Gospels Series: The Angel Appears to Zacharias

Gospels Series: The Angel Appears to Zacharias

Well, last Wednesday night, we started into our study in the gospels, and we looked at the genealogies, we looked at Matthew and Luke, and we saw the common thread between those two genealogies was that Christ is the Son of David, whether we look at Mary's line or Joseph's line. We see blood, the blood ancestry, but also through the line of his father being the legal parent of his, even though he was not biological parent, we see that Jesus was indeed fulfilling that descendant, being the Son of David and being the one who would ultimately sit on the throne of David. We know that when he came to this earth, he was not sitting on a throne, although he was born king of the Jews, even when he was crucified. Hang on that cross, it was Pilate who placed the superscription over him that said he was king of the Jews, and they wanted him to, the Jews wanted him to write. He said he was king of the Jews, but he wrote, he said, what I've written, I have written king of the Jews, and that's what he came to be, and coming the suffering servant, he will return as the reigning Lord and king.

And so tonight we want to pick up in Luke chapter one, Luke chapter one, and when we get there in verse number five, Luke one verse number five, is there that we read, there was in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the course of Abiah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth, and they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless, and they had no child because that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years, and they came to pass that while he executed the priest office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense, and they appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar incense, and when Zacharias saw him he was troubled and fear fell upon him, but the angel said unto him, fear not Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John, and thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb, and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God, and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias 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.

And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this, for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years, and the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings, and behold thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season, and the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple, and when he came out he could not speak unto them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple for he beckoned unto them and remained speechless, and it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house, and after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months saying, thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me to take away my reproach among men. We'll conclude the reading in verse number 25 this evening. May the Lord bless the reading of his word to us.

So this scene takes place 15 months, approximately 15 months before the birth of Jesus. We see that the reigning king at that time in Judea was Herod the Great. We know there will be other Herods like Herod Agrippa, Herod Antipas, these different Herods that will come after Herod the Great, but Herod the Great, he was a fearsome king, he was not a Jew, he was from Edom, he was an Idumaean, and it is in this context that we read about Zacharias and Elizabeth, they were living under a king that was not favorable towards faith, he was not favorable towards the Jews really. Zacharias, his name means Yahweh remembers, and Elizabeth's name means oath of God. These two were not young folks anymore. They were well stricken in years with age. They were living in times where there wasn't a whole lot of hope. I mean there had been 400 years since the prophet had spoken, over 400 years since the prophets had been among them and we see that king, for even longer, they had not had a king, truly a king of the Jews for many, many, many years.

Zacharias was serving as a descendant of Aaron, he was serving in the eighth order of 24 orders, the course or the order of Abijah, and this was, these orders were named after the 24 grandsons of Aaron, these priestly orders and they would each division or each order within these 24 orders would serve twice in a year in the temple. It would go on a rotation. You're on for one week and your order and then the next order comes the next week and the next order, the next week and the next week, another order and it goes on through and of course in that in the course of a year the order of Abijah or Abiah would serve twice in a year. Now Elizabeth was also, it says, what do we read there? It says, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron. So he came from Aaron and his wife also did. Now she didn't come the same way through Aaron, but she traced her ancestry back to Aaron as well as Zacharias and just thinking about this, we might say this is like a commentator pointed out, this is like a preacher marrying a preacher's daughter. They were both descended from the priestly line, if you will, from Aaron.

In chapter one, but here in verse number six, we read and they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. What did Jesus say about the Pharisees? He said that they outwardly appear righteous unto man, but he would say that's not actually the case. They appear righteous, but they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, right? They are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. They look righteous on the outside, they clean the outside of the cup, but they're not actually righteous. But the commentary of scripture here is that they were both righteous before God, not simply in the eyes of men, for God and they were walking. They walked the talk. They believed in God and His Word, and they had been living this way for many years. They had a rich inheritance, but they were also not just resting on the laurels of their inheritance from, well, we descended from Aaron. The Jews tended to boast about we be Abraham's seed. We were never in bondage, right? There was not a pride and of self-righteousness here. There seemed to be a genuine righteousness by faith in Zacharias and Elizabeth. They were truly anticipating the coming of Messiah. I think about that hymn we sing, O Lord Jesus, how long till we shout the glad song? They had not only been waiting all these years. Commentators tend to think they were either in their 70s or 80s. We're not totally sure exactly how old they were, but they were past childbearing age here. They were well-stricken in years. And they had gone all these years without a child, and neither had seen the Messiah, right?

