Joy and Gladness at His Birth - Luke 1:14

The Beloved Physician Luke wrote concerning Zacharias, “there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John”, and in chapter one and verse fourteen of his book Luke shares how the angel told Zacharias, “you shall have joy and gladness”, where we read:

And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

The verse reads, “And you shall have joy and gladness;” Luke began with the words, “and you shall have joy” or “and Zacharias will gain and obtain exceeding cheerfulness, calm delight and gratefulness” “and gladness” which means “and exultation and extreme joy”. Luke shared how the “angel” told Zacharias he would obtain “exceeding cheerfulness and extreme joy” when his son is born.

The verse goes on to say, “and many shall rejoice at his birth.” Luke continued with the words, “and many shall rejoice” which means “and a large group of people will be exceedingly glad, thrive and be well with salutations” “at his birth” or “at the engendering, nativity and begetting of the birth of Zacharias son”. Luke shared how “many” people would be “exceedingly glad” when this child was born to Zacharias and Elisabeth.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we see the response Zacharias would have when his son was born, and we notice the “cheerful” response of “many people” at his birth as well. We can imagine, since both Zacharias and Elisabeth were old, how the birth of this son would be a “miracle” from God. Zacharias, Elisabeth and people who knew them would be “greatly excited” over the birth of “John” because it was so out of the norm. God loves to work in ways that are beyond the expectation of people, and when He performs a miracle like this one, not only those who are directly affected by it, but also those who know them as well. God wants every person to come to Him through His Son Jesus, and even this “miracle” of the birth of “John” to Zacharias and Elisabeth demonstrates his willingness to go “out of the ordinary” to reach out to every person to be “saved” and forgiven of their sins to live forever with Him.

Next time Luke shares how the angel said, “he shall be great in the sight of the Lord”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".