The Song of an Aging Saint (Luke 1:67-80)

Together for the Gospel Live Spotify, YT Music, Pandora The Song of an Aging Saint Luke 1:67-80 Background • Zechariah – A priest; he and his wife, Elizabeth, are righteous, blameless, and childless (1:5-7). • Zechariah, chosen to enter the Holy Place for a once-in-a-lifetime honor, is met by the angel Gabriel (8-11, 19) who predicts a Nazirite son (Numbers 6:1-21) for Zechariah, who will be the Messianic forerunner (Malachi 4:5-6). • Elizabeth conceives miraculously (1:24) and goes into hiding. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pregnant virgin shows up at Zechariah’s door (1:39-40). Mary, and her betrothed, Joseph, are from the tribe of Judah, through the family of David. Zechariah Sings • Zechariah is filled with a sudden onrush of the Holy Spirit (see Numbers 24; 1 Samuel 10:5-13). • Zechariah Prophecies – his song is a mixture of Biblical reflection over what God has done and Biblical reflection of what God will do. Every line echoes of Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled right before his eyes. • 2 Parts – Zechariah Blesses God (1:68-75); Zechariah Blesses John (1:76-79). Each half breaks down into triplets, a common form of emphatic Hebrew praise. Zechariah Blesses God 1. Three Blessed Statements – Visited, Redeemed, Raised. “Raised” is the focal point and forms two more triplets. 2. God has visited – see Genesis 21:1 (Abraham/Sarah), 1 Samuel 1-2 (Elkanah/Hannah), and Ruth 1 (Naomi). 3. God has redeemed – the original literally reads, “done acts of mercy for His people” (1:68). Zechariah Blesses God 4. God has raised “the horn of salvation” through Mary’s child: • • • • In 2 Samuel 22:3 and Psalm 18:2, God Himself is “the Horn of Salvation” Zechariah has put together Trinitarian theology through verses like Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6, and Jeremiah 23:5-6. Zechariah realizes that the child in Mary’s womb is the fulfillment of God’s promise at the very start of their nation (see Genesis 22:16-18). God’s salvation, however, is not the final goal, but wholehearted and unrestrained worship (1:74). Zechariah Blesses the Child 1. John will become not just any prophet, but the greatest of the prophets (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). 2. John’s purpose is three-fold: to give knowledge (1:77), to give light (1:79a), and to guide our feet to peace (1:79b). 3. John’s ministry is an act of God’s tender mercy: • • • “You brood of vipers!” (Matthew 3:7-10) “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!” (Matthew 14:3-4) “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap whose sandals I am unworthy to untie!” (Luke 3:16) Lessons 1. Maturity is not measured by how much you know, but by your humility and receptivity to God’s instruction. 2. Young or old, the only appropriate response to God’s illumination is worship. 3. As illustrated by Zechariah, true worship is always Christ-centered.