Zechariah's Song

Intro - 1:57-66

We are in the series that we are calling Advent Songs or Songs of Advent. The ensuing birth of Jesus caused certain characters in the Biblical narrative to open their mouth and let out a song to God for the blessing of Jesus. It is my hope that as we go through these songs we would be encouraged to sing our own songs to God that makes known our thankfulness for the blessing of Jesus.

Songs are good for the soul. Particularly good songs. Songs are powerful too. You ever listen to a song so much that years later, all you hear is the instrumental and the words come flying out of your mouth?

While there are many types of songs that we can sing, there is no better song than the one that extols the salvation that our soul enjoys.

Today we will examine the song composed by Zechariah. This song is commonly called the Benedictus. Benedictus is simply the Latin word for blessing. The first words of the song is the word blessing. It is similar to Mary’s Song from last week. It is usually called the Magnificat because Magnificat is the Latin word for magnify and that is first verb in Mary’s composition. My soul magnifies the Lord.

Before we get into the song itself, let me set the context.

Who is Zechariah? He is the Father of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist is born in 1:57 and after his birth, on the eight day, they had a naming ceremony. At this naming ceremony, the family proposed the name Zechariah after his Dad but Elizabeth insisted he shall be called John. Elizabeth is Zechariah’s wife. Perplexed by this name, because no one in their family has ever been called by that name, they turned to Zechariah for confirmation.

For almost a year now, Zechariah had been mute. He became mute because he had doubts when he was told his wife would be pregnant in a short while and the muteness became a sign that God will indeed fulfill that promise.

The bible tells us that Zechariah was a faithful priest in the service of God. But he and his wife struggled with infertility for many years. They prayed but nothing happened. And now in their old age, God finally answered.

But I do wonder though, how many Zechariahs and Elizabeths have lived a faithful life and died in old age but never had their prayers for fertility answered? But never had their prayers for “you fill in in the blank” answered. It is part of the life we live in this fallen world.

But this Zechariah and Elizabeth would not go to their grave with that disappointment. God has heard and provided. And on this very day of John’s naming, the vocal chords of Zechariah would be loosened and the first words would be a song of Salvation to God.

While it is formally known as the Benedictus, I think it is not too far off to call this song a song of salvation because that is exactly what Zechariah sings about.

There are three things I want to point out to us that Zechariah mentions in this song. 1) The Architect of Our Salvation 2) The Type of Salvation and 3) The Why of Our Salvation.

My hope for today is that we would be encouraged to sing songs about our salvation; reminding ourselves of what God has done.

The Architect of Our Salvation - 1:68-70

If you were to reminisce on your salvation, what would be the first words that come flying out of your mouth? For Zechariah, it was the acknowledgement that salvation is only possible because of God. I know it sounds really simple but it is a point that is important to mention. Because we can forget that simple point when we get self absorbed and all we can think about is ourselves. You did not become a follower of Jesus because you were smart enough to figure it out, it was not because you were strong enough to find your way to God. Salvation is only possible because of God. Zechariah started the song by acknowledging that it is God who visited and provided redemption. It is God who raised up a horn of salvation.

We can talk about salvation in the Christian experience because God makes it so. Salvation does not start with us, It starts with God. Without the intervention of God, there is no redemption for us.

Other gods wait for their followers to create their own salvation. You gotta do X and sacrifice Y. They accept you once you’ve figured it out. But not so with the God of the Bible. He comes along and says I’m going to show you the path of salvation and not only that, I’m going to make it happen for you.

The underlying message in this is that you can’t save yourself. Only God can. And he’s provided a way for that salvation through Jesus. He’s raised up a horn of salvation. Horn is used for the imagery of a strong one. One who is mighty. God has raised up in the house of David one is who is strong and mighty enough to save.

Don’t tell me Jesus can’t save. Yes, he can!

Zechariah sees this and blesses God for it.

Do you see it too? When you’re down in the dumps, when you’re doubting whether you really belong, remember that it is God who initiates this salvation experience. We just submit to it and accept it by faith.

The Type of Salvation - 1:71,77,79

But the question remains. Salvation from what? Is it salvation from our diseases and illness? Is it salvation from poverty? Is it salvation from pain and suffering? Is it salvation from infertility and disappointments?

Zechariah tell us in 1:71, 77, and 79. In 1:71, he says it is salvation from our enemies and all who hate us.

On first glance, we can be tempted to view this salvation from a cultural perspective. Are the enemies he is referring simply the Romans? We can’t deny that there is a scent of that, that there is an odour of that in this statement but Zechariah would not leave us guessing. He clarifies in 77 and 79 what specifically the salvation is from and by extension who these enemies are.

We see four things that we are tells us what the salvation is from.

The first is sin. In 1:76-77, he says that John will give people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins. On the basic level, the salvation that God provides is salvation from our sins. We receive forgiveness from the debt and transgressions that we have accumulated.

