Luke 1:57-66
"Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called his name 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. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea. 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 1:57-66.
God has been true to His word. "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us," Hebrews 6:17-18. We can be sure that what God has promised, He will bring to pass on His timing. Look back at Luke 1:11-25. The words that the angel Gabriel said, God would fulfill in their season. Elisabeth who was barren, became pregnant by her husband Zacharias, and now in our passage of Scripture it is time that she should be delivered. In verses 57 and 58 we see a relieved mother, and a rejoicing community.
Elisabeth is a relieved mother. Her time had come to be delivered. This means to bring forth, bear, bring. Bringing forth her son caused her to be delivered from more than just the pain that is associated with child bearing. This righteous lady had a stigma in the community. She was looked down on because she didn't have any children. She carried that burden with her wherever she went. She hid herself five months after she conceived so others would not mock her. No doubt she also understood the great possibility of a miscarriage. Though she trusted the Lord and no doubt was rejoicing, those things had to cross her mind. Elisabeth was wise in that she was patient and cautious. Now in verse 57 all these reproaches are taken away. Just as God sent word through the angel Gabriel, God brought it to pass. She is relieved, and no doubt she is rejoicing in the faithfulness of God. Elisabeth is not rejoicing alone.
"And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her," Luke 1:58. A rejoicing community. When a baby was born during that day it was a time for celebration. This birth merited even more attention. Elisabeth's friends and family heard how the Lord had showed great mercy on her in giving her a son. They rejoiced with her. They were not rejoicing in who Elisabeth was, but were rejoicing in who God is, and what God had done for her and Zacharias. "O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth," Isaiah 25:1. "Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever," Psalm 118:28-29. "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness," Lamentations 3:22-23. The community was not rejoicing in the goodness of Elisabeth, but in the faithfulness of God. Our rejoicing with others should be about how good and faithful our God is. We are who we are and we are able to do what we do by God's grace, therefore; He is worthy of our praise.
In verses 59-63 we see the community and Elisabeth feuding over the name of the son that was born. It was not uncommon for the community to have a part in naming a baby. "And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David," Ruth 4:17. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the baby, and to give him a name. This was the custom of the day. This again was a big day, and it was magnified because she who was barren has had a child in her old age. Surely Elisabeth would want to name her son after her husband Zacharias to honour him. This made perfect sense, and the whole community was in agreement, but God had already given this child a name. Elisabeth went against the grain of the majority, and in obedience to God named the babe John. The custom of the community was not sinful here, but it would have been sinful for Zacharias and Elisabeth to go along with the community. God gave them specific instructions that the babes name will be John. The community even came to Zacharias expecting him to override Elisabeth. Zacharias wrote on a writing table, "His name is John." That ended the feud.
"And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God," Luke 1:64. Zacharias hasn't been able to speak for nine months. "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season," Luke 1:20. The first thing he does when he could speak was to praise God. "Praised" in this verse is the Greek word "Eulogeo" and speaks of men toward God: to bless, i.e. to praise, speak well of with praise and thanksgiving. God is worthy of all praise. God fulfilled what He said He would do in giving them a son, and opening his mouth and ears after he named the babe John. The community was no longer feuding over the name of the child, but now they had fear with anticipation (Luke 1:65-66). "Fear" in this verse is the Greek word "phobos" and means astonishment, amazement.
The people were astonished with anticipation at how God would use this child for His glory, and for their good. In verses 67-80 Zacharias prophesied about what his son would do. Lord willing in the coming weeks we will look at when this was prophesied in the Old Testament, and what this meant for the nation of Israel, and for the rest of the world until the Lord comes back.
Our God is faithful. He will fulfill what He has promised. We have every reason to praise Him, all the time in all things. It is important that we obey the Lord in all things. Others will make plans for our lives, and the majority may be in agreement, but it is beneficial for all that we continue patiently serving the Lord, and rejoicing in His mercies and faithfulness. Our God is so good to us. He saved us, and now He uses us for His honour and glory. We are a royal priesthood. How is God using you today? Not how He used you in the past, but how is He using you today? God is faithful, even when we are not. He uses imperfect people. Even in Zacharias's doubting, God was faithful. The forerunner of the Messiah is born, which means Emmanuel will soon be on this earth. Lord willing we will look at that in a few weeks. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
