HOPE RETURNS BY A SACRED PROCLAMATION

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (Luke 1:13)

For 400 years God has been silent—and now the silence is broken!  Four centuries of prophetic darkness will yield to the light of truth!

We read of A PROPHET FORETOLD.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is 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 in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  (Luke 1:13-17)   

So often in Scripture we read of God or His messenger conveying a word of peace to a trembling saint!  That is what Zacharias hears.  Far from a word of judgment, it is a word of joy that is announced.  A special baby will be born.  John would be the herald of the King! 

Then a description of spiritual awakening—in the nation, the church and the home—is given.   Israel, as a nation, would be called to repentance.  Not only the nation, but these people of God are to be made ready for the Lord’s coming.  This spiritual awakening will extend into the family with the hearts of fathers and children turning to each other.  We need that now!  If we would turn to the Lord, he will turn His face toward us!

There was a prophet foretold and this would be A PROMISE FULFILLED.

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”  And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.  But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”  And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.  But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.  So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.  Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”  (Luke 1:18-25) 

God spoke and Zacharias couldn’t.  Elizabeth will be able to share and Zacharias will only be able to sign!  Unbelief will shut his mouth.  God has spoken!  Why don’t we trust Him?   Maybe you’ve seen the bumper sticker, “God said it; I believe it; that settles it!”  WRONG!  God said it and that settles it whether you believe it or not!  Unbelief can rob us of blessing, but it won’t stop God’s purposes.

How will you respond to Him?  Let us not doubt in the dark what God has told us in the light!