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Day 55 Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 They had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he served as a priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 The whole multitude of the people prayed outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer, is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and unable to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” 21 The people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself for five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” How do you react when someone tells you something unbelievable? Do you question them? Do you doubt them? What do you do when the unbelievable happens? An angel came to Zacharias while he ministered in the temple. It was his turn to minister for a week because the priests were divided by divisions. His turn came twice a year. When the angel told him he would have a son, and joy and gladness would come upon him, he didn’t believe him because he and his wife were old, and Elizabeth was past the age of childbearing. Due to his unbelief, the angel told him he would be mute until his son was born. When he finished his service in the temple, he went home to Elizabeth, and she became pregnant. Christians are familiar with the account of Zacharias. His account comes just before the announcement of Jesus’ birth. It brings joy and gladness to your hearts, knowing the time will soon come for the angel’s announcement to Mary and the celebration of Jesus’ birth. First, John needed to be born to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival. We know four things about when the angel came to Zacharias. 1. Herod was king of Judea. 2. Zacharias was of the division of Abijah. 3. He and Elizabeth were old, and she was past the age of childbearing. 4. They were both from Aaron’s line. Herod, known as Herod the Great, was king of Judea from 72 B.C. to 4 B.C. It was near the end of his reign when the angel came to Zacharias in the temple. There were twenty-four divisions of priests. Each division served twice a year. A year in the Jewish calendar was forty-eight weeks, not fifty-two as we know the year. The Jewish calendar still has forty-eight weeks. Zacharias would have served in the temple in the eighth and thirty-second weeks of the year. Knowing when he served gives you an idea of when Jesus was born. They were old. The age of the priesthood was thirty to fifty years. So, Zacharias was near the age of fifty when he served in the temple. Today, fifty isn’t old, but back then people fifty and older were considered beyond the age of employment. Zacharias still served in the temple; therefore, he was not yet fifty. Zacharias needed to be from Aaron’s line to serve as a priest in the temple. Luke found it important to mention that Elizabeth also came from Aaron’s line, not from one of the other lineages of the priesthood. Levi, from whom Aaron descended, had three sons, Aaron, Kohath, and Merari. Each had important duties in the temple, but only Aaron’s line served as high priest. When Gabriel spoke to Zacharias, he told him God heard his prayers and he and his wife would have a son. He told him joy and gladness would fill their hearts, told him the name of his son, and what John would do to prepare the people for the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. This should have been good news to Zacharias, but he didn’t believe him because Elizabeth was past the age of childbearing. Because of his unbelief, the angel told him he would be mute until the birth of his son. Many Christians wonder how Zacharias could doubt what the angel said to him. As a priest, he would know the Scriptures and how Sarah was ninety-nine when Isaac was born. Well beyond the age of childbearing, Elizabeth was not yet fifty. He knew that nothing was impossible for God, yet he doubted. It had been four hundred years since God spoke through His prophets. Why now? Just as Zacharias doubted what the angel told him, many Christians doubt when they hear other Christians give them words of knowledge from the Holy Spirit. It takes seeing the word become reality before they believe. Zacharias needed to see the word fulfilled before he could believe it. Joy and gladness follow a fulfilled word. Do you believe what fellow Christians tell you? Or are you like Zacharias and need to see the proof first? Let’s pray: Father, help me believe when You speak to me through Your people and Your Word. Fill me with joy and gladness when You speak to me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 7 September 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.