“Now while he was serving as priest before God…” (Luke 1:8)
Bible Reading: Luke 1:8-15
Yesterday, we noted who it was that the Lord chose to be the parents of the forerunner of his Son, Jesus. Today we look at the circumstances in which he revealed his plan to them.
Zechariah, we have already seen, was a priest of the Lord (Luke 1:5). Luke tells us how he was visited by an angel “while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty” (v. 8). The large priestly family had been divided by King David into 24 orders (1 Chronicles 24:7-19), and these took turns at providing service at the temple of the Lord.
It was while his order, the order of Abijah, was on duty that Zechariah was “chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense” (v. 9). What is not immediately obvious is that this might have been the only occasion in his life when such a privilege fell to him. Such were the numbers of priests, and the practice of selecting them by lot for particular duties, that a person might only get to enter the holy place but once in a lifetime, and in doing so, might perform only one of the duties involved.
When the lot fell to Zechariah, he was chosen to perform the task of burning incense on the golden incense altar. The constant burning of incense before God symbolised the prayers of his people (see, for example, Revelation 8:3), and each fresh offering of it marked a special time for prayer for those assembled to worship (v. 10).
It was at such a holy moment that there appeared to Zechariah “an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense” (v. 11). It would seem that this happened suddenly, and in a way that made it immediately obvious to Zechariah that something supernatural was happening. His immediate reaction was to be troubled and fearful (v. 12).
But the angel had not come to frighten him. “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,” he says, “for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord” (vs. 13-15).
In saying that “your prayer has been heard,” the angel indicates that Zechariah had used this special moment in his life to pray about his childlessness. To be without children was such a burden – and even a shame – in Israel, that it would have been natural that this should have been on Zechariah’s heart as he had this special opportunity to approach God.
It should not surprise us that the promise of a child is given at this high moment in Zechariah’s service as a priest, and in response to prayer. God often works this way. As we deliberately approach him and make our requests known to him, he frequently delights to reveal himself to us.
Closing Thoughts:
- Have you known special moments when God seems to speak directly to you?
- If so, can you recall what you were doing when such moments occurred?