Zechariah just got some great news! So why has he been silenced?

Luke 1:19-20

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Zechariah just received some great news! Gabriel told him he would have a son who would be great in the sight of the Lord and make Israel a people ready for the Lord. Zechariah asked how he could be sure of this since his wife was becoming too old to have children, but Gabriel responded sternly and made him unable to speak until the son was born.

This whole situation is extraordinary! Zechariah was talking to an angel who stood in God’s presence. Since the fall, the closest any person had been to this was when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies — a mere symbol of his presence.

I think God chose to use Zechariah, a priest, to highlight the separation between God and his people and hint towards his grand plan to bring us back to himself through Jesus. God loves us and is working so we might stand in his presence.

So why does Gabriel silence Zechariah? When Zechariah responds, he doesn’t acknowledge that God is doing more than just giving him a son. While he was unable to speak, Zechariah was able to reflect on what God would accomplish through his son and later, the coming Messiah. His son, John the Baptist, prepared the way for Jesus and Jesus prepared the way for us to come back to the Father.

Head: God has carried out more of his plan since Zechariah’s time. Jesus was born, lived, died, rose again and ascended. How is God working to accomplish his grand plan now? What part do you have?

Heart: What are some ways you doubt what God is doing in or through you today?

Hands: How can you encourage your friends or family to remember their part in God’s grand plan, and trust in him?

Prayer: Father, thank you that throughout all of history you have been working to bring us back to you. Thank you that we see your love clearly in that plan. Help me to know your love and see where I fit in your plan so others might know your love too.

A song to listen to: You Are My King (Amazing Love)

Javan Wood

For these holidays, we are revisiting our Grow Dailys from the beginning of Luke.