Comments for September 9

v.8-10 - It is an arbitrary choice of verses, as so many times we read the same thing. It does go to prove though that God does allow man to make his own decisions. When we ask 'Why does God allow suffering?', given that we know the evil to be of man, not God, we can answer 'He always has, Why do we not learn?'

v.3-4 There are a number of kings who 'did that which was right' but still allowed the 'high places' to remain
1 Kings 15:11-14 Asa 
1 Kings 22:43 Jehoshaphat
2 Kings 12:2-3 Jehoash
2 Kings 14:3-4 Amaziah
2 Kings 15:1-4 Azariah
2 Kings 15:34-35 Jotham
2 Kings 23:2-13 Josiah
This is contrasted with Hezekiah who removed the high places 2 Kings 18:1-4.
How often do we have our own 'high places' in our hearts. Issues which we have never really sorted out in our own lives?

v.3,9 - It is interesting and important to note that in God's eyes all of these kings were either good or evil. This is true of every one of us. If we are not seen by God as being good, we are declared evil. There is no middle path, except maybe that mentioned by Bro. Peter below of being good but not removing the high places. What do we make of this in our lives? I'm sure all of us would rather be 'Hezekiah's' in God's sight. Let us give ourselves wholeheartedly - Rom.12:1,2

:5 Uzziah was struck with leprosy because he presumed to offer incense before God (2 Chronicles 26:19-21). Whilst the Kings account does not mention this we should not forget the presumption of Uzziah.

15:4-5 When one tries to develop a time line of the kings of Judah and Israel and develop a picture of their contemporary reigns one meets all sorts of seeming contradictions and discrepancies. The way that Jotham was co-regent with his leprous father is one of the reasons for the difficulties but also provides an explanation why the numbers do not seem to match in places.

15:5 When Uzziah was struck with leprosy he ceased rulership, passing it on to his son Jotham taking over the reins of rulership. He finally became king in his own right when he was 16 years old (2Kin 15:33) implying that Uzziah was struck with leprosy quite late in his 52 year reign.

V.37 This is the first intimation of the hostile feeling of the kings of Israel and Syria, to Judah, which led them to form an alliance and make joint preparations for war. (2Chron 27:5) However, war was not actually waged till the reign of Ahaz.

Azariah, king of Judah, (2Kin 15:1-7), is the same as Uzziah in today's chapter (2Kin 15:13,30-34), and in 2Chron 26 and in Isa 6:1.  He had leprosy, and Jotham his son actually reigned while his father was unclean.  There's a lovely connection here with Isa 6:1.  If leprosy is a type of sin, then when sin died (ie when Uzziah died), Isaiah saw a most wonderful vision of the Kingdom, with Jesus sitting on the throne. We know that it was Jesus because of the comment in John 12:37-41.

V.37 At the end of this chapter, which quickly chronicles several kings, comes Ahaz.  There is an interesting situation involving himself, Rezin, and Pekah which we shall read about tomorrow. This is particularly interesting because it involves a prophecy of Isaiah (Isa 7).

15:4 Like Amaziah in the previous chapter Azariah (who is Uzziah) did not remove the high places even though he was a good king. And the people worshipped on the high places. We must set a good example to others. It is not good enough leading a Godly life but not taking account of the needs of our brethren and sisters. We must try to create an environment where they will not be tempted by the things which we allow.

15:12 The word which had been spoken by Jehu is recorded in 2Kin 10:30

V.13 Uzziah is a contracted form of Azariah and means the Lord is my strength.

Vs.19,29 The Assyrian kings were now becoming progressively more active in the affairs of Israel.  Pul is mentioned.  It is debatable whether Pul is the same person as Tilgath-Pileser II, or his predecessor. 

Tilgath-Pileser II reigned from 745-727 BC and had skirmishes with Israel that were not so grave.  However, his successor, Shalmaneser IV imposed a three-year siege on Samaria which inflicted great hardship. Shalmanezer IV died in 722 BC, and it was his successor, Sargon, who completed the siege in 721 BC. 

Sargon came to power at the same time that Merodach Baladan ascended to the Babylonian throne.  Sargon, also, took into captivity almost 28,000 people from Israel.  Sargon was the father of Sennacherib.

15:25 This ‘Pekah’ is the one mentioned in Isa 7:1 as confederate against Judah so we should be aware of this historical record when we read Isaiah 7 at least.

V.5 The Chronicles' account tells us the reason for Azariah’s leprosy (2Chron 26:16).

