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December 1

Title: The Miracle of the Forerunner

Text: Luke 1:5-7

Miracles. There are a ton of them in the Bible, but in a sense, all of them (at least in the Old Testament) point to this miracle—the Incarnation of the Son of God. But before the Messiah arrived, a prophecy stated that there was going to be a forerunner, a messenger to prepare the way. The prophecy in Malachi gave subtle details of who this messenger will be, how he will act, but none of the circumstances around it. Here in Luke 1 we are given a front row seat regarding the background of this forerunner. 

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. (Luke 1:5-7)

Okay—rapid fire facts. You ready? 

  • Zechariah is a priest, but a godly one. A lot of priests back then either had to or they did it for prestige. Not Zechariah. He was legit. He did it for the right reasons. 
  • Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. Zechariah married well. Good lineage. Godly wife. 
  • They followed God. They loved God’s word. 
  • Elizabeth was barren.
  • Zechariah and Elizabeth were well past child-bearing years. 

Seems like an ominous start, right? Barren and old. Bad combo. Honestly, from a human standpoint, if these two people are supposed to be the parents of the forerunner, God is going to need to step in. Do His supernatural thing. Which we know later on in the story—He does step in. Elizabeth does give birth to the forerunner. 

But let’s not forget the human side of this. Elizabeth had long given up on being a mother. Probably years earlier. She was godly, so she reconciled whatever bitterness in her heart towards God and didn’t allow the shame of a Jewish society (which was signficant) to affect her walk with God. And though the shame of being childless was way more significant for the mother, Zechariah had to deal with his own heart, likely having to defend his wife against that aberrant doctrine that being “barren” was because of personal sin, which was not the correct answer. What is the right answer? Simply, it is the byproduct of the Fall. Nevertheless, God chose Elizabeth. He didn’t have to. There were plenty of young, fertile Jewish ladies to house the forerunner of the Messiah. God, in eternity past, chose a barren, old woman to birth and raise the greatest human other than Jesus to ever walk the face of the earth (Luke 7:28). 

So as we head officially into the Advent season, let us remember that God always seems to choose the weak, the marginalized—to display His glory. Only God WOULD—and only God COULD use a barren, old woman to birth one of the most important individuals in human history. The fingerprints of God are all over this story. Remember friends, the fingerprints of God are all over your story also. Christmas is 24 days away. What an amazing time of the year!