And in verse 7, they had no child because of Elizabeth, that Elizabeth was barren. She couldn't have children. And they both were now well-stricken in years. Well, barrenness was viewed as something of God's disfavor among the Jews. There's this tendency to view, well, if you're barren, there must be something wrong. You know, you don't, you can't have any children. Look at Hannah. She got mocked because she couldn't have children, right? And she poured out her heart and cried and prayed to the Lord to give her a son. And the Lord did ultimately give her a son. And she said, if you're just giving me this son, I will give him to you. I'll commit him to you. Remember, Adam had been told, be fruitful and multiply. That was, and in the heart of the Jewish women that perhaps, I mean, perhaps Messiah will be born through my womb, you know, we don't know when he's going to come, but how would the Lord use? How would the Lord, would the Lord choose to use me? Well, when we see Hannah, Hannah's barrenness, but I thought about what we read over Luke 18, looking Luke 18 verse number one.

In Luke 18 verse number one, there's, there's a couple of principles I want to see here when we think about Zacharias and Elizabeth and they've been praying for years and years and years and years and years for a child. In Luke 18 verse one, Jesus spake a parable unto them unto this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint, always to pray, never throw in the towel, keep praying, God answers prayer. Don't give up because, you know, we could give up on ourselves and on people, but God never fails. Don't quit praying, but then there's also this, I wonder if this concept came to their hearts and minds even as they're praying. Had they been praying for years and years and then was there a point where they just stopped praying about it? Think about Paul, how he said, for this thing I besought the Lord thrice. How long were those three times or seasons of prayer? I don't know how long that lasted or, you know, amount of time that covered, but he prayed that this thorn in the flesh, messenger of Satan, might depart from him and he said, the Lord said to him, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, well, I've rather glory, therefore, why rather glory in my infirmities, for the power of Christ may rest upon me. So there is a point, there is a place. Sometimes when we've been praying about something, maybe the Lord's just saying, not that I'm not able, but no, no, that may be the Lord's answer. And that's not a dishonorable thing to just leave off praying about something if it just seems clear that the Lord is just closing that door. Maybe they had come to a contentment about the fact that it says they were walking in all the commandments of the Lord blameless. So they must have had a good spirit about it, at least to some degree, there must have been a lot of good things to be said about their walk with the Lord here, but they, whatever the case was, we need to remember both of those principles. Pray, don't faint, but also remember, pray according to the Lord's will, because the Lord may close the door, right? He may say no.

And so whatever the case specifically was with them, we know they had been praying because the angel's gonna bring that up in a minute. They've been praying about a child. Don't know how long they prayed for that, probably quite a while. But in verse 8, it came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of His course, we see that He executed it according to the custom of the priest's office. His lot was to burn incense when He went into the temple of the Lord. This frankincense, He's burning here in the holy place before the holy of holies at the incense, that golden altar, not a very big altar, but that golden altar that stood just before the entrance into the holy of holies, right before the presence of the glory. And we noticed that he was there and the whole multitude, while he was in there offering incense the whole multitude of the people praying without. They were out in the court, right? They were outside praying without at the time of incense. You know, the very offering up of incense in the scriptures is compared to prayer.

In Psalm 141, if you look there with me, Psalm 141, verse number 2, David compares this offering of incense. He compares it to the prayers being offered up to the Lord. In verse 1, Psalm 141, verse 1, Lord, I cry unto thee, make haste unto me, give ear unto my voice when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee. We said that's where the altar of incense was. It refers to when we look at its position in the tabernacle or the temple, it was before the presence of the Lord, right? I think that's literally how it says it. I'd have to go back to be 100% sure, but it was before the Lord or before the presence of the Lord. Let that and David says, let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

So think about this, two times a year, Zacharias is, he's got to be on serving with these other priests in the temple, in his order, in that given week. There's a, and yet there was only one person that got the privilege, and for what I read, I understand that it only could happen once in that priest's lifetime, that he would have the opportunity to go into the holy place and offer this incense. It was only one time that was, they cast lots, right? They cast lots and it fell on this time that it was his lot to go into the holy place and offer this. Now, reading from scholars that have studied this out far further than I have, they say that by this time, there were most likely somewhere between 18 and 24,000 priests in total that were serving. But if you divide that by 24, it would be somewhere about 700 to 1,000 priests in each order or each division. So in Zacharias' order, there were up to 1,000 priests that would be serving in the temple. But one of them, one of them would be elected by lot, the casting of lots to actually have this distinct honor of going into the holy place. So we noticed that this was what he was doing. I imagine he was excited about it, imagine it was something he had always dreamed of doing throughout his entire life and saw others that would do this. But now it was his turn to do this.

