CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

December 7, 2008

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REQUESTS AND THANKSGIVINGS:

“His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied” (Luke 1:67).

The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is similar to that of Abraham and Sarah (1). Both couples were well advanced in years to bear children. Both questioned the idea of having children at an old age. Both had faith in God and His promises but had difficulty confronting it personally. Both children have special names. Zechariah was a priest serving in the Temple when an angel from God appears to him and announces that he and Elizabeth would have a child. Zechariah, who knew the scriptures, forgot abut Abraham and Sarah. Zechariah tells the angel: “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years?” (Luke 1:18). The angel then told him his name, Gabriel, and that Zechariah would be silent until the birth of the child.

Zechariah left the Temple in silence, no longer able to speak. The people thought that he had seen a vision and he tried to make signs to communicate. A short time later, Elizabeth became pregnant and was filled with joy. We find that Elizabeth and Mary are related, an important point that we will look at in another article. Nine months later a baby is born and he is named John (becoming known to us as John the baptizer). Elizabeth announces the name and Zechariah agrees, and by so doing is then able to speak, praising God. The people who witness this were filled with awe and questions were raised as to the purpose of this child. Keep in mind that expectations of the coming Messiah were high at this time.

This leads us to what some traditions call The Benedictus, Zechariah’s song or prophecy in Luke 1:68-79. Songs were important to Israel and were often sung when victories had been won. Both Miriam (Exodus 15), Moses’ sister, and Deborah (Judges 5) sang songs after victories. Of course, the Psalms were the song book of Israel. Various styles are found in the Psalms from praise and thanksgiving to lament. In Psalm 137, Israel was tormented by Babylonians for not singing the songs of Zion in captivity. Over the years we have looked at various songs and carols about the birth of Christ, what they were saying, and there importance. This year we will look at Biblical songs surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Zechariah’s song is a prophecy rich in Old Testament imagery and tradition. It draws on the hopes of God’s plan or will being done, an announcement that something was happening. When a named “angel” appeared in scripture, something definitely was going to happen, yet while people talked about it, few appeared to look into it further.

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and

redeemed them” (Luke 1:67).

From the past, we have read over and over how God had rescued His people in distress, from Moses to King Hezekiah. From the Septuagint (LXX), “Remember us, O Lord, with the favour thou hast to thy people: visit us with thy salvation” (Psalm 105:4). This is just one of many times that God came to save Israel. But now something new was happening. He is coming again, and since we know the rest of the story, it will be personal. This too is seen in the Exodus, at Mt. Sinai, and at the Temple in Jerusalem, but now He will come as a human (Philippians 2:6-9; John 1:1, 14). He will come personally and dwell among His people announcing salvation, the salvation that will bring redemptive fellowship. This will not be like Caesar who came to bring Roman salvation through armies; it would be a salvation from sins that have hinder a relationship with God.

“He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago).

David was the greatest king in Israel’s history. When the prophets spoke of a coming king, they would use David, the man after God’s own heart, as the standard. All kings were compared to David, however imperfect David and they were. Israel has had no king for six hundred years, having been occupied by foreign powers for most of that time. Herod the Great was not a Jew and most Jews had no love for him. The expectation was for one like David to come, the Anointed One, the Messiah, to again bring salvation to Israel from her enemies. Psalm 18:2-3 states this: The Lord is…the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

“salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us--

to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath

he swore to our father Abraham; to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before

him all our days.

These are the words of slavery. One might have heard a similar cry from the Israelites in Egypt when they cried out to the Lord to rescue them from bondage. The song also recalls the promise made to Abraham, a promised ingrained in the soul of Israel, that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. Yes, by this time that promise was probably limited to Israel by the scholars, yet there were Gentile converts to Judaism, so in a sense they were spreading light to the world. Both the Psalmists and the prophets recognized this rescue. “And he saved them out of the hand of them that hated them, and redeemed them out of the hand of the enemy” (Psalm 106:10). “You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:20).

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on

before the Lord to prepare the way for him.”

Zechariah gets personal here with the mission of his new born son. He would be the announcer of the coming One, preparing the way for the Lord. Needless to say, it was John the baptizer who would do this. People would go to hear John speak and ask if he was Elijah or the Messiah. We get this from Malachi 3:1: “Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” Then in Malachi 4:5-6, the prophet states, “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.” Put this together with the expectation of the Messiah, and it becomes an exciting message for those who were listening.

“to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.”

Forgiveness was an important idea even in the Old Testament. The sacrificial system was a means to find forgiveness in a relationship with God. David recognize much more than sacrifices though; he realized that God wanted a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:16). A new aspect was coming in this concept. Jesus would bring the forgiveness of sins as the final and perfect sacrifice (2). When a man was let down through the roof on a pallet, Jesus, seeing faith, announced that his sins were forgiven. This shocked the crowd and especially the religious leaders. He asked a simple question. Which is easier? To tell him his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? The answer is obvious, it is easier to state something. But Jesus went on to say that in order for them to know that He has the authority to forgive sins, He told the man to get up and walk, which he did, to the amazement of all! “The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations” (Psalm 98:2).

“because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us

from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to

guide our feet into the path of peace.”

The tender mercy of God recalls God’s proclamation to Moses. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:5-6). This, or parts of it, are quoted a number of times throughout the Old Testament. It was a call by Israel to God grace and mercy, especially when sin was being repented of. Light would come into darkness in Jesus, as the Gospel of John emphasizes as a major theme. Of course, the announcement by the angels to the shepherds in Luke 2 and the Wise Men following a star all give substance to Zechariah’s song. Then there is that shadow of death idea, coming from the most famous Psalm, 23. The idea is that in the valley of the shadow of death or deepest darkness, the Lord is with us. We are going to be guided through that darkness to light where we will find peace, God’s shalom (see Philippians 4:6-7).

Much more can be drawn out of this song of Zechariah. We could look at the political situation of Israel in Zechariah’s day, with the occupation of Israel by Rome. Israel was in this situation because of its rebellion centuries earlier, and had paid a heavy price for that rebellion (3). The expectation of the day would be that the Messiah would come to defeat Rome and free Israel. But Israel was even blind to that, stating that they had never been slaves to anyone (John 8:33), forgetting Egypt and Babylon and then Rome. The truth would set them free, primarily from sin. But a new King or Lord would reign, and now is reigning until death is finally conquered. That challenged however would be seen as a threat to Rome in later years. Even today, the commitment to Jesus as Lord is seen as a challenge to some and a threat to others of disloyalty to a nation or political class.

Primarily though, we should see this song as an introduction into what God would do to begin the process of redeeming both humanity and creation, looking forward to the new heavens and new earth that we wait for in the future. Those paying attention to this song in those days would be excited to see the Lord’s salvation, as was Simeon in Luke 2:25-35.

As we sing the songs of the season, lets remember the One who came to bring salvation, and through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus has brought salvation for all.

George B. Mearns

(1) See Genesis 12:1-3; 16:1-18:15; 21:1-21 and Luke 1:5-25, 57--80.

(2) See the book of Hebrews.

(3) For a political perspective on the song, see Andrew Perriman, The Benedictus of Zechariah, www.andrewperriman.com