Zacharias & Elizabeth

Dark days. “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias” (1:5). Herod was a cruel king, and for about four hundred years no prophet had brought a new message from God. A priest's family. Zacharias served God at the Temple. Elizabeth “was of the daughters of Aaron” (1:5), so she came from a family of priests too. Right with God. “And they were both righteous before God” (1:6). They were not sinless. They trusted God and lived His way. Walking with God. They were “walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (1:6). Ordinances are God's rules for worship. A deep sadness. “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren” (1:7). Barren means not able to have a baby. Not a punishment. In those days many people thought a couple with no children had displeased God. Verse 6 says the opposite. God was pleased with this couple. Old and still faithful. “They were both well advanced in years” (1:7). They had prayed for a long time, and they did not stop following God. What we learn. Waiting does not mean God has forgotten you. Keep walking with Him, because He is working even when you cannot see it.

The silent years. The Old Testament closes with Malachi's promise: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). Then, for about four hundred years, no prophet spoke. In Luke 1 that long silence is about to end. Herod the Great (1:5). Herod ruled Judea for Rome. He rebuilt the Temple beautifully, but he was jealous and violent. God began His work in a dark time, not a hopeful one. Names that fit. In Hebrew, the name Zacharias means the Lord remembers. The name Elizabeth means my God is an oath, a promise He keeps. Later Zacharias praises God “to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham” (1:72-73). Righteous (1:6). The Greek dikaios (say: DIK-eye-oss) means right with God. Like Abraham, who “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3), they lived by faith, not by being perfect. Blameless (1:6). Blameless means no one could rightly accuse them. They kept God's ways sincerely, including the sacrifices God gave for sin. Barren (1:7). The Greek steira (say: STAY-rah) means unable to have children. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah and Samson's mother had all waited for a child, and each time God gave a son who mattered for His plan. Not a punishment. Their pain was not God's judgment, because verse 6 has already called them righteous. Godly people can carry long, unanswered sorrows, and God still sees them.

Zacharias and Elizabeth lived in a hard time. King Herod was a cruel king. For hundreds of years, God had sent no new prophet. A prophet is someone God chose to speak His message. Many people felt that God was far away. But this old couple kept loving God. The Bible says they were righteous before God. That means they trusted God and lived His way. They were not perfect, but they followed Him. Still, they had no children. Some people thought that meant God was unhappy with them. That was not true! God saw them, and He loved them. He was getting ready to answer.

Zacharias and Elizabeth loved God. They did what He said. But they had no baby. God had not forgotten them.

Serving in turn. “While he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division” (1:8). The priests were split into twenty-four groups, and each group served for one week at a time. The division of Abijah. Abijah was one of those groups. King David set up the groups long before (1 Chronicles 24). The lot fell. “According to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense” (1:9). Casting a lot was a little like drawing straws. God was in charge of the result. Once in a lifetime. There were so many priests that a man might be chosen for this job only once in his whole life. Into the Holy Place. The altar of incense stood in the Holy Place, right in front of the curtain that hid the Most Holy Place. Sweet smoke. Every morning and every evening, incense burned there. Its smoke was a picture of prayer rising to God. Praying together. “And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense” (1:10). Multitude means a huge crowd. What we learn. God works through faithful people doing ordinary jobs. He loves to hear His people pray together, and He was about to answer.

Twenty-four divisions. David organized the priests into twenty-four divisions by lot (1 Chronicles 24), and Abijah's was the eighth. Each division served one week at a time, plus the great feasts. The lot (1:9). Jewish writings from that time describe the priests casting lots for each task. Burning incense was the highest honor, and a priest could be chosen for it only once. Proverbs 16:33 teaches that every decision of the lot comes from the Lord. The altar of incense. A small gold-covered altar stood in the Holy Place, before the veil (Exodus 30:1-8). God told Moses, “You shall not offer strange incense on it” (Exodus 30:9). Worship had to be offered God's way. A picture of prayer. David prayed that his prayer would rise before God like incense (Psalm 141:2). In Revelation 8:3-4, incense rises before God's throne together with the prayers of His people. Inside and outside (1:10). Zacharias was alone inside; the people prayed outside. Only priests could enter the Holy Place, and only “the high priest went alone once a year” into the Most Holy Place (Hebrews 9:7). The torn veil. When Jesus died, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The curtain beside Zacharias's altar was opened for everyone who comes to God through Jesus. Our Intercessor. Jesus “always lives to make intercession” for His people (Hebrews 7:25). Intercession means praying on someone's behalf. Our prayers reach the Father through Him.

Zacharias belonged to a group of priests called Abijah. Each group took turns serving at the Temple. Many priests never got to burn the incense. They chose one priest by lot, like drawing a name. That day the lot fell to Zacharias. God was in charge of it. Zacharias walked into the holy room alone. A sweet smell filled the room as the incense burned. The smoke rose up like a prayer to God. Outside, a big crowd prayed at the same time. God loves to hear His people pray together. Zacharias had served God faithfully for many years. God used him right where he was.