V.8 Jeroboam II had reigned for forty-one years.  His reign brought the most prosperity that Israel had experienced.  During his reign, the prophets Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Jonah (who was cited in yesterday’s reading) operated.  Zachariah, by contrast, only reigned six months and accomplished nothing.

Between the death of Jeroboam II and the reign of his son Zachariah, there was an interregnum (period of time between two successive rulers) of about ten years.  During an interregnum, a regent is appointed to oversee the affairs of state in lieu of a monarch.

Vs.9,10 Zachariah followed evil after his forefather Jeroboam I.  He was assassinated, which brought an end to the line of Jeroboam I.  Amos’ words were fulfilled (Amos 7:9).

V.12 With the death of his great grandson Zachariah, Jehu’s line had now been extinguished according to promise, after the fourth generation on the throne (2Kin 10:30).

V.13 The murderer of Zachariah, and the one who fulfilled the prophecy was Shallum.  Interestingly, Shallum means retribution. Shallum reigned only one month before he was assassinated by Menahem.  Menahem reigned for ten years.

V.22 Pekahiah, Manahem’s son reigned for two years before he was assassinated by his captain Pekah.

V.29 Now the Assyrians are becoming involved in the affairs of Israel and Judah.  Tomorrow, we shall see the unfolding of prophecy given by Isaiah.

15:23 Pekahiah is one of the two kings – Isa 7:16– that is mentioned. He associated with Syria to threaten Judah.

15:8   Here is another occasion when the chronological relationship between the king of Israel and the king of Judah is given to us. If we were minded this information would help us to build an accurate parallel of the kings of Israel and Judah.

IMPORTANT THINGS

Throughout the book of Kings, king after king are listed with the briefest summary of their lives. Many of them only have about five verses written about them that summarise their whole reign, whether is be only a few days or fifty years. As we begin to look closely at the descriptions of these men, we notice that very often there are certain things that God is interested in. I noticed three things.

The first is whether or not the king had done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

The second is how he led the people in his care.

The third is whether or not he protected the people in his care.

There may have been many achievements and maybe failures in our lives, but if we were to summarise our lives in a few short verses, what would our story look like? Would we be one of those who has done what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD? How have we led those God has given us to point the way to him? And have we done all we can to protect our family and all those under our care?

No matter what our story has been like so far, we can make the rest of it even better than it has been yet. Let us live lives that will leave an awesome legacy.

15:4    The non removal of the high places indicates a degree of compromise with Azariah. But he was not alone in this. Solomon still had high places during his reign 1Kin 3:2. We see in Solomon’s day those high places were a snare to the people. Doubtless the same was true in the days of Azariah

15:1      “Amaziah” is also called “Uzziah” so what we read about Amaziah can be integrated with what we learn when the record speaks of Uzziah in Chronicles and the prophets.

15:35  Jotham’s good reign was marred by the fact that “the high places were not removed”. How often are our good actions marred by a niggling, long standing, problem we have which we do not address?  

For some reason king Uzziah is called Azariah in this chapter. Funnily enough the high priest at the time was called Azariah too (see 2Chron 26:20). Later in the chapter, 2Kin 15:32, the King is now called Uzziah.

15:13 The way in which the beginning of the reign of Shallum is tied into the thirteenth year of Uzziah gives us a precise connection between the two kingdoms. Working out a comparative chronology of the kings of Judah and Israel is very difficult. However these connections help us to align the reigns of the kings in the two kingdoms.

15:6     Whilst we can read of the acts of Uzziah in the Chronicles account we should not forget the prophets who were active in his reign – Isaiah, Hosea and Amos.

15:19   The way in which Menachem tried to pay off the king of Assyria is spoken of – Hos 8:9 – in quite critical terms in the contemporary prophet.

HIGH PLACES

Over and over through the record of the kings of Judah, we read narratives that go something like this one:"He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD ... The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." (2Kin 15:3-4).

The high places harked back to the Canaanite days where the original inhabitants of the land had offered sacrifices and worshipped their gods. It seems that by this time the people of Judah were worshipping the LORD at the high places, but God wanted only one place of worship. In other words, what was happening was that the people were devoted to the LORD, but they also kept alive memories of other things as well.

Pagan rituals often seemed to be more appealing than worshipping the LORD, and it was in those high places that their worship would inevitably first turn toward idols.

I am sure we are dedicated to God and love him with all our heart, but do we still have 'high places' we don't want to get rid of? Areas of sport, sex, gossip, money, or anything else that keeps us from being completely dedicated to the one true God? If we do, let's remove the high places from our lives and live only for him.

15:9,17,23   Three kings of Israel follow each other. And all of them have the awful comment “he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.” What an epitaph to have!

