Luke 1:9-14 "According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. (10) And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. (11) And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. (12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. (13) But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. (14) And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth."
As we fast approach the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, my heart's desire
is to try to prepare myself for proper worship and devotion unto my Lord. I
realize people celebrate in different ways. Some decide not to celebrate at
all. But since I'm writing, I get to express my views. (He said with a smile)
Today's passage concerns Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. He
and his wife, Elisabeth, had been praying for a child. Specifically, they
wanted a son. They had no way of knowing what God had in store for them and
their son. Zacharias was a Levite and had responsibilities concerning
temple worship. At the time of this occurrence, he was responsible for burning
incense. The burning of incense upon the altar of incense represented the
prayers of the people being offered unto the Lord. If you notice in verse 9,
the people were praying outside while Zacharias was in the holy place burning
the incense. (Just a quick side note) In the temple, there was the holy
place and then the holy of holies. Only the High Priest could enter the holy of
holies. The priests went into the holy place where there was the altar of
incense, the table of bread, and the candlestick. Each represented a portion of
the relationship between the Lord and His people. Zacharias' burning of incense
represented that portion of our relationship called prayer.
There is no doubt that while he burned the incense for the people, Zacharias
was also praying for God to grant his request. It was on this particular
day that God answered the prayer that had often been prayed. The angel,
Gabriel, appeared to him and declared, "Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer
is heard." Your wife is going to have a son and you are going to
name him John. You and Elisabeth will have joy and gladness because of the
birth of your son, but Zacharias, "Many shall rejoice at his birth."
The lives of many people would be affected by the ministry of this man we
call, John the Baptist. In fact, our lives today are still affected by
the life of John.
It
would be John the Baptist. while at the Jordan river, who declared "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." It would
be John the Baptist who stood face to face with Herod and told him it was wrong
for him to take his brother's wife. It would be John the Baptist who taught us
that even the greatest have times when doubt and fear creep into our lives. But
Jesus will put those fears to rest.
Zacharias and Elisabeth, we rejoice with you that God is faithful and answers our prayers according to His time schedule. Thank you Lord!