Zacharias burned sweet incense. The sweet smoke went up high. The people prayed outside. God hears our prayers.

An angel. “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense” (1:11). Afraid. “When Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him” (1:12). Meeting God's holy messenger was overwhelming. Kind words first. “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard” (1:13). God had heard prayers Zacharias had prayed for years. A name from God. “You shall call his name John” (1:13). The name John means the Lord is gracious. Joy. “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth” (1:14). Set apart. John would “drink neither wine nor strong drink” (1:15). This showed he was set apart for God, like a Nazirite, a person who made a special promise to belong to God (Numbers 6:2-5). Filled before birth. “He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb” (1:15). God knows and loves babies before they are born. Like Elijah. John would come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (1:17), calling people to turn back to God. What we learn. God hears every prayer. He was getting His people ready for Jesus.

Fear and grace (1:12-13). When people meet God's holy messengers they often fear, and the first words are often “Do not be afraid” (1:13, 30; 2:10). God's holiness is real, and so is His kindness. “Your prayer is heard.” The answer is a son, so Zacharias had prayed for a child. That son would also be part of God's answer to Israel's long hope for the Messiah. A private prayer was folded into God's plan for the world. John (1:13). The name John means the Lord is gracious. God chose the name before the child was conceived. Great in the sight of the Lord (1:15). Jesus later said, “Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28). Set apart (1:15). No wine or strong drink recalls the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:2-5) and Samson's mother, who was told not to drink wine (Judges 13:4). Filled from the womb (1:15). John was filled with the Holy Spirit before birth, and in 1:41 he leaps when Mary arrives carrying Jesus. Scripture treats an unborn child as a person known by God: “You covered me in my mother's womb” (Psalm 139:13). Elijah (1:17). Gabriel quotes Malachi 4:6, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.” In Matthew 11:14 Jesus taught that John was the Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11:14). Prepared for the Lord (1:16-17). John would turn people “to the Lord their God” and go “before Him.” The One who came after John was Jesus. Jesus is the Lord God come to His people.

The angel stood on the right side of the altar. Zacharias was very afraid. But the angel's first words were kind. He said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias.” God had heard his prayer for a son. God remembers prayers we prayed long ago. Their son would be named John. John would bring joy to many people. The Holy Spirit would fill him before he was born. God loves babies even before they are born. John would turn many people back to God. He would get them ready for the Lord. That Lord is Jesus!

An angel came from God. He said, “Do not be afraid.” God heard the prayer. Baby John was coming!

A question of doubt. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years” (1:18). Zacharias looked at his age instead of at God's power. Gabriel. “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” (1:19). Long before, Gabriel had brought God's messages to Daniel. Good news. He was sent to “bring you these glad tidings” (1:19). Glad tidings means good news. Silent. “You will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words” (1:20). Mute means not able to talk. Still true. Gabriel's words “will be fulfilled in their own time” (1:20). Doubt did not stop God's plan. Waiting people. The crowd “marveled that he lingered so long in the temple” (1:21). When he came out, “he beckoned to them and remained speechless” (1:22). Elizabeth's praise. “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people” (1:25). Reproach means shame. What we learn. God's word is true even when we doubt it. He corrects His children in love, and He takes away our shame.

Two questions. Zacharias asked, “How shall I know this?” (1:18). Mary later asked, “How can this be?” (1:34). Mary believed and asked how; Zacharias wanted proof before he would believe. Elizabeth later said of Mary, “Blessed is she who believed” (1:45). Gabriel (1:19). His name means God is my strength. He had explained visions to Daniel (Daniel 8:16; 9:21), and he “stands in the presence of God,” ready to carry God's messages. Glad tidings (1:19). The verb Gabriel uses is euangelizo (say: yoo-an-geh-LEED-zoh), to bring good news. It is the root of our words evangelist and evangelism, and its noun is the word for gospel. Mute (1:20). Zacharias asked for a sign and received one in his own body. In 1:62 the neighbors “made signs to his father,” so he may not have been able to hear either. His silence lasted until John was named. The missing blessing. Jewish writings say the priests blessed the people after the incense, using Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you.” That day the crowd waited, but Zacharias could not speak the blessing. A fuller blessing was coming in Jesus. Reproach (1:25). The Greek oneidos (say: OH-nay-doss) means public shame. Rachel said much the same when God gave her a son: “God has taken away my reproach” (Genesis 30:23). Discipline and grace. God's correction was not rejection. Zacharias finished his week of service, went home and saw every word come true. God's word does not return to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11).

Zacharias asked the angel, “How shall I know this?” He looked at how old he was. He forgot how big God is. The angel said, “I am Gabriel.” Gabriel stood close to God and brought good news. Zacharias had not believed, so he would not talk for a while. He would stay quiet until John was born. That was hard, but it was also a sign. God's words always come true, even when we doubt. Soon Elizabeth was going to have a baby. She said the Lord had been kind to her. People had looked down on her for years. But God took her shame away.

Zacharias did not believe. So he could not talk. But God kept His promise. A baby boy was on the way!

Zacharias & Elizabeth

🎉 All Matched!