Rachel Workman: 57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.
58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very
merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her. It's obvious that Elizabeth was
loved in her community. That's the kind of person I want to be. Someone when
something fantastic happens everyone rejoices with me instead of being jealous
and condemning me.
59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people. Redeemed, let that sink in for a minute. He has redeemed his people!
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us. I love this name for Jesus, mighty Savior.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live. These are great verses. We have already been rescued from our enemy. We can now serve God in holiness and righteousness. That's only possible through the blood of Christ. I will never be righteous enough on my own.
76 “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins. What a beautiful prophecy. Salvation through forgiveness of sins. What a wonderful Savoir we have.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.” I don't have the words to say how these two verses move me. I love that Zechariah said God's mercy is tender, that's a great way to describe it. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. If that verse doesn't move you I'm not sure if anything will. You see all of us in our sin are sitting in the shadow of death. But Jesus has overcome darkness for us.
59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people. Redeemed, let that sink in for a minute. He has redeemed his people!
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us. I love this name for Jesus, mighty Savior.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live. These are great verses. We have already been rescued from our enemy. We can now serve God in holiness and righteousness. That's only possible through the blood of Christ. I will never be righteous enough on my own.
76 “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins. What a beautiful prophecy. Salvation through forgiveness of sins. What a wonderful Savoir we have.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.” I don't have the words to say how these two verses move me. I love that Zechariah said God's mercy is tender, that's a great way to describe it. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. If that verse doesn't move you I'm not sure if anything will. You see all of us in our sin are sitting in the shadow of death. But Jesus has overcome darkness for us.
____________________________________________________________________________________
John
Burnett: 57 Now the time [a]had come for Elizabeth to
give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and
her relatives heard that the Lord had [b]displayed His great mercy
toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. We should be rejoicing
for the great mercy Jesus has shown us.
59 And it happened that on the eighth day
they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, [c]after his father. 60 But
his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61 And
they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that
name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he
wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as
follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64 And
at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began
to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living
around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill
country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind,
saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the
Lord was certainly with him. I suspect what they envisioned their son
to do was a little different than what he did. They probably didn’t see
him living out in the wilderness, wearing sackcloth, and eating locust and
honey. They also wouldn’t believe the way he would die or where he is
probably sitting right now as there was no one greater among men than John the
Baptist.
Zacharias’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zacharias was filled
with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
71 [d]Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear, This prophesy speaks to God’s providence as he has protected Israel from destruction since basically the day he consecrated the Abrahamic covenant. It is especially important today as God is in control. If he were not, Israel would be a pile of ash from all of the missiles and nukes that would have hit it.
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[e]By the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Not because of something we did but what He was going to do. John knew this was going to happen from the womb.
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.” John was carrying out important role of promotions for Jesus Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s main purpose is to shine the light on Jesus and He used John the Baptist to light the way.
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
71 [d]Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear, This prophesy speaks to God’s providence as he has protected Israel from destruction since basically the day he consecrated the Abrahamic covenant. It is especially important today as God is in control. If he were not, Israel would be a pile of ash from all of the missiles and nukes that would have hit it.
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[e]By the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Not because of something we did but what He was going to do. John knew this was going to happen from the womb.
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.” John was carrying out important role of promotions for Jesus Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s main purpose is to shine the light on Jesus and He used John the Baptist to light the way.
____________________________________________________________________________________
59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.- finally freed from his silence! Wouldn't you love to know the first words he said? He had no doubt about his God, that's for sure.
65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way. - already his name was being talked about. This was only the beginning.
67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior[g]
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
- so thankful we, too, can say this!7
6 “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord. - what an awesome job to be given!
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[h] - Jesus was coming!!
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. - he was ready to now go out and prepare the way!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mike
Grimm: 57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born,
she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and
relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced
with her.
59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for
the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your
family by that name.” The protest of the crowd shows
that they are unaware of what God is doing.
62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he
wanted to name him. That they made signs to Zechariah implies that
Gabriel took away his hearing along with his speech. They defer to Zechariah to
state his desire. As the father, he probably had the final say. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and
to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly
Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God. His obedience
yields additional reward: his tongue is loosed immediately and judgment
ends. So just as the angel promised in Luke 1:20, the temporary situation of
silence ends with the fulfillment of God's word. The point of the linkage is
not to be missed: believe and know that God will always fulfill his promises.
Luke uses the word instantly several
times in this Gospel and in Acts to show God’s decisive, efficient and
effective way of acting when He chooses.
65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news
of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone
who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child
turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy
Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
76 “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he
lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. The fact that he lived in the wilderness demonstrate
that John was likely very connected with people of Israel. Just as they were
led through the wilderness following God’s Spirit, so was John. He could
identify with Israel.
Devotional Thought:
“Zechariah learned
obedience, trust, and submission to God’s will even in his old age. What lessons
do you need to learn today from God? Are you open and ready to whatever God
might call you to do? Are you pushing your expectations aside and waiting for
God to work in your community in whatever ways he desires to work through you?
Pray this week to be humble and to be open to God’s will in your life and see
if he doesn’t call you to do something you never expected.” (Michael Burns, Momentum Ministries)
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