“The Background of the Abrahamic Covenant” Luke 1:72a)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/21/2026 10:29 AM

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  “The Background of the Abrahamic Covenant”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                          Reference:  Luke 1:72a

            Message of the verse:  “To show mercy toward our fathers,”

            I’m having a problem with my new laptop and so I had to switch to my older laptop to write this SD, and so I think this morning it is best to just quote from MacArthur’s commentary for this SD.

            “The Abrahamic covenant, which God made to the fathers of the nation of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), is a foundational element of biblical interpretation.  A correct understanding of it is essential to prop-Biblical interpretation.  A correct understanding of it is essential to properly comprehending all of redemptive history.  In contrast to the Davidic covenant, which was universal in scope, the Abrahamic covenant is national, promising blessings to Israel (though Gentiles can enter into those blessings (through faith; see the discussion of Gal. 3:6-7 and Rom. 4:11-12 which is seen below).

            “The Abrahamic covenant is preeminently a covenant of mercy, revealing that God is gracious and compassionate to undeserving people.  The stream of mercy that began with God’s blessing to all who have faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            “After beginning with universal themes, such as God’s creation of the universe in six days, the entrance of sin into the world, and the worldwide flood of Noah’s day and its aftermath, the book of Genesis narrows it focus to one individual and his descendants:  Abraham )then known as Abram), who is introduced at the end of chapter 11.  He was a native of the sophisticated and powerful Chaldean city of Ur (v. 31), located in Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2).  What his connection with the true God was in not clear, since according to Joshua 24:2 he was an idolater.  But God soveringly called him while he was still living in Ur, commanding him, “Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you” (Acts 7:3).  Later, after Abraham had settled in Haran with his father, Terah (Gen. 11:31), God repeated His call to him:

“1 ¶  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

“In obedience to the Lord’s command “Abraham went forth as the Lord had spoken to him…and came to the land of Canaan” (vv. 4, 5).  3/21/2026 10:52 AM

 

“Intro to “Zachariahs’s Song of Salvation -PT 2:The Abrahamic Covenant” (Luke 1:72-75)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/20/2026 5:44 PM

My Worship Time  Focus: “Intro to “Zachariahs’s Song of Salvation -PT 2:The Abrahamic Covenant”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                          Focus: Luke 1:72-75

Message of the verses:  “To show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” (NASB)

            I will quote the introduction from John MacArthur’s commentary.

            “If one were to ask historians to name the single most even in history, the one with the most far-reaching implications and that made the greatest impact, there would be no consensus.  Some might suggest a major battle or war that reshaped the balance of power, or the influence of a great military or political ruler, such as an Alexander the Great, Pharaoh, Caesar, king, prime minister, president, or general.  Others might suggest the rise to power of a major civilization or nation, such as Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, China, the British Empire, or the United States.  Conversely, some might point to the fall of a major civilization, such as Babylon, Rome, or the decline of contemporary Western civilization.

            “Other historians might argue that a scientific invention or discovery made the greatest impact.  Inventions such as the wheel, telegraph, telephone, automobile, airplane, radio, and computer, the harnessing of electricity, and the discoveries of modern medical science have unquestionably helped make our world what it is today.

            “Many would insist that it is ideas and beliefs that exert the greatest influence on history.  They would point out the impact of thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche; religious leaders such as evolution, communism, democracy, capitalism, and postmodernism.  Nor can the significance of major movement or events, such as the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, the American Revolution, or the French Revolution, be under underestimated.

            “But while historians might debate history’s most significant event, history itself has already answered the question.  The most monumental event of all was the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world.  The division of history into B.C (“before Christ”) and A,D (Anno Domini, ‘in the year of our Lord’) reveals the unsurpassed significance of Christ’s incarnation; it is history’s great dividing point.

            “God created mankind to serve, worship, and glorify Him.  To that end, He placed Adam and Eve in the perfect environment of the garden of Eden.  Tragically, Satan’s lies led to the corruption of that perfect world as the fall plunged the human race into sin and depravity.  But what Satan meant for evil, God used for His glory.  He saved lost sinners, putting on display His otherwise unknowable attributes of grace, mercy forgiveness, and compassion.  The Father redeemed a people, and presented them to His beloved Son as a gift of His love.  They will serve, praise, and worship Him forever.

