December 3 – Zechariah and Elizabeth
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.
8 When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16 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 fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”
18 “How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months. She said, 25 “The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.”
Luke 1:5-25
Zechariah and Elizabeth – A December 3 Devotional (Luke 1:5-25)
Can you imagine? Here you are, just hanging out at work, doing your job. Everyone else is outside praying, and you have been assigned to enter the sanctuary and burn the incense.
When, suddenly, an angel appears to you! And not just any angel, but the angel Gabriel, straight from the presence of God. Gabriel must have been an awe-inspiring and fearsome sight because the Bible states that Zechariah was terrified when he caught sight of Gabriel.
Even Righteous People Make Mistakes
This passage lets us know that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were blameless before the Lord, righteous in His sight, following all the commandments. These people are full of integrity, respected in the community for their commitment to the laws of the Lord.
However, this man of faith, a priest, whose job is to serve in the temple of the Lord, is filled with disbelief when he hears the message of this awe-inspiring angel. He is looking at and listening to an ANGEL, and yet still does not have enough faith to believe the message God has sent.
What was this outrageous message?
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16 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 fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” Luke 1:13-17
Zechariah and Elizabeth live outstanding, faith-filled lives in service to God. However, Elizabeth feels the contempt of the other women. She sees herself as disgraced because she has never had children.
So, God honors their righteousness with the incredible gift of a son. The one who will prepare the way for the Messiah and turn people back to the Lord. Their son will be filled with the Holy Spirit, set apart for a special purpose. He will come to be known as John the Baptist.
Silenced
What joy! What an honor! And yet, Zechariah’s immediate response is to bring up reasons why this miracle cannot happen. We’re too old!
Gabriel’s response is beautiful. He reminds Zechariah that he has come from standing in the presence of God. Then, as a consequence of Zechariah’s disbelief, he makes this man of God mute until the birth of John. He will not have the joy of telling people about his meeting with the angel Gabriel or about what God is doing for him and his wife.
Elizabeth’s Response
Though Zechariah cannot talk, he uses hand signals and signs to let the other priests know that he has seen a vision and cannot speak. He does not rush home, but finishes his time of duty in the temple. Then, after he returns home, Gabriel’s words come true. His wife Elizabeth conceives and is pregnant even in her old age.
How does she respond?
“The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.” Luke 1:25
She sees the pregnancy as a gift from the God who loved her enough to take away her feelings of disgrace. She must have had such a love-filled, intimate view of God the Father!
December 3 Devotional Action Step:
Will we respond to God’s Word like Zechariah with disbelief or like Elizabeth with an assurance of God’s love and favor for us? Even though we may not have been visited by an angel, we are given his message when we open God’s Word and stand in His presence in worship and prayer.
How do our lives show that we are called and directed by God Himself? Are we silent about the blessings of God? Do we thank Him for His favor and love?
Today, let’s assess our heart attitude about what God says about us.
Prayer:
Dear God, open the eyes of my heart to see where I have been silent and full of unbelief. Lord, help me to believe Your Word and to recognize where You have lavished Your love and favor on me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Access to the other posts in this series and the free printables for this December can be found at the Series Overview page. Come join me as I pursue the peace and joy on the Savior’s birth throughout the month of December!