Luke 1:5
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luke 1:5 places Zacharias in the days of Herod, king of Judea. It identifies him as a priest of the course of Abia, and his wife Elisabeth as of the daughters of Aaron. It reflects a system in which priests served by courses, with Zacharias living in the hill country of Judea and coming up to Jerusalem for a week of temple service twice a year for each course.
It presents Zacharias and Elisabeth as an aged, godly couple, both righteous before God, whose faithful lives shone amid the darkness of that time. It introduces Zacharias while exercising his priestly office in the holy place before the golden altar, burning incense as the cloud of incense with the prayers of Israel ascends before God. There he becomes aware of a divine presence when an angel appears standing on the right side of the altar, a position indicating favor, though he takes no note of it.
He had prayed for many years for the coming of the Redeemer, and heaven then sends a messenger to announce those prayers are about to be answered, but the mercy seems too great to believe and he is filled with fear and self-condemnation. Their promised son would go before the Lord to prepare His ways. The couple were chosen as parents to train John to work in harmony with God as the messenger announcing the coming of Christ, faithfully cooperating with God to form in him a character fitting him as a competent worker for the part assigned to him.
Although John was a son of their old age and a miraculous child with a special work, they did not leave his care to the Lord alone but moved to a retired place in the country so he would not be exposed to city temptations or drawn away from their counsel and instruction, and so that by no careless neglect he would fail to become good and wise to give light and guide feet into peace. The verse identifies Zacharias as the father of John the Baptist, whose important future work required his habits to be regulated from infancy, including abstaining from wine and strong drink. The account therefore shows that parents must practice temperance because their habits affect their children.