When God is Slow

Introduction

As we begin our study through the Gospel According to Luke, I would encourage you to play the part of Theophilus each week. Imagine that you’re Theophilus and you have just received this orderly account by means of a messenger and you are now beginning to read this massive book for the first time. It’s going to take some doing because this isn’t our first time reading through Luke most likely. We’ve heard these narratives before. We’ve heard the parables and the teachings over and over again. But if we can just pretend to be reading and studying them for the first time, I think we can see things from Luke’s angles that I talked about last week.

As we open up this text this morning, Luke introduces us to an older couple desperate for a son and a people desperate for a Savior, and in one fell-swoop, God gives grace to them all. So Luke presents us with three matters for consideration. The first is the matter of pedigree. The second is the matter of prayer. And finally, there is the matter of the proclamation.

Pedigree of the Parents

Prayer of the People/Priest

Proclamation of the Promise

Luke 1:5–13 ESV

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. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 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.

The Pedigree of the Parents

The first matter we need to consider is the pedigree of the parents. Luke begins by telling us, not only the names of the older couple that will soon become parents, but also their pedigree. As Americans, we are not wired to think about aristocracy. There are a few names that we might associate with it like the Rockefellers, the Kennedys or the Bushes, but typically we believe that anyone can attain great status through hard work and equal opportunity. But pedigree means something in much of the world, and certainly meant something in the ancient world. So as we read again the fifth verse, notice Zechariah and Elizabeth’s lineage.

Luke 1:5 ESV

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.

Most of us probably know who Aaron was. Aaron was the brother of Moses. He was the first high priest for the Israelites. He was Moses’s (the greatest of prophets) priest—a priest for the people, but working side by side with the prophet. But we don’t know much about Abijah. What we do know is that he was a priest during the time of King David, Israel’s greatest king! At minimum, he was one of David’s priests. David set up the various priests to minister two weeks out of the year—once every 24 weeks. There were 24 priests, and so they rotated through the weeks. Abijah was selected to be the eighth in line. And this was to be a perpetual order so that the lineage of each priest would hold that spot. Thus, those in the line of Abijah would always hold the eighth spot. This was Zechariah’s spot, along with all those who were also of Abijah’s descent. Abijah was a direct descendent of Aaron as well, through his son Eleazar.

Thus, really we have Zechariah who was of the line of Abijah, David’s priest, marrying Elizabeth who was in the line of Aaron, Moses’s priest! This would be like a descendent of Theodore Roosevelt marrying a descendent of George Washington! Anyone paying attention would be anxiously awaiting the birth of their children. Who would they grow up to be? What would they grow up to be? Certainly the greatest president we’ve ever had!

And what wonderful parents Zechariah and Elizabeth would have been!

Luke 1:6 ESV

And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

They didn’t just have the pedigree they had the piety as well. While not sinless, as no mere human could be, they certainly sought to follow God’s law, God’s way for God’s glory. They weren’t like the Pharisees and Sadducees who paraded their piety around for the applause of people.

So they had the pedigree and the piety. They were all set to rear the most amazing kids. But here comes the sad news.

Luke 1:7 ESV

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

If anyone deserved children it was Zechariah and Elizabeth. If anyone was capable of rearing godly children it would be these two people. They had the pedigree. They had the piety. And they had nothing to show for it. No child. No heir. The line would cease with them. Elizabeth was barren. She could not conceive. Now they were advanced in years—an old couple who had come to the realization that they would never get what they had so wanted.

Unmet expectations are devastating, aren’t they? It doesn’t matter where they come from. Surely, those inner expectations can pain us the most. We went to college, got a degree, and now we should have this particular job. We stayed pure through high school and college, kept myself for my future spouse. Where is she/he? We may not be bachelor/bachelorette of the year, but we’ve got love to give and a life to share. Or dreaming of a large family, but for whatever reason, no child comes. And the heart breaks and the years go by, and still nothing.

