All Hope Breaks Loose
Hope...The people of Israel needed hope. It had been 400 years since
Malachi, the last prophet of God, had walked among them. 400 years
of silence from their God. The people of God had returned from exile
in Babylon only to experience captivity in their own homeland. With few
exceptions, they were repeatedly subjected to oppression, violence, and
control under the earthly kingdoms of one conqueror after another. And
now they were under the brutal authority of Rome. The people were expecting
a messiah who would liberate them as God had promised. Year after year they
kept the feasts, hoping that the promise would be fulfilled.
It was in this seemingly hopeless setting that Zechariah went to Jerusalem to
fulfill his priestly duties in the Temple. The gospel of Luke tells us that Zechariah
and his wife, Elizabeth were “both righteous in the sight of God, observing all
the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because
Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.” (Luke 1:6-7).
In ancient Israel, a married woman who was childless was seen as not having
the blessing of God resting upon her. Having a child at her age seemed like a
hopeless proposition. Proverbs 13:12 says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
As Zechariah was burning incense at the altar and the people were praying
outside, suddenly all hope breaks loose. An angel of the Lord appeared, standing
right beside the altar. As Zechariah looks on with a mixture of surprise and fear,
the angel gives Zechariah 3 reasons for hope:
1. Zechariah and Elizabeth will indeed have a child, a son, who is to be named
John (meaning “graced by God”).
2. This child will bring much joy and delight, not only to Zechariah and Elizabeth,
but to many others.
3. The child will be “great in the sight of the Lord.” He will go before the Lord in
spirit and in power and will prepare the people for the coming of their God.
Indeed, John did prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. Jesus came and
will come again. As we celebrate His birth, we can also look to the future with joy
and hope!
“Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we
stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)
Dana Dudley, Tallowood Prayer Ministry Director
