These are some thoughts I've had over the past couple weeks.
Zachariah 3:
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”
So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.
My thoughts are that, we often opposed by Satan, who stands there to bring us to despair over our sin of which we are guilty, forcing us look at our filthy robes. However, God rebukes Satan and cleanses Joshua robes, saying "Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”, which indicates to me that he saying that this is very thing God saved us from (Romans 6:18). That though we are filthy, we have been washed in the righteousness of another, and should look to Jesus that he may rebuke all of Satan's attacks. In context, this passage is to do with Israel; however I think my points are congenial.
Proverbs 1:
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning
20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
Proverbs 2:4:
If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Proverbs 8:11
For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
There are so many things you could say about these passages, but I just want to make one point: Christ is wisdom! He is what we must search for, he is the thing that cannot be compared to any other desire, he is the one who cries aloud for people to turn repent and follow his ways, and he is the one who gives his spirit. If we love Christ, if we love wisdom, then we will act wisely. For example, if you love Christ with a great love you will do the wise thing when it comes to, say, looking for a wife, in that instance you will desire a women likened to that of the one mentioned in Proverbs 31:10-31, this is because you will want someone who will keep you in strong fellowship with God; though if you are cold in heart for God, your desire will be that of "foreign women". I highlight desire, as we often know what we should be doing, but due to coldness of heart, rarely desire it and really want it; our affections for Christ are, sadly, often less than secular peoples affections for money, wealth, and fame.
A wise man will hear and increase learning, Jesus Wisdom himself, increased in learning, And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52). Let us never grow complacent in the love we have for Christ, for their is always more to love.
Exodus 32:
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
After being saved by Gods grace from the Egyptians, they were quick to make idols. My initial reaction to this passage was that of surprise, how can such a people turn and create idols after seeing so much of God's power and love, however we do the same. Recently I was able, by God's grace, to come out of a sort of spiritual depression (which I'd liken my feelings to Psalm 6), and as I looked back at what God had done, I started to doubt that is was really him, but instead, I attributed his works to something in me, as opposed to him, even though I had recently been praising him for what he had done. When we do this we create idols, and thus bring Gods judgement if we are not careful, Romans 1:20-32, and are doomed to go in circles with our sin as we are not truly focusing on loving Christ.
I pray that these would be a blessing to someone, and an encouragement to all,
Amen.
