“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel“ Zech 3:3 Joshua was wearing filthy garments. He is trying to minister to God, but his religion can’t minister. Why not? Filthy clothes. Sin.
Isa 64:61 preaches “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags“. Our righteousnesses-- our good works, our church rituals, our religion--God considers all dirty like filthy, leprous rags. They are stained with sin, and sin is a barrier between us and God.
No matter how much righteousnesses we do, they are all filthy. So the Angel commands for Joshua’s filthy garments be taken away, telling him I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment-v4. Jesus to the rescue. He clothes us in clean garments washed white in the blood of the Lamb-Rev 7:14, our iniquities passed from us. Now we can come before God in the righteousness of Christ which allows us to stand before God.
