Zechariah was about to get his workday interrupted by a special visit. This devotional reading looks at the announcement of the conception of John the Baptist.
Nuggets
- Heaven and earth overlapped in the Temple with the incense and the angel.
- The angel was direct, corrective, and enforced consequences.
- Gabriel told Zechariah who and what his son would become.
- Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son was going to be great in Jehovah’s eyes, but that came with some different requirements.
- John would carry Elijah’s mission.
- Zechariah doubted what the angel said and so paid the consequences.
- There are consequences when we sin, and Zechariah was about to find out his.
- All the time that Zechariah was having his discussion with Gabriel, there were people waiting for him to come out of the Holy Place.
- What Gabriel said would happen came to pass.
If the lots had already been cast, Zechariah was very excited when he woke up that morning. He knew it was going to perform a once-in-a-lifetime task.
I wonder what Zechariah felt when the day was over?
Let's Put It into Context
To read devotions in The Battle for the Heart theme
Devotions in the Preparing for the Christ Child series
An Angel Showed Up
“While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly’” (Lk. 1: 11-17 NLT)
An Angel of the Lord Appeared
Heaven and earth overlapped in the Temple with the incense and the angel.
Ooo, baby. Did Zechariah get a surprise at work or what!?!?
Second Temple Jewish thought recognized angels as messengers of Jehovah. Named angels, like Gabriel, were associated with messages and end-time expectation.
We aren’t told exactly how the angel appeared. That wasn’t supposed to be the focal point.
Put yourself in Zechariah’s sandals for a minute. Zechariah had probably longed to be chosen to perform the task of burning the incense and offering the prayer. Today was the day that dream would come true.
Zechariah would have had his mind on his agenda. He was probably like us –concentrating real hard to do it right.
Then – suddenly – an angel was standing beside the altar of incense.
And the day Zechariah was waiting for was trumped by a visit from an angel! I bet he was a little thrown off his game and downright afraid.
Maurice had an interesting – and true – comment. We shouldn’t think that Zechariah had a supernatural encounter because the angel came. He had a supernatural encounter because he was worshiping Jehovah.
Resource
Whether the angel was beautiful or frightening, Zechariah’s first reaction was fear. That seems the standard reaction to angel encounters – with everyone except Abraham and Jacob.
God Has Heard Your Prayer
The angel was direct, corrective, and enforced consequences.
The angel told Zechariah that his prayers had been heard. Zechariah and Elizabeth were finally going to get the baby for which they had previously prayed.
That really was the last thing Zechariah had expected out of the day. He and Elizabeth had given up asking for a child.
Unanswered prayers aren’t ignored – they are answered on Jehovah’s timeline.
This is a reminder that God doesn’t always answer our prayers the first time. Or second or third or four thousand, four hundred forty-fourth time.
Still, shouldn’t our expectation – and goal – be to connect with Jehovah every time we worship? If we don’t shoot for that, are we really worshiping?
We may pray for years before the timing is right for God to answer our prayers. He will answer our prayer in His timing.
- “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (Jas. 5: 16 ESV).
- “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for” (I Jn. 5: 14-15 ESV).
- “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous” (Prov. 15: 29 ESV).
- “In those days when you pray, I will listen” (Jer. 29: 12 ESV).
But isn’t it easy for us to tell ourselves our prayers aren’t heard? That is much easier to take than acknowledging He told us no.
Oh, yes. Jehovah will refuse to give us what we ask — when we are asking for something that isn’t in His plan for us. His plan is best for us.
But Zechariah was a priest. I’m sure he didn’t just pray for a son. He prayed for national redemption, too. And that prayer was going to be answered, too.
Will Give You a Son
Gabriel told Zechariah who and what his son would become.
John’s name is also important. It means Yahweh has shown favor.
Did you realize the significance of what Gabriel said? He said that we mere humans are known in Heaven before we even take residence in our mother’s womb. We have a purpose. He has a plan for us.
Yes, Gabriel was talking about John the Immerser. He could have been talking about Tom. Or even Sally. Even Elaine.
Yes, Jehovah has a purpose and a plan for everyone.
Look what Parker said. He said, “Human life is intended to be the realization of a heavenly plan.”
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This life is temporary. Our purpose in this life prepares us for the next.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had probably offered many prayers over the years for a baby. Those prayers did get to Jehovah.
He Must
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son was going to be great in Jehovah’s eyes, but that came with some different requirements.
