12 Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; 13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’
We find the interpretation of Zechariah 6:9-11 in verses 12-15.
6:12
Then speak to him [Joshua], saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH [root-shoot]!
God commanded Zechariah to relay a message to Joshua, the high priest. Joshua’s name was not “the BRANCH.” BRANCH is a prophetic name for the Lord Jesus Christ. God told Zechariah to tell Joshua that he would typify the BRANCH who will rebuild the Millennial Temple. The name BRANCH is a Messianic title (Zech 3:8; Isa 2:2-4; 56:6-7; Ezek 40-46; Mic 4:1-2).
Joshua did not build the Temple in his day; Zerubbabel did. Scriptures never called him “the BRANCH.” Zerubbabel was to rebuild the Temple of Zechariah’s day (Zech 4:9). Joshua’s role in building that Temple was minor.
From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
The BRANCH will build the LORD’s Temple in Jerusalem during the Millennium.
6:13
Yes, He [the BRANCH] shall build the temple of the Lord.
Repetition of this phrase from verse 12 emphasizes the role of the BRANCH and the importance of rebuilding the Millennial Temple.
He shall bear the glory [honor, majesty],
“Glory” is a divine quality revealed to creation. It carries in this context the idea of “majesty.” Thus, Christ, the Messiah, will bear the essential glory of God (Isa 4:2; Jn 1:14).
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
The BRANCH will be a royal authority as indicated by the phrase “rule on His throne” (Isa 9:7; Jer 23:5; Mic 4:3,7; Zeph 3:15; Zech 14:9).
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
The BRANCH will be a priest on His throne (He 4:15; 5:6; 7:11-21). Levitical priests could not become kings. However, Christ was both Priest and King.
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’
There will be harmony between the two roles of King and Priest united in one. “The counsel of peace” represents harmony between the two roles.
PRINCIPLE:
The crowning of Joshua is a picture of the crowning of Christ as King of the world.
APPLICATION:
Joshua typified “the BRANCH” who will rebuild the Millennial Temple (Isa 2:2-4; 56:6-7; Ezek 40-46; Mic 4:1-2). This even pointed to the Messiah as King-Priest. The word “BRANCH” is a Messianic title (Zech 3:8). Jesus will rule over the house of Jacob forever (Lu 1:32, 33).