15:7    We read so often that death is described as sleeping with their fathers that we might miss the significance of the point. Sleep it temporary for those who are going to be raised from the dead. The phrase is not a euphemism like “passed away” it is an actual description of the temporary nature of death. The Old Testament so clearly teaches that there will be a resurrection.

15:37 the mention of these two kings relates to things Isaiah was inspire to say – Isa 7:16. Whilst Syria and Israel confederate together against Judah might have seemed to be a formidable threat God was assuring them that it would not bring about their end.

15:6 ripping up the women with child would mean that there would be no further males born to that nation. A godless and violent action but a sure way of destroying the nation

15:3-5 Azariah (Uzziah) was a good king - :3 – however he was presumptuous. He thought of himself as having rights that he did not have. In this he was like Korah – Num 16. A clear lesson for us. We in Christ are in a very honoured position but this should not allow us to presume on God’s grace. We need to balance the confidence that the apostle speaks of – Rom 8:1-2– with the realisation that it is God’s grace that saves us – Eph 2:5. 

2Kin 15:9 We can benefit from having a “role model”. There may be faithful believers whose demeanour we admire and try to copy. Supremely we have the patter of the life of Jesus to copy. But it is equally easy to follow a bad example – this was true of a number kings in Samaria who imitated Jeroboam,. It is all down to choice. We have a choice as to whom we imitate.

15:4 Like his father Amaziah -14:4 - the high places are not removed. However here, as with his father, it is the “people” who still do not turn to worship of Yahweh.

15:3-4  a number of king were “good” but did not remove the “high places”. Consequently those high places became a snare ot the nation.

In like manner if we do not destroy the bad habits that we might have they will get in the way of faithful worship of our Father.

v. 14 - The phrase 'all that pass by' is used in the same context in Psa.89:41 Lam 2:15. It is the ultimate degradation and yet still they did not repent.

v.1 - 4 This enacted parable marks the ways in which Israel are to be scattered. That Jesus says 'the very hairs of your head are numbered' Luke 12:7 picks up the fact that the hairs in Ezekiel represented the children of Israel who God knows individuals. The scattering of the Jews, as well as punishment, was because God cared for them and was seeking their repentance.

v.10 The horrible description of the abominations that are to take place were predicted - Deuteronomy 28:53 as punishment for turning away from keeping the Law of Moses.

v.1-4 - As well as Bro. Peter's comment below, we might also consider the implication of the cutting of the hair as violating the Nazarite vow (which we each have taken spiritually at baptism) and learn the lessons for ourselves that Israel did not learn for themselves.

5:12 In warning of the 'famine, pestilence and sword' Ezekiel - who uses this language 7 times - is presenting the same message as his contemporary prophet Jeremiah who used the same language in Jeremiahsome 15 times (Jeremiah 14:12 21:7, 9 24:10 27:8, 13 29:17, 18 32:24, 36 34:17 38:2 42:17, 22 44:13)

5:14 That Israel were to be a 'reproach' echoes the curses (Deuteronomy 28:37) - be alert for the other quotations from the curses of Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 as you work through the prophecy of Ezekiel.

5:11 In saying that His eye will not pity God is setting the scene for how Ezekiel is to behave ( 9:5)

V.5 The spiritual position of Israel at the centre of the nations is paralleled by her geographical location. She was, and is today, at the hub of three continents; in a very real sense the centre of the earth Thus Israel was placed as a witness to the goodness of God at the centre of the nations.

V.11 Because Israel had defiled the LORD'S sanctuary with detestable idols and all their abominations, the LORD would withdraw and His eye would have no pity, and He would not spare His people from death and destruction. (Psa 107:19)

Vs.1-3 Ezekiel is enacting the end of a Nazarite vow (Num 6:18).  The nation which was once (and ought to be still) separate unto Yahweh is now disavowed.  The behaviour of the nation has now alienated it from the grace of Yahweh. 

And so, Ezekiel demonstrated the proportioning of his shaved hair to various treatments as indicative of the nation's fate: part to be destroyed in the city; part to be killed in conflict; part to be scattered into exile.  And there was another part: a remnant of faithful to be saved. 

Amongst widespread wickedness there have always been a few faithful whom Yahweh has saved.  We are in a similar position, surrounded by wickedness, and needing deliverance by Yahweh (2Thess 3:2,3).  

Jerusalem’s punishment was to be seen by surrounding nations (Eze 5:14,15). Whereas when Israel came out of Egypt, and walked for 40 years in the wilderness, God punished them in private.  Everyone aged 20 and above who came out of Egypt (apart from Caleb and Joshua), died before they crossed the Jordan into the promised Land.  But who noticed?  Num 1:46 is virtually the same as Num 26:51.  That time the surrounding nations would not know what was happening.  Now, when Jerusalem is to be destroyed in Ezekiel’s day, everyone is to know.

