In days of old it was an honor and
a sought-after privilege to be a "king's forerunner." A young
man of perfect physique and physical fitness would be picked.
John 1:23 – "The
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way
of the Lord."
Historical setting:
Time: About 7 B.C.
Place: The Temple in Jerusalem
Persons:
Zacharias, Elizabeth, and the Angel
Gabriel
Luke 1:5-7:
"There was in the days of Herod, the
king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course
of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her
name was Elisabeth… And they were both righteous before God,
walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless… And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was
barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.."
* * *
When Herod was king of
the land of Judea, but Israel was under the rule of Rome,
there was a devout priest, whose name was Zacharias. His wife,
Elizabeth was also of the priestly line--the family line of
Aaron. The desire of these two people had always been to serve
God. Zacharias had served in the Jewish Temple all his adult
life. He was one of about 18,000 priests who served during the
year. One week of service, twice a year, was all that was
allotted to each priest. And now it was Zacharias' turn to
serve in the Temple.
It was a Jewish custom to pick a different priest each week
to be the one to burn incense to the Lord in the inner
sanctuary of the Temple. This once-in-a-lifetime honor was
bestowed upon a very chosen few. Zacharias had waited his
entire life, hoping to be picked for this special honor. As
the years passed, however, he had all but given up hope that
he would ever be chosen…. But at last his turn came…. Many
devout worshippers stood outside the sanctuary, praying. And
it was, as he was burning the incense to the Lord, that
suddenly an angel appeared to the right of the altar.
Zacharias froze with fear. … "And there
appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right
side of the altar of incense… And when Zacharias saw him, he
was troubled, and fear fell upon him…
Although Elizabeth and Zacharias had prayed many times that
God would give them a child, they remained childless, and now
they were too old. But wait! The angel standing in front of
Zacharias was speaking to him. ..."The
angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is
heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name John… And thou shalt have joy and
gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth… For he shall be
great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine
nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost,
even from his mother's womb."
Zacharias stood spellbound. He couldn't believe what he had
just heard. It was impossible! "How…how can this be?" he
stammered, "I am an old man, and my wife is too old to have
children. How…how will I know this is …is going to happen?"
"And the angel answering said unto him, I
am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to
speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings… And,
behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the
day that these things shall be performed, because thou
believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their
season…
"Because you did not believe this good news, you will not
be able to speak until the child is born. That will be your
sign." These words rang in Zechariah's ears. He stood
still in the sanctuary for quite some time, opening his mouth
to say something. But no words would come.
As the
daylight slowly turned to dusk, the people outside the
sanctuary began to wonder what was taking Zacharias so long to
come out. Finally he emerged. But he had a strange look on his
face. Something remarkable must have happened while he was in
the sanctuary. The worshippers crowded closer. Eagerly they
waited to hear what Zacharias had to say. But he just stood
looking at them. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words
just would not come out. Finally he began to signal with his
hands. A murmur stirred amongst the crowd. Their priest must
have seen a vision!
As soon as his week of duty at the temple was over,
Zacharias went home to Elizabeth. Words were not necessary for
communication between these two. And it was not long after
that Elizabeth knew she was going to have a baby. In those
days it was a disgrace to a married woman if she could not
bear children. At last her reproach and humiliation at her
barrenness would be over. Every day she praised the Lord,
because at last He had opened her womb. "Thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days
wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men."
But she was not ready yet to share her good news with
everyone. For five months she hid herself, keeping her secret
from her neighbors, a secret just between God and her, and
Zechariah.
Continue
with Study 2 - Two Very Special Women
© Helen Dowd
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