Old Testament Reading: Psalm 132

“A SONG OF ASCENTS. Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, ‘I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.’ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. ‘Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!’ Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy. For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one. The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: ‘One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.’ For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: ‘This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy. There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.’” (Psalm 132, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 1:67-80

“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.’ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (Luke 1:67–80, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Over the years I have come to really love this story about Zachariah. Near the end of the sermon last Sunday, I suggested to you that perhaps Luke intends for us to see Zachariah as a kind of model or example of one who was moved from a place of doubt to a place of confidence and certainty concerning Jesus the Messiah.  

We must remember that Luke tells us his purpose for writing. In Chapter 1 verse 4 he says that he wrote this gospel so that those who read it “may have certainty concerning the things [they] have been taught.” Luke wants us to grow in our certainty. Certainty about what? Answer: The certainty that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah that God had promised to send. Luke wrote his Gospel so that we would be certain about that. And I find it fascinating that the very first person Luke introduces us to in his Gospel is this Old Covenant priest named Zachariah. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are said to be “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” And yet when the news comes to Zachariah that the Messiah was about to be born and that he would have a son who would prepare the way for him (in fulfillment to the Scriptures), he doubted. Luke wrote his gospel so that we might grow in our certainty, and the very first character he introduced to us is a man that you would expect to have strong faith and certainty, and yet he doubts.

You know how the story progresses. Zachariah was struck with muteness because he doubted the word of God delivered by the angel Gabriel. He was unable to speak for about nine months. And when did he regain his ability to speak? Not progressively, and not at some random moment, but on the eighth day after his son was born, as they came to circumcise him. Specifically, his tongue was loosed only after he obeyed the word of the Lord in the naming of his child. Nine months earlier, the angel Gabriel had said to him, “you shall call his name John” (Luke 1:13), and it was only after Zachariah wrote, “His name is John”, that “his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God”. Today we will consider the prophecy that Zachariah uttered after this experience. One thing is very clear. He was no longer doubting but was very, very certain that the Messiah was about to be born, and that his son, miraculously born to his wife, Elizabeth, in her old age, would prepare the way for him.

When I say that Zachariah is a model for those who doubt or lack certainty concerning what God did through Jesus the Messiah, I mean that we are invited to walk the road that Zachariah walked. I very much doubt that those who lack certainty will be struck with muteness as Zachariah was. Nevertheless, those who doubt should, one, hold their tongues lest they speak unfaithfully. Two, they should consider the things that happened when Jesus Christ was brought into this world, lived, died, rose again, and ascended. Three, they should study and reflect on the Holy Scriptures – yes, the New Testament, but especially the Old – for the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of him before he came. 

You know, I have been very blessed to meet with our middle and high school-aged students on most Wednesday nights. We review the sermons from the previous Sunday. By the way, we are blessed with some really wonderful young people, brothers and sisters. I find this time to be very encouraging, and I think it is beneficial to them. They are reminded of what was preached a few days earlier (it is amazing how easy it is to forget – we should all be disciplined to remember what was preached). I’m able to clarify what was preached and to also encourage application. Parents do this in the home, I’m sure. But it is a blessing to do it as a pastor. I’ll get to the point now. One comment I made to them this past Wednesday is that we must learn to read the Bible as great literature. The Bible is certainly more than great literature (it is God’s inspired Word; it is sacred Scripture). But it is not less than great literature. By the inspiration of the Spirit, each book is masterfully written. And, by the inspiration of the Spirit, all of the books of the Bible fit together to tell one unified story. Scripture is filled with truth, for it is God’s Word to us, and it is also very beautiful, literarily speaking. 

As we were reviewing the sermon from last Sunday this past Wednesday night I asked the students, who likes to read novels? A few of them raised their hands. And then I asked them, when you read a great novel (or when you watch a good movie), what are some things you look for to fully appreciate and understand the story that is being told? Their answers were great: they said they pay attention to the setting, context, themes, the introduction and development of characters, etc. I agreed with them and said, you should read the Bible in the same way, for although the Bible is certainly more than a great piece of literature, it is not less.  

So, what is the theme that is introduced to us at the beginning of Luke’s gospel? Answer: it is the theme of being moved from a place of doubt to a place of certainty – certainty that Jesus, the Son of Mary, is in fact the Messiah, the Son of God incarnate, the Savior of the world. Luke wrote for this purpose: to move Theophilus (and all who read his Gospel) to a place of certainty concerning the things they had been taught about Jesus. 

