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 you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb”, and in chapter one and verse sixteen of his book Luke shares how, “many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord”, where we read:
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
The verse reads, “And many of the children of Israel ...” Luke began with the words, “and many” or “a great number” “of the children” which means “pertaining to the offspring and progeny” “of Israel” or “belonging to the family or descendants of Israel whose name means he shall be a prince of God”. Luke shared how the “angel” said a “great number” of the people who were descendants of “Israel” will comply with the following words.
The verse goes on to say, “... shall he turn to the Lord their God.” Luke continued with the words, “shall he turn” which means “will the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth's son John bring back and return” “to the Lord their God” or “to the One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah who was the people of Israel's Godhead and trinity which was comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. Luke shared how the “angel” told Zacharias that his son would “bring” people “back” to the “Lord” who is “their God”.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how this male child of Zacharias and Elisabeth would affect the people of “Israel”. “John” would begin to “turn” people back to their “Lord” and “God” again. It had been over four hundred years since God spoke to the people of Israel, and now He was speaking through this “angel” and eventually “John” who was later known as “John the Baptist”. God loves people, and His desire has been to save them since the day they were born.
Paul the apostle wrote, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This is why Jesus came, and “John the Baptist” was given the mission of “turning people to the Lord their God”, and may all who read these words understand what God has done for them and “turn” to Him today.
Next time Luke shares how the angel said, “he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias”, 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".
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