Spirit of Elijah

Luke 1:5-25

I realize that I have included a pretty big section of Scripture, more than I usually do.  However, we are reading through a story, news articles of the timeline of Christ.  This section is about where John the Baptist came from and the context from which he was conceived.  The details are important, so it is necessary that we are able to see the whole picture. 

Herod was the local ruler at the time, focused on building up the area.  He rebuilt the Jewish temple so that it was twice as big as it was before.  Some of his family had converted to Judaism; later he would be despised by the Jews because he hadn’t converted himself.  His main goal was political prowess and power, which is why later he sought to kill the supposed new King who would rise up and overpower him (i.e., Jesus).  Things seemed “good,” however, at this point in history.  He was trying to earn favor from the local populace and also favor from those who were over him.

Elizabeth and Zechariah were both from the priestly line of Judaism.  Zechariah served in the temple, and Elizabeth was revered amongst women.  However, they struggled with infertility and couldn’t understand why, as they served the Lord fervently.  Here comes our first object lesson.  The reason was so that God could be glorified!  1) There was great prestige and importance placed on the firstborn male of a household.  John had to be born at the appropriate time to the appropriate family.  This is why, I believe, the Lord did not permit them to have children until this time.  Consider this when you are going through a difficult time, trusting in the Lord, but also wondering why He hasn’t delivered you from your circumstances yet!  2) The miracle of conception, birth, and survival of the baby when the parents were old and advanced in years also glorified God by calling attention to John and his importance.  3) Zechariah was struck mute for his unbelief!  Consider the scene: a righteous man serving God faithfully has an encounter with a heavenly being who makes him fall to his face.  He is given a word of the Lord, and his response is, “Are you kidding me?”  We will later see the difference in the response Mary gives when Gabriel tells her she will be pregnant with a child before even having sex…a much more unbelievable miracle.  Yet this man, who is a priest himself, struggles to believe God would answer his prayers to have a child.  Why is this?

When we wrestle with something for so long, we begin to lose faith.  Mary wasn’t struggling to get pregnant for decades; Elizabeth and Zechariah were.  I believe that in these instances, we tend to lose heart and give up.  We accept that, “maybe it isn’t the Lord’s will.”  Maybe it isn’t, but maybe it is, and we just aren’t aware of His timeline.  Regardless of the why, it is important for us to strive not to lose heart!  This ties into the even bigger picture of Israel losing heart that their Savior would never come, or even that He would rescue them in a certain way.  Is there something in your life you have been striving for an answer to, and it seems like God refuses to respond?  How would you react if you suddenly had an encounter with an angel that told you your prayer would be answered, but in a way you never imagined?

Elijah was a prophet of repentance.  His main focus was calling people back to righteousness.  He confronted King Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-24) and preached repentance to the people of Israel.  The final chapter of the Old Testament, Malachi 4, foretells the spirit of Elijah coming before the coming of the Messiah to prepare the way for Him.  Gabriel makes it clear that this will be John’s calling in life and Godly mission.  This is what Israel anticipated for over 400 years!  It is very possible that this also led to Zechariah’s unbelief.  Not only would they have a child beyond the years of childbearing, but this child would also be the fulfillment of prophecy that their people had since given up on being fulfilled.  If we put ourselves in his shoes, it is indeed quite an unbelievable story.  

There were multiple times in the Old Testament when God called His people to “prepare themselves” for something that was about to happen.  Particularly, they would be entering something where God would deliver them.  Specifically, I think of when they were getting ready to enter the promised land and take it over from its residents.  God told Joshua and his soldiers to consecrate themselves.  This was a time of repentance and ceremony to cleanse themselves from any effects of sinfulness in their lives so they could walk together as a holy people.  This is the same thing that John did as he witnessed to Israel and called them to repentance in preparation for Jesus’ coming.

How is God calling you to consecrate yourself?  What repentance must you offer to the Lord in preparation for what He has next for you?  Consider the things that you have fallen into, no longer expecting God to show up and answer your pleas.  How have you taken things into your own hands, or gotten lackadaisical in your commitment to the Lord?  Let us return to the Lord, cleanse ourselves in preparation for His coming, and expect the great things He has promised!