The Angel Tells Zacharias He Will Have a Sonby Josiah-R
1:16Luke 1:16
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
The angel gave the promise to Zacharias while he was ministering in the priest's office in the temple, standing by the golden altar as Israel prayed for pardon and for the long-awaited Redeemer. It foretold that the son to be born to him and Elisabeth in answer to long years of prayer would be the forerunner of Christ, appointed before his birth to turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God. He was to do this by going before Christ in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people prepared to receive Him, turning the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just. That turning was accomplished when John preached repentance in the wilderness with uncompromising rebuke of sin, so that those who received his testimony were prepared to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, while those who rejected it were hardened to reject Christ. The work required the faithful cooperation of his parents in training him from childhood for his holy trust, with temperate habits and separation from corrupting influences giving him the physical, mental, and moral strength for his mission.
Setting and Announcement
The promise belongs to Zacharias's service as a priest in Jerusalem, when he was chosen by lot to burn incense. It was spoken by an angel to Zacharias while he ministered before God in the priest's office, standing before the golden altar in the holy place with the cloud of incense bearing Israel's prayers ascending, the angel standing on the right side of the altar as a sign of favor. The setting was Israel's need for pardon and a long-awaited Savior, with Zacharias praying for forgiveness of public and national sins and for the Redeemer who would redeem His people.
The word announced that prayers offered by Zacharias for many years for the coming of the Redeemer were about to be answered, yet the mercy seemed too great for him to credit, and he was filled with fear and self-condemnation and took no note of the sign of favor. It answered the long prayers of Zacharias and Elisabeth offered through years of disappointment, prayers kept to be answered in God's own good time when His own name could best be glorified. The answer was no ordinary son but one holding a high place in God's work, from whom heaven's light would shine in clear, distinct rays to bring many back to God, showing God's tender, kind, loving and compassionate heart. That promised son to Zacharias and Elizabeth was the forerunner of Christ, raised up among faithful Israel awaiting the Messiah to prepare the way for the Lord, with Elizabeth as the mother of the Saviour's herald.
The forerunner's birth and mission were attested by miracle and prophecy, and his coming announced that Christ's arrival was near. His birth and the significance of his mission were announced, yet Jerusalem was not preparing to welcome the Redeemer. The prophecy of this mission to turn many back to God stirred Israel, and remembering it renewed Mary's hopes when she learned of John's connection with Jesus.
Mission to Turn Israel
The promise is that John would turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God, a work appointed by God before his birth to reform the people and prepare them for the Lord, with God and His Spirit working with him in it. He would do this by going before Christ in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people prepared to receive and believe in Christ as the Son of God at His coming, turning them from disobedience toward the wisdom of the just. This turning prepared the way for the Lord, and his ministry in the wilderness fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of a voice calling people to prepare the Lord's way.
The turning was a work of repentance fulfilled when John preached in the wilderness with power, rebuked sin, called for reform and repentance, and made no compromise, so that many were turned from unrighteousness. Those who received his testimony were prepared to recognize Jesus as the Messiah to whom all the sacrificial offerings pointed, being directed to Christ as he announced the Messiah's coming. The Pharisees and rulers and Sadducees did not turn to God, believed not, and brought forth no fruits of repentance and sanctification and righteousness, remaining as those who profess obedience yet do not obey. Their rejection of John's message hardened their hearts and helped prepare them to reject Christ and refused preparation to receive God's Son.
His call to reform included rebuking sinful indulgence, while his temperate, abstinent life served as a reproof of the excesses of his time and helped prepare the way for Christ. His ministry brought a reformation in Israel, called people to repentance, directed them to Christ, and announced the Messiah's coming. His greatness in the Lord's sight was this appointed work of going before Christ and preparing the way for the first ministry of the gospel by a clearcut message of reproof of sin and all hypocrisy. That preparation was watched with intense interest by all heaven and the universe, which is true greatness by Infinite Wisdom's estimate though human wisdom judging by outward appearance sees nothing great in such a life and work.
