Zechariah’s Benedictus

December 24   

Call To Worship Isaiah 40:1-5

Law and Grace  2 Sam 7:1-17

Luke 1:57-80    Saving Christmas  -Zechariah's Benedictus

⁵⁷ Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.⁵⁸ And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.⁵⁹ And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,⁶⁰ but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called John."⁶¹ And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name."⁶² And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered.⁶⁴ And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.⁶⁵ And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,⁶⁶ and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷              And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸              "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

                      for he has visited and redeemed his people

⁶⁹              and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

                      in the house of his servant David,

⁷⁰              as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

⁷¹              that we should be saved from our enemies

                      and from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷²              to show the mercy promised to our fathers

                      and to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³              the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

⁷⁴              that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

           might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵              in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶              And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

                      for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷              to give knowledge of salvation to his people

                      in the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸              because of the tender mercy of our God,

                      whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

⁷⁹              to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

                      to guide our feet into the way of peace."

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.

 

Days were dark and difficult for a middleaged composer named George who had recently suffered a stroke. His health had finally been broken by an anxious and difficult life. The stroke had paralyzed the left side of his face, causing intense pain.

Most days, he could barely afford to pay his rent and was facing the possibility of debtor's prison. He was despondent and discouraged — frankly, life was dark and despairing. One night in 1741, depressed and defeated, he wandered the lonely streets deep in thought trying to come up with a plan — some hope in life. When he returned to his home, an envelope had been dropped off by a friend. His friend had wanted to encourage him, and he had simply copied off a number of verses — Biblical prophecies of the coming Messiah.

George Handel read through them, then tossed the pages aside and crawled into bed, but he couldn't sleep. Biblical phrases he had just read kept coming back to his mind — the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. . . it is the glory of God . . . Hallelujah!

He got up and went to his piano and for the next 24 days, didn't stop writing. For three weeks straight, he composed, hardly stopping to eat or sleep, refusing to see anyone.

Finally, a friend managed to get inside the apartment where he found George Handel surrounded by sheets of music strewn everywhere; tears were streaming down his face as he said to his friend, "I do believe I have seen . . . the greatness of God." And Handle's Messiah was soon completed.

For 400 years in Israel's history, there had been little to sing about. Following the prophecies of Malachi, between Malachi and the Gospels of the New Testament, there has been no word from God. No prophet of God spoke either words of judgment or words of encouragement. It was a time which came to be known as the 400 years of silence.

But then, the most amazing things began to happen. Angel sightings, supernatural events, surprising joy — and music being composed again.

And from the most unlikely places. In a village overrun by Roman soldiers where immorality was legendary, a teenage girl composes a song rich with Old Testament passages, a song of her own Savior and the miracle of her conception, though yet a virgin.

In fact, as Luke's Gospel opens — just in the first 2 chapters, you have as many as 5 songs, and the theme running throughout them all is joy.  And the major theme is Salvation.

For the first time in 400 years, choruses of Hallelujah are beginning to echo throughout the land. This was all such good news leading us to great joy.

How could someone not be joyful about salvation? 

God develops the theme of salvation.

Here in this passage called the Benedictus, just like Mary's song is called the Magnificat because of the first words of this song. Benedictus.  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," Blessings.

Following Mary's song of joy, an old priest, well past his prime, has had a surprise baby boy born to his elderly wife and him. They live out in the country, away from the religious power players of the nation. Yet God has chosen their miracle baby to become the next prophet — following Malachi — and their son will introduce the Messiah.

And now it's this old priest's opportunity to start singing — or more than likely what would have sounded like chanting — as he delivers his own composition of joy.

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, let's go back to where

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. Luke 1:57-59a

This was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant — the mark of a Jewish male in obedience to the law — which would have given John the necessary credentials as an Israelite prophet.

We're told here that everybody they know have shown up for this joyous ceremony and time of celebration which traditionally included the naming of the son, on his 8th day.

And it was customary in these days to name a son after his father or grandfather, especially if they were highly esteemed men.        

So if anybody was going to be named after his father, this baby would certainly be Zechariah Jr. In fact, notice the family drama that's breaking out here at the ceremony — the middle part of verse 59 tells us that:

they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called John." And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." That's the Biblical way of saying, "Are you crazy? Nobody in your family is named  John — where did that name come from? You can't name him John — there's  no one in our family called John. But Elizabeth chooses the name John! 

But Elizabeth is refusing to budge, and Zechariah can't even speak yet, because he's still under the discipline of God for his earlier unbelief.       So here's Elizabeth, terribly outnumbered, but unmoved; in spite of the entire family and the entire neighborhood insisting on Zechariah, Elizabeth says: "He's going to be called John." I mean, nobody would tangle with this 80- year-old new mother. She's obviously learned from her husband writing it all out for her earlier, that Gabriel told him this was God's choice to name their son, John — which means, God is gracious. That's the message God wanted Israel to hear from His prophet: not just a message of repentance from sin, but a message of the forgiving grace of God.

