Zechariah 3:7

7 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

Zechariah 3:7 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 3:7

Thus saith the Lord of hosts
For this Angel was no other than the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth: If thou wilt walk in my ways;
prescribed in the word of God, moral, ceremonial, and evangelical; in Christ the grand way, and indeed the only way of salvation; and in the paths of faith, truth, righteousness, and holiness; in the ways of God's commandments, which are pleasant, and attended with peace; such a walk and conversation, and such obedience, the grace of God teaches, and obliges to: and if thou wilt keep my charge;
the things he gave in charge, all his commands and ordinances, particularly such as belonged to the priestly office and Levitical service; see ( Numbers 3:7 Numbers 3:8 ) all which might be expected after so many favours granted: then thou shall also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts:
preside in the temple, be governor in it, and have the care of all the courts belonging to the people and the priests, and the advantages arising from thence. The meaning is, that whereas the office of the priesthood was in disuse through the captivity, and was become contemptible through the sins of the priests, it should now be restored to its former honour and glory: to have a place in the house of God, the church, is a great honour, and still more to be a governor and ruler in it: and I will give thee places to walk among those that stand by;
either among fellow priests, or fellow saints; or rather among the angels that stood before the Angel of the Lord, and ministered to him; signifying that he should enjoy their company, be like unto then, and join in service with them in heaven, in a future state: and "walking places" among them denote the pleasures of the heavenly state, as well, as the safety and glory of it; see ( Isaiah 57:2 ) ( Revelation 3:4 ) ( 21:24 ) . The Targum very agreeably paraphrases the words thus,

``and in the resurrection or quickening of the dead, I will raise or quicken thee; and I will give thee feet walking among these seraphim.''
The allusion is to those walks that were in the temple, such as Christ walked in, ( John 10:23 ) and the pavement in Ezekiel's temple, ( Ezekiel 40:17 Ezekiel 40:18 ) .

Zechariah 3:7 In-Context

5 Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the LORD stood by.
6 Then the angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said,
7 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.
8 “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.
9 Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.