5:17 Ezekiel speaks of ‘sword famine and pestilence’ and so is presenting the same message which Jeremiah had predicted many times before the Jews were taken captive – Jer 14:12  etc: - Jeremiah uses the words 15 times out of the 24 times the words are used together in the whole of Scripture – Ezekiel uses the words 7 times so we can see how these are thematic phrases in these two prophets. Jeremiah who warned of impending judgment and Ezekiel who was in Babylon as part of that judgment.

5:13 There is a strange irony that God who will ‘comfort Zion’ Isa 51:3 is going to be comforted Himself when Judah is finally delivered into captivity.

V.12 Yahweh predicted that He would destroy two-thirds of His people and scatter one third.  Israel will experience the same ratio of destruction and survival in the end times.  The Lord Jesus will save them upon His return to earth (Zech 13:8,9).

5:2 In saying that He would call for a sword against Israel the prophet is quoting Lev 26:33

5:15 In that God’s judgements would be an ‘instruction’ to the nations round about Israel we see that the way that Israel behaved reflected upon their God. The same is true of our behaviour.

v 5-10 First Principles>Kingdom of God>Was overturned>History of fulfilment
Go to Deut 28:49 to see more details of the history of Israel and its overturning.

V.7 Jerusalem and Judah had not only emulated the idol worship of those nations round about, but had shown an unquenchable thirst and lust for idolatry not experienced by the surrounding nations.

V.10 Cannibalism had been predicted as one of the curses that would come upon Israel should they sin (Deut 28:53).

Vs.14,15 This answers to the curse of Deut 28:37.

V.17 See Deut 28:21,26.

We can get caught up in the horror of these words and not recognise the beacon of hope and comfort held in v3. It's a small verse with a big message, and for those who draw near to God it's the only verse in this chapter that has any direct application. No matter what happens to the world in terms of it's judgement, the faithful will be spared because they are bound up with Christ. So if we are associated with Jesus by baptism, we are bound up with him, and because he is saved, we will be saved too (John 6:37-40).

5:15 ‘reproach’ and ‘taunt’ catches the promise of the judgements of God spoken of in Deut 28:37

5:2    Isaiah had encouraged Israel that they need not fear the fire (if they were faithful) – Isa 43:2 - but now Ezekiel is warning Israel that they will be consumed by the fire.

5:1      Lev 14:9 speaks of the need for the leper to shave and bathe when he was declared clean from his leprosy. Thus we see that the captivity in Babylon was designed to cleanse Judah of her sins.  The word translated “razor” could be translated “sword”. Thus the cleansing is to be accomplished through  sword of judgement

1. Eze 5:1 - is Ezekiel still in the Eze 3:22 vision? The priest was not to shave his head (Lev 21:5) which was a figure for catastrophe (Isa 7:20;Jer 41:5), perhaps this shaving echoes the shame of Israel being cut off from association with God.

2. Eze 5:2,5,12 - Ezekiel represents besieged Jerusalem; the inhabitants of Jerusalem were to be burned, slain and scattered (Eze 11:16-17) with the sword pursuing those that flee the city. Eze 5:2 "knife"<2719>, "sword"<2719>.

3. Eze 5:3-4 - a few will escape (Eze 16:8;Ruth 3:9;Eze 1:3-9;Mal 4:2) and be safe; Eze 5:3 "thy skirts"(<3671> means skirts or wings probably in the sense of protection - Eze 1:6 "wings"<3671>).   

4. Eze 5:17 - the mention of 4 plagues (pestilence and blood are probably one plague) - Eze 14:21;Rev 6:7-8.

5. Eze 5:5-11 - the reasons for such punishments.

6. reasons for the coming judgments of Ezekiel 5 touched on in Leviticus 26: Eze 5:6 (Lev 26:15,43), Eze 5:8 (Lev 26:17), Eze 5:10 (Lev 26:29,33), Eze 5:11 (Lev 26:2,1), Eze 5:12 (Lev 26:25,33), Eze 5:13 (Lev 26:28), Eze 5:14 (Lev 26:31-33), Eze 5:15 (Lev 26:32), Eze 5:16 (Lev 26:26), Eze 5:17 (Lev 26:22,25).

7. Eze 5:6 - Israel refused to cooperate in revealing God to the Gentiles; instead, Israel became even worse than her neighbors and as a result would be punished.