But the since of failure that comes from others. Maybe they don’t mean to heap the guilt on, but it’s there. Did you hear Zechariah and Elizabeth got married? Can’t wait to see them have kids. When are you having kids? Maybe parents asking when they will get grandkids. And God won’t give them any children. He’s closed her womb. The pain and the shame and the sense of failure.

What do you do with that? Grieve the pain. Cry out to the Father. And trust him to do what is right. Talk with your brothers and sisters, and brothers and sisters, you don’t have to have the answers. Listen and grieve with them and pray with them. This sermon is not to say that your prayers will be answered, but to give permission to keep praying, keep crying earnestly, and keep trusting. Do not lose heart.

The Prayer of the People/Priest

This leads us to the second matter Luke presents us to consider. The first was the pedigree of the parents to be. This second one is the prayer of the people and priest.

Luke 1:8–10 ESV

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

It was the time for Abijah’s clan to serve their week as priests in the temple. There were various jobs to be done, but the one that everyone wanted to do was serve at the altar of incense. For this, the priests would draw lots. It was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity. Once you served at the altar of incense, you could never serve again. Here is Zechariah, well advanced in years, having served as a priest for decades and his lot had never been drawn. Really? One with such pedigree? In the line of Abijah, a wife in the line of Aaron. Both pious, both righteous before the Lord and he had not even given him the honor of offering incense on behalf of the people. Until that day. That day, God supernaturally worked so that Zechariah’s lot was pulled. God was calling upon Zechariah to intercede. Little did he know that that moment would not be the highlight of his day!

But what was this altar of incense anyway? It was a provision set up by God back at Mt. Sinai with Moses and Aaron. It represented an atonement, specifically a prayer of atonement.

We see in Numbers 16 that a leader named Korah got 250 people to go against Moses and Aaron. And God was going to destroy Israel for such a thing. But Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people, and it would only be the 250 who would perish. But Israel was not guiltless. They had grumbled and complained against Moses and Aaron also, leading to Korah’s brazen rebellion. And then they grumbled again after Korah and the rebels were consumed by God’s holy fire. What was to be done with Israel? They too would feel God’s wrath, until Aaron made atonement.

Numbers 16:46–48 ESV

And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.” So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

The incense was an atonement for the people by the intercession of the priest. So we see that when Zechariah was chosen by lot, thus chosen by God, to enter into the Holy Place to offer incense, the multitude of people are outside in the courtyard praying. These were not simply the priests praying out there, but the people of Israel. The whole multitude, the whole crowd of people were out there praying together. Together they sought God’s grace. Together they were seeking his deliverance, his Savior. This people who had been made subject to the Roman Empire for decades were calling out in one voice as Zechariah went into the Holy Place on their behalf. He would intercede in prayer and offer up the incense with his prayer for the people.

Many believe because of what the answer was to the prayer, that Zechariah was praying for a son. I don’t think so. Being a pious man, a man who was righteous before God, the time of incense would not have been a time to pray for himself, but for his people—those people outside. Like Aaron who intervened on behalf of Israel, so Zechariah was as well.

How about us? We don’t draw lots anymore, but that does not mean that God does not supernaturally call upon us to intercede. Have you ever felt the inkling out of the blue to pray for someone or something? Have you ever been awaken in the middle of the night with someone on your mind? What do we do in those moments? Talk ourselves out of prayer? It’s just a coincidence as if we’d rather believe in random chance than God’s placing his finger upon our heart and saying, “pray.” Do we get busy, turning out thoughts to something else? Or do we go to our knees and pray, there an then hoping that God hears our prayer?

The Proclamation of the Promise

Which leads us to our third matter for consideration. The first was the pedigree of the parents to be. They had everything going for them, but God had not provided a child. The second was the prayer of the people and the priest who sent not only the incense up, but his prayer for his people as well. And now the proclamation of the promise.

Luke 1:11–13 ESV

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 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.