And who is the first character that Luke introduces to us? Zachariah. And how is he presented? As a priest – a righteous and blameless priest, who of all people, should have had strong faith and certainty – but he doubts. Does he remain in his doubt, though? No. Through his silent reflection upon, one, the things that happened, and two, what the Old Testament Scriptures have to say regarding the coming Messiah, he emerges from his time of muteness as a man strong, confident, and certain in his faith. He wrote “His name is John” boldly. He blessed the Lord. And then he uttered this beautiful and scripture-saturated prophecy concerning Jesus, which we will be considering today.

My point is this: Luke did not compile his Gospel in a haphazard way. No, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote a literary masterpiece – a carefully crafted Gospel – for the express purpose of moving his readers to a place of strong faith in Jesus Christ and certainty that he is the promised Messiah. Everything he writes must be interpreted in light of this clearly expressed purpose. 

Before we go to this text I have one more brief observation to make concerning Luke’s gospel as a beautifully compiled and focused piece of literature. I have shown you how Luke’s Gospel begins. Please notice that ends in much the same way.  

At the end of Luke’s Gospel, we find an account of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. His disciples were left perplexed, discouraged, and doubting. But Christ rose from the grave, and he appeared to them. And when he did, he moved them from a place of doubt to a place of certainty. How did Christ so move them? How did he convince them beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the promised Messiah and Redeemer of God’s elect?  He moved them from doubt to certainty in the same way that Zechariah was moved – by presenting them with, one, the facts concerning the miraculous things that had happened – the most miraculous thing of all being his resurrection from the dead on the third day. He appeared to them and said to them, “‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them” (Luke 24:38–43, ESV). Can you see it, brothers and sisters? The disciples were moved from a place of doubt and despair to a place of faith and certainty by considering the miraculous things that had happened, the greatest of them being the resurrection of Christ from the dead. 

But that is not all. What else did he do to give them certainty? He showed them how the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of him and the things that had accomplished ahead of time. With the exception of the brief account of the ascension of Christ, Luke’s Gospel concludes with these  words, “Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:44–49, ESV). 

So then, how were the disciples of Christ moved from doubt to certainty? By being presented with two things: One, the facts concerning the miraculous things that had happened. Two, the fact that these things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures written Long ago. You know, it is one thing for a virgin to conceive and bear a son. That is miraculous. It gets your attention. It is another thing altogether for it to happen in fulfillment of Scriptures written hundreds of years earlier. Isaiah the prophet said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV). The two things combined – the fact of the virgin birth in combination with the fulfillment of prophecies previously made – are set before us in Luke’s Gospel that this Jesus was the Promised Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer of all who have faith in him. And it is one thing for this same man who was virgin-born to also be raised from the dead (if that fact doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will). But it is another thing for the Old Testament Scriptures to predict that the Messiah would suffer, die, and rise, and for it to happen in fulfillment of things previously written. The two things combined – the fact that the miracles happened, and the fact that they happened in fulfillment of Scriptures previously written – are set before us by Luke to move us to greater certainty that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. 

To illustrate this point to our youth last Wednesday I pointed to a tall palm tree on our property and said if one of those palm fronds fell from the tree right now and came crashing down that would be an event we would all take notice of. But if I were to say to you, in ten seconds a palm frond will fall from that tree and land right over there in this particular way – well that is a different thing altogether. You would all be astonished and would think that I was some kind of prophet or something. Well, that illustrates (in a basic way) what happened when Christ came into the world. Miraculous things happened — they were the kinds of things that caused people to take notice – angels appeared, a virgin conceived, the blind were made to see, a man was raised from the dead, etc. But these miraculous things did not just happen –  they happened in fulfillment of promises and prophesies previously made. And by the way, this is why Luke uses the word “accomplished” in chapter 1 verse 1 of his Gospel. He does not merely provide us with an account of things that happened when Jesus was born, lived, died, rose, and ascended. No, he tells us about the things that were accomplished, that is to say, fulfilled, or brought to completion. From the beginning of Luke’s Gospel to the very end, this is how he moves us from a place of doubt to a place of certainty.  

