Text: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways” (Luke 1:76).
God had a plan for the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Zacharias was a priest of the division of Abijah (one of the 24 sections of priests) and Elizabeth was of the linage of Aaron. Both of these people were “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke1:6).
As we well know, God always has a plan by which he works. That plan is not on the same timetable as ours. In other words, God puts his plan into action when it is the right time. We are aware of this because many times we have prayed and asked God to give us something or help us get something and it did not happen. It did not happen because it was not in God’s plan for us at that time.
During your lifetime recall the times you asked God to help you get that promotion or that particular job or position. How about the time you wanted to buy a certain house and the deal did not go through.
Remember your high school days and you had your eye on a certain young man or young lady, but a relationship never developed and you couldn’t understand why.
God has a plan for your life and a plan for my life. We can abide by His plan or we can by-pass it and do what we want to do. The problem with doing our own thing or following our own plan is we will have to suffer the consequences. If we are inpatient and choose to leave God out of our lives, we are headed for disaster. On the other hand, if we consult God concerning our issues, asking him to guide us according to his will, listening to his response, and then patiently waiting for his plan to kick into action, we will be in for a victory.
Scripture says that Zacharias and Elizabeth were both up in the ages, beyond childbearing years and had no children. These were God loving and God fearing people who served God daily. In those days, Jews believed that having children was a sign that they were in God’s favor. Those couples who did not have children or were childless were looked upon by other Jews as being displeasing to God. Most people do not want to feel they are displeasing to God and they don’t want other people to think such. This was not the case for Zacharias and Elizabeth because they were righteous in the eyes of God.
Zacharias and Elizabeth were dedicated to each other and by the same token, they were dedicated to God. They followed all the rules, regulations, and commandments of the Lord. The words they expressed to other people in their normal daily communication were words they lived by. They did not proclaim living one way and then live their personal lives another way. People could tell just by looking at them that they were blameless. There was nothing in the world that would indicate dishonesty or deliberate sin in their lives. Their names would never appear in the tabloid news.
Zacharias was truly devoted to carrying on the priestly duties assigned him. Scripture tells us: “According to the custom of the priesthood, his (Zacharias’) lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord” (Luke 1:9) on this particular day.
What is meant by the word “lot”?
According to “The American Heritage Dictionary” the word “lot” means “An object used in making a determination or choice by chance.”
We might thing of making a choice by rolling dice, pulling the smallest stick, or even flipping a coin. In the days of Zacharias, priestly duties were assigned by “lot”. Each priest was required to spend a week in the Temple twice a year. Keeping the incense burning on the altar in front of the Most Holy Place was a top honor for priests. According to an ancient Jewish commentary, called the Mishna, a Temple priest could offer incense only once in his lifetime. You can see that when that opportunity afforded itself, it was indeed a great honor. Someone said a modern comparison of a priest burning incense in the Temple would be like local pastors filling in for Billy Graham.
Zacharias won the honor of burning incense. Incense was burned two times each day in the Temple. When the priest went to burn the incense the tinkling of a bell was heard. This bell was the signal for the people gathered outside the Temple to start praying. The smoke from the burning incense drifted upward toward heaven and symbolized the prayers of the people ascending upward to God.
As Zacharias was praying and burning incense in the Temple, God’s plan was about to kick in. God’s plan at this time was to notify Zacharias that Elizabeth was going to have a baby. His plan unfolded as he sent the angel Gabriel into the Temple to deliver the wonderful news. Gabriel appeared and stood on the right side of the altar of incense as Zacharias was praying. Zacharias saw the angel and was very distraught or distressed and very full of fear.
This was the beginning of God’s plan for Zacharias and Elizabeth to become parents. The angel said to Zacharias, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John” (Luke 1:13).
The angel Gabriel went on to say, “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth” (Luke 1:14). Look at what Zacharias and Elizabeth will have. They not only will have a son, but they will have joy, happiness, gladness and people will look to them with rejoicing hearts. This is a win/win situation and everyone is on the winning side. Isn’t it wonderful how God works through his plans fulfilling them at the right time?
The pregnancy did not occur at the time Zacharias and Elizabeth would have liked it to. It did not occur because it was not in the plan of God to happen at their requested time. God is not on our timetable. His timing is much better than our timing. In the minds of Zacharias and Elizabeth a pregnancy would never occur at this point in their lives because of their age. What Zacharias and Elizabeth seemed to forget is the same thing you and I forget. If we really want our prayers answered, we must keep our minds open and remember that God is an expert at bringing the impossible to light.
Gabriel not only told Zacharias that Elizabeth would bring forth a son and that his name would be John, but “He will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15).
God had a wonderful plan. Zacharias and Elizabeth were living God’s plan and John would follow through and announce the coming of the Messiah.
