The Gospel of Luke: John is Born
Luke 1:57-66; Matthew 1:19-25 God is faithful - a righteous man and his wife speak to name their son.
“Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.”
Luke 1:57-66 NASB1995
Zacharias has been mute now for nine months (and possibly deaf). If you could be a fly on the wall (or a small video camera) in their home, it would be interesting to see if he knew about the conversations between Elizabeth and Mary; Mary stayed there for three months and may have even been there for the birth of John. Zacharias probably spent time with Mary answering her questions on a tablet and piecing together the profound nature of the events that are unfolding, which is reflected in his prophecy covered in the next devotional. An interesting aside: Mary returned home to her betrothed and soon was showing signs of being pregnant. Although Luke does not mention it in his Gospel, Matthew does have a story about how an angel came to Joseph to tell him to honor her, marry her and what to expect:
“And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”
Matthew 1:19-25 NASB1995
The day finally arrives when Elizabeth gives birth to their son. God is faithful! Eight days later, as their neighbors and relatives rejoice in their company before the circumcision of the child, they assume that the child will be named after his father. I love the scene in this painting I used for this devotional, by the way, done by a more obscure Dutch painter named Barent Fabritius from the 1600’s, showing the crowd in their home, with Elizabeth still in bed and Zacharias prepared to write something on his tablet. But Elizabeth knows the story behind the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias and says that his name will be John. This name John means “Jehovah is a Gracious Giver” and is derived from the Hebrew name Johanan. There is no one in their family with that name and the crowd is astonished and they turn towards the father for his more weighty opinion (what does the wife and mother know)? Zacharias gestures for a tablet and writes on it: His name is John. Suddenly, his speech is restored and he began to speak praising God. Fear (as discussed in my last devotional) came upon those who were present and the entire hill country of Judea is discussing this event and speculating on what the child will turn out to be.
God is faithful to those who believe and wait. He was faithful to the people of Israel (and all the people of the world) in sending us our salvation, even though these events happened over 400 years after the last prophet Malachi. He was faithful to the people of Israel in the wilderness, feeding them and guiding them for 40 years after fulfilling His promise to liberate them from the Egyptians. God keeps His promises, although it may not be soon (in our time) that the promise is fulfilled. According to Precept Austin, God is faithful in all these ways listed below (the links will go back to relevant sections at Precept Austin or other resources; you may have to search at those resources for the material):
Faithfulness exhibits God's character as worthy of the love and confidence of man and assures us that He will certainly fulfill His promises as well as execute His threats against sin.
God's faithfulness applies to His…
Temporal blessings (1Ti 4:8-note; Ps 84:11; Isa 33:16, Spurgeon)
Spiritual blessings (1Co 1:9)
Support in temptation (1Cor 10:13-note)
Support in persecution (1Pe 4:12, 13-note; Isa 41:10 Spurgeon)
Sanctifying discipline (He 12:4-12-note)
Direction in difficulties (2Chr 32:22; Ps 32:8)
Enabling of His own to persevere (Jer 32:40)
In the Old Testament, God’s faithfulness and covenant love are closely related (Deut 7:9)
Although it isn’t a Christmas Carol, the wonderful old hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, written by Thomas Chisholm (words) and William Runyon (music) is a great one to have running in your mind if you ever doubt God’s faithfulness. Zacharias and Elizabeth certainly did not doubt (except for a bit of hesitation on the part of Zacharias) and God was faithful to them:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
there is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
My next devotional examines the prophecy of Zacharias (Luke 1:57-80).
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please give me a faith like Zacharias and Elizabeth and the patience to wait on your Great promises. Help me to know that You are faithful, eternal, unchanging and Your promises to your people are kept. Thank you for the birth of John the Baptist, who paved the way as your faithful servant for our Lord and Savior. Amen
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Precept Austin is a comprehensive resource of Bible commentary, lexicons and sermons.
“Great is Thy Faithfulness” is in the public domain.