December 5th - The Angelic Prophecy of John's Birth

 

Passage: The Angelic Prophecy of the Prophet John’s Birth

⁵ During the reign of King Herod the Great over Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah who served in the temple as part of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from a family of priests, being a direct descendant of Aaron. ⁶ They were both lovers of God, living virtuously and following the commandments of the Lord fully. ⁷ But they were childless since Elizabeth was barren, and now they both were quite old. ^8–9 One day, while Zechariah’s priestly order was on duty and he was serving as priest, it happened by the casting of lots (according to the custom of the priesthood) that the honour fell upon Zechariah to enter into the Holy Place and burn incense before the Lord. ¹⁰ A large crowd of worshipers had gathered to pray outside the temple at the hour when incense was being offered. ¹¹ All at once an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing just to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² Zechariah was startled and overwhelmed with fear. ¹³ But the angel reassured him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God is showing grace to you. For I have come to tell you that your prayer for a child has been answered. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ His birth will bring you much joy and gladness. Many will rejoice because of him. ¹⁵ He will be one of the great ones in the sight of God. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even while still in his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will persuade many in Israel to convert and turn back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will go before the Lord as a forerunner, with the same power and anointing as Elijah the prophet. He will be instrumental in turning the hearts of the fathers in tenderness back to their children and the hearts of the disobedient back to the wisdom of their righteous fathers. And he will prepare a united people who are ready for the Lord’s appearing.” ¹⁸ Zechariah asked the angel, “How do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is too old to give me a child. What sign can you give me to prove this will happen?” ¹⁹ Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand beside God himself. He has sent me to announce to you this good news. ²⁰ But now, since you did not believe my words, you will be stricken silent and unable to speak until the day my words have been fulfilled at their appointed time and a child is born to you. That will be your sign!” ²¹ Meanwhile, the crowds outside kept expecting him to come out. They were amazed over Zechariah’s delay, wondering what could have happened inside the sanctuary. ²² When he finally did come out, he tried to talk, but he couldn’t speak a word, and they realized from his gestures that he had seen a vision while in the Holy Place. ²³ He remained mute as he finished his days of priestly ministry in the temple and then went back to his own home. ²⁴ Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for the next five months. ²⁵ She said with joy, “See how kind it is of God to gaze upon me and take away the disgrace of my barrenness!” (Luke 1:5-25).

Ponder:     

As a priest, Zechariah served at the temple for two one-week periods a year. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were quite old. While fulfilling his priestly duty, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, informing him his wife was not going to remain barren, but was to have a son whom he was to name John. Zechariah voices disbelief and is struck dumb until John is born. John would be the forerunner of the Messiah.  John would be one of the great ones in the sight of God. What a wonderful accolade. “Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted a child; what they got was a prophet.”**

This promised child answers two prayers at the same time:

1)      For a child in the house of Zechariah and

2)      For God to work redemption in the nation

God always brings His promises to pass.

Not only would God send a Saviour, but he would send someone to point the way to him.

Date range of John’s conception = 14.12.07BC - 09.04.06BC *

Prayer:

Lord help me not to be like those found in disbelief. I pray that faith would arise in my heart when you speak. Help me hear your voice and go on to fulfil your purpose for my life. Speak Lord for your servant is listening. Even through disappointment Lord, let me be one, like John, who prepares the way of the Lord for those that don’t yet know faith in Jesus. Amen.                                                                                                                           

 

*(The Jesus Diary – The Most Comprehensive Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God)

** Luke: The NIV Application commentary from Biblical Text to Contemporary Life: Darrell L. Brock – Quotations (moving forward) will be from this source and The Matthew Commentary Collection by Wilkins, Osborne and McKnight.