Origin of Christmas: Zacharias’ Prophecy Part 3

Zacharias has one last covenant to feature in his song of praise.

It is the new covenant, the one that links the Old Testament to the New Testament. While the Davidic covenant emphasizes a universal salvation in which the world will become perfect and eternal according to God’s promises, the Abrahamic covenant stresses the national deliverance of Israel from enemies and establishing the nation as a blessing for other nations. The New Covenant is markedly different for its promise of personal salvation.

The new covenant emphasizes the forgiveness of sins, a personal repentance that leads to salvation. God will regenerate the believer’s heart so that the believer will be made holy. This is the new covenant which John the Baptist prepares and Jesus fulfills.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. – Luke 1:76-79

Who will John the Baptist be?

The newborn John will be a great man according to the angel’s message and according to Old Testament prophecy. In Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1, and Malachi 4:5-6, it mentions that there will be a prophet calling the people of Israel to repent from the wilderness. A messenger to clear the way before the Messiah. He will restore the people to their God and turn them back to God. As the forerunner to the Messiah, John the Baptist will call Israel to repent and turn back to God. Zacharias acknowledges that his son will have a great mission and he will prepare the way for the Messiah.

What is the message of John the Baptist?

The message of John the Baptist is to repent.

The people of Israel must acknowledge that they need to be saved from their sins and nothing they can do can save themselves. It is by God’s grace and mercy that they can gain salvation. The Mosaic Law, the 10 Commandments, only seeks to condemn Israel because they cannot meet God’s standard of perfection. Animal sacrifices were not enough to cover their sins permanently, it was only a temporary solution. Therefore, there needs to be a final and perfect sacrifice for humanity, and that sacrifice is the Messiah.

John the Baptist will preach the gospel message, the message of the new covenant.

Was the New Covenant referenced in the Old Testament?

The new covenant is not different from what is written in the Old Testament. It specifies a time when the law of God will be written on man’s hearts. God will forgive their sins. God’s saving grace will cover His people with righteousness. They will be God’s people.

• Jeremiah 31:31-37
• Ezekiel 36: 22-38
• Isaiah 59:15-21 , Isaiah 60-62

The Sunrise from on High is a reference to God and Jesus as described in Psalm 107:10-16, Isaiah 9, 1 John 1:5, and Revelation 22:16. The new covenant made to Israel is fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah comes to provide personal salvation by the forgiveness of sins. When the nation of Israel recognizes the Messiah and repents, then the nation will enjoy the blessings described in the Abrahamic Covenant. And when all things have come to pass, the eternal kingdom will come and the Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled.

Zacharias’ song of praise recognizes the big picture of God’s message for humanity. He realizes how God will save His people with the coming of the Messiah. His child, John, is the forerunner to the Messiah and by these two miraculous births, the whole of history will be changed.

Original Source: John MacArthur Grace to You Sermon May-June 1999 Part 1, 2, 3 / March 2012 Part 1, 2

Origin of Christmas: Zacharias’ Prophecy Part 2

After Zacharias spoke of the Davidic covenant, he mentions the Abrahamic covenant and the national promise God made with Abraham.

To show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. – Luke 1:72-75

What is the covenant made with Abraham?

The covenant is mentioned at least 8 times in Genesis, from chapter 12 to 35. God picks Abram to be the father of Israel and chooses him to receive God’s blessing. From Abram, later renamed Abraham, he will father many nations and his people will have the land that God promised. By God’s protection, they will be free from their enemies and be able to worship God without fear.

In Genesis 12:2-4, God mentions that Abraham

• He will be a great nation (father of a multitude of nations – Genesis 17)
• He will be blessed by God
• His name will be great
• He will be a blessing to those who bless him, and God will curse those who curse him
• In him, all the families of the earth will be blessed

In Genesis 13:14-18 and Genesis 15:18-21, God gives Abraham land

• The land will be for his descendants forever
• His descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth
• He will be given the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates

God promises Abraham to be the father of many nations and it is true with Israel and the Arab nations. Through his sons Isaac and Ishmael, Abraham becomes the father of several nations in the world. The land that they currently possess is also granted to them by God.

The remainder of the covenant which is expressed in Zacharias’ song will be fulfilled when Israel returns to God according to Zachariah 12-14 and Revelation 11, 19, 20. They must accept Jesus as their Messiah and then the rest of the promise will be answered. It is not through the Law, the Mosaic 10 commandments, that will save Israel. But God’s mercy and grace through Jesus.