With all of that as an introduction, let us go now to our text for today: Luke 1:67-80. Here we find the words of the prophecy that Zachariah uttered after his tongue was loosed following nine months of muteness. No longer is he doubting. Instead, he is very certain. What produced the change? Clearly, he pondered the miraculous things that were happening to him and those he loved. And by the time we are finished today, I think you will agree with me that Zachariah pondered the Old Testament Scriptures to see if it was true that this child in Mary was the long-awaited Messiah, for his prophecy is saturated with the Old Testament. We do not have the time to chase down every Old Testament quotation and allusion – I will need to be selective. And I will present all of this in three points. One, Zachariah was certain that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised son of David. Two, Zachariah was certain that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised son of Abraham. And three, Zachariah was certain that his son, John, was the long-awaited prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

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Jesus Is The Messiah, The Promised Son Of David

First, Zachariah was no longer doubting, but certain that Jesus, the child in the womb of the virgin Mary, was the Messiah, the promised son of David. This is what Zachariah expressed in verses 68-71. Picking up in verse 67: “And [John’s] 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…” (Luke 1:67–71, ESV). Notice a few things about this text:

One, Zechariah was “filled with the Holy Spirit”. This does not mean that he was regenerated or drawn to saving faith at this moment. Though it is true that Zachariah doubted the word that the angel delivered to him in the temple, I trust that he had saving faith long before this. He trusted in the promised Messiah long before all of this happened (that is why Luke described him as a righteous and blameless man). He did not doubt that the Messiah would one day come. But he did doubt that he was coming then and that he and his son would be involved in preparing the way. When the text says that he was “filled with the Holy Spirit” it does not mean that he was at that moment saved, justified, or declared righteous, but that he was moved by the Spirit, in an unusual way, to utter this marvelous prophecy. 

Two, Zachariah began his prophecy by blessing, or giving thanks and praise to,  “the Lord God of Israel.” Beyond the fact that thankful praise was the fitting and reasonable response to the marvelous things the Lord was doing, Zachariah does also focus our attention on the Lord’s dealings with Israel under the Old Covenant. As you know, in the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. He entered into a covenant with humanity through Adam. Adam fell, and all humanity fell in him. But God promised to provide a Redeemer. And in the course of time, it was clarified that this Redemer would emerge from one particular nation, namely Israel. The promises concerning the Messiah were given to Israel by way of covenants. And when the time had fully come, the Messiah was brought into the world through Israel. But the Messiah is not Israel’s Messiah alone. No, Israel was called to share their Messiah with all people. All who have true faith in him from amongst the Hebrews and Gentiles are the true Israel of God, therefore. When Zachariah said,  “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel” he gives thanks to the Covenant Lord for all that he had from the days of Abraham onward to bring the Messiah into the world in fulfillment of his covenant promises.

Three, beginning with the word “for” in the middle of verse 68 Zechariah explains why he was compelled to bless the Lord God of Israel: “for he has visited and redeemed his people”, he says. The words “visited” and “redeemed” should immediately remind us of the exodus of Israel from Egypt. When Moses returned to Egypt after encountering God in the bush that was burning yet not consumed, he told the Hebrews what the LORD had said, and in Exodus 4:31 we read, “And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped” (Exodus 4:31, ESV). When Zachariah blessed the Lord God of Isarel for “visiting… his people” he was confidently asserting that the Lord was doing something in his day like what he did in Moses’ day – he was drawing near to his people to act. He was drawing near to keep promises previously made. And the word “redeemed” should remind us of the exodus as well, for that is the very thing God did for Israel through Moses. He redeemed them from bondage. He defeated their oppressors to set the free. He led them out of Egypt, entered into a special covenant with them, and led them into the land of promise. When God visited his people in the days of Moses, he did so to redeem them. When Zachariah used these two words together, he was confessing (in the only way he knew how) that God was about to visit his people to accomplish a much greater redemption in fulfillment of promises previously made. 

Think for a moment about how much greater the second exodus accomplished by Christ was than the first exodus accomplished through Moses. Many comparisons could be made. I’ll make only two. One,, God visited his people in the first exodus through Moses – he visited his people in the second exodus through the incarnation of the eternal Son. Christ was and is God with us. He who sees him sees the Father. He is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh. He is the eternal word made who tabernacled amongst us. Two, the redemption was far greater. Given that I have recently taught about these things, I will say only this: the redemption accomplished through Moses in the first exodus was earthy and temporal. The redemption accomplished by Christ in the second exodus was heavenly, spiritual, and eternal. Through Christ, God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son…” (Colossians 1:13, ESV).

My fourth observation about verses 67-71 is this: Zachariah understood that this redemption that the Lord was about to accomplish through the Messiah was in fulfillment of the promises made to David, the anointed King of Israel. This is stated in verses 69–71, which says, “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…” (Luke 1:69–71, ESV). 

Horns symbolize power and might. When Zachariah blessed the Lord because he “raised up a horn of salvation” he was expressing his belief that the long-awaited Messiah King was here. This powerful King would save his people from the hand of their enemies – not Egypt or Rome, not Pharioh or the Emperor – but Satan himself, and all who serve him. And this was in fulfillment of the promises made to King David, who was a type of the Messiah to come. God spoke to David, saying, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” And a bit later in the same passage, he said, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever’” (2 Samuel 7:12–16, ESV).