            “The pinnacle of God’s redemptive plan was the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world.  After living a sinless life of perfect obedience to God’s law, He died on the cross bearing the sins of His people.  Because He treated Jesus as if He had lived their sinful lives, God is able through His grace to treat the redeemed as if they had lived Jesus’ perfectly righteous life.  The incarnation, substitutionary atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the Bible overarching themes.  The Old Testament (most notably in Isaiah 53) anticipates the death of Messiah as the ultimate sacrifice that the Old Testament sacrificial system pointed to.  The Gospel’s given the record of Jesus’ sinless life and  sacrificial death.  Acts and the Epistles are a commentary of the theological significance  of His life, death, and resurrection.  Revelation gives the details of His return and millennial reign on earth, and His eternal reign in the new heaven and new earth.

            “In Zacharias’s day, the Jewish people were eagerly awaiting Messiah’s arrival.  They longed for Him to come, set up His kingdom, and restore their land to them  Zacharias was one of those ‘who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem’ (2:38).  The birth of his son filled him with anticipation; the angel Gabriel had told him that John would go as a forerunner before [the Messiah, Jesus Christ] in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make read a people prepared for the Lord’ (1:17).  Zacharias knew that if His forerunner had just been born, Messiah’s coming was imminent.  That knowledge prompted his magnificent hymn of praise and worship.  As befits a priest, a man who had devoted his life to studying and teaching God’s law, Zacharias’s hymn is saturated with Old Testament covenant texts.  Specifically, he centers on the three covenants of salvation and blessing—the Davidic, Abrahamic, and New covenants.  Having referred to the Davidic covenant in verses 67-71, Zacharias now turns to the Abrahamic covenant, noting its background, promise, and fulfillment in the coming Messiah.”

3/20/2026 6:32 PM

 

“The Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant” (Luke 1:71)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/20/2026 9:55 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  “The Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                      Reference:  Luke 1:71

            Message of the verse:  “salvation for our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;”

            MacArthur begins this section by writing “Like many Old Testament predictions, the Lord’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14 has both a near and a distant fulfillment.  In the short term, David’s descendant, whose kingdom God promised to establish (v. 12) was his son Solomon,  He was granted the privilege of building the temple that was denied to David (v. 13a).”

2 Samuel 7:12-14

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. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,”

            As one reads through the Old Testament in the chapter about Solomon they will find out that when Solomon grew old that he sank deeper and deeper into sin.  So as a result, after his death the kingdom split into two kingdoms: The northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah.  Eventually, after centuries of rebellion and disobedience, Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 7:22 BC.  It was a little more than a century later that Judah fell also, and it fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC as the destroyed Solomons magnificent temple.

            God’s covenant promise, however, did not fail as it extends to the One greater than Solomon (Luke 11:31)—the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is His kingdom that God promised to establish forever as seen in 2 Samuel 7:13, 16.  Christ will one day return to establish His earthly kingdom in fulfilment of the promise made to David “there will be no end to the increase of His government or of Peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:7).

            MacArthur writes: “It was that messianic kingdom, with its hope and expectations of salvation from Israel’s enemies, and from the hand of all who hate the Jewish people (cf. Ps. 106:10), that elicited Zacharias praise.”

(cf. Ps. 106:10)

“10  So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.”

“As noted above, he believed the kingdom’s arrival was imminent (as indeed did Jesus’ own disciples, even after His resurrection [Acts 1:6]): he knew that his son was the forerunner of the Messiah, and that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah.”

[Acts 1:6])

  6 ¶  So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”

Now I think that it is best if I quote the answer that Jesus gave to His disciples:  “7  He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”  We are still today looking for the answer to that question, but from what is going on in the Middle East at this time it could be very soon that this will happen, but first there has to be an end of the Church age, which will happen at the Rapture, and next the seven year tribulation period, and then after that the promised kingdom for Israel will happen and it will last 1000 years.

