Sunday, October 24, 2010

Lessons from Zechariah

"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. 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?'"
"Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 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.'
"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."
Who was this Angel of the Lord. In three words...it was our Lord Jesus Christ. How do I know this? [Exodus 3:1, 2, 6, 13, 14 and John 8:56-58]. Interestingly, neither the KJV nor the NIV capitalize the word, angel, as does the NKJV. This is no ordinary angel spoken of in Zechariah; this Angel has power to remove iniquity, and that power belongs only to God.
The filthy garments are not merely dirty, as when one works in the garden or other potentially grimy tasks. In the Hebrew the word used for filthy is referring to garments soiled by dung or human excrement. (Strong's online Concordance)
Result of search for "6674":

6674 tsow' tso or tsov {tso}; from an unused root meaning to issue; soiled (as if excrementitious):--filthy.
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6675 tsow'ah tso-aw' or tsovah {tso-aw'}: feminine of 6674; excrement; generally, dirt; figuratively, pollution:--dung, filth(-iness). Marg. for 2716.
Source: http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strongs.cgi?file=hebrewlexicon&isindex=6674

Notice that the first thing changed is the turban; symbolizing a changing and renewing of the mind. Here is how Strong treats the Greek word used here for mind; [G5426 phroneĊ]1) to have understanding, be wise



2) to feel, to think
a) to have an opinion of one's self, think of one's self, to be modest, not let one's opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty
b) to think or judge what one's opinion is
c) to be of the same mind i.e. agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious
3) to direct one's mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for
a) to seek one's interest or advantage
b) to be of one's party, side with him (in public affairs)
Source: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5426&t=KJV
To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to undergo change and transformation, and it begins with the mind which is the seat of our sinfulness and our salvation. From a neuroanatomic and neurological point of view, it is the frontal lobe (just behind the forehead) of our brain, and its executive, weighing, deciding, and directing functions that are utilized when we choose to serve Jesus. As Paul says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." [Phil. 2:5]
Think on these things. e.c.

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