In Joshua the high priest we see a picture of every child of God—everyone who has been brought near by the blood of Christ and taught to minister in holy things, entering into what lies behind the veil. Jesus has made us “kings and priests to God,” and even now, on earth, we carry out the priesthood of consecrated living and holy service.
But notice that this high priest is described as “standing before the angel of the Lord”—that is, standing ready to minister. This should be the continual posture of every true believer. Every place is now God’s temple, and His people can serve Him just as truly in their daily work as in His house. We are always to be “ministering”: offering the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, and presenting ourselves as “living sacrifices.”
But also notice where Joshua stands to minister: he stands before the angel of the Lord. It is only through a Mediator that we, poor and defiled as we are, can ever become priests unto God. Everything I offer, I present before the Messenger—the Angel of the Covenant—the Lord Jesus. Through Him, my prayers gain acceptance as they are wrapped up in His own prayers. My praises become sweet because they are bound together with Christ’s own myrrh, aloes, and cassia from His garden.
If I can bring Him nothing but tears, He gathers them with His own into His bottle, for He also once wept. If all I can bring is groans and sighs, He receives them as an acceptable sacrifice, for He too was broken in heart and sighed deeply in spirit. Standing in Him, I am accepted in the Beloved; and all my polluted works—though in themselves worthy only of God’s rejection—are received in such a way that God smells a sweet fragrance. He is satisfied, and I am blessed.
See then the position of the Christian:
a priest—standing—before the Angel of the Lord.