Elizabeth and Zechariah have a baby boy named John! ‘ You see on “the eighth day they came to circumcise the child”. That’s when babies get their official names and all. We talked about his naming recently if you recall. 🙂 Today we get to learn more about the prophecy that Zechariah spoke once it was confirmed the his son’s name was John.
Luke 1:67-80
67 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[h] 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.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Zechariah Prophesies
Let’s see if we can’t unpack all that Zechariah said once he did what God wanted him to. His boy is named John (despite it not being a family name) and his muteness unstopped.
Here he is, filled with the Holy Spirit.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
He speaks to God’s action, God’s fulfilling of prophecy. God promised a long time ago to bring salvation from the line of David.
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,
Salvation Promised
The purpose of this salvation is to save his people from their enemies. Saved from the hand of all who hate those who are called of God. So here’s my question. Is this just another way of saying the same thing but slightly differently, or are our enemies not always those who hate us? Do some just hate us for the sake of hating anything that is called of God? I took that question to the Matthew Henry Commentary where he says “it is a salvation from sin, and the dominion of Satan over us, both by corruptions within and temptations without.”
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
To show mercy promised, to remember his covenant with them, and to keep his promises to Abraham.
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
Why? So that we can serve him with no fear, and in holiness and righteousness all our days.
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.
John a Way-Maker
And this his son, will go before the one, before the Lord, to prepare people for him. John is a way maker for the Most High. Preparing people to hear the message the Jesus brings.
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.”
John Grew Up
And so John did what all children should do. He grew up! He became strong in spirit. Part of me wonders what exactly this means. Does it mean that he became closer to God, filled with the Holy Spirit and growing awareness of God’s call upon his life?
The wilderness became his home until it was time for him to do his job. Would it have been necessary for John to grow up in the wilderness? Would it help to centre him better to not be distracted by other people, events, or the busyness of town life? Did it mean that Zechariah and Elizabeth had to give up their lives as temple priest and town dwellers? Or was the wilderness just his home once he was grown enough to move from his parents home?
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
