Zechariah 3:4
Bible study about the devil being the accuser
"Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”"
Zechariah 3:4
Zechariah saw a vision of Joshua the high priest. He was standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan stood beside Joshua to accuse him.
Verse 2: "And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”"
Satan, which means 'the Adversary', was trying to accuse Joshua of sin. Matthew Henry says the following about it:
"Some think the chief priest was accused for the sin of many of the inferior priests, in marrying strange wives, which they were much guilty of after their return out of captivity, Ezra 9:1-2; Neh. 13:28"
When God is about to reestablish the priesthood, Satan accuses the priests because of their sins. When we sin, we give Satan an advantage over us. He knows we are not worthy in ourselves, and he is using that to accuse us.
Remember Revelation 12:10: "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."
The devil is also opposing us. Until the time of Jesus' second coming, the devil will attack the church of God. But don't worry, God is in control. The Angel told those who stood before Him to take the filthy garments from Joshua. He forgave the high priest for everything that he had done.
In the same way, Satan accuses us before the Lord. He points out all of our sins and opposes us. But God is love (1 John 4:8) and He wants to forgive us. This can happen through Jesus Christ.
John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Today's lesson: When Satan accuses you of sin, know God offers forgiveness. He is the LORD, and He has the final word. Through the blood of Jesus, we can be forgiven. And if He is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:38-39: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."