Christ's Three-Fold Office in Zechariah 1:7-17

The catechism of Baptist pastor Benjamin Keach (1640-1704) teaches us that Christ holds a three-fold office. 

Q. 27. What offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer?
A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in His estate of humiliation and exaltation.

We see these three offices on display in the first of Zechariah’s “night visions.”

“I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. Then I said, ‘My lord, what are these?’ And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, ‘I will show you what these are.’ And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, ‘These are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.’ So they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet’” (Zechariah 1:8-11). 

Zechariah sees “a man” who is also “the angel of the LORD.” In the Old Testament, the “angel of the LORD” speaks as the LORD, and those who encounter him declare that they have seen the LORD (Genesis 16:10,13; 22:11-12,15-18; 31:11-13; 48:15-16; Exodus 3:2,6; Judges 6:22; 13:21-22). It has traditionally been taught that this “angel of the LORD” is a pre-incarnate appearing of God the Son. In His incarnation it will be said of Him that He is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:13; see also John 1:14; 14:9; Hebrews 1:3). Further, He “explains” the Father to us (John 1:18; see also John 3:34; 8:28,38). The Son is eternally divine, and is not a creature – He is, in other words, not an “angel” in the sense of the created heavenly beings that also have that name. The title “angel” means “messenger.” The Son reveals the nature and will of the Father to us in His very Person. When Zechariah sees this “angel of the LORD,” the prophet is seeing the Son. Further, the three-fold office of Christ is imaged in this vision, as well.

First, we see Christ as King. The angelic horsemen sent on patrol throughout the earth report to Him Who commands the heavenly armies of God (Matthew 13:41; 16:27; 24:31; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 13:27; Luke 9:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Jude 14-15; Revelation 19:11-16).

Q. 30. How does Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies. 

After receiving the report of the angelic patrols, the “angel of the LORD” speaks to the “LORD of hosts” on behalf of the covenant people. 

“Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?’” (Zechariah 1:12).

Not only is Christ a King, but He is our Priest, interceding on behalf of His people before the Father (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). All that we need is given from the Father through our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), the Son, by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

Q. 29. How does Christ execute the office of a priest?
A. Christ executes the office of a priest, in His once offering up of Himself, a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.

The “angel of the LORD” then receives a message of grace and comfort from the “LORD of hosts.”

“The LORD answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, ‘Proclaim, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.’ Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.’” Again, proclaim, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem’”’” (Zechariah 1:13-17). 

He is King, and Priest, but He has also given us the final, all-sufficient revelation of God to us through the Spirit-inspired apostolic authors of the New Testament (Hebrews 1:1). He is our Prophet. 

Q. 28. How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?
A. Christ executes the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by this Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. 

In February of 519 B.C., a prophet from the priestly family of Israel had visions one night. In the first vision he saw a darkness deeper than the surrounding night (the Hebrew word here translated “ravine” usually refers to the depths of the sea). God’s people were in difficult straits at this time, discouraged and overwhelmed. In this darkness, though, the prophet saw One Who is Immanuel, God-with-us. This One is the King Who will command all the powers of heaven and earth to the ultimate good of His people in His perfect timing. This One is the Priest Who intercedes day and night for those who have found salvation through faith in Him alone. This One is the Prophet Who has given us the gracious, comforting Word that is so sufficient no further Word need be given.

This is our Lord Jesus.

“This office of mediator between God and humanity is appropriate for Christ alone, Who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God. This office may not be transferred from Him to anyone else, either in whole or in part. The number and character of these offices is essential. Because we are ignorant, we need His prophetic office. Because we are alienated from God and imperfect in the best of our service, we need His priestly office to reconcile us and present us to God as acceptable. Because we are hostile and utterly unable to return to God, and so that we can be rescued and made secure from our spiritual enemies, we need His kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, sustain, deliver, and preserve us for His heavenly kingdom” (The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith in Modern English, 8.9-10).

Jeremiah’s Turning #13: the Charge of Self-ism

Following the word “turn” (שוב) through Jeremiah’s prophecy.

“You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away [שוב] and not repent [שוב]? Why then has this people, Jerusalem, turned away [שוב] in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return [שוב]. I have listened and heard, they have spoken what is not right; no man repented [נחם] of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned [שוב] to his course, like a horse charging into the battle”’” (Jeremiah 8:4-6).

In these verses we English-speakers get an idea just how versatile Hebrew is as a language, and how important context is phrase-to-phrase. The same word, שוב, is used to mean both apostasy (turning away from God) and repentance (turning to God) in verses 4 and 5 – same word, opposite meanings!

Today we’ll focus on verse 6, where the people go boldly forth into wherever they feel like going. The refrain of Judges connects this to a lack of a king: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25).

The inadequacy is not governmental. Don’t read it this way.

Even without a human king, they had what they needed for a rule of life as God’s covenant people: “He said, ‘The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; at His right hand there was flashing lightning for them. Indeed, He loves the people; all Your holy ones are in Your hand, and they followed in Your steps; everyone receives of Your words. Moses charged us with a law, a possession for the assembly of Jacob. And He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, the tribes of Israel together’” (Deuteronomy 33:2-5). We are not to understand Judges 17:6; 21:25 to mean that the people had no light, no guidance. They had the royal Word of the Law. The problem isn’t that they were king-less. The problem was that they were sinners. This is the purpose of the Law – to show forth the sinfulness of the people and their need for Christ the King (Romans 7:7; Galatians 3:22-24).

The people’s complaint that they wanted a human king is traced back to a heart that rejected God as Savior and King. Their rejection of God led to the rejection of the prophet-judge appointed by God to mediate the royal Word of the Law to them: “The LORD said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day - in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods - so they are doing to you also’” (1 Samuel 8:7,8).

Their lack of a king is a surface problem. The heart problem is a people who have the royal Word of the Law, and have a Spirit-gifted leader to lead them in that Word, but would rather do their own thing while a human king preserves their safety and prosperity. The covenant people of God are not following the Word, but are living by the creed of the world, following their hearts. “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). They go forward boldly, as a horse charging into battle, following their hearts further and further away from the rule of their Savior-God and King.

Woe to a people who want a pastor who merely preserves the status quo of institutionalized tradition and closed social cliques.

Woe to a people who ignore the Word as the rule of life and yet seek blessing from God.

Christ is the conquering King (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:5), and He has given the Church the gift of those who will lead His people in the Word: “Therefore it says, ‘WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN [a quote from Psalm 68:18].’ (Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He Who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:8-13).

“The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).

God has given men to His Church to proclaim His royal Word as rule of life to save us from the tendency to charge forth after our hearts away from Him. Turn away from the charge into self and turn to the royal Word of the King. “And in the sentence of Scripture we are to rest, for it is in Scripture, delivered by the Spirit, that our faith is finally resolved” (1689 Baptist Confession, 1.10).