Prophets and Kings
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 47: Joshua and the Angel
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At times the Lord may seem to have forgotten the perils of His church
and the injury done her by her enemies. But God has not forgotten.
Nothing in this world is so dear to the heart of God as His church.
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The steady advancement made by the builders of the temple
greatly discomfited and alarmed the hosts of evil. Satan determined to put
forth still further effort to weaken and discourage God's people by holding before
them their imperfections of character. If those who had long suffered because
of transgression could again be induced to disregard God's commandments, they
would be brought once more under the bondage of sin. {PK 582.1}
Because Israel had been chosen to preserve the knowledge of
God in the earth, they had ever been the special objects of Satan's enmity; he
was determined to cause their destruction. While they were obedient, he could
do them no harm; therefore he had bent all his power and cunning to entice them
into sin. Ensnared by his temptations, they had transgressed the law of God and
had been left to become the prey of their enemies. {PK 582.2}
Yet though they were carried as captives to Babylon, God did
not forsake them. He sent His prophets to them with [583]
reproofs and warnings, and aroused them to see their guilt. When they humbled
themselves before God and returned to Him with true repentance, He sent them
messages of encouragement, declaring that He would deliver them from captivity,
restore them to His favor, and once more establish them in their own land. And
now that this work of restoration had begun, and a remnant of Israel had
already returned to Judea, Satan was determined to frustrate the carrying out
of the divine purpose, and to this end he was seeking to move upon the heathen
nations to destroy them utterly. {PK 582.3}
But in this crisis the Lord strengthened His people
"with good words and comfortable words." Zechariah 1:13. Through an
impressive illustration of the work of Satan and the work of Christ, He showed
the power of their Mediator to vanquish the accuser of His people. {PK 583.1}
In vision the prophet beholds "Joshua the high
priest," "clothed with filthy garments" (Zechariah 3:1, 3),
standing before the Angel of the Lord, entreating God's mercy in behalf of his
afflicted people. As he pleads for the fulfillment of God's promises, Satan
stands up boldly to resist him. He points to the transgressions of Israel as a
reason why they should not be restored to the favor of God. He claims them as
his prey, and demands that they be given into his hands. {PK 583.2}
The high priest cannot defend himself or his people from
Satan's accusations. He does not claim that Israel is free from fault. In
filthy garments, symbolizing the sins of the people, which he bears as their
representative, he stands before the Angel, confessing their guilt, yet
pointing to their [584] repentance and humiliation, and
relying upon the mercy of a sin-pardoning Redeemer. In faith he claims the
promises of God. {PK
583.3}
Then the Angel, who is Christ Himself, the Saviour of
sinners, puts to silence the accuser of His people, declaring, "The Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is
not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Verse 2. Long had Israel
remained in the furnace of affliction. Because of their sins they had been
well-nigh consumed in the flame kindled by Satan and his agents for their
destruction, but God had now set His hand to bring them forth. {PK 584.1}
As the intercession of Joshua is accepted, the command is
given, "Take away the filthy garments from him;" and to Joshua the
Angel says, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I
will clothe thee with change of raiment." "So they set a fair miter
upon his head, and clothed him with garments." Verses 4, 5. His own sins
and those of his people were pardoned. Israel was clothed with "change of
raiment"—the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. The miter
placed upon Joshua's head was such as was worn by the priests, and bore the
inscription, "Holiness to the Lord" (Exodus 28:36), signifying that
notwithstanding his former transgressions, he was now qualified to minister
before God in His sanctuary. {PK
584.2}
The Angel now declared to Joshua: "Thus saith the Lord
of hosts; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then
thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give
thee places [585] to walk among these that stand
by." Zechariah 3:7. If obedient, he should be honored as the judge, or
ruler, over the temple and all its services; he should walk among attending
angels, even in this life; and at last he should join the glorified throng
around the throne of God. {PK
584.3}
"Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy
fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will
bring forth My Servant the Branch." Verse 8. In the Branch, the Deliverer
to come, lay the hope of Israel. It was by faith in the coming Saviour that
Joshua and his people had received pardon. Through faith in Christ they had
been restored to God's favor. By virtue of His merits, if they walked in His
ways and kept His statutes, they would be "men wondered at," honored
as the chosen of Heaven among the nations of the earth. {PK 585.1}
As Satan accused Joshua and his people, so in all ages he
accuses those who seek the mercy and favor of God. He is "the accuser of
our brethren, . . . which accused them before our God day and
night." Revelation 12:10. Over every soul that is rescued from the power
of evil, and whose name is registered in the Lamb's book of life, the
controversy is repeated. Never is one received into the family of God without
exciting the determined resistance of the enemy. But He who was the hope of
Israel then, their defense, their justification and redemption, is the hope of
the church today. {PK
585.2}
Satan's accusations against those who seek the Lord are not
prompted by displeasure at their sins. He exults in their defective characters;
for he knows that only through their transgression of God's law can he obtain
power over them. [586] His accusations arise solely
from his enmity to Christ. Through the plan of salvation, Jesus is breaking
Satan's hold upon the human family and rescuing souls from his power. All the
hatred and malignity of the archrebel is stirred as he beholds the evidences of
Christ's supremacy; and with fiendish power and cunning he works to wrest from
Him the children of men who have accepted salvation. He leads men into
skepticism, causing them to lose confidence in God and to separate from His
love; he tempts them to break the law and then claims them as his captives,
contesting Christ's right to take them from him. {PK 585.3}
Satan knows that those who ask God for pardon and grace will
obtain it; therefore he presents their sins before them to discourage them.
