Joshua was standing before the Angel of Jehovah to be perfected, established, and strengthened (Zech. 3:1b-10). The Angel of Jehovah would do this by measuring him. Therefore, Joshua stood before the Angel of Jehovah for the purpose of being measured by Him.
While Joshua was standing before the Angel of Jehovah, he was resisted by Satan, who was standing at his right hand to accuse him (v. 1b). The word Satan means "the accuser," "the adversary," and it is the base for the word accuse at the end of verse 1. An adversary is an inward enemy. For example, if someone outside your family opposes you, that person will be your enemy. But if a member of your family opposes you, that person will be your adversary. Such an adversary is a more serious threat than an enemy. As the adversary, Satan's intention was to put Joshua down in front of his fellows (v. 8) and to frustrate the rebuilding of God's temple.
Verse 2 says, "And Jehovah said to Satan, Jehovah rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Jehovah, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" Jehovah's word here indicates two things. First, it indicates Jehovah's determination to rebuild Jerusalem, since He has chosen her. Second, it indicates that Jehovah would do something for Joshua, since he was a brand plucked from the fire (Amos 4:11; Jude 23a). As the Angel of Jehovah rebuked Satan, He seemed to be saying, "Why have you come here to bother us? I know that you are accusing Joshua and opposing him. I know also that although he is the high priest of My people, he is not that good. He is a brand plucked from the fire, but he is in My hand. Satan, I rebuke you."
In Zechariah 3:1 and 2 we have three parties: Joshua, the Angel of Jehovah, and Satan. In our Christian life, as God's chosen people we are always in this kind of situation. God is in front of us, and the evil one is at our right hand to resist us, to oppose us, to accuse us, and to be our adversary. This is a repetition of the scene in the garden of Eden described in Genesis 2, where God put the man He had created in front of two trees—one denoting God and the other denoting Satan. Zechariah 3 is also a repetition of Genesis 2.