Songs for the Not-So-Holly-Jolly Zechariah: A Song of Faith Luke 1:67-79

Zachariah’s Song of Faith...

Who is Zechariah....? Old man, married, a priest of the tribe of Levi.

Why is his song so important? IT IS ABOUT THE WAITING…

The context of the waiting is the key. For 300 years God has been silent. Yet here is one man (and woman) who though waiting, they are expecting.

What is the focus of the Song? to understand the power and expression of the Song, we must go back to the beginnings of the story.

Chapter 1. 5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

We now are at the end of the 9 months…a boy is born into the lives of 2 people. Elderly, longing, praying, serving, living a purposeful life. The ‘good news’ that they had hoped for was now a reality. (v.57)

Now God has the attention of all of the people. (v. 65 the FEAR OF THE LORD) As the situation of opportunity is present, Zach now will give his prophesy. It is the overflow of his heart, the message that would be waiting for months to be declared. The silence (muteness) of his voice is a moment by moment reminder of what questioning God can do… This Canticle gives the first words from his loosed lips.

It is for the future… “God has raised up for us...” a horn of salvation. (an OT PHRASE of AUTHORITY & MIGHT)

Of the House of David… Genealogy.

the Expectations of salvation from enemies.

5 stanzas; 1-3 are about the coming Messiah, 4 is about John, 5 is about God.

2 Key expressions in the closing. 1. to give light to those who sit in darkness. 2. to guide our feet into the way of peace.

How are we in the Waiting? Advent is a reminder of what we are to be about in the season of Waiting.

Zechariah was waiting for a son, all of his married life. Now beyond child bearing years, it was promised… His humanness jumps in and questions the tactics of God, and the timing of God. For this he faces consequences. Others have done the same… Abraham, waiting for his heir, after waiting decades, (seems to be a reasonable time allotment) decides that what he has been doing isnt enough… He accepts Hagar as his wife and has a child… But this was not God’s plan.

King Saul of the OT got tired of waiting on Samuel, (1 Sam. 13).10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might [d]greet him.

11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” Then again in 1 Sam. 15; English Standard Version And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

Humanness will Challenge us to stay obedient in the Wait. Humanness with Challenge our Faith in the Wait. Humanness will challenge our emotions as darkness challenges a child. *But a light is coming for those who Wait. Those who wait upon the LORD WILL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH”.

Wait. This word has haunted so many of us throughout our entire lives. Wait until you're older, wait until you move out, wait for this movie or that concert, wait here in line for five years because we only have one register open. Wait wait wait. It's frustrating, stressful, and sometimes it seems impossible to wait any longer, yet people still tell us to wait. Our professors, our pastors, our parents, and God.

Yes, even God says to wait. In fact, He commands it. He doesn't command this to be cruel, but He commands it because waiting is actually good for us. “Wait” appears in the Bible multiple times, and of course we've heard the verse that says that those who wait on the Lord renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31), but let's just stop and think about that for a few moments. Those who wait on the Lord renew their strength. We are strengthened in the waiting. We're refreshed and refined in the waiting—in the standstill moments that are beyond our control.

CONCLUSION: Waiting isn't a punishment. It isn't a nuisance or the bane of our existence. Waiting is a preparation period in which our character is built and our faith is exercised and grown. I thank God for the waiting, even though it means I have to put my patient pants on, because the waiting teaches us to put things in perspective, rely on Him, trust in Him, and rest in Him.

Along with Zechariah we also consider David. He was hurt over and over again, and yet he still praised God with psalms, writing things like “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him" (Psalms 62:1) and "be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act" (Psalm 37:7). Beautiful words that show the simple and profound faith this man had, the faith that he never lost throughout his many struggles. Even though he had to wait for years to see God's promise over his life come into fulfillment, David did so graciously. He didn't give up, but he did all that he knew to do, trusting God to take care of the rest in the meantime.