Luke 1:80
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Like any normal child John grew up. Since his parents were already well advanced in years when he was conceived, the boy probably became an orphan early in life. But both physically and spiritually his development was very good. In fact, he became strong in spirit, filled with excellent mental, moral, and spiritual qualities.

As a young man he lived in uninhabited localities, away from the distractions of men. God guided his life in this way as a preparation for his coming task. Where these wild regions were is not stated. The text does not say John lived as a hermit, the text does not say he did not live as a hermit. We know nothing of his daily life in this time.

Those who plan to influence multitudes should prepare themselves by being alone with God.

John resembles Jesus in this respect; we know all about his birth but very little about his younger years. The imperfect tense used in this construction emphasizes a continuing process, he kept growing, this seems to refer to physical growth without a modifier, refers to bodily growth. The next imperfect seems to refer to his continual gaining of spiritual strength.

It is tempting to try to connect John to the Essenes, because of the notoriety created for the group with the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls. The Bible has nothing to say on this matter. The connection is often made because of the location near the Dead Sea and the desert environment mentioned in this text. He may have known of the Essenes, but there is no evidence of an association between John and the group.

There are several very obvious differences between John and the Essenes.
John was very evangelistic in his preaching. It is obvious from the writings in the scrolls the Essenes had no real interest in outreach.

John welcomed the religious establishment to hear his preaching and called for their repentance. The Essenes wanted nothing to do with anyone associated with the current practices of Judaism.

John was very involved with the common people of the area who came to hear him in large numbers. The Essenes wanted to remain entirely separate in order to maintain their “purity.”

There are several other differences we could discuss, but the point is there is nothing in practice or theology which would connect John to the Essenes.

Rather than trying to create unnecessary historical and theological connections it is better to observe the fact, God chose and used a very “normal” or “average” person.

God is not interested in “superstars;” He is interested in obedience.

Remember what Samuel told Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice.”

Luke 1:76-77 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

“The Rising Sun” like “the horn of salvation” in verse 69, describes the Messiah. Through Him God himself will visit the people in order to help and save them. Since we know Zechariah was deeply aware of the prophecies of Malachi (1:17, 76 and Mal. 3:1), he is probably referring to Mal. 4:2, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” The “coming” of this “Sun” has as its purpose: “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death.” This phraseology is derived from Isa. 9:1, 2, “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan– The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

How much scripture do you quote in your praise and prayer time?

Sitting in darkness and death’s shadow indicates a condition of danger, fear, and hopelessness, a longing, with no human help in sight. In Scripture the designation darkness, used figuratively, refers to one or more of the following features:

* Delusion (blindness of mind and heart; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6; Eph. 4:18);

* Depravity (Acts 26:18);

* Despondency (Isa. 9:2; see its context, verse 3).

Though all three qualities are probably in the picture here, yet the emphasis may well be on the last of the three (despondency, hopelessness).

The meaning of these words is Jesus, by his presence, teaching, deeds of mercy and power, would fill the hearts of his followers with the joy of salvation.

No longer would they be suffering in gloom and despair.

No longer do we need to suffer gloom and despair.

Whenever Jesus enters human hearts, the words of a popular hymn go into effect,
The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin,
The light of the world is Jesus.

Luke 1:76-77
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

After recalling hundreds of years of God’s work in history, beginning with Abraham and going on into eternity, Zechariah personalized the story.

His son had been chosen for a key role in the drama of the ages. Although God has unlimited power, He chooses to work through fragile humans who begin as helpless babies. We must never minimize what God can do through those who are faithful to Him. Zechariah proclaimed what the angel had told him (1:16-17), words Zechariah had at first doubted. John will be called the prophet of the Most High.

Zechariah speaks these same amazing words in a land where the voice of prophecy had been silent for over 400 years.

John would go before the Lord to prepare his ways, as had been predicted by Israel’s last prophet, Malachi (Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6). John would give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.

The “salvation” referred to in 1:69-71 is here spelled out as “forgiveness of sins.” John would explain this to people as he prepared the way for the Messiah. His message would be “repent,” for only through repentance can sinners find forgiveness.

A Parent’s Prayer
As Zechariah looked at his baby son, so full of potential and promise, could he see what John would become; how John would challenge Roman immorality, how John would die in prison? No, Zechariah could see none of that, only John’s little life to be blessed and used by God.

