About their character, the Bible says, they both were, "righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations." About their personal life we also learn that they were childless because Elizabeth was barren and now that they were "very old" the possibility of having children was next to nil unless a miracle happened. Yet, they prayed in faith believing God was able to give them a child. After all they were the descendants of Aaron, brother of Moses, and had heard of the amazing ways of God's provisions for the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
A miracle did happen, for we read in Luke 1:8-20, "One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord's presence. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord..." The angel promised great things for their son.
But, Zechariah doubted. "How can I know that this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years." For this the angel punished Zechariah. The angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! And now, since you didn't believe what I said, you won't be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time."
As we further read down in the chapter, we come across another incident with quite different results. We read God also sent his angel Gabriel to another, a young maiden by the name of Mary, from Nazareth. She had been engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. She was a virgin. "Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you !"
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
Mary also doubted. "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
I wondered why two drastically different responses from the angel of God to similar doubts. One was too old to have a baby, another was very young and never knew a man to conceive a child; a virgin! The Holy Spirit made it dawn on me that Zechariah was a priest, a man of God, a righteous man, an old man! Not only was he a descendant of Aaron, one of the great leaders of Israel, who was selected by God to be his priest, through yet another miracle, Zechariah had tasted and knew his God was good in his life. No man follows a God in to his old age unless there have been specific experiences strengthening his tie to his God. Though he had been a praying man, believing his God was able, he doubted when the angel actually told him. For his intelligent, rational mind pointed to a known fact, his old age, his wife's old age, his wife's barrenness, prompting his heart to doubt. On the other hand, Mary was a young maiden, had much to grow and mature in the ways of her God. The angel explained her doubt away, giving her reassurance that her God had dealt mercifully with her old barren cousin, Elizabeth, who was now in her sixth month of pregnancy, as he was speaking to Mary!
My God was speaking to my doubts! For those whom God has made their impossibilities, possible and their possibilities a reality, we should think back and remember His mercies, His miraculous ways, His provisions and stop doubting when we get to the next junction of impossibility. Thank you Lord, for the merciful ways that you deal with me and my doubts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May our answers be as Mary's to the angel, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." She didn't stagger under the weight of the consequences for an unmarried young maiden pregnant with a child, which could result not just in a loss of reputation, but meet certain death in her society for the perceived indiscretion.