MacArthur goes on:  Zacharias did not foresee that the unthinkable would happen—that Israel would reject and execute the King.

            “But Israel’s disobedience cannot nullify the promises of God (Rom. 3:1-3).”

(Rom. 3:1-3)

“1 ¶  Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2  Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3  What if some were unfaithful?? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?”

The King will one day return to establish His earthly kingdom, just as God promised David.  In that day the remnant of Israel will come to repentance and faith and, says the Lord, ‘will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn’ (Zech. 12:10).  They will cry out joyously, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ (Matt. 23:39).  ‘In that day,’ Zechariah prophesied, ‘His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east’ (Zech. 14:4).  The most detailed description of the triumphant return of Jesus Christ to judge His enemies and establish His earthly kingdom is found in Revelation 19:11-21:

“11 ¶  Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17  Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18  to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." 19  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20  And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21  And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”

The hope of Zacharias and the future remnant of Jews, as well as all true believers, is sure and will certainly come to pass.  God will not forget His covenant with David.  The redeemed will experience the blessed joy of serving and worshiping the King during the millennial kingdom and the eternal kingdom that will follow it.  Only then will the fervent longing of the children of Israel for salvation from their enemies, and from the hand of all who hate them be realized.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  Now as I look at the prophecies of the end times and then look at what is going on in the Middle East today, it is my great hope that the rapture of the Church will happen soon!

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to take care of my wife who continues to fight the cancer that is in her body.

3/20/2026 10:48 AM

 

 

“The Promise of the Davidic Covenant” (Luke 1:70)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/19/2026 6:10 PM

My Worship Time                                               Focus:  “The Promise of the Davidic Covenant”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 1:70

            Message of the verse: “as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old”

            This evening’s SD will be a bit shorter than this morning’s SD.

            As we look at a short part of David’s reign we will see that in the last decade of his 40 year reign that David had it in his heart to build a temple in order to house the ark of the covenant.  The following was what Nathan the prophet said “the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of Go dwells within tent curtains’” (2 Samuel 7:2).  What David had in mind sounded very good to the prophet Nathan, so he gave the project his blessing:  “Nathan said to the king, ‘God, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you’” (v.3).  However neither Nathan nor David had consulted God, who had something else in mind:

“4 ¶  But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 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?"’ (2 Samuel 7:4-7)

Instead of David building a house for God, God would build a house for David:

“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.” (vv. 8-11).

            John MacArthur then writes the following:  “Those verses record God’s irrevocable, unconditional covenant promise to David and his household (though it is not called a covenant here, it is in 2 Samuel 23:5).” “5  "For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?”  “God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets concerning this covenant repeatedly in the Old Testament; it has been estimated that more than forty other passages are directly related to these verses (e.g., Pss. 89, 110, 132).  Isaiah alone has much to say about the future Davidic kingdom that will be ruled by the Messiah (cf. the discussion of 2 Sam. 7:12-13 below).  According to Isaiah’s prophecy the Lord will restore the faithful remnant of Israel to the land to inhabit the kingdom.  He will defeat all of Israel’s enemies, providing protection for His people.  In the kingdom, Israel will enjoy great prosperity of many kinds. The city of Jerusalem will rise to world preeminence.  Israel will be the center of the world attention, and her mission will be to glorify the Lord.  Gentiles in the kingdom will receive blessing through the channel of faithful Israel.  Worldwide peace and righteousness will prevail under the rule of the Prince of Peace.  Moral and spiritual conditions in the kingdom will reach their highest plane since the fall of Adam.  Governmental leadership will be superlative with the Messiah, the perfect dictator who is just and true, in charge.  Righteousness will prevail as the King swiftly judges over sin.  Humans will enjoy long lives; those who die at one hundred years of age will be considered mere youths.  Knowledge of the Lord will be universal.  The world of nature will enjoy a great renewal.  Wild animals will be tame; the lion will lie down with the lamb, and children play with poisonous snakes.  Sorrow and mourning will not exist.  Finally, an eternal kingdom as part of God’s new creation will follow the millennial kingdom.”