8. Eze 5:10 - scattered (Eze 11:16-17).

9. Eze 5:11 - enlarges on Israel's sin.

10. Eze 5:13-17 - they shall learn that God's promises for good or evil will be fulfilled. 

5:3    The “few in number2 are, in fact, a faithful remnant – see Eze 14:22. 

5:4     The destruction in the fire contrasts the way in which an earlier prophet tells the faithful that they need not fear the fire – Isa 43:2

5:3      The idea of a “few” – a remnant – is something that the prophet returns to, for example in Eze 6:8

5:17      The mention of evil beasts coming against Israel draws on Lev 26:37.

5:6       In saying that the nation had refused God’s statutes and judgments Ezekiel is reminding the nation of the words they agreed to in Lev 26:15,43

5:16      the warning about the staff of bread being broken and eating bread by weight reminds Israel of the curses of Lev 26:26

5:8 In saying “I am against thee” we see yet another quotation from the curses – Lev 26:17

5:5 the statement Ezekiel makes relates, primarily, to the position of Jerusalem in relation to the nations that were suffering from the Chaldean invasions of their land. However it is also a fundamental principle. Yahweh has His eyes on Jerusalem all the time. Deut 11:12

5:5-6 God had placed great responsibilities on the nation of Israel. They were to be a witness to the surrounding nations of the greatness of their God because of the laws He had given them. However they had not just disregarded those laws. They had changed them! They had “refused” them. That is the same as turning one’s back on the offer that God had made.

There are many other occasions when Israel chose to replace worship of their God with other forms of worship. They are recorded for our learning.

We can replace our worship of our father with many things whilst continuing to go through the motions of faithful worship. The answer as to what we are actually doing is to be found in the way our heart is focussed. Work out what takes priority in life.

5:6  There is a difference between simply ignoring what God had said and what Israel had done. They had taken God’s words and modified them to suit themselves. That is they reasoned that their own way of worship was what God required of them.

We are in danger of this sort of behaviour also. We may seek to disregard what scripture says because it is not convenient and devise for ourselves practices which change what God has taught – for example the position of sisters in the church, the wearing of head covering, the way that God worked through the writers of scripture.

5:6-7  Ezekiel’s condemnation of Israel was that they were worse in their behaviour than the nations round about them!

They had receive the Law of God but disregarded it! We might say that the nations round about were ignorant of His laws and so could not be expected to observe them. Israel were in a totally different position.

5:1 As a priest shaving his beard would have been something that the prophet would not have done – Lev 21:5 – indicating how the prospect of captivity was abhorrent to the prophet.

v.41,67 - Both of John's parents were, at some stage, filled with the Spirit. This seems to be a transient arrangement, and in Zacharias' case, it caused him to prophesy. This is the beginning of the fulfilment of Joel 2:28, it would seem.

1:17 to turn the hearts ... children Malachi 4:6
1:18 I am old ... in years Genesis 17:17
1:19 Glad tidings Isaiah 40:9
1:25 to take away my reproach Genesis 30:23
1:28 highly favoured Ephesians 1:6
1:28 the Lord is with thee Judges 6:12
1:28 blessed ... among women Judges 5:24
1:31 shalt conceive and bring forth a son Isaiah 7:14
1:33 And he shall reign for ever Micah 4:7
1:33 there shall be no end Isaiah 9:7
1:37 with God nothing shall be impossible Genesis 18:14
1:38 handmaid Psalm 116:16
1:42 blessed art thou among women Judges 5:24
1:46 my soul doth magnify the Lord 1 Samuel 2:1
1:48 for ... his handmaid 1 Samuel 1:11
1:48 all generations shall call me blessed Psalm 72:17
1:49 He that is mighty hath done great things Psalm 126:2
1:49 holy is his name Psalm 111:9
1:50 And his mercy ... generation Psalm 103:17
1:53 he hath filled the hungry 1 Samuel 2:5
1:54 in remembrance of his mercy Psalm 98:3
1:68 Blessed ... his people Psalm 106:48
1:69 horn of salvation Psalm 18:2
1:71 that we would ... us Psalm 18 title
1:72 to perform ... Abraham Micah 7:20
1:74 delivered ... enemies Psalm 18 title
1:76 thou shalt ... his way Malachi 3:1
1:79 to give light ... death Isaiah 9:2

