God has visited His people

Pray

Jesus, your word is a light at our feet and a lamp on our path. We ask that as we study it, that you would illuminate it to us. Make us understand what you Intended us to know from this story in Luke.

Luke 1:57–80 LSB

Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father. But his mother answered and said, “No, but he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” And they were making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they all marveled. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing God. And fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. And all who heard these things put them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was indeed with him. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He visited and accomplished redemption for His people, And raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US, To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO MAKE READY HIS WAYS, To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To direct our feet into the way of peace.” And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desolate regions until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

It Happened

As God had promised, he fulfilled his promise, to both Elisabeth and Zachariah

God Claimed ownership/authority over John’s life

Luke 1:57–80 (WG:L): Throughout the Bible names are often used to describe someone’s personality. Jesus called Simon Petros, Peter, meaning stone or rock. Sometimes when a person’s life was transformed their name would change: Abram became Abraham; Jacob, after he wrestled with God, became Israel; Saul became Paul.

There is a particular significance to the giving of names. Remember that when God created Adam and Eve, one of the first tasks he gave Adam was to name the animals. It was a symbolic gesture expressing the authority God gave him over all creatures. Similarly, in Israel, the act of naming a child was a demonstration of parental authority over the child. But in a few isolated incidents, God reserved that right for himself. On those rare occasions God said, ‘I will name the child, because this child is under my authority and related to me in an extraordinary way.’

So when Gabriel announced to Elizabeth and Zechariah that they were going to have a baby, and what the name of that baby was to be, he was giving them a message they understood. He was saying, ‘Your baby belongs to God. His name will be given by God himself. God has decreed his name shall be John.’

He Bishop’d His people

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He

visited

accomplished redemption

raised up a horn of salvation

The metaphor “horn” is derived from an animal’s horns, especially that of a buffalo or ox, symbolizing strength and power (cf. Deuteronomy 33:17). The lifting up of the horn in the Old Testament refers to an animal tossing its horns in a display of power (cf. Psalm 148:14), and the language behind “ ‘He has raised up a horn’ ” appears to suggest the same idea. African hunters of the Cape buffalo tell us that when one of those great animals scuffs the ground and begins to rhythmically swing its horns back and forth, it is preparing for a deadly charge. An animal’s horn is its weapon for defense and vengeance, and also its ornament of beauty. The Davidic horn would be “raised up” in a mighty display of power in the birth of Jesus—“a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (v. 69).

This awesome horn’s ministry would be twofold. First, in redemption as he ransoms his people with his own blood. Note that the passion narrative occupies a large section at the end of Luke’s Gospel and that, correspondingly, the ox (a symbol of sacrifice and atonement) has always been the symbol of Luke. Second, the horn would bring deliverance from all earthly enemies in the final return of Christ (Revelation 19:1–16).

So we see that Zechariah’s song celebrates the majestic, tossing horn of the Davidic Savior, Jesus, who would effect a mighty deliverance —“He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.”