            It will be during this 1000 year kingdom that I have been writing about that all of those who had been saved in the Church age will assist the Lord during the Millennial Kingdom.  I once heard a former Pastor of mine say that he wanted to return to the city he was living in and be used by the Lord to minister there.  All I know is that the Millennial Kingdom will be ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the earth will be like it was when God created it, and life will be great there, however every person born during that time period will have to trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior or else will be thrown into the lake of fire after this 1000 year period is over.  It is interesting to me that people today can make excuses about the world we are now living in is not really great, and yet in the Millennial Kingdom all will be perfect, the Lord will be on His throne in Jerusalem, Satan will be in hell at this time, yet people will still sin and turn down the salvation that Christ offers.  Why?  Well even though Satan is in Hell all mankind at that time will still be born with a sin nature, not wanting to do right.

3/19/2026 6:41 PM

“The Background of the Davidic Covenant” (Luke 1:69b)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/19/2026 9:37 AM

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  “The Background of the Davidic Covenant”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                    Reference:  Luke 1:69b

            Message of the verse:  “in the house of David His servant”

            I have to say that this will be a rather short SD, but the shortness of it does not matter, but what we find in these words matters as we walk with the Lord.

            From looking at some of the things that Zacharias has said after the Lord allowed him to speak and to hear again are very important and what he is saying tells us that he knew the Old Testament, for that is all that he had to read and study at this time.  He knew that the Old Testament clearly taught that Messiah would be from the house of David.  It was through the prophet Jeremiah we can see that God said, “Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land’’” (Jeremiah 23:5).  Jeremiah 33:15 tells us that He repeated that promise:  “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.”  In addition, Isiah 11:1 and 10 speak of Messiah as a descendant of David’s father, Jesse (cf. Romans 15:12), while Psalm 132:17 refers to Messiah as the horn of David (“Mine anointed’ ; cf. Ps. 2:2).  Now I will quote all these verses referenced above in the order that they were referenced to.

Isaiah 11:1 and 10

“1 ¶  There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

“10 ¶  In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples— of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.”

(cf. Romans 15:12)

“12  And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.’”

Psalm 132:17

“17  There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.”

(cf. Ps. 2:2-3)

2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,   3  "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’”

            Now as I look at this section and the verses that Zacharias is referring to it reminds me of what Jesus did after He was resurrected from the dead and comes upon a couple of disciples, whom are not really mentioned who they were, but He begins to talk to them about what the Christ was to do, and this is one of those sermons that we don’t have the privilege to hear or read.  However I certainly would have loved to be with these men as Jesus, in my opinion, goes through the Old Testament telling things that speak of the Messiah and what He would do.  Perhaps He even used some of these verses written above to show these men that the Messiah would have to die in order to pay for the sins of the world, and then be resurrected from the dead three days after His death.

            John MacArthur writes “Zacharias would also have known that Jesus’ mother, Mary, was of the line of David.  She had stayed with him and Elizabeth for three months and had undoubtedly told them of Gabriel’s promise to her ‘Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (1:31-32).  Since she was a descendant of David, Mary passed the royal bloodline to Jesus.

            “David, God’s servant (cf. 2 Sam. 3:18; 7:5, 8; 1 Kings 8:66; 11:13, 38; 14:8; Psalm 18:1; 36:1; 89:3; Jer. 33:21-22), the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), and the sweet psalmist of Israel’ (2 Sam. 23:1), was arguably Israel’s greatest king.  The kingdom of Israel began under his predecessor, Saul, and declined under his successor, Solomon, splitting shortly after the latter’s death.  It was the fervent hope and expectation of the Jewish people that Messiah would fulfill the Davidic covenant and restore the kingdom of Israel to its former glory.”  I will now quote the verse references mentioned in this paragraph in the order that they are mentioned.

(cf. 2 Sam. 3:18; 7:5, 8; 1 Kings 8:66; 11:13, 38; 14:8; Psalm 18:1; 36:1; 89:3; Jer. 33:21-22)

“18  Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’"

5  "Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?”