The lists for the rest of the chapters will not be as extensive as this one. It is the case that these are far more quotations in this chapter than in all the rest.
The events preceding the birth of Jesus - the announcements to Elizabeth and Zacharias, Mary in this chapter and Simeon and Anna in chapter 2 - show a tremendous outpouring of the holy spirit. This ended the silence that had existed from the time of Malachi - a period of some 400 years.
The outpouring of Elizabeth, in the way that it uses the language of Hannah, highlights the bitterness of Elizabeth in her barrenness and her joy at conceiving. I do not think that her joy was simply at the thought of having a son. Rather like Hannah she rejoiced that the Lord had chosen her to bear a male who was to further the purpose of God.
Zacharias, with loosed tongue, rejoices in the language of Psalm 18. Psalm 18 replicates the language of 2 Samuel 22.
The fact that Zacharias uses the Psalm and its historical background - a point made obvious by the use of the Psalm title - shows us that the setting up of David, in preference to Saul who was seeking David's life, patterns the birth of Jesus and also John.
1:79 Notice he involvement of the gentiles in the purpose being stated right at the beginning of the gospel. Of course this reflects the Old Testament teaching as can be seen by the quotation from Isaiah 9.

1:32 The promise that Jesus would sit 'on the throne of his father David' shows that the promises [to David on this occasion] are not simply doctrines to accept. They form the solid foundation upon which future events rest.

:39 This verse tells us in which city of the priests Elizabeth and Zacharias lived. It was Hebron - The quotation from Joshua 21:11 proves this.

A day of dashed hopes and great promises

Imagine you're a priest in the high-priestly line of Aaron. Your wife is also a descendant of Aaron. You're both faithful followers of God. You're blameless in the keeping of the law. There could be no better breeding stock than this. You are pedigree. Will the Messiah come from a lineage like yours? You're sure he will.

On this special day, you enter the holiest place of the temple to offer up incense for the sins of the people. Thousands of people are in the courtyard of the temple to witness this event. An angel of God appears, shining, splendid, and magnificent, announcing that your prayer has been answered.

You think "which prayer?". This prayer I've been offering for the people, or my own daily prayer for a son? Then your heart leaps when you think of an echo to these words - the angel who came to Sarah, barren and old, announcing the birth of a son of promise!! What else could it be! This is it! I'm going to be the father of the messiah!

Then come the words of the Angel, cutting in their disappointment. "and he shall go before him...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord". Your son will be just a forerunner of the Messiah. Then the mistake of showing your own lack of belief: "How shall I know this? For I am an old man..". Then the rebuke of the mighty Angel of God "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God!!..." and the punishment "you will be mute... because you did not believe my words."

That son, John, despite all his glory, signified an old, barren, fruitless priesthood, which could never bring life, because the one thing that was lacking in that priesthood was faith (belief). The honour of bearing the holy seed went instead to a teenage girl, due to be married to a working class carpenter. Why? "Blessed is she who believed...those things which were told her from the Lord" (v45). Mary's son was to be a son of Abraham, who believed what God told him. This belief is far greater than any other qualification, and here we see that despite the priest's high calling, he hadn't achieved that unquestioning faith that was so abundant in the young woman, Mary.

1:15 Whereas John was to 'drink no wine' and to be 'filled with the Holy Spirit' the believer by comparison is to (Eph 5:18)  'be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;'

V.:69 There is nothing petty about Zechariah. Note how his thoughts and thanksgivings turn from his own child to that other Child, the One from the house of David. 

V.15 It was recently pointed out to us, just how powerful the words were that Gabriel spoke to Zacharias telling him of the son that his wife Elisabeth would bear him. (John the Baptist). The key is "great" " megas 3173 It was also used by the angel as he spoke to Mary(V.32) when describing the One she would give birth to. This is the same word that is used in the title of the Greek leader "Alexander the Great"  John is being compared to the greatest leader there had been up to this time in history.

Luke 1:19 - This is the same language as employed in Dan 9:21-23 which introduces the 70 weeks prophesy. Thus it suggests Jesus is the fulfilment of that prophesy.

Luke's gospel forms the third synoptic (seeing together) gospel account with Matthew and Mark.

It equates with the prophecy of Ezekiel as it emphasizes the Lord's humanity (symbolized by the face of a man, one of Ezekiel's living creatures Eze 1:10).
 
Vs.19,26 The angel Gabriel who appeared to Zacharias and Mary also appeared to Daniel twice (Dan 8:16, 9:21).

Gabriel, whose name means Warrior of God is concerned with heralding the Messiah. It would not be inconsistent to think that Gabriel would be the one to herald the Lord's return (1Thess 4:16). 

Gabriel's name is significant also in the fact that Yahweh Sabbaoth is the God of hosts (armies) (Isa 1:9; Rom 9:29).  Gabriel will be instrumental with the Lord in destroying His enemies when he returns.