Look what the neighbours do next verse 62 — they ask Zechariah.

And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." Luke 1:62-63

He gets a tablet — this word refers to a wooden tablet covered with wax. And he writes something amazing here. He confirms what Elizabeth said earlier in verse 60, but he uses a different tense of the verb. He doesn't write, "He shall be called John", he writes: "His name is John!"    It's already settled! What's more, he was already John, in the womb, before he was born. He's not being named today at this ceremony; he was already named before any of you showed up with your vote. He was named "John" by God, a little more than 9 months ago. And with that statement of obedience and humility, God reopens Zechariah's ears and mouth. And immediately, Zechariah begins to speak words of praise to God. We're told in the next verse — I love this — that "awe came on all their neighbors." (v. 65)

And he begins to sing — now Zechariah has been composing his own version of the Hallelujah Chorus — it's loaded with Old Testament passages and allusions — perhaps as many as 33 different connections to the Old Testament. There are several stanzas in this composition, depending on how it's outlined; I'll break it down into three stanzas.

The prophecy of Zechariah about God's salvation

Beginning at verse 68:

Blessed by 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.      Luke 1:68-75

1. Salvation is Brought to You By A Person.

Zechariah is singing about the future in the past tense — He has visited us; He has redeemed us; He has raised up a horn of salvation.  God did it.  So though not done it was as good as done because God did it!

 

2. Salvation is Confirmed To You By Prophecies

 

David's House  2 Sam 7  ⁵ "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?⁶ I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.⁷ In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.⁹ And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,¹¹ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.¹² 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.¹³ He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.¹⁴ I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son…. my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'"

Israel's enemies

Covenant with Israel

Redeem Israel

 

3. Salvation is Announced to you by the Preacher

The prophecy of Zechariah about the ministry of his son Notice v. 76:

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." Luke 1:76-78a

Can you imagine this scene — there hasn't been a prophet for 400 years. And now, Zechariah is holding a prophet in his arms. He's singing now directly to John

— "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High . . . you're going to go before the Lord, our redeemer."

His ministry is described as one preparing the way for the Messiah He's literally going to be the advance agent for Jesus Christ  — he will prepare the way. 

Isa 40:1-5    Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

That expression was rooted in ancient history where good roads weren't the norm. Most roads were simply tracks across fields and as they led into towns, they were often rutted and muddy; the wheels of the carts would often get bogged down and get stuck.

If a king were traveling to visit a town, a lot of effort would be put into preparing the road leading into and through the town. It would often be leveled and drained and raised and paved with stone pavers for the royal chariot or carriage.

Early in the Roman Empire, those raised roads paved with stone pavers were called highways — they were called highways long before we called them highways.

And to this day, there's nothing like a good highway to get you where you're going.

John is going into spiritual road construction; he's going to announce to the world that the King is on His way — the royal Son of the Most High is coming.

John is going to build a highway with his preaching for the Messiah to ride directly into the hearts of those who will believe.

With that in mind, Zechariah's final stanza describes this Messiah; this is:

4. Salvation is Made Personal By His Power

The prophecy of Zechariah about the coming Sunrise

Notice verse 78 – the middle part: "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 1:78b-79

What will the Saviour, the Son of God do for you?

• He will release those captured by the darkness;

• He will rescue those facing inevitable death and eternal judgment

• He will give inner peace to those who know nothing of it. This is a bleak and yet realistic description of the human race – throughout human history:

• living in darkness and despair        • facing inevitable death and Judgment 

• hungry for peace and satisfaction

The world here is described realistically: darkness, dying and despairing.

But the sunrise is about to break into the dark and despairing world.

Zechariah sings: the Sunrise from on high is on His way!

• The Apostle Peter wrote that Jesus Christ was like a day dawning and a morning star rising in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19);

• John called him "the bright and Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16);

• Salvation is described as being rescued from the power of darkness and being brought into the kingdom of God's beloved Son (Colossians 1:13);

• Our mission as believers is to declare the praises – to sing the hallelujah's – of those who have been called out of darkness and into this marvelous light (I Peter 2:9);

• And we are promised that in the end, in the kingdom of everlasting light, that we, the redeemed will actually shine with the brilliant light of the sun (Matthew 13:43).

The sunrise is on His way

And in the meantime, we have every reason to sing Hallelujah to our Redeemer.

George Handel would take this song of prophecy from Zechariah and turn it into music.

The people who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, have seen a great light — the sun is rising — and the light of His gospel will rescue us from eternal death; and lead our feet into the perfect peace of God.

No wonder believers sing — hallelujah!