67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[a] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[a] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[b]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
When God speaks or acts and is seen and heard by human beings the only appropriate response is praise!! Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and said, "...He has come and has redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David...salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us (all who detest and pursue us with hatred, AMP)."
Why did God do this? "to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve (worship) Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." God does what He does because of Who He is and for the sake of His Name. He keeps His word; He is trustworthy.
Zechariah continues, "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High: for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him." The Amplified version of verse 76 says, "And you, little one, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; for you shall go on before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways." The face here is defined as the countenance, look, the face so far forth as it is the organ of sight, and by it various movements and changes) the index of the inward thoughts and feelings.* And to make ready means to prepare the minds of men to give the Messiah a fit reception and secure His blessings.** "To give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
Before Jesus was even born and before He fulfilled any of these promises, Zechariah prophesied by inspiration of the Holy Spirit what He would come to do! And John, his son, would come before Him and prepare the way by seeking the face of God to know His inward thoughts and feelings and one day give Jesus an appropriate welcome into public ministry.
A reception at a wedding is a time when all the guests have the opportunity to welcome or greet the bride and groom for the first time as a couple. Jesus is the Groom of every believer and every believer is His bride. As we cross the paths of people over the next week or two (and beyond) we are being called to seek the inner thoughts and feelings of God and then give Him a proper welcome into our conversations as we share Him with the world!
Verse 80 says Jesus grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert (wilderness, solitary place) until he appeared publicly. Will you spend time in solitude seeking the heart of Jesus before appearing publicly as His representative?
LORD, grow us strong in spirit and in the knowledge of Who You are. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours, and show us how to love like You love us. Thank you for continually extending Your mercy to lost mankind. Guide our feet, removing the barriers that keep us from total surrender, until we walk the way of peace. In Jesus' Name!
*Greek Strong's #4383, **Greek Strong's #2090
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