Luke 01.67-80
Today we will look at the Hymn of Zacharias and the
mention of three covenants…01. The
Davidic Covenant (Luke 01.68-71); 02. The Abrahamic Covenant (Luke 01.72-75); & 03. The New Covenant (Luke 01.76-80).
Much like when we studied The Praise of Mary (Luke 01.46-55) we see that Zacharias has a
good working knowledge of the Old Testament.
We pick up this account after The Forerunner’s Birth (Luke 01.56-66), where much joy is had at the
birth of a son to Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth. When it came
time to circumcise and name him, everyone assumed his name would be Zacharias;
until Elizabeth interrupted and said (emphatically in the Greek) “No indeed; but
he shall be called John.” (Luke 01.60) or in our modern vernacular “No
way!” When they asked Zacharias, he wrote down on a tablet that the name of his
son was “John”, and instantly his tongue was loosed and he began to praise the
LORD.
This section that we are
studying this morning is often called “the Benedictus” after its title in the
Latin.
Luke 01.67 The verb for “prophesied” here in the original
Greek means to “speak forth”, “to proclaim and explain God’s Word”.
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, thus enabling him
to speak forth the Word of God. His last words had been those of unbelief
(Luke 01.18),
his first were those of praise; his last words had been a question of doubt,
his first were a hymn of assurance.
01. The Davidic
Covenant (Luke 01.68-71)
Luke 01.68 “Blessed be the Lord God” was a usual
way to start in praising the LORD in the Old Testament (Genesis 09.26; Genesis 14.20;
Genesis
27.27; Exodus 18.10; Ruth 04.14; 1Samuel 25.32; 1Samuel 25.39;
2Samuel
18.28; 1Kings 01.48; 1Kings 05.07; 1Kings 08.15;
1Kings 08.56;
1Kings 10.09;
1Kings 08.15;
1Chronicles
16.36; 1Chronicles 29.10; 2Chronicles 02.12; 2Chronicles
06.04; 2Chronicles 09.08; Ezra 07.27; Psalm 28.06; Psalm 31.21;
Psalm 41.13;
Psalm 66.20;
Psalm 68.19;
Psalm 72.17-19;
Psalm 89.52;
Psalm 106.48;
Psalm 113.02;
Psalm 124.06;
Psalm 135.21;
Psalm 144.01;
Daniel 02.19-20).
Luke 01.68 “…For He has
visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,”
Zacharias praised God because He visited His people
(speaking by prophecy because the Christ was not born yet), and through the
coming Messiah He would redeem His people.
The Greek word for “visited” is (G1980) episkeptomai episkeptomai
ep-ee-skep’-tom-ahee; and it means to
look upon in order to help or benefit, with definite blessing added.
The way that this is written in
the Greek is that God looked on this world and saw how sinful it was, so He was
the One who provided redemption for mankind. The Greek word for “redemption” (G3085. lutrwsiv lutrosis loo’-tro-sis) that
is used here means to pay the price to free someone from bondage.
Zacharias is establishing the well-known fact that the
coming Messiah is going to be God in flesh! By taking the nature of man upon
Him, God has redeemed man from eternal condemnation (Philippians 02.05-08). Zacharias said this under the belief that the Messiah would
come to redeem His people. God is a loving, caring God. He is not like
what the Deists believer where He just created the world and then let mankind
on its own. Scripture tells us that He sees and cares for His people (Exodus 03.16-17;
Exodus 04.31;
Psalm 111.09).
But its not just limited to the children of Israel, but for all of us who believe
that He is the Son of God, and that He died, was buried and rose from the dead
on the third day (Romans 10.09-13; 1Corinthians 15.01-58). Jesus
Himself stated why He came in Matthew 20.28 and Mark 10.45. Paul tells us that Jesus
came to redeem us through His blood (Ephesians 01.07) from every lawless deed (Titus 02.14)
as well as the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 09.12.
Luke 01.69 Zacharias
knew that the Old Testament clearly taught that the Messiah (HaMashiach) would
be from the house of David (2Samuel 07.13; 2Samuel 07.16; 2Samuel
07.26; 1Chronicles 28.07; Psalm 89.03-04; Psalm 89.20-37;
Psalm
132.10-11; Psalm 132.17; Isaiah 09.06-07; Isaiah 11.01-10;
Jeremiah
23.05-06; Jeremiah 33.15-26; Ezekiel 34.23-24; Ezekiel
37.24-25; Amos 09.11).
This is also known as the Davidic Covenant. So instead of
David building a house for God, God would build a house for David, meaning that
from David would come the Messiah (HaMashiach).