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son was going to have a specific mission from Jehovah. John’s role was to restore the nation’s faith, awaken a spiritually indifferent people, preach repentance, announce the coming kingdom of heaven, and introduce a new era.
John was well suited for these tasks.
The angel gave a very detailed explanation of what the baby could and could not do as he grew. The Nazirite Vow, as explained in Numbers 6, shares some of the restrictions given to John.
The Nazirite Vow represents separation, dedication, and visible holiness. Some visible acts include abstaining from wine, avoiding contact with the dead, and allowing their hair to remain uncut.
“Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Jdg. 13: 4-5 ESV).
While most Nazirite vows were temporary, John — like Samson and Samuel — was set apart from birth for a lifelong mission. His unusual lifestyle wasn’t an end in itself; it visibly demonstrated that his entire life belonged to God.
What the Nazirite vows to is to be consecrated or separated for God.
Spirit of Elijah
John would carry Elijah’s mission.
Several times in Scripture, we see when John was asked if he were Elijah. Yeshua Himself said that John was not Elijah. He was an Elijah-type.
It was a Messianic expectation that Elijah would return before the Messiah would come. “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Mal. 4: 5-6 NLT).
But Gabriel said John would “… be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah …” (Lk. 1: 17 NLT). What did that mean?
It means that John would pick up Elijah’s mission. Spirit here carries the sense of attitude, disposition, and prophetic calling. He would carry the same prophetic calling and authority.
Further, Elijah and John called for repentance. They wanted Israelites/Jews to return to Jehovah.
We think of John’s ministry as just that – calling the Jews to repentance for their sins. It was more than that.
John’s ministry was calling them to covenant restoration. The Hebrew word shuv (שׁוּב) means return, turn back, and restore.
We get the turn-back-from-our-sins part. But we focus on ourselves.
Jehovah is calling humans to return to the Garden of Eden existence. He is calling us back to covenant faithfulness.
Both were fearless, uncompromising, and zealous for God’s covenant.
The Priest Doubted
“Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’ Then the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time’” (Lk 1: 18-20 NLT)
How Can I Be Sure
Zechariah doubted what the angel said and so paid the consequences.
Put yourself in Zechariah’s shoes. Would we expect to get a visit from an angel? No – we may secretly hope for it, but we never in a million years think it would happen. “Why would Sovereign God take His time to send someone to specifically talk to us?”
Then it actually does!!!! Probably our first thought would be, “What have we done wrong?”
Then we hear that thing we have been praying about for so long was going to be answered. We immediately start feeling unworthy. “We don’t deserve that!”
All of a sudden, we stop. This is not humanly possible. Why are they getting my hopes up for nothing.
But think of it. Zechariah was a priest – a family calling. Here he was going to have a son – and the son wasn’t going to be a priest.
John wouldn’t continue his father’s priestly ministry that Zechariah had given his whole life to serve in faith and obedience – remember he had kept all the commandments.
Instead of serving as a priest who represented the people before God, John would become a prophet calling the people back to God. He would be preparing the people for something new.
Can we spell c-h-a-n-g-e?
If Zechariah was thinking Messianic expectations, he wouldn’t be thinking change. He would be thinking the whole nation would get an atta boy.
Instead — in Zechariah’s eyes — John was going to be a radical. I wonder if Zechariah was worrying he wouldn’t be able to recognize him.
Zechariah was gutsy – and not so smart. He asked the angel for proof. How was he supposed to be sure that this would happen?
People are always asking for signs as proof of something. The more humanly impossible it is, the greater the sign we need to convince us anything is possible with Jehovah.
Since You Didn’t Believe
There are consequences when we sin, and Zechariah was about to find out his.
Unfortunately, Zechariah questioned Gabriel because he doubted God. Because of his doubt, he couldn’t speak until John was born and named (Lk. 1: 20, 63-64).
We learn that the angel’s name is Gabriel. He has appeared on earth one time before and will appear one time in the near future – that we are told.
Gabriel – Gavri’el ( גַּבְרִיאֵל) – the mighty messenger from God – first visited Daniel in Daniel 8: 16 and Daniel 9: 21-23. He was there to interpret the revelation and connect heavenly plans with human understanding of when the Messiah was coming. In six months, Gabriel would visit Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, to tell her the good news.
Did you catch that verse? “… I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!” (Lk: 1: 19 NLT). That means Gabriel is part of Jehovah’s inner court.
Think about the messages Gabriel gave when he made his visits. He told Daniel that redemption was coming. He told Zechariah and Mary that redemption was here.