Against those who are trying to obey God, he is constantly seeking occasion for
complaint. Even their best and most acceptable service he seeks to make appear
corrupt. By countless devices, the most subtle and the most cruel, he endeavors
to secure their condemnation. {PK 586.1}
In his own strength, man cannot meet the charges of the
enemy. In sin-stained garments, confessing his guilt, he stands before God. But
Jesus, our Advocate, presents an effectual plea in behalf of all who by
repentance and faith have committed the keeping of their souls to Him. He
pleads their cause, and by the mighty arguments of Calvary, vanquishes their
accuser. His perfect obedience to God's law has given Him all power in heaven
and in earth, and He claims from His Father mercy and reconciliation for guilty
man. To the accuser of His people He declares: [587]
"The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. These are the purchase of My blood, brands
plucked from the burning." And to those who rely on Him in faith, He gives
the assurance, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee,
and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." Zechariah 3:4. {PK 586.2}
All who have put on the robe of Christ's righteousness will
stand before Him as chosen and faithful and true. Satan has no power to pluck
them out of the hand of the Saviour. Not one soul who in penitence and faith
has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power.
His word is pledged: "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make
peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me." Isaiah 27:5. The promise
given to Joshua is given to all: "If thou wilt keep My charge,
. . . I will give thee places to walk among these that stand
by." Zechariah 3:7. Angels of God will walk on either side of them, even
in this world, and they will stand at last among the angels that surround the
throne of God. {PK 587.1}
Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the Angel applies with
peculiar force to the experience of God's people in the closing scenes of the
great day of atonement. The remnant church will then be brought into great
trial and distress. Those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus will feel the ire of the dragon and his hosts. Satan numbers the world as
his subjects; he has gained control even of many professing Christians. But
here is a little company who are resisting his supremacy. If he could blot them
from the earth, his triumph would be complete. As he influenced [588]
the heathen nations to destroy Israel, so in the near future he will stir up
the wicked powers of earth to destroy the people of God. Men will be required
to render obedience to human edicts in violation of the divine law. {PK 587.2}
Those who are true to God will be menaced, denounced,
proscribed. They will be "betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and
kinsfolks, and friends," even unto death. Luke 21:16. Their only hope is
in the mercy of God; their only defense will be prayer. As Joshua pleaded
before the Angel, so the remnant church, with brokenness of heart and
unfaltering faith, will plead for pardon and deliverance through Jesus, their
Advocate. They are fully conscious of the sinfulness of their lives, they see
their weakness and unworthiness; and they are ready to despair. {PK 588.1}
The tempter stands by to accuse them, as he stood by to
resist Joshua. He points to their filthy garments, their defective characters.
He presents their weakness and folly, their sins of ingratitude, their
unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored their Redeemer. He endeavors to
affright them with the thought that their case is hopeless, that the stain of
their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes so to destroy their faith
that they will yield to his temptations, and turn from their allegiance to God.
{PK 588.2}
Satan has an accurate knowledge of the sins that he has
tempted God's people to commit, and he urges his accusations against them,
declaring, that by their sins they have forfeited divine protection, and
claiming that he has the right to destroy them. He pronounces them just as
deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of God. "Are [589]
these," he says, "the people who are to take my place in heaven, and
the place of the angels who united with me? They profess to obey the law of
God; but have they kept its precepts? Have they not been lovers of self more
than lovers of God? Have they not placed their own interests above His service?