The horn is a symbol of strength and sovereignty, because for
an animal with horns, the strength lies in the horn (1Samuel 02.10; Psalm 75.10; Psalm 132.17). The horn also is
a symbol of salvation (Psalm 18.02). On each corner on the altar in
the Temple were horns, which the sacrifice was bound to and blood was applied
onto. These
were symbols of grace and salvation for the sinner. The symbolism of taking
hold of the horns on the altar was meant that as God had been gracious to man
in accepting his sacrifices to atone for his sins, so man should be gracious to
another man who had offended him. But, they afforded no refuge and grace to the
murderer, to those who committed physical violence against parents, kidnapping
as well as verbal abuse of parents (Exodus 21.12-17; 1Kings 01.50; 1Kings 02.28). But those who were
“guilty” of accidental death were allowed to flee to one of the cities of
refuge (Exodus
21.13; Numbers 35.06-34; Deuteronomy 04.41-43; Deuteronomy
19.01-13; Joshua 20.01-09; 1Chronicles 06.67-81).
According to this
expression by Zacharias under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Luke 01.67), Jesus Christ is a new altar, so that whoever flees to Him will find refuge (Proverbs 18.10; Proverbs 30.05). A horn was also filled with various fruits, which was a symbol of abundance. A good example of
this is the cornucopia, or the horn of plenty. From this we see that the coming Messiah’s salvation is
abundant, more than enough for all of mankind!
What Zacharias says here in Luke 01.69 is very similar to the
fifteenth benediction in the SHEMONEH (means “eighteen”) ‘ESREH, a
collection of eighteen (nineteen) benedictions that are a part of the daily
prayers along with the Shema (Deuteronomy 06.04-09 that are recited three
times every day (morning, noon, and evening).
The title of this benediction is titled “Et Ẓemaḥ Dawid”
which is from the first three words of this benediction. It is a prayer for the rise of David’s
sprout, which is the coming Messianic king. It reads: “The sprout of David Thy servant
speedily cause Thou to sprout up; and his horn do Thou uplift through Thy
victorious salvation; for Thy salvation we are hoping every day. Blessed be
Thou, O Lord, who causest the horn of salvation to sprout forth.”
Again compare that to what Zacharias said here in Luke 01.69. The nation of Israel
was ready for their Messiah, for their Mashiach!
Luke 01.70 All of the prophets throughout the Old Testament all
referred to the Messiah in one way or another. Some of these prophets and
prophecies were from Jacob (Genesis 49.10);
Moses (Deuteronomy
18.15); and Isaiah (Isaiah 09.06-07; Isaiah
53.01-12) among many others. When Jesus met up with the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus, Cleopas told Jesus what they were expecting of the Messiah (HaMashiach)
in Luke
24.21-24. Jesus then said to both of them that the Old Testament was
filled with Scripture about the coming Messiah (HaMashiach) in Luke 24.25-27.
And later He appeared to the disciples said essentially the same thing, that the
Old Testament was filled with Scripture about the coming Messiah (HaMashiach)
in Luke 24.44.
Luke 01.71 Who are our enemies? The enemies of man are his
sins, his carnal tendencies, his lusts, and of course our greatest adversary
Satan (John
10.10; 1Peter 05.08; Revelation 12.19), who
continually seeks to destroy the follower of Christ. From these the Messiah
came to save us.
Just as our God has been
faithful to fulfill the Davidic Covenant (2Chronicles 13.05), so will He continue to be
faithful to His Word and promises (Psalm 111.09)! The covenant of salt in 2Chronicles
13.05 means that it is an everlasting covenant, without end.
02. The Abrahamic Covenant (Luke 01.72-75)
Here we see what is known as the
Abrahamic Covenant. It was first mentioned in Genesis 12.01-03 and Genesis 12.07;
but was not confirmed until Genesis 15.01-21, where we read in Genesis 15.18
that YHWH made a covenant with Abram.
The ceremony of the covenant involved cutting the animals in
half, length-wise and laying them down on the ground. Then the parties involved
in the covenant would walk in between the cut animals (cutting the covenant) to
symbolize that if one of them broke their covenant, then may they be cut in
half like the animals (Jeremiah 34.18-20).
Genesis 15.01-21 Notice
in this covenant that Abram DID NOT walk through the halves of the animals, but
instead only YHWH passed through the halves of the animals (Genesis 15.17).
Since God could confirm the covenant by no one greater, He confirmed it Himself
(Hebrews
06.13). In other words, this was a one-sided covenant, and God is
the One who made the covenant, so you know that its promises are absolutely
guaranteed (Deuteronomy
04.31; Jeremiah 33.20-21). Such a transaction can
never take place between man and God, for they are not equal.
The Abrahamic Covenant is a covenant of mercy. It shows us
that God is gracious and compassionate to people who are the undeserving (Deuteronomy
07.07-08; Isaiah 49.07). Salvation was given first to
the Jews and then to all mankind (Romans 01.16; Romans 05.08; Romans 09.18;
Romans
11.01-36; 1John 03.01; 1John 04.10).