So he goes in there and verse 11, there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was, this was not what he was expecting. He was troubled and fear fell upon him. Can you imagine seeing an angel to say nothing of seeing an angel in the holy place? I mean, his blood pressure was probably already up in a good way. He was excited and then he was excited. But now, troubled. What is this angel doing? Am I going to die and hear what is going to happen? What is this angel here for? His thoughts are racing through his mind. He said, moment of sight met all mixed together as well as somewhat confused. And now he's probably, he's probably shaking. David, for the David showed me Sunday morning when he was getting right to place and he held it as hand. It was shaking a little bit. I said, well, I think we're all shaking a little bit. You know, there, there's a ministering before the Lord and the holy place. What a fearful opportunity.

We notice here that it says in verse 13, but the angel said unto him, fear not Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard and thy wife, Elizabeth shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call his name John and thou shalt have joy and gladness for many shall rejoice at his birth. So here, I mean, we have to come to this conclusion as we're reading these verses. We have to, we have to make the observation here for our own heart's sake is that no matter how long you've been praying about something. And just because God does not immediately answer that though he bears long with us, he hasn't forgotten to answer that prayer. God has not forgotten his people just because we may have prayed about something for a very long time. Do you ever dream that your prayers were answered and though, you know, the Lord, somebody got saved in your dream. I've had dreams like that where somebody I've been praying about and they get saved in the wake of me and I wish that was real. I've had that happen. You know, it's not necessarily recently or maybe it's someone that's estranged and you, you know, you pray that everything gets right. I'm not saying you have to have that kind of dream, but I have had that kind of dream before. Remember Lazarus? Lazarus was raised. They were hoping his sisters were hoping he would be raised from his sick bed, it was actually from his death bed that he was raised. But Lord, if you'd come sooner, you know, our brother wouldn't have died. Well, the Lord sometimes allows things to go on longer so that he may clearly get the glory out of the situation when it's answered.

And so we notice in verse 15 that the angel goes on. He says, don't be afraid. I've come with tidings of gladness and joy to give to you for he shall be great. This son that I'm going to give to you and Elizabeth, your wife. You're going to call his name John, but he's going to be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine or strong drink like the Nazarite. He's going to, he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. That one I haven't figured out yet. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias or 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. Zacharias, you're not only going to have a son, you are going to have a son who is the forerunner of the Savior Messiah. He is going to go before and prepare the way for Messiah. And his message in his ministry is going to transform homes, change lives, the message he preaches is going to lead fathers and children to be reconciled together, reconciled. And individuals are going to turn to the Lord their God as a result of the work and the message that he will bring. There is going to be change through his ministry. Hearts are going to be made right through repentance and he's going to prepare a people for the Lord. Wow, not just a son, not just any son, but a very special and a very, a one who's going to be very great in the sight of the Lord.

What a wonderful opportunity and what better home to be born into than to two parents who are walking in all the commandments of the Lord and they are righteous before the Lord. They have a rich spiritual heritage. They have a lot that they can, they're going to be able to teach this boy and equip him and prepare him for the ministry that he's going to have. And yet they're human beings just like you and me. They have fears. They have, they have sins and failings and issues in their lives. Look at Zacharias. Zacharias said, said unto the angel, what do you say? How long ago? We see some doubts in his words here, don't we? He doesn't say, how long ago? Yeah, he says, for I am an old man and my wife, well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God and have sent to speak unto thee and to show thee glad, these glad tidings. Despite the fact he's standing in the presence of Gabriel and it's not lost on me that they're standing before the presence of the Lord. Gabriel stepped through the veil and stepped right out. What did he say? He said, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God. I stand in the presence of God. Don't worry about how this is going to happen with God. All things are possible, right?

