Luke 1:15

15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

Wow, what an amazing set of information and instructions this messenger angel has for Zechariah. Obviously these instructions are not just ideas off the top of the angel’s head but were given to him by God to instruct Zechariah specifically. I think about the 7 letters to the churches in the book of Revelation. in each one the Lord had specific instructions for each church. I wonder what would be the instructions the Lord would have for me if He were to send a messenger angel to speak directly to me? The good thing is I do not need a messenger angel because I have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in me, to convict me of sin, to lead me to into all truth and to comfort me.

application

I need to decrease so He can increase. Today I will meditate on Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. ESV

Luke 1:14

14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

The birth of John the Baptist was orchestrated to become somewhat of a spectacle. How is it that this old woman is able to conceive and then to bring to full term a son? As a priest before the Lord chosen to burn the incense in the Temple, Zechariah was given this responsibility before the people of God. As one who serves the Lord as a minister of a thriving church I know how this position can cause your life to be on display for the congregation to see. This was the case for Zechariah and Elizabeth. This is how many will rejoice because of the birth of John, their long awaited son. I had the experience of serving as an associate pastor to a senior pastor and his wife through their period of not being able to have children. For ten years they tried and tried, and then finally the news that she was pregnant was announced and it truly did delight the congregation. I can also remember the thoughts of how this child would become someone outstanding. Our hearts just went there. How much more this first century congregation must have anticipated that the offspring of this priest and his wife would be remarkable. Eventually as John matured I am sure many awaited the holy nature of his life, yet were not surprised by the assignment he was given from on high.

Though our beginnings were not a spectacular event, anyone's life can be turned into a marvelous expression of the great things God will orchestrate. If we live our lives worthy of the calling we have received and led by the Spirit of God over time our lives unfold a great expression of the living God, and it is awesome to behold.

application

Therefore today I need to be true to the calling God has on my life and walk worthy.

Luke 1:13

13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

By pronouncing to Zechariah that he should not be afraid and that his prayer has been heard the angel at once reveals what he is and from whom he has come from. To be a witness that your prayers have been heard is a pretty ominous condition. Our prayers are essentially as a rule personal and private. To have a person appear in a place where you know to be that of solitude and holiness and the first thing they say is that our prayer has been heard is breaking all kinds of boundaries, all at once. So yeah Zechariah is freaked out.

application

Am I ready for God to break through some established boundaries in my life? I am fully confident that He can, the question becomes will He on my behalf? If an angel showed up and said, “your prayer has been heard”. Would I know what prayer he would be talking about? Have I had a particular ongoing prayer before the Lord that I have sought after Him for? The only one that comes to mind is the prayer to be a more gentle person. Therefore today I will meditate on this verse in Philippians

Philippians 4:5  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Luke 1:12

12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

What is the source of this fear? Perfect love casts out fear. 1Jn. 4:18 Ordinary fear is generated by the evil one who gets us confused and immobilized with fear. Chiefly figmented thoughts of failure, rejection, loss, even death. Once we allow ourselves to be influenced by fear of this sort, we in effect give the enemy of our soul an invitation to torment and frolic to his giggles and grins.

Though I suppose this fear that Zechariah is gripped with is not the ordinary sort of fear. Instead it is a Holy fear. One that is generated by the instantaneous reflection of being in the presence of glorified and uncorrupt being.  This is the same reaction of Isaiah when the mist of the Lord’s presence filled the Temple with His Glory. He was hushed and overwhelmed as one who recognizes the vast difference between his sinful self and the nature of the Divine.

application

I need to be still and know that He is God and that His presence in my life is a privilege and that He is Holy, and by association that can make me Holy, set apart for His good pleasure.

Luke 1:11

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

Implied in this verse is that there are angels round about us that do not appear to us. This one at the appointed time did appear to Zechariah. Sometimes we see angels but do not recognize them as such;

Heb. 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

The presence of the Lord is everywhere, the angels may be with us at any time visible or not. The record of our lives is recorded and considered for Holy purposes, or not.

2Tim 2:20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the practice of His presence is the wisdom of a broken servant.

application

Today as I recognize that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit I carry His presence with me wherever I go. I need to honor that presence and expand upon it. The only one string on that guitar is to diminish self, and the desires of the flesh. Therefore today I will not listen to any political talk radio shows but replace that with worship music.

Luke 1:10

10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

The burning of the incense took place every morning and evening before the Lord as an ordinance.

Ex 30:7-8 “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

So this was a twice daily occurrence. Those who were worshipping and praying were outside of the area where the incense was burned. I find their yearning to be close to the Lord and the things of God endearing. Even though they would not be directly involved in the process they still wanted to be there.

application

do I yearn to be near the things God is doing round about me? Even if I cannot partake personally? I will look to adjust my attitude and be satisfied with the presence and grace of the Lord and not need to be directly involved.

Luke 1:9

9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

The Scriptures have notoriously omitted specific instruction regarding how to govern the people of God through the Church. We do find big picture goals and objectives but when it comes to tactics and process...not so much. Hence the various denominations, from congregational types to elder led to the “Moses model” to the autocratic “holy see” in Rome. The good thing is that there are as many iterations of Christianity as there are various people groups and personality types. So it works. There is universal need for Jesus and one cookie cutter delivery system just would not fit all the various needs. Which brings us to Zechariah, and the custom of the priesthood. At that time it was ordained for a priest to go into the temple and burn incense. How that priest was chosen from among the other priests was not specified in the Scriptures. So, accordingly the custom they invented to choose the priest for this specific task was by drawing lot. It’s one way, it worked for them, they could have employed any number of tactics or processes. I love that about the Lord. He allows us to become part of the deal by giving us the goal and allowing us to figure out a way to do it.

application

I need to be willing give the men under my charge goals to achieve but to allow them to find their own ways to fulfill them.