Every Christian parent can echo Zechariah’s dreams.Before Jesus comes again, many prophets (preachers, teachers, enablers) will tell the world about God’s salvation.

Will your child endure hardship along the way? Don’t worry, God is in control.

Pray that your child will prepare the way of the Lord, helping many find God’s mercy and eternal life.

Luke 1:72-75
To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Recorded in Genesis 22:16-18, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

In this oath to Abraham God promised the enemies of Abraham’s descendants would be subdued and that blessing to his descendants would result from Abraham’s obedience.

God keeps his promises, “You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago” (Micah 7:20).

The future fulfillment of these promises means opportunity for God’s people to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him. Zechariah must have thought God would now rescue His people from the hands of the oppressors in Israel.

Luke, in his Gospel and in the book of Acts, shows us how God will carry out this promise to His people. Zechariah knew the purpose of God’s rescue; so that people might truly serve Him.

Our purpose should be as true as Zechariah’s; to serve God both in our worship of Him and in our daily obedience!

It is good to apply this song to ourselves and ask how much we have participated in these great blessings.

Are we experiencing this daily salvation from our spiritual enemies who hate us?

Are all our days characterized by holiness toward God and righteousness toward man?

Luke 1:69-71
“He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.”

Zechariah praised God because he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. Again, Zechariah was speaking in the past tense about an event still future, although in the near future. The Messiah was already being “raised up,” for God had begun to set His plan into motion.

The “horn” was a common Old Testament metaphor for strength and power (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalms 18:2; 89:24; 132:17; Ezekiel 29:21). Deuteronomy 33:17 refers to the powerful horns of an ox. Psalm 75:4-5 refers to a warrior with a horned helmet.

Thus, the “horn” is often a military metaphor for God’s intervening to deliver. This will be a powerful Savior.

“The house of . . . David” refers to the ancestral line of David, through whom the Messiah was to come, as God had said through his holy prophets. All this would occur as part of God’s plan, prophesied long ago. Zechariah was revealing the ancient prophecies were beginning to be fulfilled.

The words “salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us” clearly indicate what was happening in that society. Zechariah prophesied the Messiah would bring deliverance.

The Jews were eagerly awaiting the Messiah, but they thought He would come to save them from the powerful Roman Empire. They were ready for a military Savior, but not for a peaceful Messiah who would conquer sin.

Zechariah’s words would come true, but in a different manner than most expected. Thirty years later, when Jesus began His public ministry, He would be misunderstood and rejected for not being the mighty warrior for whom the Jews had been hoping.

Here we have another reminder God rarely does things the way we expect!

Why are we, it seems, so often expecting God to do it our way?

Luke 1:67 -68
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

Zechariah praised God with his first words after months of silence. In a song that is often called the “Benedictus” after the first words in the Latin translation of this passage.

All the Old Testament prophecies were coming true; no wonder Zechariah praised the Lord, the God of Israel.

Like Mary, Zechariah spoke of the coming redemption of Israel as though it were occurring at the very moment: God has come and has redeemed his people. Indeed, the Messiah was already on the way; although very few people knew it. In Zechariah’s song is a reminder Jesus came as the fulfillment of all God’s purposes and promises in the Old Testament.

The words “has come” are a key to this passage. In the Old Testament, these words usually indicate God seeing His people and coming to deal with them; either in grace or in judgment, such as in Israel’s escape from Egypt.

The Lord would come, in the flesh, but, tragically, few would recognize Him when he arrived. The words “has redeemed” literally mean “accomplished redemption.” Psalm 111:9 states, “He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name.” In the Old Testament, “redemption” pictured the rescue by God of the Israelites from Egypt and later their return from captivity in Babylon.

“Redemption” means recovery of something or someone upon payment of a ransom. The climate of Israel in the first century was once more a “captivity,” for the Jews were subject to the Romans.

The Jews were looking for a political Messiah to “redeem” them once again. But Messiah’s redemption would be different from current expectations. Jesus would bring redemption from sin.

What deliverance are we looking for in the 21st century?

Why is it so hard to see “Spiritual Reality?”