“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.”

“66  On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.’

“13  However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.’”

“38  And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”

“8  and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes,”

 

“1 ¶  «To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:» I love you, O LORD, my strength.”

“1 ¶  «To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.» Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.”

““3  You have said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 4  ’I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’" Selah

“21  then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. 22  As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me."

(1 Sam. 13:14)

“14  But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

(2 Sam. 23:1)

1 ¶  Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:”

            So much for a short SD as there were many verses in it and so I thought it best to copy and paste them into this SD.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Trust the Lord with what He wants me to do, and I believe that writing these Spiritual Diaries is one of the things that He has called me to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to continue to use the doctors and medicines that she is giving to my wife to help her defeat the cancer in her body.

3/19/2026 10:26 AM

 

 

 

 

PT-2 “Introduction to Luke 1:67-71” (Luke 1:67-71)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/18/2026 7:54 AM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus: PT-2 “Introduction to Luke 1:67-71”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 1:67-71

            Message of the verses:  “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;”

            I will pick up from where I left off this morning as I continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary for this introduction to the verses above.

            “Zachariahs’s outburst of praise and worship was prompted by the astounding events that had just taken place.  Briefly summarizing, about nine months earlier the angel Gabriel had appeared to Zacharias while he was ministering in the temple.  Gabriel made the stunning announcement that Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were barren and well past childbearing age, would nevertheless have a child—and not just any child, but the forerunner of Messiah.  When Zacharias’s skeptical reply revealed his lack of faith, he became, at Gabriel’s word, deaf and unable to speak.  But Elizabeth became pregnant, just as God had promised through Gabriel.  Eight days after she have birth to their son, Zacharias was asked what to name him.  When he wrote emphatically, ‘His name is John’ (Luke1:63; cf. v. 13), ‘at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, ad he began to speak in praise of God’ (v. 64).  Zacharias’s Benedictus in verses 68-79 is an expression of that praise.

            “But Zacharias’s song was not merely a reflection of his understandable joy at becoming a father when all hope seemed to have long vanished.  It expressed the far more significant truth that the redemption God promised in the Old Testament was about to be accomplished.  Zacharias’s son, John, would be the forerunner announcing the coming Messiah, through whom God would deliver Israel and fulfill His covenants.  Those promises and covenants were, no doubt, part of his teaching through the years, so he was very familiar with the texts of the Old Testament that contain them.  That fact becomes obvious as his praise unfolds.  It is with three of those covenants that Zacharias’s reflections are chiefly  concerned.

            “There are six covenants in the Old Testament that are specifically referred to by that term.  Three of them, the Noahic (Gen. 9:9-17), Mosaic (Ex. 19:5; 24:7-8; 34:27-28; Deut. 4:13), and the Priestly (Num. 25:10-13) covenants, are non-salvific; eternal, spiritual salvation is not in view in any of them.  The other three covenants, the Davidic, Abrahamic, and New do relate to salvation.  The Davidic covenant is universal; it involves the eternal rule of Jesus Christ over all.  The Abrahamic covenant is national; it designates God’s promised blessing of Israel.  The New covenant is personal; it refers to God forgiving sin in the lives of individuals.  Of course no one will enter into the full blessings of the Davidic and Abrahamic covenants apart from the salvation provided in the New Covenant.

            “It was important for Luke to include this anthem of praise at the outset of his gospel story since, as noted above, it inseparably links Christianity to the Old Testament salvation covenants.  More specifically, the coming of Messiah’s forerunner, John the Baptist, announced the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise of redemption through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

            “Like his wife (1:41) and son (1:15) before him, Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit.  The divine power of the Spirit of God came upon him so that he prophesied.  The verb translated prophesied (propheteuo) means, ‘to speak forth,’ ‘to proclaim and expound God’s Word.’  Zacharias was filled with and inspired by the Holy Spirit so that what he spoke was the very word of God.          