Today we have examples of how the Jewish people have been
made great in this world (Genesis 12.01-03). For example, there are more
Noble Peace Prize winners that are Jewish than any other nationality! They are
one of the leading exporters of tulips, and they have their own Silicon Valley
where major software companies have many offices and recruit many Jews to work
for them.
Israel has never possessed all the land promised to Abram (Genesis
15.18-21). Only when Jesus the Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach takes the
throne of David (the Davidic Covenant) and establishes His earthly kingdom will
Israel experience the full blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant (Revelation 20.01-22.05).
03. The New Covenant (Luke 01.76-80)
But there is something that the Davidic and Abrahamic
Covenants don’t provide, and that is salvation. Each of the Covenants comes
with a blessing, but no salvation.
But before Zacharias talks about the New Covenant, he
addresses his newborn son, John.
Luke 01.76 “And you,
child, will be called the prophet...”
John is generally
regarded as the last of the Old Testament prophets, speaking forth the Word of
God.
Through the ministry
of John God would end four centuries of silence.
John would be the
prophet “…of
the Most High” (Luke 01.76), which in the Greek is G5310. uqistov hupsistos hoop’-sis-tos; which means “the Supreme
God”, and is the same word used in the Greek Septuagint to translate the Hebrew
word “elyon”, which is often used as a name of God throughout the Old Testament
(Genesis
14.18-20; Genesis 14.22; Numbers 24.16; Deuteronomy 32.08; 2Samuel 22.14; Psalm 07.17;
Psalm 09.02;
Psalm 18.13;
Psalm 21.07;
Psalm 46.04;
Psalm 47.02; Psalm 50.14; Psalm 57.02; Psalm 73.11; Psalm 77.10;
Psalm 78.17;
Psalms
78.35; Psalm 78.56; Psalm 82.06; Psalm 83.18;
Psalm 91.01;
Psalm 91.09;
Psalm 92.01;
Psalm 107.11;
Isaiah 14.14;
Lamentations
03.35; Lamentations 03.38; Daniel 07.18; Daniel 07.22;
Daniel 07.27).
For John to be called the “prophet of the Most High” meant
that He was going to tell people about God.
Luke 01.76 “…For you
will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;”
We saw this before in Luke 01.16-17. The ministry of John was going
to fulfill what the prophets (Isaiah 40.03-05; Malachi 03.01; Malachi 04.05)
said that one will come in the power of Elijah to prepare the way for the
Messiah (HaMashiach).
Luke 01.77 John was to be the forerunner of the Messiah,
whose sacrificial death would confirm the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31.31; Luke 22.20;
1Corinthians
11.25; 2Corinthians
03.06; Hebrews 08.08; Hebrews 08.13; Hebrews 09.15; Hebrews 12.24).
The New Covenant is
first mentioned in Jeremiah 31.31-34, which is probably what
Zacharias is quoting here in Luke 01.77. The writer of Hebrews tells us
that the old covenant did not provide total forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 07.22;
Hebrews
08.06). The writer of Hebrews then goes on to tell us about the New
Covenant in Hebrews
08.07-13. We saw in Jeremiah 31.31-34
that this New Covenant was given first to the nation of Israel, but then it was
inaugurated for the Church. Remember, Paul said in Romans 01.16 that salvation was “to the Jew
first and also to the Greek.”
Jesus at the Last Supper told His disciples about the New
Covenant in Luke
22.20 (see also 1Corinthians 11.25; 2Corinthians 03.06). The writer
of Hebrews tells us that Jesus inaugurated or put into place, to make operative
through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave the New Covenant
for all of who believe that He is the LORD (Romans 10.09-13; Hebrews
10.19-20). When He hung on the cross,
Jesus said: “It is finished!” (John 19.30). The writer of Hebrews tells
us of the completion of the work done by Jesus on the cross in Hebrews
10.11-12. Paul tells us that He died for all mankind, not just for
the Jews in Romans
06.10. John tells us in his epistle that He is faithful to forgive
us of our sins and cleanse us completely if we confess our sins in 1John 01.09.
Luke 01.78 “With which
the Sunrise from on high will visit us,”
Zacharias is saying that the coming Messiah is like a great
light from Heaven who will shine the light of salvation upon “THOSE WHO SIT IN
DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 01.79)
Zacharias is quoting Malachi 04.02 by saying that the Messiah
(HaMashiach) is “the
sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” who has
come “to seek
and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19.10) Now we have access “through the veil, that is, His flesh,”
(Hebrews
10.19-20) to Him and we can “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 04.16)
The New Covenant not only provides salvation, but a new
heart (Jeremiah
31.31-34) and the power to obey God and have fellowship with Him
because our sins have been forgiven, unlike the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants
(Hebrews
09.15).
No comments:
Post a Comment