Zacharias believes that with the coming of the Messiah, the eternal kingdom will come soon. In the eternal kingdom, Israel will be safe from enemies and will be able to worship God freely. In their worship, they will be able to free from sin and live righteously so that they will not be fearful of death or the consequences of sinning against God. In the future kingdom, they will be holy as God is holy. That is one of the messages of salvation and mercy to Israel as sung by Zacharias.

Original Source: John MacArthur Grace to You Sermon May 1999 / March 2012 Part 1, 2

Origin of Christmas: Zacharias’ Prophecy Part 1

Searching for a link between the Old Testament and the New Testament?

Read Zacharias song of praise in Luke 1:67-80.

After John the Baptist was born, Zacharias, a Levite priest, regained his senses and started praising God. Filled with the Holy Spirit, his song of praise was a prophetic announcement. While Mary’s Magnificat expresses personal salvation and grace, Zacharias’ song expresses universal redemption and salvation.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant – As He spoke by the mouth of His Holy prophets from of old – Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; – Luke 1:68-71

God Visited Us

After 400 years of silence, God enters human history with John’s miraculous birth and once again speaks to Israel through the angel Gabriel. The first part of the verse is a common Old Testament benediction in Psalm 41:13, Psalm 72:18, Psalm 106:48, and 1 Kings 1:48.

With the coming of the forerunner and the Messiah, God has come to save and redeem His people. To do so, God will pay a high price to get His people back. Not only from physical enemies like the Romans but spiritual ones as well.

The story of salvation has been told since the beginning of the Old Testament and it flows into the beginning of the New Testament as well. The Messiah will fulfill the covenants made with David, Abraham, and the prophets. In the mind of Zacharias, redemption has already happened because God is faithful to fulfill His promises. Zacharias is confident in God.

The Davidic Covenant

According to many Biblical descriptions, the Messiah would come from the house and line of David. The “horn of salvation” refers to the Messiah, not to John since Zacharias and Elizabeth are from the house and line of Aaron, the Levite tribe. Therefore, John cannot be the Messiah, but the forerunner to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus would be the Messiah since Mary and Joseph are both from the line of David.

The horn of salvation is referenced in Psalm 132:17, Psalm 106, Psalm 18:2, Deuteronomy 33:17, 1 Samuel 2:10. It describes a person who will be very strong and powerful; who will conquer enemies and establish a new kingdom. He will be a great power like a formidable animal bringing national salvation from enemies.

What was God’s promise to David?

In 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17: 1-15, God does not allow David to build a permanent temple. Instead, God will provide a kingdom for David’s descendants.

• David will be a great name and be remembered among great men
• The nation Israel will have a physical location to live in peace and be free from enemies
• There will be a descendant of David who will establish an eternal kingdom
• There will be a descendant who will build a house for God
• God will be a father to the descendant and he will be a son to God

The Davidic convenant is referenced to the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6-7 and Psalm 89. Zacharias references the Davidic covenant to show how God will fulfill His promise to Israel by giving them a strong leader, a savior who will rescue them from their enemies and establish an earthly kingdom.

Remember the Prophets

In Isaiah, it describes the future Davidic kingdom that will last forever on earth. In it, the nation of Israel will no longer fear their enemies for they will be destroyed.

It will not be realized with the first coming of Jesus since they did not accept or believe him to be the Messiah. But it will come to pass in the second coming of Jesus. The nation of Israel will repent, believe, and accept Jesus as their Messiah during the Tribulation as described in Revelation 19-20. Then, the eternal kingdom will be established.

Zacharias’s song of praise and salvation describes his faith in the coming of the Messiah and what that event will do for the nation of Israel. He references Old Testament covenants to explain his current situation and what may come in the future. It is through Zacharias that we can link the Old Testament to the New Testament. There is so much more to his song that there will be 2 more posts about it.

Original Source: John MacArthur Grace to You Sermon April 1999 Part 1, 2 / March 2012 Part 1, 2

Origin of Christmas: Birth of John the Baptist

The birth of John the Baptist fulfills the prophecy given to Zacharias from the angel Gabriel in Luke 1: 57-66. It is a simple narrative describing John’s birth, his naming, and the miraculous healing of Zacharias. It also describes the people’s response to those events and how God works in the lives of Elizabeth, Zacharias, and John the Baptist.

The core message in the birth of John the Baptist is about who God is and His plan for salvation.

God’s Promises are True

God is faithful to fulfill his promises. Everything happened according to what the angel Gabriel said to Zacharias in Luke 1:13-20. He showed favor, mercy, and goodness to the undeserving, answering Zacharias and Elizabeth’s prayers for a child. Not only are they given a son, but the child will be great, a prophet, and a forerunner to the Messiah.

