(Luke 1:6-10) Zechariah Serving In The Temple

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[Luke 1:6] “6 Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord.”

• Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were faithful to God’s Word by keeping the law and obeying it.

[Luke 1:7] “7 But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.”

• It shadows Abraham and Sarah, who was barren, and both were very old. God works through the impossible, to show His hand in the promise that He gives to those who are faithful. The promise through Abraham’s seed, Isaac who through him, the Messiah would come. With the son of Zechariah, John the Baptist, he would pave the way for the Messiah.

9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he answered.

10 The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.

11 Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 So she laughed to herself: “After I have become shriveled up and my lord is old, will I have delight?”

-Genesis 18:9-11

[Luke 1:8] “8 When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,”

• A priest’s duty is to pray for God’s people and to present sacrifices for their sins to be forgiven [Hebrews 7:27]. When we are busy with God’s work, He will speak with us, see verse 11.

[Luke 1:9] “9 it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.

• “chosen by lot” In Proverbs 16:33, it says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” It wasn’t by chance that he was chosen by lot to be at the temple, but God wanted him to be there so that his mind-set was on the things of the LORD. In the Old Testament, God always spoke to His priests in the temple, to show that God was among His people, and also that He speaks to those who serve Him.

• Today, if you have the Spirit of God dwelling inside you, you are the temple of the Living God, and God will always speak to your spirit.

[Luke 1:10] “10 At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.

• “At the hour of incense” Incense represents the prayers of the saints.

May my prayer be set before You as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

-Psalm 141:2

The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand.

-Revelation 8:4

• To be in prayer, is to be in the presence of the LORD, and not only are we speaking to the LORD, but He will also speak with us.

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