EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/26/2026
7:18 PM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The Divine Reproof For Zacharias’s
Unbelieving Response”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke 1:18-25
Message of the Verses: “18
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old
man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19
And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence
of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to
speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my
words, which will be fulfilled in their time." 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah,
and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak
to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept
making signs to them and remained mute. 23
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth
conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days
when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.’”
John MacArthur writes: “God, however, had not taken Zacharias’s
life, but rather temporarily eliminated his ability to speak. Exactly as Gabriel had said, when he finally came
out, he was unable to speak to them. As
a result, the people realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. Zacharias’s facial expression and body
language made it obvious to onlookers that something traumatic and extraordinary
had taken place. Trying to communicate what had just happened, he kept
making signs to them, and remained
mute. The text does not refer
to a formal sign language—neither Zacharias nor the people would have known
one. He just sought, in the best way
that he could, to communicate with gestures what had occurred.
“Giving a rather anticlimactic conclusion
to what had been a phenomenal week for Zacharias, Luke noted that when the
days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. The narrative gives no details about his
reception by his wife, nor her reaction to the incredible news he bore.
“Again simply, and without fanfare,
Luke related the fulfillment of God’s promise to Zacharias: After these days Elizabeth his wife became
pregnant. Luke wanted to make it
clear that she did not become pregnant until after Zacharias returned home,
lest false accusations of infidelity be made against her.
“The New Testament story of
redemption began with this miracle of an older couple having a child. It was the first of many miracles that would
characterize the era of Jesus and the apostles.
And as was typical of those miracles, it was not only a spectacular
display of supernatural power, but also met a real human need.
“After Elizabeth realized she was
pregnant she kept herself in seclusion for five months. Because of her
age and barrenness, no one would have believed she was pregnant until she was
far enough along that it was obvious.
When it was visible she finally did speak of her pregnancy, and it was
to praise God, as her exclamation, ‘This is the way the Lord has dealt with
me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace
among men,’ indicates. Like Hannah
centuries earlier (1 Sam. 1:19-2:10), Elizabeth was profoundly grateful that
the Lord had miraculously removed the stigma of her childlessness.
“The portrait Luke paints of
Zacharias and Elizbeth is one of the flawed, but genuine, believers. They were humble, righteous, obedient,
prayerful, and served the Lord; at the same time, they were doubting, fearful,
and even chastened by Him. God is the
God of humble beginnings and humble people, and He used Zacharias and Elizabeth
because of their faithfulness and in spite of their shortcomings. He gave them a son who would have the highest
privilege of all—to be the greatest prophet because he was the forerunner of
the Messiah. Though today is no longer
the ages of miracles, God still uses common people to faithfully proclaim the
good news of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9;
3:15)—the story that began with God’s miraculous intervention in the lives of
two humble, righteous people.”
In tomorrow morning’s SD, Lord
willing I will continue writing Spiritual Diaries on the book of Luke, with one
in the morning and one in the evening.
2/26/2026
7:39 PM
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