Her Name Means "God Is My Oath"
Key Scripture: Luke 1:5-80
Elizabeth was a woman the Bible calls "upright in the sight of God." She is praised for observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations without blame. She was the first to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and her joy was to give birth to John the Baptist.
We never know what blessings God has in store for our lives. In the story of Elizabeth, we see the encounter of another childless couple, Elizabeth and Zechariah, who had forgotten about having children because the were so old, but when the Lord shows his favor what seems impossible is POSSIBLE!
Keep that thought in mind as you answer one or all of the questions below:
1. What important things do the verses in Luke 1:5-7 tell you about Elizabeth and Zechhariah?
2. Why do you think that Zechariah did not believe the angel? Was he afraid? Was the announcement so unbelievable? Why do you think he was punished for not believing?
3. Why would Elizabeth say she was disgraced among her people?
4. Do you think the reaction of Elizabeth's baby to Mary's arrival was just coincidence?
5. What is the focus of Elizabeth's praise: what God has done in her life or what God has done in Mary's life? What does this reveal about Elizabeth?
4 comments:
Why do you think that Zechariah did not believe the angel? Was he afraid? Was the announcement so unbelievable? Why do you think he was punished for not believing?
My opinion is Zechariah was a dutiful priest, but Zechariah was also human, with human feelings.
It wasn't that Zechariah didn't want to believe the angel I think he just wanted proof he could take back to convince Elizabeth.
Zechariah was a skeptic.
His unbelief caused him to be struck dumb and probably deaf
and as a sign that God was at work here his "punishment" was to last until "the day this happens"
The day what happens? John's birth? The naming of John?
What Zechariah needed was faith because belief wasn't enough,
faith in God and the message was needed and faith must do something to be real. Zechariah demonstrated his faith in the angel's words by naming John.
James 2:18 Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Only upon this act was his faith proven real and the result of his unbelief lifted so it was Zechariah's faith that cured him.
God used Zechariah's silence to accomplish several purposes to get Zechariah's attention forcing him to think about what had happened
and what was going to happen to get people to recognize God, forcing them to notice that God was actively doing things forcing them to see John as someone set apart by God instead of just another little child.
Why do you think that Zechariah did not believe the angel? Was he afraid? Was the announcement so unbelievable? Why do you think he was punished for not believing?
Zecariah, like Abraham, found it difficult to believe the angel because both he and Elizabeth were older. They had given up on the idea of having a baby. God took Zechariah's voice to prove to him that the message was from God. Sometimes God has touch us in physical, tangible way, before we are willing to accept His will.
Elizabeth was a dedicated woman to God. She trusted in His words from the angel and went against the jewish customs of naming her child after a relative. Being an older relative of Mary, she was likely a mentor to her. She never questioned why Mary was giving birth to the Messiah and not her since the angel Gabriel did speak to both of them. I believed she celebrated her pregnancy but even more so celebrated the coming of the Messiah.
It is quite evident that Elizabeth and Zechariah were both God fearing individuals whose hearts were right with God as they were said to be blameless. This does not mean that they were without sin but they were both dedicated to God. In addition to being God fearing, the fact that Zechariah chose to stay with Elizabeth although she was barren speaks to his character. During these times, a man was at liberty to divorce a woman if she was unable to bear him a child and then remarry. Even though she never gave birth to a child, he continued to pray that she would. This proves not only his faith but his love for his wife.
I believe Zechariah's doubt in what the angel was saying was only a reflection of his human state of mind. It was not logical for them to have a child at their ages. I think we sometimes limit in our minds what God will do for us. It's not that we don't believe but we can't even fathom His unlimited power at times. If it doesn't make sense (as we view it), then most of the time we have doubt. We know what God is capable of but have a hard time envisioning the almost impossible. I believe Zechariah was punished for his unbelief so that his faith would grow stronger and to show the power of God. Once everything was brought to fruition, I'm sure his trust in God was ever so great!
Mary the mother of Jesus
It was really hard for Zechariah to believe the angel, because of his wife’s age. We know that after menopause, it is difficult not to say impossible for a woman to become pregnant. We know that nothing is impossible with God. Zachariah was a godly man but human at the same time. This lesson is recorded in the scripture for our learning. We need to keep this lesson in mine and don’t commit the same mistake as Zechariah!
Love,
mj
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