Have they not loved the things of the world? Look at the sins that have marked
their lives. Behold their selfishness, their malice, their hatred of one
another. Will God banish me and my angels from His presence, and yet reward
those who have been guilty of the same sins? Thou canst not do this, O Lord, in
justice. Justice demands that sentence be pronounced against them." {PK 588.3}
But while the followers of Christ have sinned, they have not
given themselves up to be controlled by the satanic agencies. They have
repented of their sins and have sought the Lord in humility and contrition, and
the divine Advocate pleads in their behalf. He who has been most abused by
their ingratitude, who knows their sin and also their penitence, declares:
"The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. I gave My life for these souls. They are
graven upon the palms of My hands. They may have imperfections of character;
they may have failed in their endeavors; but they have repented, and I have
forgiven and accepted them." {PK 589.1}
The assaults of Satan are strong, his delusions are subtle;
but the Lord's eye is upon His people. Their affliction is great, the flames of
the furnace seem about to consume them; but Jesus will bring them forth as gold
tried in the fire. Their earthliness will be removed, that through them the image
of Christ may be perfectly revealed. [590] {PK 589.2}
At times the Lord may seem to have forgotten the perils of
His church and the injury done her by her enemies. But God has not forgotten.
Nothing in this world is so dear to the heart of God as His church. It is not
His will that worldly policy shall corrupt her record. He does not leave His
people to be overcome by Satan's temptations. He will punish those who
misrepresent Him, but He will be gracious to all who sincerely repent. To those
who call upon Him for strength for the development of Christian character, He
will give all needed help. {PK
590.1}
In the time of the end the people of God will sigh and cry
for the abominations done in the land. With tears they will warn the wicked of
their danger in trampling upon the divine law, and with unutterable sorrow they
will humble themselves before the Lord in penitence. The wicked will mock their
sorrow and ridicule their solemn appeals. But the anguish and humiliation of
God's people is unmistakable evidence that they are regaining the strength and
nobility of character lost in consequence of sin. It is because they are
drawing nearer to Christ, because their eyes are fixed on His perfect purity,
that they discern so clearly the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Meekness and
lowliness are the conditions of success and victory. A crown of glory awaits
those who bow at the foot of the cross. {PK 590.2}
God's faithful, praying ones are, as it were, shut in with
Him. They themselves know not how securely they are shielded. Urged on by
Satan, the rulers of this world are seeking to destroy them; but could the eyes
of God's children be opened as were the eyes of Elisha's servant at [591]
Dothan, they would see angels of God encamped about them, holding in check the
hosts of darkness. {PK
590.3}
As the people of God afflict their souls before Him,
pleading for purity of heart, the command is given, "Take away the filthy
garments," and the encouraging words are spoken, "Behold, I have
caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of
raiment." Zechariah 3:4. The spotless robe of Christ's righteousness is
placed upon the tried, tempted, faithful children of God. The despised remnant
are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of
the world. Their names are retained in the Lamb's book of life, enrolled among
the faithful of all ages. They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they
have not been turned from their loyalty by the dragon's roar. Now they are
eternally secure from the tempter's devices. Their sins are transferred to the
originator of sin. A "fair miter" is set upon their heads. {PK 591.1}
While Satan has been urging his accusations, holy angels,
unseen, have been passing to and fro, placing upon the faithful ones the seal
of the living God. These are they that stand upon Mount Zion with the Lamb,
having the Father's name written in their foreheads. They sing the new song
before the throne, that song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty
and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth. "These are they
which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among
men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was
found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."
Revelation 14:4, 5. [592] {PK 591.2}
Now is reached the complete fulfillment of the words of the
Angel: "Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit
before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My
Servant the Branch." Zechariah 3:8. Christ is revealed as the Redeemer and
Deliverer of His people. Now indeed are the remnant "men wondered
at," as the tears and humiliation of their pilgrimage give place to joy and
honor in the presence of God and the Lamb. "In that day shall the branch
of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be
excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to
pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall
be called holy, even everyone that is written among the living in
Jerusalem." Isaiah 4:2, 3. {PK 592.1}
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"Not by Might, nor by Power"
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