Luke 1:5-7 - A God of His Word

 Luke 1:5-7 (ESV)

[5] In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. [6] And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. [7] But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Zechariah is originally a Hebrew name that means Yahweh (LORD) remembers or remember Yahweh (LORD). Yahweh (YHWH, translated LORD) is the covenant name of God. He is a God who keeps his word. Elisabeth is originally a Hebrew name that means God (Elohim) of the oath. Elohim is the generic name for God in Hebrew, but in this case, it is coupled with the word oath. Again, God is a God who keeps his word.

So here is the conundrum. God is a God who keeps the word of His covenant. Zechariah and Elizabeth are called “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” Part of the Mosaic Covenant is God’s promise to make His people fruitful if they remain righteous according to the Law, and yet this righteous couple is childless in their old age. There is a flashback here to Abraham, a man God called righteous and yet he and Sarah were childless in their old age. God gave Abraham a son just as He was about to do for Zechariah and Elizabeth. 

Perhaps we should take a lesson here that we need to judge God’s character and faithfulness less by what we see and more by faith. He was working something special and unique in Abraham and Sarah’s lives. He was working something special and unique in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s lives. They couldn’t see it. They could only trust God. When things don’t work out the way we expect, when life throws us a curveball, it is easy to lose faith. Just trust Him. When bad things happen to good people, just trust Him. When we can’t see beyond the fog (or smog) of this life, we can still trust him. God is a God who keeps his word.