            “Zacharias’s introductory phrase, ‘Blessed be the Lord God,’ was a common way to introduce praise in the Old Testament (e. g., Gen. 9:26; 24:27; Ex. 18:10; Ruth 4:14; 1 Samuel 25:32, 39; 2 Samuel 18:28; 1 Kings 1:48; 8:15, 56; 1 Chron. 16:36; 29:10; Ezra 7:27; Pss. 28:6; 31:21; 41:13; 66:20; 68:19; 72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48; 113:2; 124:6; 135:21; Dan. 2:19-20; cf. Luke 2:28; Romans 1:25; 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3).

            “Zacharias rightly viewed God’s plan of redemption as the unfolding of His promises to Israel.  The Lord reminded a Samaritan woman that ‘salvation is from the Jews’ (John 4:22), while Paul wrote that to the ‘Israelites…[belong] the adoption of sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple serviced and the promises, [and] whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever’ (Romans 9:4-5).

            “Zacharias praised God first because He had visited His people.  The concept of God visiting His people, whether for judgment (cf. Exodus 32:34; Job 35:15) or for blessing (cf. Ruth 1:6; 1 Samuel 2:21; Jer. 29:10) is a familiar Old Testament theme.  Heaven had come down to earth; the supernatural had invaded the natural; God was working out His eternal plan.

            “Specifically, Zacharias glorified God because He had accomplished redemption for His people (cf. 2:38; 24:21).  Lutrosis (redemption) and its related terms comprise one of the word groups used in the New Testament to express the rich theological truth of salvation.  It refers to the payment of a price to release someone from bondage. (Another word group, agorazo and its related terms, adds the idea of ownership, that God redeems sinners for Himself.)  Redemption frees sinners from slavery to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 6:6, 17, 20), the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13; 4:5), the sinful ways of fallen men (1 Cor. 7:23), false religion (Gal. 4:3), and Satan, who wielded the power of death (Heb. 2:14-15) subject to God’s will (Job 2:6).  The purchase price paid to redeem the elect was the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7; Col 1:14; Titus 2:14; Heb. 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

            “When Zacharias spoke these words, redemption had long been granted, but the covenant that secured it had not been ratified.  His son, Messiah’s forerunner, was only eight day sold.  And the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, was not even born yet.  But Zacharias was so certain that God would do what He had promised that he spoke of redemption as if it had already taken place.  He knew that the birth of his son, John, signaled that God was about to visit His people and bring the provision that made salvation possible.

            “The people of Israel fervently longed for Messiah to come and deliver them from their bondage to Rome, as God had delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt (cf. Psalm 106).  They viewed their deliverance primarily in earthly political terms expecting Messiah to establish His earthly kingdom and fulfill the promised blessings to David and Abraham.  They overlooked the reality that those blessings would not be fulfilled apart from the forgiveness of sin provided in the New Covenant.  Sadly, when John and Jesus preached the necessity of that personal salvation, the majority of the people rejected their message.  Zacharias, of course, had no way of knowing that would happen, and rejoiced as he saw the day of redemption dawning.

            “Zacharias described redemption as God’s raising up a horn of salvation.  That picturesque Old Testament expression (cf. 1 Sam. 2:10; 2 Sam. 22:3; Pss. 18:2; 89:17, 24; 92:10; 112:9; 132:17; 148:14; Mic. 4:13) spoke of power to conquer and kill, like that of a large, horned beast.  Here Zacharias used it to refer to the Messiah, picturing Him as a powerful animal, who would lower His horns, drive out His enemies, and deliver His people.

            “This was the greatest moment in Israel’s history, the culmination of all redemptive hope and anticipation.  And at the center of that monumental moment in the unfolding saga or redemption was a common, ordinary priest from a small, insignificant village.  As befits a man steeped in the Old Testament, Zacharias’s anthem of praise considers first the Davidic covenant, revealing its background, promise and fulfillment.”

