Sunday, October 28, 2018

Luke 1:6-17 comments: the angel's declaration


Luke 1:6  And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7  And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8  And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9  According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11  And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

In the first part of this passage that runs through verse 25 we have the angel’s declaration and assurance to Zacharias. Like Abraham and Sarah, Zacharias and Elisabeth were old people, or well stricken in years.

Genesis 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Words and phrases combined with and often have similar meanings or are synonymous so in the verse in Genesis old helps define well stricken in age.

In this context an angel of the Lord is an angel FROM the Lord, not an angel of the Lord’s presence.

Isaiah 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

An angel is the spiritual presence of someone or something whose actual physical location is somewhere else. It represents that person or thing.

An angel of the Lord can be God Himself in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ before He took on the physical body of a man.

Judges 2:1  And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

It can represent churches, as well.

Revelation 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

But, it doesn’t have to be God Himself in every case as here, which we will see.

This angel terrifies Zacharias but comforts him, foretelling of his son who will be John the Baptist. Like a Nazarite he will drink neither wine nor strong drink.

Numbers 6:3a  He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink,…

John is going to be filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb. The Holy Ghost is the name of the Spirit of God in His personhood with the word Ghost as identity and Spirit related more to function.

Luke 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God and of Christ, who are the same.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

John will have a specific power on him, the same power given to Elijah for preaching, as Elias is Elijah from the Greek rather than the Hebrew. He will announce Christ.

Malachi 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Mark 1:2  As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3  The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4  John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

The passage in Mark refers back to;

Isaiah 40:3 ¶  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Malachi 3:1 ¶  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Jesus will confirm all of this.

Matthew 11: 7 ¶  And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10  For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy
face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14  And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 17:10  And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12  But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13  Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

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