David Baron

“ He is peerless in His work and in His reward. His is the glory of the only -begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Already, as the result of His sufferings, having by the grace of God tasted death for every man, He is " exalted and extolled, and lifted very high," " crowned with honour and glory "; but this prophecy speaks especially of the royal majesty which He shall bear when He shall come forth again from the presence of the Father and, all His enemies having been made a footstool for His feet, He shall sit down upon His own throne as the theocratic King of Israel. ”

“ He shall not only possess the honour and dignity of a king; He shall not be " a constitutional " monarch, who reigns but does not rule; but He shall Himself exercise all royal power and authority. Yes, the rule of King- Messiah will be absolute and autocratic, but autocracy will be safe and beneficent in the hands of the Holy One, Who is infinite in wisdom, power, and love. ”

“ But there is something greater and deeper in this prophecy than the reference to a future material Temple on earth, however glorious that may be. The Temple in Jerusalem was the outward visible symbol of communion between God and His people, which in the past has never been perfectly realised. And let us remember, mysterious and wonderful as it may appear to us, that not only is the blessedness of man created in the image of God conditional on communion with his Maker, but the infinite and everblessed God, the Father of spirits, seeks communion with man. ”

“ Joshua was already high priest; being such, the kingly crown was added to him. It says in act what the Apostle says in plain words, that Christ Jesus, being found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him."
But to remove any possibility of mistake or doubt, " the Man " to whom the attention of Joshua is directed away from himself is introduced by the well-known Messianic title, which in the Book of Zechariah is used as a proper name of the promised Deliverer. ”

“ Thou art Peter," were the words of Jesus on a certain solemn occasion, " and upon this rock (i.e., the confession Peter had just uttered, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God ") I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." And what is the Church but the Temple of the living God, of which the Tabernacle and material Temple in Jerusalem were but types, and in which His fulness and glory shall be eternally manifested? Thus the Apostle Peter, addressing primarily Jewish believers, says: " Ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual House " ”

“ Ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Chief Corner-stone; in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord ”

“ Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief," that our attention is directed by God Himself, but to the only true Man after God's own heart the Man par excellence the Ideal and Representative of the race, Who, after having for our salvation worn the crown of thorns, shall, as the reward of His sufferings, be " crowned with glory and honour," and have all things put in subjection under His feet. ”

“ The Son of Man must be lifted up: except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. So here the appearance in Jerusalem of these strangers takes the prophet's mind from the Temple they were then building, over the second outer court of which when com pleted there was the inscription put up in Greek and Latin:
"No stranger may enter here on pain of death" [1] to the future Temple, which Messiah, the true Prince and Priest, of whom Zerubbabel and Joshua the son of Josedech, were types, would build ”

“ Surely we know that every man grows up to manhood, and even to old age and hoary hairs. Rashi, perceiving this objection, has interpreted this to mean that He shall be of the royal seed; but this is not correct, for the word vmnp ("from beneath Him ") teaches nothing about the royal family. . . . But, at all events, I should like to ask them, if these words be spoken of Zerubbabel, why does the prophet add that " He shall build the Temple of the Lord: even He shall build the Temple of the Lord." ”

“ It shows us what will follow the banishment of evil from the land, and the overthrow of world-power in the earth, as set forth particularly in the last three visions namely, the crowning of the true King, the Mediator of Salvation, who shall be " a Priest upon His throne," and build the true temple of Jehovah, into which not only Israel, but " they that are far off" the Gentiles shall have access. ”

“ To return for a moment to the symbolical action which preceded the delivery of the verbal message, there is truth in Pusey's observation, that the act of placing the crown on the head of Joshua, the high priest, pictured not only the union of the offices of Priest and King in the person of the Messiah, but that He should be King, being first our High Priest. ”

“ Then in the limitless ages to come " He will show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him unto a dispensa tion of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth . . . according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will " (Eph. i. 9-1 1, ii. 7, R.V.) .
We now come to the I4th verse. First let me give a word of explanation in reference to the difference of the names here as compared with the loth verse. ”

“ In the midst of which, and not far from it, was the second, to be gone up by a few steps; this was encompassed by a stone wall for a partition, with an inscrip tion which forbade any foreigner to go in under pain of death."
How significant, in the light of this fact, are the words of the apostle: " But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace who hath made both (i.e., Jew and Gentile) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition " (Eph. ii. 13, 14) . ”

“ There is no mention whatever of Zerubbabel in this passage, neither was a silver crown, or indeed any crown, ever worn by the high priest the priestly mitre being never so designated. [3] In fact, the whole significance of the incident lies in the fact that these crowns, or crown, was placed upon the head of Joshua. The plural " ataroth" is used in Job xxi. 36 for one crown, and what most probably is meant is a single " splendid royal crown," consisting of a number of gold and silver twists or circlets woven together. ”