The Prophesies Of Zacharias

Luke 1:57-80

“Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.” (Luke 1;57-58)

Being well past child bearing age and having given up hope of having a child, it must have been really exciting to Zacharias and Elizabeth. Friends and relatives were thrilled for couple, rejoicing that God had performed such a miracle. It was customary to name children after close relatives, and the decision to call the child John was a surprise to the community.

“And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” (Luke 1:59-64)

Breaking tradition often results in conflict, but God had instructed them what name to call him in verse 13. When Zacharias obeyed God by insisting on the name, the people were amazed. God rewarded his obedience and restored the ability to speak that had been lost as a result of his lack of faith. The miraculous restoration of his speech, coupled with the miraculous birth attracted a lot of attention among the farmers and shepherds of the hill country, although the cities took no notice.

“And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.” (Luke 1:65-66)

The Holy Spirit then filled Zacharias, and caused him to prophesy again of Messiah, the one who would sit on the throne of David and deliver Israel. He refers back to the many prophecies such as the one in Isaiah 9:6-7. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” The first recorded prophecy goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:15.

“And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.” (Luke 1:67-75)

Some of the prophecy was directed to what John himself would do. This also related directly to prophesies in the past, such as MalachI 3:1. “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 40:3 describes the message he will carry. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John is to be the fulfillment of that prophecy.

“And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79)

Luke 1:15 declared, “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.” Staying in the desert and hill country helped to avoid some of the distractions the cities would have offered.

“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.” (Luke 1:80)

As a result of his development in the desert, John developed a different lifestyle than those in the cities, making him stand out as different when he began his ministry. Matthew 3:4 describes his differences. “And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.” He was not the typical well dressed, sophisticated and polished preacher of his day.