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Zechariah's Profile
Zechariah was told before
anyone else that God was setting in motion his own visit to earth. Zechariah and
his wife, Elizabeth, were known for their personal holiness. They were well
suited to doing a special work for God. But they shared the pain of not having
children, and in Jewish culture this was considered not having God's blessing.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, and they had stopped even asking for children.
This trip to the temple in Jerusalem for Zechariah's turn at
duty had included an unexpected blessing. Zechariah was chosen to be the priest
who would enter the Holy Place to offer incense to God for the people. Suddenly,
much to his surprise and terror, he found himself face to face with an angel.
The angels message was to good to be true! But Zechariah did not respond to the
news of the coming Savior as much as he expressed doubts about his own ability
to father the child the angel promised him. His age spoke more loudly than God's
promise. As a result, God prevented Zechariah from speaking until the promised
became reality.
The record of the prayer in Luke 1 is our last glimpse of
Zechariah. Like so many of God's most faithful servants, he passes quietly from
the scene once his part was done. He becomes our hero for those times when we
doubt God and yet are willing to obey. We gain hope from Zechariah's story that
God can do great things through anyone who is available to him.
Zechariah's Strengths and Accomplishments
1. Known as a righteous man
2. Was a priest before God
3. One of the few people to be directly addressed by an angel
4. Fathered John the Baptist
Zechariah's Weakness and Mistake
1. Momentarily doubted the angel's promise of a
son because of his own old age
Lesson from Zechariah's Life
1. Physical limitations do not limit God
2. God accomplishes his will, sometimes in unexpected ways
Zechariah's Vital Statistics
1. Occupation: Priest
2. Relatives: Wife Elizabeth. Son: John the Baptist
Key Verses
"Both of them were upright in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had
no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in
years" (Luke 1:6,7).
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