All of this was a bit difficult for Zacharias to believe, so he questioned how this could be. Because of disbelief, Zacharias was not permitted to talk or hear until the baby was ready to be named.
After John was born, friends, neighbors, and relatives gathered around and rejoiced just as the angel had said. It was customary to circumcise the child on the eighth day and also to name the child. The people thought his name should be Zacharias, but Elizabeth insisted his name was to be John. The people said this could not be because there was no one in the family named John, but Elizabeth insisted.
To end the disagreement, the people decided to ask Zacharias what the baby’s name should be. Since Zacharias was deaf and mute, they made signs to him concerning what the child’s name should be and he asked for a tablet to write on. He was given a tablet and on the tablet Zacharias wrote: “His name shall be John.” At that very moment his tongue was loosed so that he could talk.
God’s plan was in action and moving right along as scheduled. God opened the mouth and lips of Zacharias and he began to praise God. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was divinely inspired, and he began to prophesy. God forgave Zacharias for his failure to believe and the little bit of distrust that he had in his heart. Our God is a forgiving God. He will do the same for us that he did for Zacharias. When we live God’s plan for our lives, believe his Word, and place our full trust in him, we will end up praising God just as Zacharias did.
Zacharias words of praise (Luke 1:68-79) are a song known as the Benedictus. The first 8 verses deal with salvation which will appear in the Messiah. The second part of the Benedictus (verses 76-79) refers to the ministry of John as the forerunner of the Messiah.
In these passages, Zacharias is praising the Lord God for his wonderful plan of action. He is praising God for salvation that will come through the Messiah. Praises go out to God for sending His Son to visit the people here on earth. God’s plan of redemption originated after the original sin was committed because God is a God of love. His plan of salvation was to save his people from their sin. In other words, sin will not have dominion or control over the people.
Promises made to our forefathers would be carried out in God’s plan. Promises to our forefathers would be carried out in us and this action would be pure mercy from God. God promised Abraham that He would be his God and the God of his seed. He is our God. God promised Abraham that He would give him power and grace to serve him. That promised has been carried down to us. We are to serve God by serving his people each and everyday of our lives. Zacharias’ praises went out to God for all God has done and will do through the coming of the Messiah.
In the last four verses of the Benedictus, Zacharias blessed God for John, the “prophet of the Highest” who would preach repentance to the people and give knowledge of salvation through the Messiah. John preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. He preached forgiveness of sin by repentance and a desire to move in a more positive direction; the direction of Christ, the Light of the world.
God had a plan for John and John lived that plan.
In his young day, John lived out in the desert. He lived in the desert because it was uninhabited and isolated; thus, he could enhance his spiritual growth and keep focused on the Word of God. There would be no worldly interruptions. He would not have to play the game of politics and be concerned about being swayed in thought by other people. He didn’t have to be concerned about the economics or having food, clothes, and other worldly possessions. He was not near the other religious leaders which was good, because his thinking and his message was quite different from theirs. When the time was right, according to God’s plan, John came out of the desert and into Israel.
John said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD” (John 1:23). He was clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt. He probably looked like the “hippies” of the 1960’s. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. John baptized those who confessed and repented of their sins and baptized them with water in the Jordan River.
God’s plan was to use John to prepare the people of the day to recognize and accept the Messiah when he appeared on the scene. John preached God’s message, but the message did not mesh with what the people expected. The people looked for deliverance from and judgment upon those who oppressed them. Many of the people thought they would enter the kingdom of God because they were descendants of Abraham, but John preached that this was not so. He informed the people they would have to confess their sins, repent of their sins and be baptized with water. He indicated that the baptism with water was an outward sign that they were breaking away from a sinful nature and at the same time being cleansed of their sin. Multitudes of people appeared at the Jordan River to be baptized by John.
John was living God’s plan for his life.
The next part of God’s plan was to have Jesus appear at the Jordan River and be baptized with water by John. As we know, John and Jesus were cousins, but apparently John did not know Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the Holy Spirit descent upon him. John hesitated to baptize Jesus because he had no sin, but Jesus insisted. Jesus said that this baptism was necessary so that he could fulfill all righteousness. John lived God’s plan.
You and I are players in God’s plan. We were in God’s plan from the time of conception. We may not realize it, but the situations we face, the struggles we encounter, the detours we come upon are all part of God’s plan for our lives. We are living God’s plan when we: witness, love others, feed the hungry, visit the shut-ins, give drink to the thirsty, and provide for the homeless. God will work in our lives as far as we let him. Paul said, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
John lived the plan that God had for his life. He preached a message of confession of sin, repentance of sin, and salvation through Jesus Christ the Messiah. We, too, need to follow God’s plan of confession, repentance, and acceptance of the Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior. Then God’s plan for us will be complete because we will be able to spend eternity in His kingdom. The Prince of Peace will bring peace to our hearts.
Amen.
