Verse 4
The Lord then instructed others who were standing before Him, probably angelic servants, to remove Joshua’s filthy garments (cf. Exodus 28:8-9; Exodus 28:41; Leviticus 8:7-9; Numbers 20:28). The Lord explained that these garments symbolized the high priest’s (Israel’s) iniquities, which He had forgiven. He promised to remove his representative’s filthy robes and replace them with festal, stately robes, the apparel of royalty and wealth, symbolic of God’s righteousness (cf. Isaiah 3:22). Thus God would restore Israel to her original calling as a priestly nation (cf. Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6).
"Theologically, however, there also seems to be a picture here of the negative aspect of what God does when he saves a person. Negatively, he takes away sin. Positively, he adds or imputes to the sinner saved by grace his own divine righteousness (cf. Zechariah 3:5)." [Note: Barker, p. 624.]
Amillennialists contend that this is all that the vision means; it contains no special promises for Israel. [Note: See Leupold, pp. 74, 77.]
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