Zechariah 3:7

7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are 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 And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments; and the angel of the LORD was standing by.
6 And the angel of the LORD enjoined Joshua,
7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.
8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men of good omen: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.
9 For behold, upon the stone which I have set before Joshua, upon a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.