preciousness; alluding to the polished stones of the temple: Christ excelled them, as much as God who "prepared His body" ( Hebrews 10:5 ; compare John 2:21 ) is superior to all human builders.
remove . . . iniquity of that land in one day--that is, the iniquity and its consequences, namely the punishment to which the Jews heretofore had been subjected ( Haggai 1:6 Haggai 1:9-11 ). The remission of sin is the fountain of every other blessing. The "one day" of its removal is primarily the day of national atonement celebrated after the completion of the temple ( Leviticus 23:27 ) on the tenth day of the seventh month. Antitypically, the atonement by Messiah for all men, once for all ("one day") offered, needing no repetition like the Mosaic sacrifices ( Hebrews 10:10 Hebrews 10:12 Hebrews 10:14 ).

10. under . . . vine . . . fig tree--emblem of tranquil prosperity ( 1 Kings 4:25 ). Type of spiritual peace with God through Christ ( Romans 5:1 ); and of millennial blessedness ( Micah 4:4 ).