The Prophecy of Zechariah
Zechariah’s Song, especially spoke to me. Zechariah experienced more than nine months of not being able to speak, due to his unbelief in the good news delivered by the angel Gabriel of Elizabeth’s pending pregnancy and John’s coming birth. Zechariah surprised everyone by naming his son John, not his own name or another family name. Instantly, Zechariah was able to speak again and started praising God. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.“And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Luke 1:68-79 (NLT)
Morning Light From Heaven
The Holy Spirit revealed to Zechariah that his son, John, was the messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord and that he would point to the coming morning light from heaven, our Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Jesus arrived just six months after this bold prophecy spoken through Zechariah. As we reflected on these prophetic words and discussed the many prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus’ coming, Jesus’ words recorded in the gospel of John came to mind as well:
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)
The Light of the World
What an amazing, loving God who, because of his tender mercy, came to earth so that we could know the light of life and be guided to the path of peace! Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus, the Light of the World!
Staying Connected
Hopefully, this post encouraged you. Thank you for staying connected with Scriptures in Use, our partners and the Lord’s work in oral cultures around the world. Please feel free to ask or leave any questions or comments to this post. We look forward to hearing from you!
Praise God! Thanks so much for sharing. I am so happy to hear how well your Zoom celebration went and that the Holy Spirit blessed your time together. I love that a couple memorized the Christmas story. So great and an example for all of us!
Thank you all for your faithfulness. Love you guys!! Have a blessed Christmas and welcoming of the New Year.
Thanks for the post and the encouragement, David! Amen and Merry Christmas to you, Lisa and the entire fam. God bless, Kent
Merry Christmas with glory and honor to Jesus, the Christ.
Amen! Dennis. Merry Christmas to you, Eileen and the entire fam as well. God bless, Kent