A brand plucked out of the fire

Zechariah 3:2

And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

The devil is always resisting. Here, he resisted Joshua, who stood before the Lord. Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest was standing before the angel of the Lord. He was the servant of the Lord. And, just as at any other time, Satan resists and opposes and seeks to thwart and hinder God’s work and God’s man. But thankfully we see that the Lord here stands against the wicked one and rebukes Satan. How wonderful this is! The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan! You see, you and I have nothing to worry about concerning the hatred and opposition of our wicked enemy, for the Lord Himself shall be on our side. And if God be for us, who can be against us?

And the Lord says to Satan, “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” Was He referring to Jerusalem? He may have been. “The Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee,” the Lord says. God chose Jerusalem above all others and saved them from among the nations. One day, they will be a brand plucked out of the fire that will proceed forth from the mouth of the Son of God. But the real brand here I believe is Joshua. He is the brand plucked out of the fire. He was clothed with filthy garments. He had been in the filth and mire of the world. He was dirty with all that he endured, being opposed by the devil and all his forces. He was worn, he was ragged, he was weary. But this man was chosen by God out of the burning. They put on him a change of raiment and a fair mitre, and God took away any iniquity that was in him. And God took him forth from the burning of God’s judgment on Israel, and gave him a place of power and of judgment and of rule.

For you see! God had punished Israel, and much destruction had taken place. But Joshua stood not among those that perished. He was a man that had distinguished himself. He did not go with the wicked, nor did he identity with the wickedness and filth of Jerusalem. He lived among them, but was not of them. And does not Jesus say the same about us? We are not of this world, but we certainly must live in the midst of it. And therefore, let us be the Lord’s servants, who may be chosen from among the ruins and burning of sin to be used for His name. A brand! Joshua was a firebrand! Plucked out! God pulled Him out—He elected and selected Him for His own service! Oh, to be a brand plucked out of the fire!

“Father, we want to be as Joshua the son of Josedech, who, in the midst of a crooked nation, shone forth as a light unto the Lord. You picked him. You plucked him forth from a raging inferno to be used for your glory. And he became a firebrand for you. And, Lord, we pray that you would see fit to use us among the peoples and the nations among whom we find ourselves. Thank you that you make us clean and forgiven before Thee. May we stand before you, and may we be in your hand as an instrument for your purposes. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”