There are many ways to name those we don’t agree with and harm us. Sometimes both deeds and name can seem demonic.
The last time Satan showed up in the Bible was when King Solomon was around. Five hundred years later, Satan’s back, sort of, with a role in the prophet Zechariah’s wild visions of restoration. It’s not exactly The Devil of popular culture and religious lore. The word Hebrew ‘Satan’ likely meant something like ‘the accuser’, often used with the definite article (ha’satan) indicating that it was not seen as a proper noun.
But who is this accuser that appears to the prophet, and what’s the meaning of the stone that has seven eyes?
Zechariah second vision begins with a courtroom drama of celestial proportions and hidden political implications:
וַיַּרְאֵ֗נִי אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַגָּד֔וֹל עֹמֵ֕ד לִפְנֵ֖י מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֑ה וְהַשָּׂטָ֛ן עֹמֵ֥ד עַל־יְמִינ֖וֹ לְשִׂטְנֽוֹ׃
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֗ן יִגְעַ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה בְּךָ֙ הַשָּׂטָ֔ן וְיִגְעַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ בְּךָ֔ הַבֹּחֵ֖ר בִּירֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם הֲל֧וֹא זֶ֦ה א֖וּד מֻצָּ֥ל מֵאֵֽשׁ׃
I was further shown Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of YHWH, and the Accuser standing at his right to accuse him.
But the angel of YHWH said to the Accuser, “YHWH rebukes you, O Accuser; YHWH who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! For this is a brand plucked from the fire.”
Zechariah 3:1-2
Who’s who in this vision:
Joshua the High Priest, descendants of the exiled high priests of Jerusalem for generations, was an important feature of the Return to Zion movement, although he had no temple to officiate at. Not yet anyway and that was much of the political drama of the time.
Why was he on trial, and who is The Accuser, Adversary AKA Hebrew Satan?
Robert Alter explains:
“The Adversary - note the definitive article, indicating someone filling a role rather than a proper name, not to be confused with the later mythological Satan…The Accuser, a kind of prosecuting attorney who belongs to the divine entourage carries out the task of calling attention to the sundry trespasses of the people, but now he is rebuked because God is ready to remove the guilt of the people. “
Who then are the so-called satanic, adversarial forces Zechariah is referring to? Most historians suggest that it’s the Samaritan leaders who opposed the construction of the Jerusalem temple, and managed to block it, with support from the Persian authorities, and some of the Judean factions.
For Zechariah, Joshua the High Priest represents the religious establishment that received God's blessing for the future - but not without demand for reform and some sort of renewal.
The rest of the vision includes the removal of Joshua’s filthy ritual garb, literally covered with excrement, and its replacement by shiny, pure new garments. This future transformation of the priesthood is accompanied by one more mysterious ceremonial object that is bestowed by the divine upon Joshua:
כִּ֣י ׀ הִנֵּ֣ה הָאֶ֗בֶן אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָתַ֙תִּי֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ עַל־אֶ֥בֶן אַחַ֖ת שִׁבְעָ֣ה עֵינָ֑יִם הִנְנִ֧י מְפַתֵּ֣חַ פִּתֻּחָ֗הּ נְאֻם֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וּמַשְׁתִּ֛י אֶת־עֲוֺ֥ן הָאָֽרֶץ־הַהִ֖יא בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃
“See this stone that I place before Joshua, a single stone with seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription—declares YHWH of Hosts—and I will remove that country’s guilt in a single day.”
Zechariah 3:9
The mysterious stone will show up several times in Zechariah’s visions but its meaning and inscription remain a riddle. But the number seven will repeat in the next chapter and the links between the various visions will continue to intrigue. Joshua must have been an important symbol for the people of his time, and that’s probably why the rebuke against the adversary was so harsh -- who dare blame the last remains of the fire that almost ravaged the nation? That survivor guilt trip has some resonance for us today and it must have been part of the polemic back then as well.
Yaakov Beasley explores Joshua’s symbolic role as the survivor of the trauma that was the destruction of the previous temple:
“Joshua is a first and second-generation survivor. So what was the fire that Joshua was saved from? Everything from the destruction of the original Jewish community and the burning of the Temple to the exile to Babylon. Very few Jews survived the cataclysm – even fewer chose to leave the comforts of exile to return to the barren land of Judah to rebuild the nation. The imagery is poignant and heartbreaking: one of the few survivors has returned to the land to lead his people and to attempt to rebuild the Temple. From this perspective – we can only declare – how dare the Satan accuse him?”
Satan will be back. But the focus of these visions are the leaders of the rebuilding nation.
It’s not just the religious leadership that the prophet sees rise up towards the future - it’s also the political heads, with seven eyes or more.
The next chapter continues to dazzle with weird images and mythic layers including a seven branched lamp that has become contemporary symbols seen by some as divine and by some as demonic, while the real life court dramas of Zion’s renewal continue to dominate and complicate our lives.
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