|
Luke 1:18-25
Zacharias doubts Gabriel 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. |
Margin notes:
Whereby shall I know this?." (1:18) - "How can I believe this." "I am Gabriel." (1:19) - Only two angels are mentioned in Scripture by name, Gabriel and Michael the archangel (Daniel 10:13; 10:21; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7). Gabriel is a defender of Israel (Daniel 12:1). He appeared to Daniel (Daniel 8:15-17; 9:21) and then to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20) and Mary (Luke 1:26-38) five hundred years later. Moslems revere Gabriel and call him "the Spirit of Truth" and "the Holy Spirit." "Shall be fulfilled in their season." (1:20) - "Shall come true in time." "The people waited for Zacharias." (1:21) - The people sat outside waiting for Zacharias to exit the Temple and give them the traditional blessing recorded in Numbers 6:23-27. "Marvelled that he tarried so long." (2:21) - Means, the people were surprised that Zacharias stayed so long in the Temple. "He beckoned unto them." (1:22) - "He gestured with his hands to them." "As soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished." (1:23) - "As soon as the days of his Temple service were finished." Each order of priests served one week in the Temple. "Take away my reproach." (1:25) - "Take away my disgrace." God promised the Jewish people they would be fruitful (Genesis 17:6), so being childless was considered a divine punishment and came with a social stigma. Also, childless couples faced a dim future. When children became of age, they contributed to the families financial security. Because there was no social security or safety net, children took care of their aging parents. |
