Zacharias' Priestly Life

We come on this new day, mindful and grateful to God for granting us grace to have been given privilege today, to be able to stand on this, the third step before Advent Day. In our receiving today, of instructive, insightful and inclusive details about Zacharias, priest of the One True God, for some it will be as new lights being added to their knowledge. On the other hand, for others, this may be a kind of boosting and rekindling of already present lights, which have been lying dormant and unused. Whoever you are and whatever your personal needs are, in this sharing, the efficacy of God the Holy Spirit is unquestionably perfect and well suited.

Trusting Luke’s faithful and orderly, Spirit-guided and Spirit-ordered account, we learn more about Zacharias’ priestly life. As we ease through what is recorded about this priest, we will be encountering some deeply personal and challenging illuminations. Remember, by faith, we are receiving them as the final lights being placed upon us, brightening us up as God’s Advent trees, to His honour and glory.

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.  Luke 1: 5 - 6.

Since our illumination is on priest and we are looking at Zacharias in particular, we shall be selective in our choosing to keep zeroed in on him. What information is being made bright and even brighter about this priest? The first obvious thing is that he was a bonafide priest, serving in the time of Herod, king of Judea, when Jesus was born. From his wife’s side, we know also that he is a priest, for she is of the priestly family line of Aaron. Since he was a man, righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, he would not be accused of marrying outside his given station as it were. As a priest therefore, he married into the realm of the priests.

How does this apply to you? How can you be dressed with such lights? First, as a believer and a redeemed child of God, the infallible Word of God tells us much about being priests. We first hold up words from Peter. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2: 9.

We listen to and heed Jesus, who has made us priests. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1: 5b – 6. You are a priest of God, not by any doing of your own, but by Him. You did not call yourself priest, Jesus did. How are you responding? Is your life bearing this truth in your most privileged and favoured living? What is your open testimony that you are, righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless? 

As you receive every Word transformation that has been offered through Zacharias’ priestly life, may you receive the daring and essential challenges to your own priestly life. To deny that you, a redeemed child of the Father, are a priest, is to make the words of our Master, Lord and Saviour Jesus, into utter froth and nothingness. God forbid that any of us should seek to gainsay what Jesus has said. Instead, may we learn to pray for ourselves most fervently and sincerely, in deepest humility and care.