This week's Bible Study - December 9, 2006
Getting Ready for the Savior
 Background Scripture:
Luke 1:5-13, 57-79
Quote of the Week:
“If your're not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he'll be ready to take your job.”
-- Brooks Robinson
Each of us spends time getting ready for many things in life. We go to school and learn how to learn, so that we are prepared for a career, or at least a job. When we have company at home, we may spend time preparing the house so that it is presentable for those outside of our families. We often put a lot of time in preparation for events - such as a Christmas party or a Super Bowl party or some other event that draws people together. A sports team will spent many practices preparing for their next game. We all know of preparation - even if we don't do it enough.
As we prepare for the Christmas holiday season, those of us who are Christians turn our thoughts back to the Christ child born in Bethlehem. He was the culmination of prophecies in the Old Testament - most people didn't realize it at the birth, but through his life and death and resurrection, many prophecies were fulfilled. As we stand many centuries later and look back at the life of Christ, compared to the prophecies, we are truly amazed. Another prophecy regarding Christ was that of one coming before hand - one who would prepare the way for the coming Lord.
As we think of the preparations for the arrival of the Savior, we see that God has always had a plan for the redemption of his people. It wasn't an accident and it wasn't something that God thought up just before it happened. It was prepared well in advance. Just as God prepared the world for the coming of the Savior, we should be preparing ourselves to receive him.
At a specific time, there was a specific priest, Zechariah. He belonged to the priestly division and his wife, Elizabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron. These were legitimate religious people. God's word is true and God has worked through many people, at many different times. The Bible is full of historical people who lived and died and the stories of their lives.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were seen as upright individuals in the sight of God. We think of people that seem to be upright, but what is the difference between us thinking of someone who we believe to be righteous and God seeing someone as righteous? God knows all about them - all about us. We only think we know about others, and we often find we don't know all that much about ourselves.
They observed all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. They were legitimate and their hearts truly sought to serve God. Even though they were seen as upright, they had no children. Children were seen by many as a sign of God's approval on parents. Elizabeth was barren, so she could have no kids, and they were both well along in years. The odds did not seem to be in their favor for having children by any manner.
Zechariah's division of priests was on duty, and Zechariah was chosen by lot to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. This was a high honor, in that many priests never had the opportunity to burn incense in the holy place. It was also a time of reverence, as the priest was entering the very presence of God. It was not a thing to be taken lightly. When the time came, Zechariah went in to burn the incense and assembled worshipers were praying outside.
When Zechariah was burning the incense, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Can you imagine the thoughts going through his head? We know he was upright, but somehow he had to be stunned and wondering what he had done. It's much like when you are driving down the highway, at or below the posted speed limit, and you see the lights of a police car in your mirror. Your stomach drops and by instinct, almost everybody I know will slow down. Zechariah was startled and gripped with fear. I think we can all imagine that fear.
The angel spoke to him - by name. This was an angel with a message for Zechariah and not for the entire community. The sign would be for all to see, but the message was for Zechariah. His prayer had been heard and his wife would bear him a son. He was to call the name of the boy John. Do you think he was still praying for a son? We learned he was advanced in age and his wife was barren. I'm sure he prayed diligently for years, but probably had gotten past it and was willing to play the cards of life that he had been dealt. In our time frame, we think that things can only happen at a certain period of time. But, in God's timing, he can still move at any time. He doesn't bind himself to a specific time schedule.
What do you think went through Zechariah's mind? In later verses, we read that Zechariah heard the angel, but questioned the validity. How could he be sure? He and his wife were old. The angel told Zechariah that he had been appointed to give the good news to him, but since he would not believe, Zechariah would be silent until the boy was born. I would imagine some amount of time passed, and as Zechariah finally emerged from the temple, people had to be amazed that he could not speak.
The time passed and it became time for Elizabeth to have her baby. She gave birth to a son, as the angel had said. All of the people who knew Elizabeth - relatives, neighbors, friends, acquaintances, etc - saw that something great had happened. The Lord had shown her great mercy, and they were all full of joy.
After eight days, it was time to circumcise the baby, and people were going to name him Zechariah (junior), after his father. However, Elizabeth had heard the story from Zechariah that the baby was to be named John. When she told the people that John was to be his name, they were admittedly perplexed. They knew of no John in the family. Who was John?
They approached Zechariah to get this cleared up - surely Elizabeth had missed something. Zechariah still couldn't speak, so he asked for a writing tablet. To everyone's amazement, he wrote that the name of the child was to be John. Immediately, he was able to speak and he began praising God. Although he dealt with unbelief before, he now believed and was willing to follow what the angel had said.
The news spread quickly. Surely, people had heard of the plight of the priest, Zechariah - and how he lost his voice in the temple. They would learn of the birth of this miracle child to an old, barren couple. They would hear that the child took a non standard name - unlike any of his family - and that Zechariah would receive his voice back. Everyone through the country of Judea was talking about these things. They knew that this child was to be something special, because the Lord's hand was obviously upon the situation.
When Zechariah got his voice back, he was no content to keep quiet. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied of praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. He praised God for the prophecies which spoke of the one who was to come. As the events began to unfold, some people truly understood that God was at work - and not in an isolated event. Have you ever wondered what God is doing in your life when he comes through in some manner you didn't expect? Did he do that just to change things for a bit or did God have more in mind. Often, we can look back at what God has done in our lives and see how he has prepared us for things that would be coming. Zechariah surely saw this.
Zechariah acknowledged that this boy, John, would be a prophet of the Most High. He would prepare the way for the Lord. The Lord would come to bring salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins. Incidentally, this is the only way to God. Many people will question why it has to be Christianity - it is because of the human condition and the need for the forgiveness of sins. Others can try to be perfect, but they never will be. Others can try to find forgiveness through ritual, but the only true forgiveness is through Christ.
This whole series of events was put into play by God's mercy. It is truly amazing to see how merciful God is with us. He has given his light to shine on those living in darkness. He has brought hope to those who live in the shadow of death. He intends to guide us into the path of peace. None of this is because of who we are, but because of who God is.
Closing
Zechariah and Elizabeth were seen as upright people. However, they didn't have everything that some people thought went along with being upright. Sometimes, behavior is based upon what we get for it. Children learn to make certain decisions because they get a prize of some sort. Are we 'behaving' only if there is a prize, or are we truly upright individuals?
Zechariah was doing his normal business before the Lord and God spoke to him. Sometimes I wonder if the only place that the angel could have gotten his attention was where Zechariah didn't expect him. I would content that God speaks to us in many ways throughout our lives. Are we listening? What does it take for God to get our attention?
What God said would happen - it happened. Zechariah and Elizabeth didn't get so caught up in what had happened that they forgot the miracle. They attributed it to God and were faithful in doing what they had been told to do. When God speaks to you, he wants you to know that he can make it happen. He wants us to remember who he is and what he has done. Has God ever blessed you, only to be rebuffed because you took the glory and ran with it?
When God had worked in a way that Zechariah saw that it was clearly God, Zechariah took the time to praise the Lord for what he had done. God was able to speak to Zechariah and use him in a much greater way at that point. When God has worked in our lives, we have the opportunity to share a great witness with the world. Have you shared, or have you remained silent?
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