March 15, 2024
“And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God” (Luke 1:64 ESV). In today’s New Testament reading from Luke, the Lord had made Zechariah mute for doubting the word of His angel Gabriel concerning the coming birth of his son, John, to his elderly wife, Elizabeth. He was mute
March 15, 2023
“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 1:76 NLT). When it came time for the circumcision ceremony for the eight day old John the Baptist, his mute father opened his mouth and prophesied over him. Zechariah had been
March 14, 2023
“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said” (Luke 1:45 NLT). After the angel Gabriel visited Mary, she went to visit her relative Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s arrival, the baby within Elizabeth’s womb leaped with joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit. She immediately knew that
March 13, 2023
“Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4 NLT). Luke addressed both his gospel as well as the book of Acts to a man named “Theophilus,” whose
March 15, 2022
A FATHER BLESSES HIS SON When it came time for John the Baptist to be born, his mute father opened his mouth and prophesied over him. Zechariah had been mute since the angel Gabriel had told him that his barren wife would soon have a son in her old age. He made him mute both
March 15, 2021
THE LORD’S CALLING AND A FATHER’S BLESSING When it came time for John the Baptist to be born, his father Zechariah prophesied over him. Zechariah had been mute since he first heard from an angel that his barren wife would soon have a son in her old age. The Lord made him mute as a
March 15, 2020
PRAYING FOR THE LORD’S VISITATION TODAY On the eighth day after John the Baptist’s birth, his father Zechariah was filled with the Spirit and prophesied. The Lord spoke through him announcing the purpose of his son’s life, namely, to prepare the way for the Messiah. For the Lord had visited their relative Mary and she
March 15, 2018
FROM MUTE DONKEY TO ARTICULATE PROPHET
In today’s OT reading, the Lord opened the mouth of Balaam’s donkey to speak. And in the NT reading, the Lord made Zechariah mute for nine months before restoring his voice. Zechariah praised God and prophesied over his newborn son, John. All that the angel Gabriel predicted had come to pass. I suppose he had plenty of time to contemplate the angel’s words, since he had no words of his own during his wife’s pregnancy. Awe fell over the entire neighborhood as the tongue-tied priest became an articulate prophet, blessing his son. What if every child was so anticipated? What if every child had a father speaking such prophetic blessing over him?
God asked Moses, “Who gave man his mouth?” (Ex. 4:11). The Lord can make a faithless man mute or a speechless donkey talk. So, we must be careful concerning our speech.
March 14, 2016
Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel that she would bear the Christ child was a wonderful expression of submission to God’s will. Her faithful response stands in contrast to Zechariah’s doubtful one. Of course, Mary questioned the angel too, but her request was not for certification, but for clarification. Zachariah wanted proof that his barren wife would have a child. Mary wanted to understand the means of conception since she was a virgin. She asked for clarification, not confirmation. Mary’s response stemmed from her faith; Zachariah’s stemmed from his lack of faith.
March 15, 2015
After nine months being mute, Zacharias prophesied over his newborn son, John. All that the angel Gabriel predicted had come to pass. I suppose the silenced old Zacharias had plenty of time to contemplate the angel’s words during his wife’s pregnancy. Awe fell over the entire neighborhood as the tongue-tied priest became an articulate prophet, blessing his son. In this verse, he spoke the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 over his son, saying that he would be the preparer of the way for the Messiah. What if every child was so anticipated? What if every son had a father speaking a prophetic blessing over him?