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Zechariah Praises the Lord
67The Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah, and he began to speak:
68Praise the Lord,
the God of Israel!
He has come
to save his people.
69Our God has given us
a mighty Savior
from the family
of David his servant.
70Long ago the Lord promised
by the words
of his holy prophets
71to save us from our enemies
and from everyone
who hates us.
72God said he would be kind
to our people and keep
his sacred promise.
73He told our ancestor Abraham
74that he would rescue us
from our enemies.
Then we could serve him
without fear,
75by being holy and good
as long as we live.
76 You, my son, will be called
the prophet of God Most High.
You will go ahead of the Lord
to get everything ready
for him.
77You will tell his people
that they can be saved
when their sins
are forgiven.
78God's love and kindness
will shine upon us
like the sun that rises
in the sky.
79 On us who live
in the dark shadow
of death
this light will shine
to guide us
into a life of peace.
80As John grew up, God's Spirit gave him great power. John lived in the desert until the time he was sent to the people of Israel.
Reflect
If you are using a Bible that has cross-references you will see how many times Zechariah refers back to the Psalms and the prophets. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he could see how what was happening in his life was part of God’s big story, going right back to the covenant he made with Abraham (Genesis 22:16-18), David, and the prophets (e.g. Jeremiah 23:5-6). He could see what was happening in the light of the whole history of Israel.
But he could also see how the details were being fulfilled, and he must have had the whole book of Malachi in mind – Malachi, who had written that God would send his messenger to prepare the way before him. (Malachi 3:1-4) If you know Handel’s Messiah, you will know how skilfully Handel’s librettist (the person who put together the “lyrics”) saw how these prophecies fit together, pointing to the birth of Christ.
Now imagine how Zechariah felt. Before Jesus came, God-fearing Israelites believed that one day God would come and put everything right. They called this “the day of the Lord.” As Malachi describes it, that day would be a day of terrible destruction for people who didn’t abandon their evil ways, and a day of great blessing for those who feared God. Zechariah now understood how his baby son would be Malachi’s “messenger,” who would bring salvation, forgiveness and peace. The day would be like the dawn of sunrise after a long night of darkness. The messenger had been born, and was growing up, strong in the spirit, in the wilderness. Everything is now ready for the Messiah.
Respond
Father, thank you for this whole story. Thank you for the years of preparation that took place so that the world was ready for Jesus. Thank you for all the people who recorded the stories of Abraham, David and the prophets. Thank you especially for Luke and his understanding of what you were doing—so that we can know the salvation, forgiveness and peace that Jesus brings. Amen
Annabel Robinson
Annabel was born in Kew, near London, England. She committed her life to Jesus Christ at a Scripture Union camp when she was 16, and immediately found joy and peace. At Oxford she was active in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, where she met her husband, Reid. They emigrated to Canada in 1965, where she taught Classics at the University of Regina until 2007. She has two children, Heather in Oslo and Alasdair in Calgary.