His work also represents the work of those entrusted with sacred truths to prepare people for Christ's second appearing, even as his own calling began before birth when it was said he would abstain from wine and strong drink and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Preparation and Example
The turning of many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God required the faithful cooperation of Zacharias and Elisabeth in training and educating their son and forming in him a character fit to perform his appointed part as a competent worker. Although he was a child of miracle born to them in old age with a special work from God, they did not leave God to care for him alone but moved to a retired place in the country where he would not be exposed to the temptations of city life or be drawn away from their counsel and instruction. They sacredly fulfilled their obligation so that by no careless neglect on their part he would fail to become good and wise and to meet the purpose designed for his life. His God-fearing parents often repeated the angel's words to him, and from childhood he knew the mission, kept it before him, and accepted it as a holy trust for reaching hearts with heaven's message.
Abstinence from wine and strong drink was necessary for his God-given work of turning many in Israel to the Lord their God. His temperate, abstemious habits, carefully regulated from infancy in obedience to the angel's directions, were to give him the physical, mental, and moral strength his work required, and God promised to work with him as he obeyed. His calling began before birth with that direction to abstain and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and his work in the spirit and power of Elijah to call people to the wisdom of the just also represents the work of those entrusted with sacred truths to prepare people for Christ's second appearing. Parents' habits and example affect their children.
Fulfilling the lifelong mission announced before his birth meant foregoing education for the priesthood in the rabbinical schools and being called to the desert to learn of nature and nature's God. In barren hills, wild ravines, and rocky caves he chose stern discipline, simplicity, and self-denial over enjoyment and luxury. He welcomed solitude as escape from a society pervaded by suspicion, unbelief, and impurity, distrusting his own power to withstand temptation and shunning constant contact with sin lest he lose the sense of its exceeding sinfulness. His wilderness training away from corrupt religious influence helped prepare him, as he studied Scripture, nature, revelation, and providence uninterrupted by the clamor of the world. He then went among people and observed them so he could reach their hearts.
The angel gave the promise to Zacharias while he was ministering in the priest's office in the temple, standing by the golden altar as Israel prayed for pardon and for the long-awaited Redeemer. It foretold that the son to be born to him and Elisabeth in answer to long years of prayer would be the forerunner of Christ, appointed before his birth to turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God. He was to do this by going before Christ in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people prepared to receive Him, turning the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just. That turning was accomplished when John preached repentance in the wilderness with uncompromising rebuke of sin, so that those who received his testimony were prepared to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, while those who rejected it were hardened to reject Christ. The work required the faithful cooperation of his parents in training him from childhood for his holy trust, with temperate habits and separation from corrupting influences giving him the physical, mental, and moral strength for his mission.
Setting and Announcement
The promise belongs to Zacharias's service as a priest in Jerusalem, when he was chosen by lot to burn incense. It was spoken by an angel to Zacharias while he ministered before God in the priest's office, standing before the golden altar in the holy place with the cloud of incense bearing Israel's prayers ascending, the angel standing on the right side of the altar as a sign of favor. The setting was Israel's need for pardon and a long-awaited Savior, with Zacharias praying for forgiveness of public and national sins and for the Redeemer who would redeem His people.
The word announced that prayers offered by Zacharias for many years for the coming of the Redeemer were about to be answered, yet the mercy seemed too great for him to credit, and he was filled with fear and self-condemnation and took no note of the sign of favor. It answered the long prayers of Zacharias and Elisabeth offered through years of disappointment, prayers kept to be answered in God's own good time when His own name could best be glorified. The answer was no ordinary son but one holding a high place in God's work, from whom heaven's light would shine in clear, distinct rays to bring many back to God, showing God's tender, kind, loving and compassionate heart. That promised son to Zacharias and Elizabeth was the forerunner of Christ, raised up among faithful Israel awaiting the Messiah to prepare the way for the Lord, with Elizabeth as the mother of the Saviour's herald.