3/18/2026 8:50 PM  

Introduction to Luke 1:67-71

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/18/2026 9:16 AM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  Introduction to Luke 1:67-71

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 1:67-71

            Message of the verses:  “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;”

            I will begin to quote from the introduction of these verses as seen in John MacArthur’s commentary:  “One expression of the joy that marks the redeemed (cf. Neh 8:10; Ps. 16:11; Rom. 4:17; Gal. 5:22; 1 Peter 1:8) is ‘singing and making melody with [the] heart to the Lord’ (Eph. 5:19; cf. Col. 3:16).  That theme runs throughout Scripture.  Psalm 5:11 declares, ‘Let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy’; in Psalm 13:6, the psalmist exults, ‘I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me’; Psalm 30:4 exhorts, ‘Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones’; and Psalm 92:1 affirms that ‘it is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High’ (cf. v. 4; 7:17; 9:2, 11; 18:49; 27:6; 28:7; 33:1-3; 40:3; 47:6-7; 57:7; 59:16 -17; 61:8; 63:7; 66:2; 68:4; 59:30; 71:22-23; 75:9; 81:1; 90:14; 95:1; 96:1-2; 98:1; 104:33; 105:2; 108:1, 3; 119:54, 72; 132:9, 16; 135:3; 138:1; 144:9; 146:2; 147:1, 7; 149:1, 3, 5; Ex. 15:1, 21; Judg. 5:3; 2 Sam. 22:50; 1 Kings 4:32; 1 Chron. 16:9, 23; Ezra 3:11; Isa. 12:2, 5; 42:10; Jer. 20:13; Zech. 2:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3; 15:3-4).

            “In addition to those exhortations to sing praise, the Bible records numerous songs of praise to God.  After God miraculously delivered them from the pursing Egyptians by drowning Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sang a son of celebrating that deliverance (Ex. 15:1-21).  Deborah and Barak also sang of God’s deliverance of His people, this time from the Canaanite forces led by Sisera (Judg. 5:1-30).  At the dedication of the temple12  and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; 13  and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever," the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14  so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. (2 Chron. 5:12-14 ESV).

“Hannah sang a song of praise to the Lord for delivering her from the stigma of barrenness (1 Sam. 2:1-10).  The book of Psalms, Israel’s hymn book, is filled with songs celebrating the delivering, saving, redeeming acts of God toward His people.  The book of Revelation records songs of praise sung in heaven (5:9-10; 15:3-4).

            “In the first two chapters of his gospel, Luke records five tributes of praise; those of Elizabeth (1:41-45), Mary (1:46-55), Zacharias (1:67-79), the angels who announced Christ’s birth (2:13-14), and Simeon (2:25-32).  And though her words were not recorded the devout ‘prophetess, Anna’ (2:36), who ‘never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers’ (v.37), gave ‘thanks to God [for the infant Jesus], and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem’ (38).  We have no information as to whether they were ever sung, or intended to be sung, but they were clearly outbursts of praise.

            “Verses 67-79 of chapter 1 comprise the third of those five anthems that of Zacharias.  Mary’s praise, the Magnificat, emphasized personal salvation; Zacharias’s praise, known as the Benedictus (from the first word in the Latin Vulgate), focuses on collective salvation.  It is a tribute of praise to God for the salvation of sinners, and therefore, omits any mention of divine judgment.  As was fitting for a priest, who devoted his life to the study and teaching of the law, Zacharias’s praise. Like Mary’s was deeply rooted in the Old Testament.  It focused especially on the three great covenants; the Davidic, Abrahamic, and New covenants, and thus is a major bridge from the Old Testament to the New.  Zachariah’s words plainly reveal that Christianity is not a new religion, but rather the fulfillment of everything promised in the Old Testament through the power and work of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

            I will do my best to complete this introduction in this evening’s SD

Spiritual Meaning for My life today:  I see a need in my life to praise the Lord more than I am doing, to thank the Lord for His grace and mercy from which comes my salvation through the sacrifice that Jesus did while on the cross as He died for me, then was resurrected to show that God had accepted His sacrifice, and then went back to heaven where He intercedes for me.

My Steps of Faith for Today: I am trusting the Lord that the infusion that my wife will get today will be something that will be helpful in getting rid of any cancer in her body.

3/18/2026 10:02 AM