V.3 Theophilus means friend of God.  It is unclear to whom the name is referring.  Ideas range from the generic believer in the Gospel to a high-ranking official whose identity Luke is trying to protect.  Regardless, it is Luke's account of the Gospel which is the most important thing.

1:28   When Mary was told that she was "highly favoured" we have a stark contrast with Gen 3:16 were Eve was told of the sorrow of childbirth.

1:3 The claim to ‘perfect understanding’ is a claim to be inspired – John 14:26

As we begin to read through the record recorded for us by Luke we see the detail that he has recorded for us that was not mentioned by the other writers. A few examples that come to mind, and there are many others. In the record of the transfiguration, he is the only one that tells us that Moses and Elias spoke of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke also tells us that the widow of the city of Nain son, was her only son. The lunatic boy who Christ healed was his father's only son. We again see the same detail when we go to the record of the healing of Jairus' daughter, she was his only daughter. While we know that it was the Spirit of our Heavenly Father that controlled the writing of the record of all four gospel writers, we feel this shows us a lot about Luke.

Vs.32,33 Gabriel's promise to Mary is worth emphasising: He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.  This statement clearly shows that:

- Jesus is the Son of God (and not God the Son, as the Trinitarians erroneous claim) (Rom 1:4).

- Jesus will reign on earth and not in heaven (thus, the reward of the faithful is here and not above the clouds) (Luke 11:2).

- The Nation of Israel still figures in the plans of Yahweh (and has not been utterly condemned and dismissed as some claim) (Mic 7:18).

1:3     ‘Most excellent’ is a title used of Roman officials – Acts 23:26, 24:3, 26:25 – implying that this gospel was sent to a roman official.

Vs.32,33 The scriptures could not be more plain in telling us that Jesus is coming back to earth to rule (See Isa 9:6,7).  The reward of His faithful followers will be to rule with him (Rev 20:6).  The so-called reward of souls floating off to heaven, at death, is nowhere to be found in scripture. 

1:3‘from the very first’ <509> is a word which is elsewhere translated at ‘from the top’ Mark 15:38‘from Above’ John 19:11. The John reference in particular shows that the word can be used to speak of God given. Thus we see that Luke is claiming that his writing is from God.

V.31 The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yeshua which means Yahweh saves.

Vs.46-55 Mary’s song parallels Hannah’s song (1Sam 2:1-10).  Samuel was a Christ-type.  Like Jesus, He was a son of promise; and a Nazarite, wholly dedicated to the service of Yahweh.

V.60 John is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yochanan, (a contraction of Yechochanan meaning gift of God).

Luke 1:31-33 First Principles>Sure mercies of David>King
Jesus, son of David is also the Son of God. For more about the King, go to 2Sam 7:12-16

1:6  That both Elizabeth and Zacharias were ‘both righteous’ is a wonderful model for a husband and wife team of believers.

v25 why did Elizabeth think she had "reproach among people"? In v36 we find out she was called barren, maybe behind her back, because she was in "old age" and didn't have children. So she hid herself 5 months until the baby showed and she could finally answer her critics.

1:17   In quoting Mal 4:6 Zacharias is being told that his promised son was to figure prominently in preparing God’s people for Messiah. The context in Malachi is that of the coming of Messiah.

 Luke 1:80 -

1:45    Elizabeth’s comment ‘blessed is she that believed’ contrasts with her own husband Zacharias – Luke 1:20

1:54  Mary’s words ‘in remembrance of his mercy’ draw on Psa 98:3

1:80  The way that it is said of Jesus “the child grew” reminds us of the way that Samuel is spoken of – 1Sam 2:26. The growth is not physical. It is spiritual.

Luke 1:80

“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.”

A reader asks: “ … do you think that the waving of the sheaf could possibly have foreshadowed the work of John the Baptist - as hinted at in Luke 1:80? I.e. he was "kept hidden" until his "shewing unto Israel"? Was this why the sheaf was waved 50 days before Pentecost?