In Luke 1:20, Zacharias becomes silent and cannot speak because of his unbelief in the angel Gabriel’s message. It is a temporary event and when all things are fulfilled, Zacharias will gain his speech back. In Luke 1:64, Zacharias does regain his speech at the time when all the events that the angel relayed had come to pass. God fulfills his promises and what He says, He will hold true to them.

God’s Purpose is Gracious

The birth of John is one of the events that will usher in the Messiah’s entrance to the world. It is through the Messiah that Israel and believers will be saved from sin. Though the salvation story, God’s grace will be on display.

On the 8th day, it is Jewish custom to circumcise the boy according to Genesis 17:10-14 and Leviticus 12:3. It was necessary for health reasons, for national identification, and as a spiritual reminder of the need for salvation from sin. Usually, there were about 10 witnesses needed for the circumcision. On the same day, the people wanted to name the child after Zacharias. Although it wasn’t a Jewish custom to have a naming at the same time of the circumcision, it might have been similar to the Greek or Roman tradition. Sometimes, the naming of the child was a group decision, like in Ruth 4:17, but Elizabeth and Zacharias had already chosen the name of child.

“John is his name.” That was what Elizabeth declared and Zacharias wrote on a tablet. The name means “God is gracious.” Even though it was not a name familiar in the family, it was chosen by God, relayed through the angel Gabriel, and confirmed by the parents. By naming the child John, God displays His gracious nature, being kind to the parents and also preparing the way for the Messiah.

God’s Power is Awesome

Immediately after Zacharias acknowledges the naming of John, he regains his senses back. It  is a miracle to all those present since they did not know if Zacharias would ever gain his ability to speak again. But once Zacharias opens his mouth, he starts praising God.

God has the power to allow an elderly couple to conceive and give birth to a son. God has the power to open and close the mouth of Zecharias. God has the power to provide a forerunner and a Messiah to the people of Israel. God demonstrates His power after 400-500 years of silence.

The people who witnessed these events were in awe and fear of God. They were amazed by the miracles and they spread the news to everyone in the hill country of Judea. They understood that John will be a prophet, the forerunner to the Messiah. They wondered when the Messiah will come and be announced to the world. If God has allowed such wonders to happen, what can they expect in the future?

Through the birth of John the Baptist, the people in Judea understood that God is among them once again and John will be a great man, a prophet, and the forerunner to the Messiah.

Original Source: John MacArthur Grace to You Sermon April 11, 1999

Origin of Christmas: John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold

Jesus’ birth was miraculous, but he was not the only miracle. Before Jesus, there was John the Baptist and his birth was also miraculous, but in a different way. In Luke 1:5-25, it records the events in which John the Baptist came to be to fulfill the prophecy in Malachi 3:1. There is to a be a forerunner, a prophet, to call people to repentance and point the way to the Messiah. John the Baptist is the forerunner who points to Jesus as the long awaited Messiah.

In the days of Herod, there was an elderly couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who was childless. They were righteous in the eyes of God, but perhaps not as much by the people around them. In Jewish culture, not having children meant that they are being punished by God or that they have some sin in their life. They were both of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe. Zacharias was a priest and he was chosen to burn incense in the temple, a high honor, in which he was chosen to do once in his life. There, he encounters an angel who tells him that his petition is granted and his wife will bear him a son named John. 

John will be the forerunner to the Messiah:

• He will be great in the sight of God
• He will not drink wine or liquor
• He will be filled with the Holy Spirit
• He will turn people back to God, call for repentance
• He will be a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah
• He will prepare the way for the Messiah

Zecharias does not believe the angel and is made deaf and mute until the birth of John. The people outside the temple was wondering what the delay was in Zecharias’ return from the temple and when they saw him, they realized that he must have seen a vision. He continued his priestly duties until it was finished and went home.

Soon afterwards, Elizabeth became pregnant and hid herself for five months. Instead of telling people that she was pregnant, she kept it hidden until she could no longer hide her pregnancy. It would be proof of the miracle of John’s birth and she would not be ridiculed by unbelief for saying she is pregnant in her advanced years.

It is interesting to note that Zecharias means “God remembers,” Elizabeth means “my God is faithful” and John means “God is gracious.” Those names reflect that God hears all your prayers and petitions and when the time is right, He will fulfill them according His purpose. John, before he was born, was chosen to be the forerunner for the Messiah, Jesus. In a way, it describes divine election, where God choses someone to gain salvation and to follow in His ways. After 400 years of prophetic silence from the end of Malachi in the Old Testament, God chooses to break the silence through Zecharias and Elizabeth. They will be the parents to John the Baptist, the greatest man who ever lived to be a witness and forerunner of the Messiah.

Original Source: John MacArthur Grace to You Sermon December 1998 Part 1, 2, 3, 4