There was Zechariah, finishing up his prayer and incense when he was visited by an angel. And if you wonder why I say he was finishing up, it is because of what the angel said, “Your prayer has been heard.” Could the angel have been speaking about an earlier prayer? It’s possible, but considering he had just interceded on behalf of the people, it is most logical that it was the prayer just prayed. But Zechariah was troubled, a state of confusion. In essence, Zechariah was both scared and going, “What in the world is going on!?” And the angel calms him.

And again, his words are clear, “Your prayer has been heard.” Luke doesn’t say what the prayer was. Many have inferred that the prayer must have been for a son, since the angel states that Elizabeth will bear a son. But one can’t be dogmatic about that being his prayer. In fact, I think there is good reason to believe otherwise.

Zechariah was just praying on behalf of the people. It was as singular prayer and intercession that he was making.

The angel does not say, “Your prayers have been heard (plural) but your prayer (singular) has been heard. One would think that Zechariah would have offered many prayers to have a child. Certainly one could argue that it was one type of prayer, but I don’t think that really holds water. When Luke wrote about Cornelius in Acts 10, he says that Cornelius prayed continually and then an angel tells him, “Your prayers have been heard,” but when Cornelius tells Peter later about that moment, he only relays that it was a singular prayer that he prayed that day that was heard. “Your prayer has been heard.” Thus when related to continually praying, Luke wrote his prayers (plural) were heard, but in a singular moment, it was a singular prayer that was heard.

It is very likely that the promise of a son, was the means to the answer of the prayer, but not the answer to the prayer itself.

Why would I say that? Because if the prayer being referred to is Zechariah’s prayer on behalf of the people, then the promise being proclaimed is not of a son, but of grace. Let’s jump down a few verses to the birth of John.

Luke 1:59–63 ESV

And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.

John wasn’t a family name. No one had been named John. Why was it so important that the son’s name be John? Why did the angel command Zechariah to name him John? What’s the meaning of all this? The meaning is in the name. John, in Hebrew Johanen—God is gracious.

Beloved, when we have received God’s promises through his word, we should understand that these promises are not only for us. Whether you think that John was the answer to prayer or John was the means of answered prayer, John was not for Zechariah and Elizabeth alone. They could not keep him from Israel. They could not hide him away. But share him for the salvation of a people, for the display of God’s grace upon the many. Let us not hide our promise, but share them proclaiming God’s grace to the undeserving.

Conclusion

As we close out this section of the text, we have seen the pedigree of the parents. It really meant little as God is not obligated to grant anything based on ancestry (except for Jesus). He is not obligated to give anything based on what we’ve done or how we live. It is all of God’s grace. We’ve seen the prayer of the people and the priest Zechariah himself. As he prayed on behalf of the people, making intercession for them for the mercy—the grace of God. And the promise that God would indeed be gracious. And in a few weeks, we will see just how that grace comes—through Jesus who name means salvation.

If you have never received God’s special grace of salvation in your life, you can today. It comes by way of Jesus, God’s own Son. Like the people of Israel, you are living a life oppressed, not by a Roman Empire, but by the domain of darkness. God, in his grace will deliver you from the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of his beloved Son, if you will turn from sin and put your trust in him. I would love to talk with you about how you can do that if you’d like. You can call me, text me, 636-212-0699 or come up and see me. But do not delay. Today can be your day of salvation.

Some are living a life in unmet expectations, whether your own or expectations from others and you feel like your drowning in them. It is okay to grieve those unmet expectations, but let us not lose sight of Jesus. Let us call out to him to deliver us from the crashing waves. He is faithful. Don’t lose heart.

Some are looking for God to answer a particular prayer in a particular way, not realizing that God does not have to work by those standards. God can certainly answer a prayer using your prayer a means to an end and not the end in itself. Thus showing that the promise, the gift is not for you alone, but for others to share in. So sure, keep on praying, but let us not put make our expectations so finite when we deal with an infinite God.