"If the LORD delights in a person's way, He makes their steps firm; though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD upholds them with His hand." (Psalm 37:23,24)

Friday, 13 December 2019: Advent Day 11, Luke 1:39-80

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rustic mountain scene
Good morning dear “Walking with Jesus” friends.
 
The calendar says today is “Friday the 13th” and for some people… that will likely bring great anxiety and even worry. In some extreme cases, some people may not even get out of bed today, for fear of what may happen on “Friday the 13th”!
 
But for us, people who build our lives on the foundation of God’s Truth, and seek to ‘walk with Jesus’ today. . . it’s a wonderful Friday, and the Scripture we’re reading today, Luke 1:39-80, seems perfect for “Friday the 13th”.
 
As we step into the story, it’s been almost 7 months since Zechariah had his mind-blowing encounter with the angel Gabriel in the Temple holy place (Luke 1:8-20). Since that day Zechariah has been silent, unable to speak even one word, struck  mute by Gabriel, you may remember (Luke 1:20).  Now all of us men reading this… think about that just a moment. Imagine you have not been able to speak a word since Memorial Day 2019!! Wow! 
 
secret
 Because of what we find spoken by Zechariah, as soon as he was able to speak (Luke 1:68-79), I believe Zechariah spent most of every day digging deeply into whatever portions of God’s Word he was able to get his hands on, trying to figure out what was happening to him and Elizabeth, and what their future would be with this miracle boy growing in old Elizabeth’s womb. I imagine he and she spent hours praying and preparing. I would guess they were very anxious about the expectations of parenting the fore-runner of Messiah! Parenting is tough enough, but that level of parenting… oh my!
 
Suddenly Mary shows up at their door!
 
The Bible doesn’t tell us what type of relationship they had with young Mary, but it must have been fairly close, as we look at Elizabeth’s welcome of Mary in Luke 1:39-45. Read it slowly and simply be amazed! Look at how the Holy Spirit of God is at work with both women. Look at the miracle of Elizabeth’s baby ‘leaping’ in her womb! Clearly, by the words Elizabeth spoke, she had a remarkable understanding of both her and Mary’s pregnancy! Perhaps in the “greeting” Mary had given to Elizabeth she had quickly told of Gabriel’s visit to her and her unexplainable pregnancy? (Luke 1:41) 
 
No doubt God was at work in a special way in the weeks they spent together. We see in Luke 1:56 Mary stayed with them about 3 months. I doubt they spoke of much else other than their two soon to be born sons and who they would become, what their God given purposes in life would be, and what role they as mothers would have in the lives of their sons. All of you dear ladies reading this today, I wonder if you can put yourself into their story… either Mary or Elizabeth? What would you be thinking and feeling if you were in their shoes?
 
mother child
 We don’t know exactly when Mary spoke the words recorded in Luke 1:46-55 but it seems to me an overflow of a grateful heart that has been infused with a fresh understanding of both the miracle of her pregnancy and the significance of her baby. We assume Mary to be about 16-18 years of age or so, maybe a little older, but that would have been normal engagement age in the first century. I imagine each day for Mary was filled with new learning and her awe of God must have continued to grow everyday. No doubt Elizabeth was spending hours with her everyday teaching her, answering her questions, digging into the Old Testament with her, praying with her. 
 
May I ask a question of all of us. . .have you had such a person in your life? Someone who knew God better than you, and as you spent time together, you grew dramatically in your relationship with Jesus? Is there any better gift you can give someone than giving them what you’ve learned in your journey with God? I invite you to pray that God will give you several people who would like to learn of Jesus from you in 2020. Don’t be afraid. Do what Elizabeth did… just share what you’ve experienced! 
 
As you read verse 57-66 I assume a big smile will come on your face as you place yourself in the story, my friends. Finally the day came and miraculously old Elizabeth gave birth! Any of you women reading this perhaps age 70 and older, might be able to imagine what Elizabeth experienced! 
 
mother cute child
 As wonderful as that moment was, even more significant was 8 days later when Zechariah & Elizabeth presented their child before God and the people, at his ‘day of identity’. On this day he was both circumcised, identifying him as a son born into the family line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This child was a child of the covenant with God found in Genesis 17. 
 
This day the baby was also given a name, not just any name, but a name of significance. Jewish families did not name their kids with catchy names, they gave them names of identity, of hope and purpose. Usually it was a name honoring some ancestor in the family. Almost always it was a name with hope of who they might become, what they might accomplish. Not this time… 
 
Do you see the moment in which Zechariah regained his ability to speak? The people had heard Elizabeth say “He is to be called John.” (1:60). But no one had that name in their family. Luke 1:63 says “Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and to everyone’s astonishment wrote ‘his name is John‘. Immediately his mouth was opened and he began to speak, praising God.” I love that! He didn’t write… ‘I think his name should be John’. 
 
No, this baby had been given his name before conception. He’d been John for 9 months already! Zechariah’s confident obedience was rewarded with speech. And look please, at the first things he said… recorded for us in Luke 1:67-79. Like water gushing out of a spring, what the people heard was an outpouring of 9 months of study, prayer and reflection! 
 
old faithful
 While there may be other links, I believe Zechariah’s statement in vs. 76 is a direct link to Malachi 4:5,6 the final promise of the Old Testament. John was the one Malachi was talking about. Gabriel said it in Luke 1:17. 
 
I see Zechariah’s statement in 1:77 links directly with Isaiah 40:3-5, which was written almost 700 years before. 
 
I see Zechariah’s statement in 1:78, 79 linking directly with Isaiah 9:1, 2 also written about 700bc. Now may I encourage you to take a few moments and look up those Scriptures and see if you agree with what I see, in how these Scriptures link together in identifying John the Baptist as fulfillment of very significant Old Testament prophecies?
 
Finally every child is born with expectations, would you agree? You were, and so was I. Look at what is said about John in vs. 66 & 80: Everyone who heard this wondered about it and asked ‘What then is this child going to be?’ for the LORD’s hand was with him… and the child grew and became strong in spirit…” Do you see it? 
 
Remember Gabriel had told Zechariah “…he will be great in the sight of the Lord… he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. He will go on… in the spirit and power of Elijah…” (1:15-17) Do you see that reflected in what Zechariah spoke over his newborn son as a commission in Luke 1:67-79? Have you ever wondered what was spoken over you in the first hours/days after your birth? If you’d like a glimpse of what John was like, look at Mark 1:1-11!!
 
I invite you to spend some time today talking with Jesus. Ask Him to show you what He had envisioned for you… who you would be, what difference you would have made in our world, by this time in your life. And what He’d like to do in and through you with however many years HE knows are left in your life… it will be an adventure, I assure you, if you’ll “walk with Jesus”!
 

Click to read today’s chapter: Luke 1. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
 

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from youcontact me here.


Pastor Doug Anderson    262.441.8785  
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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