Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways. God's choice of Jerusalem (Zechariah 3:2) was unto its sanctification (John 15:16; Romans 8:29); hence, the charge here which connects the promised blessing with obedience.
And if thou wilt keep my charge - the ordinances of God, the "charge of the sanctuary," and all the precepts, ritual and moral (Numbers 3:28; Numbers 3:31-32; Numbers 3:38; Joshua 1:7-9; 1 Kings 2:3; Ezekiel 44:16).
Then thou shalt also judge my house - thou shalt long preside over the temple-ceremonial as high priest, deciding and defining the difference between things clean and unclean (Leviticus 10:10; Ezekiel 44:23; Malachi 2:7). (Grotius.) Or, rule over my house - i:e., my people (Maurer). (Numbers 12:7; Hosea 8:1.) We know from Deuteronomy 17:9 that the priest judged cases. He was not only to obey the Mosaic institute himself, but to see that it was obeyed by others. God's people are similarly to exercise judgment hereafter, "having authority over" a defined number of "cities" as the reward of their present faithfulness (Daniel 7:18; Daniel 7:22; Luke 19:17; 1 Corinthians 6:2); by virtue of their royal priesthood (Revelation 1:6).
And shalt also keep my courts - guard my house from profanation. And I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by - free ingress and egress, so as at will to "go out and come in" (1 Samuel 18:16; 1 Kings 3:7; 1 Kings 15:17); thou mayest go through "these" ministering angels "who stand by" Yahweh (Zechariah 4:14; Zechariah 6:5; 1 Kings 22:19) into His presence, discharging thy priestly function. In Ezekiel 42:4, the same Hebrew word [mahªlak] is used of a walk before the priests' chambers in the future temple. Zechariah probably refers here to such a walk or way х mahlªkiym (H4108), which Hengstenberg translates, as the plural masculine participle Hiphil of haalak (H1980), to walk: persons walking, or persons causing to walk; guides: but it seems to be rather used as a noun masculine plural, places to walk]. Thou shalt not merely walk among priests like thyself, as in the old temple walks, but among the very angels as thine associates. Hengstenberg translates, 'I will give thee guides (from) among these,' etc. But there is no 'from' in the Hebrew. The English version is theref ore better. Priests are called angels or "messengers of the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 2:7); they are therefore thought worthy to be associated with heavenly angels. So these latter are present at the assemblies of true Christian worshippers, who are the instruments of "making known unto the principalities in heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 11:10: cf. Ecclesiastes 5:6; Ephesians 3:10; Revelation 22:9).