The beloved physician Luke wrote, “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto you in order, most excellent Theophilus, That you might know the certainty of those things, wherein you have been instructed”, and in chapter one and verse five of his book Luke shares about, “Zacharias and Elisabeth”, where we read:
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias,
of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
The verse reads, “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, ...” Luke began with the words, “there was in the days” or “there arose and appeared during the time” “of Herod” which means “belonging to Herod whose name means heroic”, “the king” or “the leader of the people, prince, commander and lord of the land” “of Judaea” which refers to “the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Peraea and Idumaea”, “a certain priest” which means “a particular one who offered sacrifices and in general is busied with sacred rites” “named Zacharias” or “reckoned and accounted as Zacharias whose name means remembered of Jehovah”. Luke referred to the time when “Herod” ruled and “Zacharias” was a particular “priest” .
The verse continues, “... of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.” Luke added the words, “of the course of Abia” which means “pertaining to a service limited of priests for a week at a time to perform the duties of the priestly office which belonged to the head of a priestly family from the time when David divided the priests into twenty-four classes. Abia was the eighth order and his name was Abijah which means my father is Jah or Jehovah”: “and his wife” or “and the priest Zacharias' female spouse” “was of the daughters of Aaron” which means “belonged to the female children of Aaron whose name was the brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel and head of the whole priestly order whose name means light-bringer”, “and her name was Elisabeth” or “and Zacharias' wife's name was Elisabeth which means oath of God”. Luke shared how “Zacharias” belonged to the “eighth order”of the “priests” and was married to “Elisabeth” who was from the lineage of “Aaron” who was the first high priest.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn the timing for the events he will unfold. “Herod” the great was Idumean and a decedent of Esau. He was known as “Herod the Great” because of his “magnificent building projects” and was “appointed King of Judaea by the Roman senate through the suggestion of Mark Anthony”. He was “shrewd, cunning and cruel”, and because he was small in stature, he was paranoid that someone would depose him. “He executed his wife and many of his sons because he believed they were plotting against him”. “Zacharias”, on the other hand, was married to “Elisabeth” who was from the lineage of “Aaron” who was Moses' brother and the first “high priest”. “Zacharias” was chosen to serve in the temple area because he belonged to the “eighth” out of “twenty-four orders” to perform the duties of the priest. All these people were significant in the story leading up to Jesus' birth, and as we learn of them, we shall see how God the Father ordered the timing, events and people to bring forth His Son Jesus to be the “Savior of the world”.
Next time Luke shares how, “Zacharias” and “Elizabeth” “were both righteous before God”, 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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