We would do better. You know, we were just speaking with a brother and sister recently, they were talking about, Lord, they're needing, learning more and more about not asking how is it going to happen or why does this happen for just trusting the Lord, trusting the Lord. Why do we get sick two or three times in a row? We don't know the reasons for that, but the Lord knows he has a plan and all of it. We don't have to wrap our minds around how is going to happen or why it's happening? We must simply have the faith of a child, right? Have faith in the Lord. Gabriel is essentially saying here, I've been sent from the presence of God to give you glad news. And this is the answer you give me. This is the response you ought to know better in so many words, Zacharias, but behold, verse 20, thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak. This shows that now this is a sign of God's displeasure, at least with his response here, not that the Lord is ultimately going to keep him in this condition, but Zacharias, you're not going to be able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed. Why? Well, he tells him exactly why, he says, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Wow, talk about a rebuke. I could just imagine myself in his shoes there, but faith comes by hearing the word of God. It doesn't come from our feelings. It doesn't come from what the majority thinks. It comes from the word of God. Even though Zacharias heard the words that were not mixed with faith, how many times is that true in our lives? We hear the words. It goes in one ear and goes to come to help the other ear, but we really take hold of it. Do we lay hold of the promise? Remember what we read about Abraham or Abram in Romans 4:19? It says, and Abraham being not weak in faith. Well, that's what Zacharias was in this particular instance, but Abraham being not weak in the faith. He considered not his own body. Now, did when he was about 100 years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. It's very likely that Abraham was even older than Zacharias was. We don't know that absolutely for sure, but it's very, very likely that he was even older. But Zacharias got his eyes on his own weakness instead of the Lord, the God of the impossible, right? We tend to complain about our inability, but that keeps us from seeing God's great ability when we get our eyes on ourselves.

Verse 21, we read, that the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he'd tarried so long in the temple. We brought out things to pray about out here. He's still not out. This is going on far too long. I hope he didn't die in there. When he came out, he could not speak unto them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple for he beckoned unto them and remained speechless. They didn't, only Zacharias knew exactly what had happened. That's one of those things you couldn't just tell somebody what it's like. They would have had to experience it for themselves. But we noticed that he beckoned unto them. He was using sign language. He was maybe trying to write something down for them so that they can understand what had just happened, what had just transpired in the Holy Place.

And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his administration were accomplished, well, he finished out his week as soon as it he didn't waste any time getting out of Jerusalem, getting away from the temple to go back. I would say tell his wife, but he couldn't tell his wife. Probably had to scribble it down on something so that she could understand. I would like to have been in the room to see what her response was when he came in and wrote down, honey, we're going to have a child. We're going to have a child. She must have thought he had a stroke. He's done bumped his head or something. Maybe he did hurt himself when he was in there. Maybe he had a stroke when he was in there. I don't know. I don't want to say that's definitely what her response was, but it wasn't long before she knew that it was indeed true that she was with child. And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months saying, thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days where he looked on me to take away. And here she uses that word, my reproach among men. Barrenness was a reproach to not have a child. Something must be wrong with you. Do any of us ever have to live with the stigma of something or someone thinks something or misunderstand something about us? That may not be actually true, but there's the appearance of that thing. You may have said something and somebody took it the wrong way and you didn't mean it that way, but they don't want to make amends at all or something like that. Well, we see that now the Lord has taken away her reproach.

And I believe that as soon as the Lord's time came, but it kind of reminds me of Thomas. Remember, Thomas said, I will not believe unless I am able to put my hand into his side and touch him and see him and all of that. Well, when the Lord took away Zacharias, the angel appeared in that enough, the angel of the Lord appearing to you in the holy place and saying, I've come from God to give you glad tidings. Well, how's this going to work? I don't understand. I don't know how because he had his eyes on himself. The Lord touched his mouth and made him unable to speak and I believe how many thoughts he had of the Lord during those months of the faithfulness. How many tears came to his eyes as he realized God has honored our prayers and has given us this child. Well, may we never feel like we're too old to wonder at God's word that we're too old to wonder at what God is able to do or to stop praying about things because we feel like, well, we've been praying for them for a long time, nothing's happened or doesn't seem we might not be that we see the things happening but God is always at work. God is always, he hears our prayers and he knows the big picture. So may we keep our eyes on him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for these moments we've had together and we pray, Lord, that you would help us to glean from these examples of Zacharias and Elizabeth and the angel that appeared, Lord, to glean from these stories tonight what you would have us to learn, help us to pray and think not and even if it seems you have closed the door, Lord, to a matter we may have to just say, Lord, I am content if you never give us to me because you're enough for me but Lord, not my will, thy will be done. Help us to have that spirit of anticipation and to have true faith in your word we pray and ask these things in Jesus' name, amen.