Our story picks up before Jesus is born
This is a time in Israel’s History
Israel is under the of the
The local King Herod is not (v.5)
God hasn’t spoken in (Malachi 4:5-6)
The Old Testament ended with a
Their Question: Does God ?
(vv. 5-7)
Abijah: Abia – Hebrew origin, My Father is Ja (God) (OTESD)
Zacharias – from the Hebrew Zek-ar-yah
Zakar: to remember, Yah-Jah, the sacred name (God) (OTESD)
Elizabeth – from the Hebrew Elisheba
El: The almighty, Shabba – God of (the) oath (OTESD)
Zacharias, Elizabeth: God God’s
God’s Two Promises:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” – Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV)
… your women will not miscarry or be barren. – Exodus 23:26-27 (CJB)
Regardless of Zacharias and Elizabeth what of people they would be
Lesson: God people who will be even when it doesn’t appear to be
(vv.13-17)
Zacharias and Elizabeth get (Hebrew – yo-khaw-nawn)
Yehovah: God, chanan – move to favor by petition,
(KJV) Be gracious
John: the grace or mercy of the Lord (Hitchcock’s)
Zacharias is an believer (v.18)
He believes God but doesn’t
Will speak his but not (v.18)
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work anymore. – Numbers 8:23-25 (NASB)
Good News: He (like us) still gets
John: the grace or mercy of the Lord (Hitchcock’s)
As an unbelieving believer he can’t for God (v.22)
Why did God shut his mouth?
(God) I create the fruit of the lips – Isaiah 57:19 (CWSB)
(vv.24-25)
Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying (lego), “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people.” – Luke 1:24-25 (NASB)
Why did Elizabeth keep “herself in seclusion”?
To avoid the of
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Romans 10:17 (CWS)
To her faith with praise
Saying: legō – verb; to “lay” forth, i.e., (figuratively) relate (in words usually of systematic or set discourse) (OTESD)