After David died, his son and heir to the throne, Solomon, found that there were so many priests that it became necessary to divide and delegate responsibilities. 1 Chronicles 24:10 and 19 mentions one such priestly division. "...The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah," [verse 10]. This meant, that all the men who belonged to the priestly division of Hakkoz was seventh in line to serve in the temple, and Abijah was eighth in line. This is important, as the Lord laid out this plan that Abijah specifically would be eighth in line to serve in the temple, as 1 Chronicles 24:19 states: "This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him." But why is this important? The division of Abijah was eighth in line to serve in the temple. For the men in the divisions, who were chosen by lot to burn incense in the Holy of Holies, this was literally a once-in-a-lifetime event, as a man could only serve God in such a supremely honorable way once in his life. Enter a righteous and devote man named Zechariah, married to Elizabeth, who was belonged to the division of Abijah and was chosen to light the incense. Indeed, Zechariah must have been experiencing mixed emotions as he slowly ascended up the stairs to the temple: elation and honor at such an incredible moment in his life, and, at the same time, embarrassment and concern for his wife who was barren. For a Jewish couple, not having children was a stigma that was never removed, even in their old age. Yet, Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous "in the sight of God," [v. 6]. Perhaps Zechariah thought that after the prescribed prayers he would recite, he would take this opportunity to call upon the Name of the Lord on behalf of his wife's empty womb. As he lit the incense, no doubt hearing the worshipers' prayers from outside, suddenly, Zechariah was not alone. Gabriel the mighty archangel delivered his customary "do not fear" statement with a solid answer to Zechariah's personal petitions: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord," [Luke 1:13-17]. Perhaps it was complete shock at visually seeing an archangel, or the news that Elizabeth would bear a child, let alone a son who would be destined to be the forerunner of the Messiah -- perhaps it was the thought that the boy, John, would be patterned after the great Elijah...at any rate, one can almost hear Zechariah's words stumble out of his mouth wondering how he could be sure of this. Gabriel tells Zechariah that because of his unbelief, he would be mute -- until the "appointed time" [v. 20]. Yes, Zechariah was chosen by chance to serve, but it was anything but a random occurrence. God knew the players, scenes and sets....He wrote the play! He knew, way back, that the division of Abijah would be serving at this time, that Zechariah would be part of that house, and He orchestrated the lot to fall to Zechariah. In this grand plan to bring John into the world to be the forerunner of Christ, there is nothing here that "just happened." Circumstances did not land Zechariah before the incense in the Holy of Holies -- God-stance did. The phrase "appointed time" rings throughout this story that is tucked in at the very beginning of Luke, just a few chapters away from when the very-busy Gabriel made another unexpected call on a young girl in Nazareth. God appoints these times in His plan and His timing. He knew that a descendant of Abijah's would be this elderly, childless priest. He knew that if John's parents had not been childless, they would not have worshiped and been in awe of the blessings of God through their son. God closed Elizabeth's womb until He decided it would be opened -- at the appointed time. It brings new meaning to God's words to Jeremiah: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart," [Jeremiah 29:11-13]. Peace. Terrie For Reflection: Compare the story of Zechariah's disbelief in Luke 1 to Sarah's disbelief in Genesis 18:1-15. What similarities are there? "Appointed time" is also relevant to the study of end times. Read and highlight "appointed time" in Daniel chapters 8 and 11.
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