David was the greatest of Israel’s earthly Kings. He was used by God to defeat the enemies of Israel and to establish the kingdom. But God promised him that one of his sons would establish a kingdom that would never end. This son would sit on his throne forever and ever. This son was not Solomon, the next to sit on the throne of Isarel, but Jesus Christ. Though Zachariah did not know the details of how this eternal kingdom would be secured, he knew it would happen, and that it would happen soon, through the Virgin Mary’s own son. And so he blessed the Lord raising up this horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, in fulfillment to the promises previously made.

Yes, these promises were made by God to King David, but notice what Zechariah says in verse 70: God “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…” (Luke 1:69–70, ESV). So then, the prophets also spoke of this coming anointed King who would set his people free and establish an eternal kingdom. What prophesies did Zachariah have in mind? Well, there are many. Consider these:

Ezekiel 29:21: “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 29:21, ESV)

Jeremiah 23:5–6: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23:5–6, ESV)

And finally, Psalm 132:17-18: “There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.” (Psalm 132:17–18, ESV)

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Jesus Is The Messiah, The Promised Son Of Abraham

The second point of the sermon is this: Zachariah was certain that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised son of Abraham. I will not need to take much time to develop this point, for it should be evident to all given what has already been said. 

In verses 72 through 75 we read, “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” (Luke 1:72–75, ESV). Notice a few things about this text: 

One, in this portion of Zachariah’s prophesy he traces the promises that were entrusted to Israel concerning the Messiah back further into the history of redemption. These Covenant promises were entrusted to Israel long before the covenant that was made with King David, and even before Moses the covenant that was made with Israel in the days of Moses. Indeed, the first promises entrusted to Israel were made to Abraham. To state the matter differently, the original covenant that God made with the Hebrew people was transacted with Abraham as recorded in Genesis 12, 15, and 17. The covenant made with Isarel in the days of Moses, as recorded in Exodus, was an outgrowth and advancement of that original covenant. And the same may be said of the Covenant made with David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7. Zachariah knew this. He knew that each of these covenants was organically connected. As it pertains to the covenants made with Israel, the Abrahamic was the seed, the Mosaic was the young plant, the Davidic was the tree, and this tree came to full maturity and fruitfulness in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant that was made through his shed blood. Zachariah knew this, and so he rejoiced that the son of David had come to accomplish a second and greater exodus, in fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. 

Two, notice that Zachariah again speaks of deliverance. He knew that the Messiah, the son of David and son of Abraham, had come to deliver God’s people, not from earthly powers for a limited time, but from spiritual powers for eternity. 

Three, he elaborates here on the reason for our deliverance.  The Messiah came to “grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear.” Why has Christ redeemed you? Why has he set you free from bondage to sin, Satan, and the fear of death and judgment? So that you might serve the LORD without fear. If this was true of the first exodus (Which it was. see Exodus 3:12, 4:23, 7:16, 8:1. Etc. In each of these texts and many more it is said that Israel was to be set free from bondage to serve the LORD), then how much more is it true of the second exodus! You have been set free from bondage to sin, Satan, and the fear of death and judgment, not to serve yourself and to live for the things of this world, but to worship and serve the Lord.  

Four, notice also the words of verse 75, “in holiness and righteousness before him all our days”. This speaks to what the Messiah would do for his people. Through his obedient life and sacrificial death, he would make all who have faith in him “[holy] and righteousness before” the Lord. We are not holy and righteous by nature. But through faith in the Messiah, we are made to be holy and righteous. In Christ, our sins are washed away and his righteousness is given to us. All of this is received by faith alone. And given the new life that the Spirit has given to those who believe, we do then progressively walk in righteousness and holiness more and more.

When God sent the Messiah into the world through the womb of the virgin Mary, it was “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” (Luke 1:72–75, ESV).

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John Was The Prophet Who Would Prepare The Way

The third and final point of the sermon today is this: Zachariah was certain that his son, John, was the long-awaited prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

As we read verses 76-79, we should imagine Zachariah looking at his newborn son, for he speaks to him, saying, “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” (Luke 1:76–79, ESV).

There were many prophets who ministered under the Old Covenant. But they spoke of a single prophet who would one day come and have the distinct privilege of preparing the way for the Messiah. Consider, for example, the word Malachi 3:1. There the Lord says,  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1, ESV). John was this messenger.

And notice this: his job was to prepare the way for the Lord himself! This makes perfect sense when we realize that Jesus the Messiah was no mere man, but was the Lord of glory, the eternal Son, or  Word of the Father, incarnate. 