Luke 1:67
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

Just as Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit, so was Zechariah. Zechariah’s Song is a prophecy which was spoken under the enlightening inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Zechariah could never have said what he did by his own natural powers. It was the enabling of the Spirit that produced these prophetic words.

As is the case throughout this chapter, we have “Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον,” without the definite articles. This fact makes “Holy Spirit,” a proper noun.

A proper noun is a noun that in its primary application refers to a unique entity, such as London, Jupiter, Sarah, or Microsoft, as distinguished from a common noun, which usually refers to a class of entities (city, planet, person, or corporation).

This is the Name of the third person of the trinity! Luke is not speaking of some spook or ghost! He is speaking of God!

“And prophesied” is simply added. It states the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. To prophesy is not only to foretell the future or to speak in exalted language which resembles psalms, but it is to understand the will and the acts of God in their inner connection and to reveal this connection for the hearers in their present situation and as regards the future.

Anyone who is moved by the Spirit in the ordinary way may prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1) “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”

Here Zachariah is speaking under the extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit. He was granted for the time being a special gift so what is spoken is by inspiration and bears the very word of God.

Mary’s psalm is a monologue, and, while it also speaks of God’s deeds, it only presents them with praise; Zacharias addresses God in the third person, and his presentation of God’s deeds is strictly speaking of God’s plan of salvation. Mary spoke a prayer; Zacharias a sermon in prophecy.

How would you describe God’s ongoing work in the world today?

Luke 1:67-796
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us– to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” NIV

Here we begin a very unique portion of Scripture. This passage is often over-looked or even skipped as we study the birth narratives in Luke. Read it slowly and carefully. Ask God to help you relate to what is going on in the lives of these people.

What insights did you gain by taking the time to mediate on this passage?

Read it again in these two translations.
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and redeemed them. 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 with them, the covenant he gave to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies, so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness forever. “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 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.” NLT

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” ESV

What insights did you gain by taking the time to mediate on this passage?

Did you notice the emphasis on God keeping His promises?

Luke 1:61-63
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

The protest of the crowd shows that they are unaware of what God is doing. Surely the father of the house will not sanction this breaking of custom. This wonderful child should be named after his father or a prominent relative.

So they motion to Zechariah to find out what the name of the child should be. The translation “they made signs,” reads as if Zacharias was deaf as well as dumb, however, 1:20 is specific “you will be unable to speak.” Zacharias had heard everything, and all the friends did was to nod and to motion toward him; they may even have spoken to him.

By repeating the name his wife gave, Zechariah echoes the instructions of the angel, not the crowd and custom.

He goes the way of God and amazes his neighbors.

He did not say, as had Elizabeth, the child would be called John, but His name is John.

In the original text John comes first with emphasis, and we should not overlook the force of the present, “is” not “he will be called.”

The angel had already named the boy and Zechariah accepts the name as an accomplished fact.

Have you ever had to hold to the course God determined for you and overrule the counsel of friends or relatives?

In what ways has God’s favor on you caused people to talk?

Luke 1:59-60
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

In observance of the law, when the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised. The circumcision ceremony was an important event for the family of a Jewish baby boy. This ceremony was a time of joy when relatives and friends came to celebrate the baby’s becoming part of God’s covenant nation.

The day of circumcision was also the day when parents would formally announce the child’s name. Family lines and family names were important to the Jews. The people naturally assumed the child would receive Zechariah’s name or at least a family name.

They were surprised Elizabeth wanted to name the boy John. Zechariah had communicated to Elizabeth all the angel had told him, so she knew what the child’s name was to be (1:13).

Zechariah and Elizabeth knew what family and friends did not know; John had been given his name by God and that he had a God-given mission to fulfill.

Conviction
Stubbornness wants its own way at any price. It’s the way of someone who will not listen to a better idea, who acts simply in order to exert the power of their own will.

Conviction is the settled confidence God is leading and you intend to follow, come what may. Conviction isn’t our will against the advice of others; it’s our will surrendered to God’s will.

Elizabeth had the conviction to name her son John.

Elizabeth’s quality in the naming of her son is the courage to depend on God’s strength alone, the confidence that God has said, “I’ll show you the way.”

We should trade our stubbornness for God-guided conviction.

Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols.
1 Samuel 15:23 (NLT)