Sent to save from enemies and sins

Observations:

The prophetic gift had ceased through the close of the Old Testament period. 300 years of silence I believe? And now we have John - this prophetic voice.

Important background information: It’s during the reign of Herod the Great (37-4 BC).

Zechariah married a woman that was a priests daughter which was a special blessing. They were kind of a “perfect couple” and so you can imagine their confusion when they couldn’t bear children.

The mention of their age was probably to indicate that not only did they not have children, but that it was very unlikely that this was going to change for them - they were old.

It’s interesting that the commentaries don’t agree on what Zechariah was likely praying about while burning the incense in the Temple. Barclay would say that he was praying about having a child - while Leon Morris would suggest that he was likely praying for the nation of Israel.