And how would John prepare the way for him? By giving the “knowledge of salvation to [God’s] people in the forgiveness of their sins…” John preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, ESV). He spoke to the people saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV).

And why was John able to proclaim this message of salvation the forgiveness of sins? Answer: “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.” 

Who are these who “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” upon whom the light of Christ has shown with the brightness of the noonday sun? Well, in general, they are all those who have not believed in the good news of Jesus Christ. They sit in the darkness of their sin and they languish fearfully in the shadow of death. When the gospel of Christ is preached to them it shines like a light in the darkness as the Spirit works. In particular, those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death upon whom the light of Christ has shown, are the Gentile nations. For a very long time the promises of God concerning salvation through faith in the Messiah were confined mainly to Israel. But that would all change with the arrival of the Messiah and the establishment of the New Covenant. This gospel of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed to the end of the earth.                

The prophet Isaiah spoke of this day ahead of time, saying, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” (Isaiah 9:2, ESV). And in another place the Lord speaks through Isaiah and to the Messiah, saying, “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6–7, ESV).

Zachariah was now certain that his son, whose name is John, would prepare the way for this Messiah. Verse 80: “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel” (Luke 1:80, ESV).

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Conclusion

Please allow me to conclude now by offering a few very brief suggestions for application. 

One, as we grow in our certainty that Jesus was and is the Lord’s Messiah who was promised from long ago, let us join Zachariah in expressing our deep thankfulness and gratitude towards the Lord God of Israel for the great salvation that he has worked for us through him. 

Two, as we grow in our certainty that Jesus was and is the Lord’s Messiah who has freed us from all our enemies and forgiven us all our sins (if we have faith in him), let us worship and serve him all the more faithfully in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. 

Three, as we grow in our certainty that Jesus was and is the Lord’s Messiah who was promised from long ago, let us be more zealous to proclaim the good news of salvation through faith him to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death now – here in this place, and to the ends of the earth.  

Pre-Introduction

Given that this is the Sunday before Christmas I thought it would be good to break from our study in 1 Timothy to set our minds upon the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Our text for today is Luke 1:67-80. Here we find the prophecy of Zechariah, who was the father of John the Baptist. But before we go there, let me give you some background. 

As you may know, Zechariah uttered the prophecy of Luke 1:67-80 after being struck with muteness for about nine months. Zechariah was a priest. He saw a vision while serving the Lord in the temple. The angel Gabriel appeared to him saying in Luke 1:13, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son [remember, she was barren and they were advanced in age], and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:13–17, ESV). It was because Zechariah did not believe the report that the angel said,  “behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place…” (Luke 1:20, ESV).

So what does all of this have to do with the birth of Christ? Well, a great deal! One, we know that Zechariah’s son, John the Baptist, would serve as the forerunner to Christ. He was the last and the greatest of the Old Covenant prophets who spoke of the coming of Christ. And he had the privilege to introduce Israel to their Messiah, saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29, ESV). So the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus were intimately related. Two, here in the early chapters of Luke we learn that the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Jesus did not happen off in a dark corner somewhere, involving only Mary and Joseph, but that others were involved. Others like this priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were also visited by an angel and touched by the Almighty. What happened to them helped to confirm the story of the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Jesus. Three — and here is where I would like to focus our attention this morning — this story regarding Zechariah and the prophecy that he uttered when his son was born does help us to understand what the Old Covenant saints knew and what they were expecting concerning the coming Messiah.

Have you ever thought of this before? Have you wondered what the faithful who lived prior to the birth of Christ thought concerning the promised Messiah? They knew that he would come. But what did they know about him? What did they expect him to be?

When you and I think about Christ there is very little mystery. We see him with clarity, for he has come. We have the record of his life, his works, and his words. They are recorded for us in the four Gospels. But for those who lived prior to the birth of Christ, things weren’t so clear. They believed that the Messiah would come. They placed their faith in the promised Messiah, but they did not know what exactly he would be. 

To help us understand what it was like for them we may think of the second coming of Christ. Will Christ return, brothers and sisters? We say, “yes, he certainly will!” And what will happen when he returns? Well, we know some things. We know that he will raise the dead, judge those who are not in him, and bring his people safely home into the new heavens and earth. So we do know some things regarding the second coming. And we know that these things will surely happen! Why? Because God has given us his word. But there is also a great deal of mystery concerning the second coming. When will Christ return? We do not know for sure. How will he accomplish these things? It’s hard to say exactly. And what will our glorified life in the new heavens and earth be like? We have some idea based upon what the scriptures say, but it’s hard to imagine. And when will we know for sure — when will we see these things with perfect clarity? Answer: after Christ comes again. 

