The Bible warns us that the enemy is active and relentless as our accuser, but it does not leave us without hope. Scripture is VERY clear that victory in spiritual warfare can never be divorced from living in heart-obedience. This is not outward religious obedience—it must be heart-based obedience.
The nation of Judah learned this the hard way.
The tragic history of Judah before the Babylonian exile stands as a sobering reminder. But before we go there, let’s first fast forward to a courtroom in Heaven where Satan stands accusing God’s people:
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.” Zechariah 3:1
Why was satan able to accuse God’s high priest?
Well, because satan knows God punishes sin. So to understand the context, let’s rewind back to the book of Jeremiah. For nearly forty years, God had been speaking patiently and persistently to the nation of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah warned Judah that religious activity without repentance would not protect them. Even though the priests still offered sacrifices in the temple, the heart of the religious leadership of the nation had drifted into idolatry, compromise, and deception. Jeremiah warned them:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’” Jeremiah 7:3-4
Judah’s corporate and individual relationship with God had devolved; and they believed that the temple guaranteed their safety. One of Jeremiah’s strongest rebukes was aimed at religious leadership—priests who failed to teach truth and prophets who assured peace when none existed.
“They have healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:14
This was not ignorance. It was apostasy. Over decades, God sent warnings, delayed judgment, and called for His people to return to Him. Jeremiah preached, wept, wrote, and suffered rejection—not because God was eager to destroy, but because He was merciful. Yet warning after warning went unheeded. Eventually, discipline came. God raised up Babylon as an instrument of correction. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah:
“Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.” Jeremiah 25:8-9
The exile was the result of prolonged disobedience, failed leadership, and worship divorced from heart-obedience.
Zechariah Chapter 3 brings us to the scene in heaven after God’s discipline—when a remnant had returned from exile.
The temple was being rebuilt. Hope was very fragile. Joshua the high priest stands before the Angel of the Lord clothed in filthy garments—symbolizing the guilt of Judah. Joshua does not represent himself alone; he represents a nation and a priesthood that had failed. The garments are filthy because the guilt arises from a real source—sin. And Satan rises to accuse. But then God speaks.
“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!” Zechariah 3:2
God does not deny the history. He does not dispute the failure. Rather, He removes the guilt. The filthy garments are stripped away. Clean robes are given. Joshua is restored—not because the priesthood earned it, but because God’s grace intervened. Jeremiah shows us God’s patience before judgment. Zechariah shows us God’s grace after discipline.
Together, they reveal a God who warns before He allows wounding, and restores after discipline.
This pattern also helps us understand the purpose for the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, God established a sacrificial system administered by imperfect priests. Those sacrifices never removed sin. They pointed forward to something greater. The Law shows us how much we need grace. Even Abraham, who lived before the law was given to Moses, understood this, and “his faith was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) The Bible explains, “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) The failures of Judah’s priesthood and the guilt symbolized by Joshua’s filthy garments were not flaws in God’s plan—they were part of it. The Old Covenant was a shadow, designed to lead God’s people to Christ.
Jesus is the true High Priest who offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 10:10), actually taking away sin rather than merely covering it. This is why people in the Old Testament were saved the same way we are—by grace through faith. They were trusting God’s promise before Christ came, and we trust His finished work after He came.
Victorious Jesus is the source of our greatest hope!
Satan may accuse. History may testify to our real failures. Lord knows I have plenty! But Jesus has the final word. The same God who warned through Jeremiah, who disciplined through exile, and who rebuked the accuser in Zechariah—speaks for us through Jesus Christ.
“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” Romans 8:33
God’s promise of protection is not a substitute for repentance, and His intercession does not negate our personal responsibility in maintaining a close relationship with Him. We must be mindful that all sin weakens and destroys us. But God’s presence and His promises strengthen us. When Satan tries to accuse or condemn us, we are reminded: “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34) Thus, our hope does not rest in our own worthiness, because Jesus Himself stands before the Father on our behalf. Hebrews 7:25 assures us that He “is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Every accusation of the enemy is answered-not by our strength or performance—but by the living, unending intercession of Christ, who has already secured our standing before God.
Prayer:
Thank You for being a God who warns before He disciplines and restores after failure. Thank You for Your patience with Your people and for speaking truth even when it is difficult to hear. Guard our hearts from empty worship and from trusting in religious forms without obedience. Keep us responsive to Your Word and humble before You.
Thank You that when the accuser stands against us, You stand for us. Thank You that our hope does not rest in our own righteousness, but in Jesus Christ—our true High Priest—who offered Himself once for all and took away our sin forever. When we are reminded of past failures or present weakness, anchor us in Your grace and silence every accusation.
Help us walk in reverence, repentance, and confidence, knowing that You are faithful to complete the work You have begun. Keep us clothed in the righteousness of Christ and alert in spiritual warfare, trusting not in ourselves, but in Your finished work and unfailing mercy.
We give You all the glory and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