I hope you never get tired of hearing that you have received salvation from your sins. The architect of your salvation has forgiven you of all that you’ve sinned against him. If you don’t know what your sins are, you might need to do some introspection. The book of 1 John says if we say we have no sin then we make God a liar and the truth is not in us. It is sin that separates us from God. But for the salvation that God provides through Jesus, we are forever damned and separated from God.

The second and third thing we see is darkness and death in 1:79. Left to ourselves, we are living in darkness and overcomed by the power of death. Darkness is simply the absence of light and death is the perpetual absence of the spirit of God. In short, a life of sin, darkness, and death is a life absent of God. Zechariah sings and proclaims that this is what God has brought about in the salvation of his people.

When Jesus proclaims in the Gospels that “You are the light of the world,” it is because he has saved us from the domain of darkness. We have eternal life because we have been saved from death. The power of death over us has been dissolved.

This is what Zechariah sees in the salvation that God has made possible. It is the same salvation that we enjoy today.

The fourth thing we are saved from is chaos. Zechariah ends 1:79 by saying our feet are guided into the way of peace. Chaos existed between us and God. There was no harmony. And where harmony is absent, chaos fills the room. But in the salvation that God provides, peace reigns between us and God. We are no longer his enemy. We have been freed from the things we thought were our friends - sin, death, darkness, and chaos, but were really our enemies.

What a joy it is to sing along with Zechariah that God has saved us from sin, death, darkness, and chaos.

The Why of Our Salvation - 1:72-75, 78

One more question remains that Zechariah answers in his song. The question of why did God move to provide redemption. What is the why of our salvation? We know what we have been saved from but why?This question is important especially when we consider the reality that some people will die rejecting Jesus.

Zechariah gives us three reasons why God saved us. And news flash, it has nothing to do with you or me. It wasn’t because we were pretty, or handsome, or good natured.

The first reason we get from Zechariah for why God provided redemption is that God is merciful. We see this in 1:72a and 78. It is due to God being merciful that he promised redemption to Abraham and all who come after him. It is because of his compassion that the dawn of light has shined upon us in the person of Jesus. God saves because God is merciful. Not because we deserve it; not because we have earned it; not because our good outweighs our bad. But simply because he extends his mercy to us. I love how one writer described mercy as kindness that goes beyond what justice demands.

Kindness and justice are both needed and necessary. We don’t want to have one without the other. However, when kindness move beyond what justice calls for, we call that mercy.

That’s why we Zechariah sings of the salvation that God has provided because it is a kindness of God that went beyond what his justice demands of us.

The second reason we get from Zechariah for why we are saved is because God keeps his promises. There’s seldom something more disappointing for a kid, I would argue even for adults, than the person who failed to keep their promise.

God is not one who does not keep the promises he makes. Zechariah mentioned in 1:72-73 that God remembered his covenant with Abraham. From his mercy he gave the promise to save, and because he keeps his promise we get to experience that promised salvation.

God’s plan to save was not hastily planned. He had it in mind from eternity past to provide redemption to those who are far from him.

You might remember the promise God gave to Abraham. The promise to make him a father of many nations, the promise to give him a land, the promise to make his descendants as numerous as the stars. The promise to make Abraham and his descendants a people of God. While we see some fulfilment of this promise in Israel’s conquest of Canaan, it is in Jesus that we find the ultimate and complete fulfillment. It’s why we sing that famous song, “Father Abraham has many sons, many sons has father Abraham, I am one of them and so are you, let us praise the Lord.” Paul said it too in Romans 4:9-12

Romans 4:9–12 (CSB)

For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness. In what way, then, was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

We can be partakers of the promise given to Abraham because we have been saved by God.

We are saved because God is merciful, because God keeps his promises, and finally because God desires righteousness and holiness.

God desires men and women who would know right from wrong and choose what is right. That is not possible if we are in sin, death, darkness, and chaos.

Zechariah sang about this in 1:74-75. Zechariah is saying that God saved us from our enemies of sin, death, darkness, and chaos so that we might serve God in holiness and righteousness.

God moved to save because he desires a people who would serve him faithfully. That has been his mission since the fall of Adam and Eve. We see it when he flooded the earth with water and started over with Noah but it wasn’t too long for Noah and his family to fail. We see it in Abraham and Israel but it wasn’t long for Abraham and Israel to fail. And now we see God’s desire for a people who would walk righteously in Jesus and the church. Unlike Noah and his sons, Abraham and Israel, the church won’t fail because Jesus can’t fail. God saved us so we can look like him.

Conclusion

To summarize it all, Zechariah sang with great joy that God is the architect of the salvation that world is about to experience in Jesus. He sang that the salvation is deliverance from sin, death, darkness, and chaos. And proclaims that God saves because he is merciful, a keeper of promises, and because he desires righteousness and holiness.

Church, will you join Zechariah this Christmas season in singing songs of salvation? Will you join Zechariah in making melodies in your heart that is thankful for the salvation that God has made possible?

I pray that your hearts will be filled with great joy this Christmas season for the salvation that we have in Jesus.