Zacharias' Penalty And Praise Life

It is Christmas Eve! We are standing on the last step before Advent Day. By God’s bidding and ruling, indeed, we have all come to the final time of lighting as our Lord’s Advent trees. Now, we prepare to present ourselves before our King Jesus, as His Present lights, Promoting lights, and Peculiar lights. We have come with living hope, rekindled hope and reignited hope, the hope we received through Zacharias.

Perhaps there are some reading this who are still unsure of themselves as true Advent trees for God. Perhaps others have given up on themselves as ever being pleasing to God, and although they have not dashed away their hope, they hold it tenderly and secretly hidden in them, mummified and embalmed. Additionally, there may be some who live with their heads buried in the sand, not wanting to face reality and own up to the state and condition of their hope. Fellow believer in Jesus, if none of these is you, then, as priest of God, you may know somebody whose hope is dim or dead. You may know one who needs your Spirit-empowered prayers.

Today is our hour of incense burning. Today is our final adorning, our final lighting up with this last priestly light. Today, we hold the hope of prophesy well-reignited and made brilliant in us. Today, we believe and hold unto us the good tidings of great joy which is for all people, including you, me and all others. Today, you can hope, because the Love-Gift of a Saviour has been promised to you, He who is your Consolation, He who is born to take away the reproach from among all people. However, this comes with penalty and praise.

As we are lit up on all sides with this illuminating word, let us be praying and giving God thanks for His rod and His love, keeping us righteous and pleasing in His sight.

Holy Father, thank You for penalty and praise as You ensure we are truly illuminated with all humility and reverence, to receive our Saviour, born to us. We want to worship Him with clean hands and hearts. Amen! 

Let’s listen with humbled spirits and thankful hearts, as we receive these penalty and praised lights, as illuminated through priest Zacharias.

And the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and who was sent to speak to you to bring you these tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time. Luke 1: 19.

Exactly what has occasioned this Hand of God in His righteous servant’s life? Let’s track what is happening in the temple, while the praying people are waiting outside for Zacharias to come to them with the lit and burning incense. This is the dialogue taking place between Gabriel, God’s heavenly angel or messenger, and Zacharias, God’s earthly angel or messenger.

After Gabriel has calmed the fears of the priest and stated God’s good tidings of great joy to him, about a son; after he has told him of how great his son will be in the sight of the Lord; after assuring him that his son will be filled with the Holy Spirit; after specifying that his son will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; and after pronouncing this about God, He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, Luke 1: 17, this was poor, overwhelmed Zacharias’ response. This is what he said to Gabriel, How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years. Luke 1: 18b.

There are two lights before us which I refer to as twin-lights, embedded in this pronouncement of penalty and praise. However, you must clearly observe and know that this twin-light of pronouncement is sacked and nestled in God’s irremovable, unalterable and unchangeable Word. What is God’s Word to His priest? It is this. Your prayer is heard. It is in this already fixed, free and final Word of our immutable God that penalty and praise is set. We know this as God’s angel assumes his:-

Full person. I am Gabriel, saying that he is the I AM God, the very Person of God who stands on the right side of the altar. 

Full presence. I am standing in the presence of God. Gabriel is saying that the very Presence of God is in Him. God’s Presence is before Zacharias.

Full proclamation. I am here to bring you these good tidings from God. God’s Proclamation is given to you. 

See it all clearly lit up before you, in God’s free, fixed and final Word whereby the penalty and praise are admistered.

Penalty from God for not believing God’s infallible Word. You will be mute and not able to speak.  This is not administered to deny Zacharias of the promise. It is given to dig it deep in him, as it were.

Praise from God in staking His infallible Word in His priest. Until the day these things take place. God’s Word will take place as He ordains, despite Zacharias’ momentary unbelief.    

God has not left us in any darkness, but has made us His lights, His illuminated Advent trees, to come before King Jesus.