I think this is what it was like for God’s people who lived prior to the birth of Christ. They knew a lot about the Messiah who was to come, for they had the scriptures. They were sure that he would come, for God promised that he would. They knew enough about the Christ to place their faith in him. But the details remained a mystery. When would the Christ be born? What exactly would he be like? What would he say and do? It was impossible for them to know for sure.

Zechariah was a godly man who was living at the dawning of a new day. And not only was he alive at the time of the birth of Christ, but he found himself  intimately involved. He was at the epicenter of the accomplishment of our redemption. His own son, miraculously born to him in his old age, would be the forerunner. John would be that Elijah-like figure who would prepare the way for the Christ. 

Zechariah’s prophecy is very revealing, friends. It is like a window through which we can look to see what the Old Covenant saints knew and what they expected the Messiah to be according to the scriptures. Zechariah was a godly man. I trust that he knew the Old Testament very well. But I cannot help but think that he went to the scriptures to study them very closely after being visited by the angel in the temple and while being struck with mutnes for those many months. I would imagine that he devoured the scriptures to consider, anew and afresh, all that they had to say concerning the coming of the Messiah, which the angel Gabriel said was at hand. 

Sermon Text: Luke 1:67-80

Let us now turn to Luke 1:67 to consider what Zechariah said after his son was born, and when his tongue was loosed. Hear now the reading of God’s most holy word. “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 [speaking now to his son John], 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.’ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (Luke 1:67–80, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

These are beautiful words that Zechariah uttered. And these words were indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit, just as the text says: “Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying…” But here is what I want you to see this morning. This prophecy of Zechariah is a window into the Old Testament. It is a window for those of us who live on the other side of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ to look through so that we might clearly see Christ in the Old Testament, and know for certain that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah promised from so long ago. This prophecy of Zechariah is jammed packed with references to the Old Testament scriptures. It’s as if Zechariah had the d Old Testament scriptures concerning the first coming of Christ bottled up inside of him, and after months of muteness he, under the inspiration of the Spirit, let it all out. He could not wait to give glory to God for the salvation that was being accomplished in his day and before his very eyes. 

Let us now consider Zechariah’s prophecy in four parts.  

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He Blessed The Lord God Of Israel

First of all, notice that this prophecy was in a fact a blessing directed towards the God of Israel. The first words are, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…” (Luke 1:68, ESV). In other words, this prophecy is praise. Zechariah  was moved to give praise to Lord, the God of Israel. 

And why does he refer to the Lord as the God of Israel? Well, it will soon become clear. He is giving praise to God for the salvation that he has worked through the nation of Israel. For it was through Israel that the Christ was brought into the world. 

This is exactly what Paul was reflecting upon when he wrote in Romans 9, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:3–5, ESV). Zechariah blessed the Lord God of Israel because Israel was the conduit through which the Christ was brought into the world.

Remember how I said this prophecy of Zechariah’s is packed full of quotations from or allusions to the Old Testament? Well, even this blessing is not original to Zechariah, but is a quotation of scripture. 

It is interesting that these words, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…”, or words very similar to these, are found at the end of books 1, 2, and 4 of the Psalms. You should know that the Psalms are divided up into five books. And I am saying that books 1, 2, and 4 conclude with words similar to the ones uttered by Zechariah. For example, listen to how Psalm 72, which is the last Psalm in book 2 of the Psalms,  concludes: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended” (Psalm 72:18–20, ESV). I think it is very significant that Zechariah uses this blessing formula which is found in the Psalms to give praise to God for the arrival of the Christ. It’s almost as if God is signalling to us through Zechariah’s prophesy that we should consider the life of Christ in light of the Psalms. In fact, that is exactly what is happening.When Zechariah blessed the Lord by quoting from Psalm 72:18, he urges us to go to the Psalms and to see Christ there. 

And this phrase, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…”, or one similar to it,  is also found in 1 Kings 1:48, 1 Chronicals 29:10, and Ezra 7:27. Each of these passages have something to do with God’s work of redemption ultimately accomplished in Christ. But for the sake of time I will read only 1 Kings 1:48. This is that passage where King David identifies Solomon as the heir to his throne, saying at the conclusion, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it” (1 Kings 1:48, ESV). Do you see what is going on here, brothers and sisters? There in 1 Kings 1:48 David blessed the Lord for his son Solomon. But here Zechariah uses the very same words to bless the Lord for the arrival of David’s greater son, Jesus the Christ.  

