5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
God’s plan of salvation began to unfold at a time when Israel was not an independent nation but one oppressed under Roman rule. His revelation came first to a priest named Zechariah who worked in one of the priestly orders that were involved in the weekly service of the temple. His wife, Elizabeth was a descendent of Aaron. Aaron and his sons had been assigned the priesthood in Israel.
Luke describes Zechariah and Elizabeth as righteous before God. They were not perfect or sinless, but they were consistent in their obedience to God’s commandments. In those times, it was expected that those who were obedient would have children but they didn’t, and they were too old to still expect children.
Through the casting of lots, God chose Zechariah to perform the special task of burning incense in the temple. The angel Gabriel appeared at the altar and brought a message. The message was an answer to their prayer, Elizabeth would have a son. But this son was going to be special. God chose his name, John, and had a special job for him. He needed to abstain from all alcohol and would be filled by the Holy Spirit even while still in his mother’s womb. He would be great in God’s sight and he would help many Israelites return to God in repentance. John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. He was a forerunner as expected by Malachi 4:5 and would preach the message of Malachi 4:6 even though he was not the ultimate fulfilment of that prophecy which will yet be fulfilled just before Christ returns after the Tribulation.
John’s ministry was to prepare the nation for Jesus, the promised Messiah.
Zechariah didn’t immediately believe Gabriel and wanted confirmation. Because he didn’t believe, he wouldn’t be able to speak until John was born. When he finally came out of the temple, the people were sure that he had seen a vision because he was unable to speak. (Is this the origin of the idea of experiencing something so awesome it renders you speechless?)
After Zechariah went home we see the initial fulfilment of Gabriels message as Elizabeth conceived. She expressed that God had taken away her reproach because He had reversed her barrenness.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had wanted children and even prayed for them and yet God had not answered their prayer. But they remained faithful and continued to do things God’s way. It was in Zechariah’s service that God finally met with him and answered their prayer—even when they must have thought it was too late. We can’t guarantee that God will answer our specific prayer but we can be assured that God will bless us and use us if we remain faithful, even when our prayers have not been answered as we wish.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Gideon’s Army: Judges 6-7