ZECHARIAH’S SONG
Luke 1: 67-79 (p724) December 11, 2011
INTRODUCTION:
Last week we began our look…or better yet, our listen…into the songs of Christmas…and our first song came from Mary’s lips…A Song that celebrated God’s plan…A song that worships the god who keeps His promises.
If you remember Mary has received the message of God’s plan through Gabriel, an angelic messenger…and part of the information he delivers is that Mary’s relative, Elizabeth is also pregnant…even though she’s “in her old age” and “was said to be barren” (Luke 1:36) She’s already 6 months along…
Mary goes to stay with Elizabeth…she spends 3 months with Zechariah and Elizabeth before she returns home. 6+3 =9
Our elderly parents welcome, mentor, love and protect Mary for 3 months. It’s probably through this period of time Joseph finds out about Mary’s circumstances, considers “divorcing” her privately….(so she won’t be stoned to death) and then….God speaks
Matt 1: 18-25 (p 681)
God is at work in the lives of Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah and Joseph…
I personally think Joseph must have been an amazing godly man…He will be the most important step-father in all created history. We don’t know much about him….except for the way he handles the situation with Mary before Gabriel’s visit... (That says a lot!)…
But think of Joseph’s faith…it’s a dream…Mary’s visit wasn’t a dream…dreams can be questioned and doubted…but Joseph answers God’s call of faith….Marry’s Mary…doesn’t sleep with her until after Jesus is born…and cares for this family at least until Jesus is 12 (that’s the last we see him in scripture) including taking them to Egypt for protection and the temple in obedience.
Zechariah also is in a miraculous circumstance…He’s older, more set in his ways…He’s used to traditions…He’s a priest…As Dr. Luke begins his presentation of the gospel…He begins with….”a priest named Zechariah…Look with me as…
I A SONG BEGINS IN A MAN WHO CANNOT SING
Luke 1: 5-25 (p 723)
Not only is Zechariah a priest…He’s been a priest for a long, long time…He’s a Levite, a descendant of Aaron through the line of Abijah. He and Elizabeth have no children…both he, and his culture view this as a curse…no one to care for them in the old age and no one to leave their estate to…no one to carry one his “name” Elizabeth is barren…Many understood this pain…but its especially acute in this culture.
Abraham’s blessing was that his descendants would number like the “Sand of the Set” This is the blessing all Jewish people longed for…being barren in this culture was looked upon as a curse…as if God was saying, “Your unfit to reproduce.”
But in god’s sight Elizabeth and Zachariah are righteous. They deserve the Lords commands and regulations blamelessly…Zechariah is in Jerusalem on duty as a priest because his tribe is in the rotation…He’s chosen from his tribe to deliver the incense in the temple…He’s alone and serving God when Gabriel shows up…in person.
Zechariah is startled….He’s terrified… (remember it’s a Holy place…when you know you’re alone…you’re not expecting anyone else to be there)…It’s the rarest a privileges to be chosen to burn the incense at the altar…while all the worshippers wait outside you enter the Holy place…Unless you are the High priest on the day of atonement…this is as close as you’ll get to the Holy of Holies…The Holy place has the altar…the table for the show board, the candlesticks, and the altar of Incense…Zechariah would be…let’s say…”Excitedly on edge”
Then an angel of the Lord appears to Him, Standing at the right side of the altar of incense Zechariah is gripped with fear but the angle says…”Don’t be afraid Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard…your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to give him the name John” (Luke 1:13)
[ 1) He will be a joy and delight to you 2) Mary will rejoice because of his birth 3) He will be great in the sight of the Lord 4) He will not drink wine or fermented drink 5) He’ll bring many of the people of Israel back to God 6) He’ll go before the Lord in the Spirit of Elijah turning the hearts of the father’s to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous 7) He will make ready a people prepared for the Lord.]
Jesus would say that John the Baptist would be the greatest person born of woman…Zechariah got his son’s resume’ even before he was born. And for a righteous Jewish man…married to a righteous Jewish woman…both have reached an age where children were an impossibility…this promise was hard to accept.
“How can I be sure of this…what kind of sign can you give me….I’m old…my wife’s old.”
Gabriel…get’s real with Zechariah for a moment…
“I’m Gabriel…I stand in God’s Presence He sent me to speak to you…To tell you this Good News…So because you didn’t believe these words I promise will come true in due time…You will be silent…you will not be able to speak until this happens!”
While all this is going on Zechariah’s family…all the other worshippers are waiting for him to come back out…they are wondering “what’s taking so long…
When He comes out…he can’t speak… (this is my favorite part…He tries to do charades for them to figure things out…1st word “Angel” second word…”Baby”
Listen….Luke 1: 23-25 (p 723)
Can you imagine the Song that peculated in the heart of this old man…the man whose had “his” prayer answered…His wife’s prayer answered...Elizabeth will bear you a son . For 5 months Elizabeth is in seclusion Mary shows up in her 6th months….I bet Zechariah’s head was about to explode with praise!!!
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby she gave birth to a Son…
II IT WAS TIME FOR A FATHER TO SING.
At the baby’s birth we read - Luke 1: 57-66 (p 724)
I’m not sure how you “Sign” the name John in Hebrew…but Zechariah makes sure no one misunderstands “His Name is John”. He writes it on a TABLET. Gabriel makes sure two babies have specific names….John…”Yohannaw” GOD IS GENEROUS and JESUS “Yeshua---“He will save us” SAVIOR”
Pretty cool, huh? A generous God sends a SAVIOR…who will prepare the way…John the best man for Jesus the Bridegroom….Zechariah knew it…It’s the context of His Christmas Song of Worship and Praise.
“You my child will be called a prophet of the most high for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him”
It is remarkable to me that Zechariah captures the beauty and essence of God’s plan in his song...as a priest he would understand the Talmud, the O.T. scriptures, but now as a father he knew his son is going to be an integral part of God’s plan….
And that my friends is something to sing about..and what words does he use?
Redemption, salvation, mercy, rescue, forgiveness….
I think those are some of the most beautiful words ever written…”Because of the tender mercy of our Lord.”
“By which the rising sun will come to us from heaven…to shine on those living in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Zechariah sings “My Son will prepare the way for the one who will give people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins”.
[I’ve had a lot of blessings in my life, but one of the greatest…if not the greatest is to watch and hear my daughter Karissa share her testimony about Jesus…
How God has forgiven her sins, but done much more than that…He’s rescued her from the hands of the enemy…He has enabled her to serve Him without fear. I will share with you as a minister and a father there is no greater joy than to see my child preparing the way for others to come to know Jesus.]
You see Christmas is just a “mess” if you remove Christ from it.
And Zechariah experienced the real meaning of Christmas…the real meaning of Christ. His son became a joy and delight to him and many rejoiced at his birth…”Why” he became great in the sight of the Lord.
It is so easy to forget what real greatness is…this world says if your son can throw the ball faster, or score more points…If your daughter is really beautiful and can grace magazine covers …If you become powerful, rich and popular…this world thinks your great…It sings your praises…
But what if we teach our children to prepare the way for others to know Christ…what if we teach them faithfulness to the church and to the word of God is a sure foundation…what if we teach them to sing a different tune than Wiki minaj? (Ask your kids, they’ll tell you)
John the Baptist was different…set apart for God’s use…His parents knew it and so did he…Instead of seeking his own popularity…He sought to build a bridge to the Messiah…
And what happened…His dad sang about it
“My Child will prepare the Way for Him”
Luke 3: 1-25 (p 726)
Conclusion “Repentance always prepares the hurt for the Messiah.”
