9 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 10 “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
At this point the eight night visions were complete. The scene now shifted to the crowning of Joshua, the high priest, a symbolic act of the coronation of the Messiah King.
6:9
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
The “word of the LORD” is a prophetic oracle or direct prophetic revelation.
6:10
“Receive the gift from the captives [exiles]—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—
The three men mentioned in this verse had recently returned from Babylon with expensive gifts, which crafters would use for fashioning a crown for Joshua, the high priest. These men had not returned with the original group of exiles.
and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.
Zechariah was to urgently complete the task at hand and go to Josiah’s house immediately. God timed the arrival of the Babylonian delegation exactly for the crowning of Joshua.
6:11
Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
A crown signified royalty. Zechariah placed the crown on Joshua’s head, identifying him with the Messianic Branch (Zech 6:12). The Branch will rebuild the future Temple as both Priest and King.
The crowning of Joshua the high priest rather than the governor Zerubbabel was significant. Otherwise, the crowning of Zerubbabel would have indicated the crowning of the Messiah. Zerubbabel was a descendant of David.
PRINCIPLE:
The Messiah will be both Priest and King.
APPLICATION:
The crowing of Joshua foreshadowed the Messiah as the King-Priest, uniting into one His two crucial roles. Just as Joshua symbolized the cleansing of Israel in chapter 3, he typifies the crowning of the Messiah in our chapter.