Goodwin noted that Zechariah’s doubt was the exact opposite of Abraham’s obedience. One gained righteousness because of belief. The other earned muteness because of sin.
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Remember how Zechariah was described earlier. “Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations” (Lk. 1: 6 NLT).
If Zechariah obeyed all of God’s laws and commandments, isn’t that enough? No. We have to be obedient in everything that Jehovah asks us to do.
We each have our own individual plan of what our mission in Jehovah’s kingdom will be. We have to perform it faithfully.
Zechariah saw that it was impossible and took his eyes off Jehovah.
By the time the audience was over, Zechariah realized Gabriel was a high-ranking messenger in Jehovah’s court, one who told of divine plans, was a bridge between heaven and earth, and was present at key turning points in redemption history.
Aftermath
“Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary” (Lk: 1: 21-22 NLT)
All the time that Zechariah was having his discussion with Gabriel, there were people waiting for him to come back out of the Holy Place.
The people had been praying while Zechariah was burning the incense. “While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying” (Lk. 1: 10 NLT).
The service would have gone on even though Zechariah was taking longer than usual. There were other priests performing those tasks.
The problem was that burning the incense shouldn’t have been taking that long. The congregation was concerned because the delay was unusual.
They had cause to be concerned. Other priests had lost their lives as consequences for impurity or disobedience.
- “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord” (Lev. 10: 1-2 NLT).
- “But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the LORD’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God” (II Sam. 6: 6-7 NLT).
Additionally, the congregation were expecting a blessing. It more than likely would have been like “‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace’” (Num. 6: 24-26 NLT).
So, the congregation was waiting for the normal conclusion of the service. They got something better.
They got the answer to prayer – Messiah was coming.
A Barren Woman Conceived
“When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. ‘How kind the Lord is!’ she exclaimed. ‘He has taken away my disgrace of having no children’” (Lk. 1: 5-25 NLT)
What Gabriel said would happen came to pass.
We don’t know which day of Zechariah’s week of service that he encountered the angel. We know that when he went home, he had a fantastic tale to tell Elizabeth.
Soon afterward, Elizabeth became pregnant. Now it has long surprised me that Elizabeth went into seclusion for the first five months of her pregnancy.
Why?
Think about the time. Pregnancy in the first century – especially when the mother was of an advanced age – carried risks. This was particularly true in the early months of the pregnancy, when miscarriage was common.
We also have to remember that Elizabeth was barren for many years. What would people think if she suddenly said, “Hey, I’m pregnant” and didn’t have the baby bump to prove it?
Consider, too, how the proud parents learned about the upcoming pregnancy. It was a divine intervention. Within Jewish religious culture, extraordinary divine acts often were followed by withdrawal, prayer, and reflection.
It is probably safe to say all of the above was at least considered in Elizabeth’s decision to seclude herself for five months. She had to go from the heartbreak of being barren to anticipating a new life. That probably would take a month or two.
Making the Connections #1
Is it interesting that Luke didn’t describe Gabriel’s appearance? He didn’t say he had wings. He didn’t say he was to be worshiped. He didn’t even say he was an archangel.
Gabriel was there for one reason – to pass on the message of forgiveness and redemption.
Making the Connections #2
Ryle made an interesting observation. He said the missions of John and Yeshua were similar. Both were witnesses.
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John’s mission was to witness for Yeshua. Yeshua’s mission was to witness for Jehovah.
Yeshua was also a witness for Himself – for the light. The Memra – Light – was already shining. A prophet had been sent to identify Him. Now, Israel must decide to accept or reject the Light.
Heart Check
Think about the battle Yeshua is engaged in for your heart. Ask yourself the following questions.
- Have I invited Jehovah to transform my entire life, or am I asking Him to change only the parts I’m willing to surrender?
- Like Zechariah, am I faithfully serving Jehovah in the ordinary moments of life, allowing Him to shape my character while I wait on His timing?
How Do We Apply This?
- Expect Jehovah to speak through His Word, shape your heart, or answer a prayer every time.
- Don’t assume a delayed answer means God isn’t listening.
- Ask Jehovah how He wants to use you where you are today.
- Keep your eyes on Jehovah, not your circumstances.
- Remember that His power is not limited by your circumstances – even when God’s promises seem impossible.
- Choose obedience rather than demanding more proof when convicted.
- Surrender our plans and trust that His are better.
Father God. Forgive us when we focus on circumstances more than we focus on Your revelation. Forgive us when we limit You to physical confines. Help us to grow our faith so that we can surrender the first time to Your plan. Amen.
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