Here is what I would like for you to understand. When Zechariah, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit, said “blessed be the Lord God of Israel..”, not only was he blessing the Lord for the salvation that was being accomplished in his day, he was also directing our minds to all of those places in the Old Testament where that phrase is found, so that we might go there and consider what those passages have to teach us regarding the coming of the Messiah. His prophecy is like a window into the Old Testament. Through it we see how Zechariah understood the Psalms, and passages like 1 Kings 1, 1 Chronicles 29, and Ezra 7. He saw Christ there in the form of promise. And he knew that these prophecies concerning the Christ were being fulfilled before his eyes, and so he gave all glory to God. The rest of the prophecy will demonstrate this even more so. 

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He Blessed God For Visiting And Redeeming His People

Secondly, notice that Zechariah blessed the Lord God of Israel for visiting and redeeming his people. Verse 68: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people…” (Luke 1:68, ESV). 

This is the language of the Exodus. When Zechariah used the terms “visited” and “redeemed” it was to draw our minds to the Exodus event. We are to remember how God “visited” and “redeemed” Israel from bondage. When Moses first came into Egypt, after being called by God in the burning bush to accomplish redemption for the Hebrews, he and Arron met with the elders of Israel to tell them of the word they had received from the Lord. And the scriptures tell us how the elders of Israel responded. They “believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.” (Exodus 4:31, ESV). 

At the time of the Exodus Moses visited his people and he redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. But Zechariah was not blessing God for what he did through Moses at the Exodus! Instead, he was blessing God for the marvelous thing that he was doing in his day. Zechariah understood that God was “visiting” his people again, and accomplishing a far greater act of redemption through the Christ who was in Mary’s womb, of whom his son was to be the forerunner. Zechariah blessed the God of Israel for “visiting” his people. He understood that God was accomplishing redemption, not through Moses, but through the Messiah. And the Messiah came to redeem his people, not from Egypt, but from Satan’s kingdom, from the bondage of sin, and from death.  

The Exodus event was a foretaste and a picture of the greater act of deliverance that Christ would accomplish. And the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of this greater act of redemption to be accomplished by a Redeemer greater than Moses. Consider Isaiah 59:20, which  says, “‘And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the LORD” (Isaiah 59:20, ESV). God’s people who lived under the Old Covenant — Zechariah being one of them — looked forward to the arrival of this Redeemer. And here in Luke 1:68 Zechariah declares that the redeemer has come — he was in the womb of the virgin Mary — and so he gave thanks to God for visiting and redeeming his people.

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He Blessed God For Providing Salvation In The Line Of David

Thirdly, Zechariah blessed God for providing salvation in the line of David. Look at verse 69. There Zechariah declares that God has “raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David…” (Luke 1:69, ESV). 

Who is this David that Zechariah refers to? Well, it is King David, the greatest of Israel’s kings. David was the king that God made a covenant with. You can read all about that covenant in 2 Samuel 7. In brief, God promised to give David a son and to establish his kingdom forever, as 2 Samuel 7:13 says, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:13, ESV). 

This promise was immediately fulfilled through David’s son, Solomon. Solomon would have the throne after David. And Solomon was the one to construct the temple, or house, of the Lord. But this promise made to David was obviously bigger than Solomon, for Solomon’s kingdom would come to end. Instead, the promise made to David regarding an everlasting kingdom and a son who would reign forever and ever was really about the Christ. Zechariah knew this. And that is why he gave glory to God regarding the news that Messiah was at hand, 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…” (Luke 1:68–71, ESV).

As I have said, Zechariah’s prophecy is packed full of Old Testament allusions and quotations. It’s as if every little word and phrase is meant to send us back into the Old Testament to see Christ there in the form of prophecies and promises, types and shadows.   

The phrase “horn of salvation” does this. The horn is a symbol of power and strength. And when Zechariah gives praise to God for raising up a horn of salvation, he is thanking God for his provision of a strong king who would rescue his people and judge all his enemies. And the phrase “horn of salvation” does remind us of certain prophecies that pointed forward to the arrival of a strong and anointed king who would do this very thing.    

Consider the prayer of Hannah after she gave up her son Samuel to the Lord’s service. She said, among other things, “The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed” (1 Samuel 2:10, ESV). It is interesting that Hannah uttered these words before there was ever a king in Israel. In fact, it would be her son Samuel who would anoint David as king years later. And in her prayer she rejoiced in the salvation of the Lord and said that God would “exalt the horn of his anointed”.  It is marvelous to consider the faith of Hannah. Her prayer would be fulfilled, in part, with the anointing of king David. But it would be fulfilled fully and finally in Christ, who is the Messiah, that is, the Lord’s anointed one. When Zechariah blessed God for raising “up a horn of salvation” he was indicating that this prophecy of Hannah was being fulfilled in his day. The Messiah, or Anointed One, was at hand. His horn was being exalted for our salvation. 