The forerunner's birth and mission were attested by miracle and prophecy, and his coming announced that Christ's arrival was near. His birth and the significance of his mission were announced, yet Jerusalem was not preparing to welcome the Redeemer. The prophecy of this mission to turn many back to God stirred Israel, and remembering it renewed Mary's hopes when she learned of John's connection with Jesus.
Mission to Turn Israel
The promise is that John would turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God, a work appointed by God before his birth to reform the people and prepare them for the Lord, with God and His Spirit working with him in it. He would do this by going before Christ in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people prepared to receive and believe in Christ as the Son of God at His coming, turning them from disobedience toward the wisdom of the just. This turning prepared the way for the Lord, and his ministry in the wilderness fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of a voice calling people to prepare the Lord's way.
The turning was a work of repentance fulfilled when John preached in the wilderness with power, rebuked sin, called for reform and repentance, and made no compromise, so that many were turned from unrighteousness. Those who received his testimony were prepared to recognize Jesus as the Messiah to whom all the sacrificial offerings pointed, being directed to Christ as he announced the Messiah's coming. The Pharisees and rulers and Sadducees did not turn to God, believed not, and brought forth no fruits of repentance and sanctification and righteousness, remaining as those who profess obedience yet do not obey. Their rejection of John's message hardened their hearts and helped prepare them to reject Christ and refused preparation to receive God's Son.
His call to reform included rebuking sinful indulgence, while his temperate, abstinent life served as a reproof of the excesses of his time and helped prepare the way for Christ. His ministry brought a reformation in Israel, called people to repentance, directed them to Christ, and announced the Messiah's coming. His greatness in the Lord's sight was this appointed work of going before Christ and preparing the way for the first ministry of the gospel by a clearcut message of reproof of sin and all hypocrisy. That preparation was watched with intense interest by all heaven and the universe, which is true greatness by Infinite Wisdom's estimate though human wisdom judging by outward appearance sees nothing great in such a life and work.
His work also represents the work of those entrusted with sacred truths to prepare people for Christ's second appearing, even as his own calling began before birth when it was said he would abstain from wine and strong drink and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Preparation and Example
The turning of many of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God required the faithful cooperation of Zacharias and Elisabeth in training and educating their son and forming in him a character fit to perform his appointed part as a competent worker. Although he was a child of miracle born to them in old age with a special work from God, they did not leave God to care for him alone but moved to a retired place in the country where he would not be exposed to the temptations of city life or be drawn away from their counsel and instruction. They sacredly fulfilled their obligation so that by no careless neglect on their part he would fail to become good and wise and to meet the purpose designed for his life. His God-fearing parents often repeated the angel's words to him, and from childhood he knew the mission, kept it before him, and accepted it as a holy trust for reaching hearts with heaven's message.
Abstinence from wine and strong drink was necessary for his God-given work of turning many in Israel to the Lord their God. His temperate, abstemious habits, carefully regulated from infancy in obedience to the angel's directions, were to give him the physical, mental, and moral strength his work required, and God promised to work with him as he obeyed. His calling began before birth with that direction to abstain and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and his work in the spirit and power of Elijah to call people to the wisdom of the just also represents the work of those entrusted with sacred truths to prepare people for Christ's second appearing. Parents' habits and example affect their children.
Fulfilling the lifelong mission announced before his birth meant foregoing education for the priesthood in the rabbinical schools and being called to the desert to learn of nature and nature's God. In barren hills, wild ravines, and rocky caves he chose stern discipline, simplicity, and self-denial over enjoyment and luxury. He welcomed solitude as escape from a society pervaded by suspicion, unbelief, and impurity, distrusting his own power to withstand temptation and shunning constant contact with sin lest he lose the sense of its exceeding sinfulness. His wilderness training away from corrupt religious influence helped prepare him, as he studied Scripture, nature, revelation, and providence uninterrupted by the clamor of the world. He then went among people and observed them so he could reach their hearts.