My reply: Regarding your question on John the Baptist, I checked into the Old Testament types to see how that fit in with John the Baptist as a wave sheaf offering, and this is what I concluded:
Christ is the “firstfruits from the dead.” We are presently likened as “firstfruits” (Rom 8:23; Rom 16:5 James 1:18)  as read in Eph 1:12;  Cf. Eph 1:10.
The wave sheaf was offered only after the sacrifice of the animal, typified Messiah, our sacrificial Lamb (1Cor 5:7-8). The wave sheaf offering was made possible only by a sacrifice. The bundle of separate barley grains of the firstfruits of the harvest, which amounted to an omer followed the sacrifice, which in turn was followed by a meal offering (Lev 23:10,12,13).
The wave sheaf offering was composed of many individual grains, offered together, and made possible by a sacrifice represents not just Christ, but Christ with the saints of every Age who when immortalized will be followed by the marriage supper of the Lamb. The DIAGLOTT has for 1Cor 15:23, “But each one in his own rank; Christ a First-fruit; afterwards, those who are CHRIST’s at his APPEARING.” Note, “First-fruit” is in the singular! The chosen grains (plural) constitute the wave sheaf. Christ is the first of the firstfruits (cf. DIAGLOTT, 1Cor 15:20); the firstborn of many brethren (Rom 8:29). Christ is not a wave sheaf separate from us.
The wave sheaf offering had to be after the sacrifice because there is no way our Heavenly Father would have accepted them before sins were pardoned and atoned for, wiped away, and washed away by the blood of the Lamb.
The firstfruits was fully gathered in at Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) at which two loaves represented the firstfruits (Lev 23:15-17). The two loaves as types represented the unity of Jew and Gentile ecclesias (of many grains, cf. Jer 2:3), and was also a picture of their glorification at the resurrection, grain being used as a picture of the resurrection of the dead (1Cor 15:35-38; John 12:23-24). The great spiritual harvest (former and latter) make up the body of Christ and is composed of all types of people (grain); symbolized the Kingdom of God as read in Deut 8:8 – the wheat and barley being the firstfruits’ harvest; fig trees, pomegranates, olive trees, and honey, being the latter harvest. The Old Testament Feast of Weeks had now taken on a new meaning.
John the Baptist’s mission was to introduce the Messiah and spoke of him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29-31). In keeping with the typology of Scripture, John the Baptist is but a grain that makes up the sheaf offering, not the sheaf offering, itself. He is a part of the omer to be waved, the sacrifice having been accomplished and eternal redemption received by the risen Messiah. The fact that he was “hidden” does not have to refer to anything more than what is intended, no more than when the “hidden” Christ was first revealed by him at the Jordan River. The Old Testament provides us with the key to interpret many of the New Testament passages, and keeping in line with that, I fail to see it otherwise.

1:13   It is encouraging that often when we come across an angel appearing to men that their first words are “fear not”. God is not seeking to strike fear into His subjects. Rather he wants to impart information.

1:79    ‘guide our feet’ catches the Scriptural principle of walking in God’s way. Exo 16:4, Josh 22:5, Psa 119:1

1:16       The effect of John would be, a little like Samson – Judg 13:5 – in saving people.

1:5      The course of Abia is mentioned in 1Chron 24:10 in the division of the sons of Aaron.

1:7    Even though both Zacharias and Elizabeth were  old – by implication past child bearing age, and Elizabeth barren also this did not stop them praying for a child. We know they prayed because we learn – 1:13 – that their prayer was heard. This should give us comfort when we think that what we are praying for is so unrealistic that it could never happen.

1:15  Whilst these injunctions were to be laid on John the Baptist we should be careful to realise that there is a difference from the Nazarite. Whereas the one who made a Nazarite did it of his own will – Num 6:2. This is not to suggest that John was not willing. Simply to make the point that the injunction was imposed on him rather than being at his own will.

1:15 Whilst these injunctions were to be laid on John the Baptist we should be careful to realise that there is a difference from the Nazarite. Whereas the one who made a Nazarite did it of his own will – Num 6:2. This is not to suggest that John was not willing. Simply to make the point that the injunction was imposed on him rather than being at his own will.

1:10  That the angel was on the “right side” of the altar echoes the way that the cherubims were on the “right side” of the throne – Eze 1:3 – in Ezekiel’s vision of inside the temple in his day.

1:5  Herod the Great was king of Judaea from 37 BCE to 4 BCE, appointed by the Roman Empire after its Senate equipped him with an army to fight off a Parthian invasion. Prior to the invasion he had been governor of Galilee since 47 BCE. This is something Theophilus, if he was a Roman official, would have known. So Luke very precisely defines when John was born.

1:6 Righteousness is defined – Gen 15:6 – as a quality counted to an individual that believes what God has promised. Whilst we cannot be sure what exactly Zacharias and Elizabeth understood of the promises that God had made we might conclude that they believed in the promised seed and so were distressed that, it seems, they were unable to produce a seed that might be the one promised.

1:4 Clearly the inspired gospel record has the same status as the inspired Old Testament record of God’s dealing with man. Luke’s gospel would be added to the inspired writings for use in the New Testament ecclesias.