And let also consider Psalm 132:11-18. In this Psalm of Ascents we read, “The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: ‘One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.’ For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: ‘This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy. There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.’” (Psalm 132:11–18, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, Zechariah blessed the Lord because he knew that this prophecy was being fulfilled before his very eyes. He was witnessing the fulfilment of the promise of God, which says, “I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.”

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He Blessed God For Keeping The Promises He Made To Abraham

Fourthly, and lastly, Zechariah blessed God for keeping the promises that he had made to Abraham. In verse 72 we read: “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.” (Luke 1:72–75, ESV)

This is marvelous. Do you see how familiar Zechariah was with the Old Testament scriptures? Do you see how clearly he saw the Christ in them? He knew that what God was doing in his day was in fulfilment to the promises made to David, and to Moses, and to father Abraham before them.   

It was not long ago that we finished our study through the book of Genesis, and so I will not rehearse for you in detail the promises made to Abraham. You can read about them in Genesis 12 and following. But do remember that God promised to bless the nations through Abraham. He promised to give Abraham a son. And though Isaiac was born to him in his old age, he was not the son who would bless the nations. No, it would be the Messiah who would do that, Christ Jesus our Lord, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Heart the word of the Lord spoken to Abraham in  as Genesis 22:16-18: “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16–18, ESV).

It was this promise made to Abraham that echoed down the corridors of the history of redemption being amplified in the days of Moses and in the days of David being finally fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. Zechariah saw the dawning of that day and he blessed the Lord the God of Israel. He knew that the Redeemer was at hand, who would  deliver us “from the hand of our enemies”, so that we “might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” His own son would be the prophet who would prepare the way for the Lord, and in this he rejoiced. 

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Conclusion

I think you can now why I have said that the prophecy of Zechariah is a window into the Old Testament. Through it we may look and see there in the form of promise. 

And Zechariah’s prophecy does also help us to know what the Old Covenant saints knew concerning the coming Savior. Now, I am not claiming that all of God’s people who lived before the birth of Christ understood what Zechariah understood. After all, he lived at the very end of the Old Covenant era. And he did receive a very special revelation — he was visited by the angel Gabriel. And after being visited by the angel he had months to search the scriptures (or at the very least to reflect on the scriptures he already knew) while he was mute. It may very well be that Zechariah, being moved along by the Holy Spirit, had an unusually clear understanding of Christ from the scriptures. Nevertheless, we do see what the Old Testament saints had access to. They knew that the God of Israel would visit and redeem his people, that he would raise up a Savior in the line of David, and a Son from Abraham’s offspring. And this Son would deliver us “from the hand of our enemies, [so that we] might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”

Let me ask you, by way of conclusion, do you know the Old Testament scriptures? And do you see Christ there as Zechariah did? Yes, we live under the New Covenant. And we have the New Testament scriptures, which are indeed a great blessing. But it is vitally important that we read and understand the Old Testament. Christ came in fulfilment to promises made long ago. If we wish to understand why Christ came, and what he came to accomplish, to the Old Testament scriptures we must go! With a new year right around the corner it is a good time for me to remind you of the Bible reading plan that we make available on the home page of our website. That reading plan will take you through the Psalms twice, the rest of the Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice. It is a lot of reading, but it is good for us to be exposed to the scriptures broadly. 

Secondly, let me ask you, do you rejoice at the thought of Christ’s first coming and the accomplishment of our redemption as Zechariah did in his day? Granted, Zechariah was at the epicenter of things. His experiences were unusual and awesome. When he considered the marvelous things that the Lord was accomplishing in his day he exploded with praise. You and I should do the same. Yes, we are 2,000 years removed from the accomplishment of our redemption. And yes, we see Christ most clearly. No longer is the accomplishment of our salvation in him a mystery to us. Nevertheless, we ought to come to worship each Lord’s Day eager to bless “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…”

Thirdly I ask, are you living now in the freedom he has earned for you. Why did Christ come? Why did he redeem us? According to Zechariah, it was so that we might “might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” Brothers and sisters, God has redeemed us in Christ — he has freed us from bondage to sin and Satan — so that we might serve him; so that we might walk before him in holiness and righteousness all our days. 

Friends, our God is merciful and kind. What a gift he has given us in Christ the Lord!