And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 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 before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:67-79
Zechariah was a priest, chosen for service in the temple area. While handling the holy things of God he was visited by an angel who promised him a child in his old age. He did not believe the angel’s promise and was struck mute for the duration of his wife’s pregnancy. Only when he obeyed the angel’s instruction by naming the child John was his mouth opened, and the words above are what he said.
Nine months of silence, quietly processing the specific promise of the Lord to him while reflecting on all of God’s promises to His people.
The silence of Zechariah was symbolic of God’s silence for 400 years from Malachi until John the Baptist – the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth who would break the prophetic silence and enable the world to once again hear the Word of God.
Consider some of the most significant promises of God to His people:
- Adam – a victorious descendant. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:15
- Abraham – a global blessing. “In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Gen. 22:18
- Moses – a new prophet. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.” Deut. 18:15
- David – an eternal kingdom. “The Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house… I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2 Sam. 7:11-13
- Isaiah – a suffering servant. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
- Daniel – the ultimate King. “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed… It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.” Daniel 2:44-45
Zechariah reflected on promises like these in the Old Testament – of redemption, deliverance and peace. He prayed and worshiped in light of these great and precious promises, making some very insightful requests.
- Fearless adoration. As those delivered by God’s mercy and power, we would “serve Him without fear” (v. 74).
- Holy dedication. That we would serve the Lord “in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (v. 75)
- Bold proclamation. Following the lead of John the Baptist “to give knowledge of salvation to his people” (v. 77)
- Peace restoration. “To give light to those who sit in darkness… to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (v. 79)
May these be our prayers for ourselves and each other this Christmas season!