“A Change of Raiment.”

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him.  And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Zechariah 3:3-4

I do not profess to completely understand all of Zechariah’s visions in this book.  Some of them seem fairly clear and others are hard to understand.  I do not understand everything about this particular vision, but I can understand the symbolism of being clothed with “filthy garments” and being given a “change of raiment.”  I can especially understand these things when the change of raiment is coupled with God causing “thine iniquity to pass from thee.”  What a glorious picture of salvation!

These verses bring to mind a couple of other verses:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”  – Isaiah 64:6

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”  – Romans 3:21-22

The Bible tells us that our righteousnesses are “as filthy rags,” just like the “filthy garments” spoken of in these verses.  That is the best that we can do.  Humanly speaking, our best is like a filthy rag.

The Bible also tells us that the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ is available to all that believe on Him.  I like the wording of Romans 3:22, “unto all and upon all them that believe.”  “Upon all” sounds a lot like a garment, doesn’t it?  We were wearing the filthy rags of our sin (and even our righteousness), but trusting in Jesus Christ gave us a clothing of His perfect righteousness.  What a wonderful salvation!