Burden to Bear
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
At such a time as this, it's a wonder that our God is still God for his people. You might not believe it or not just yet but there's still hope in the end and so too a trust in his Word. Zacharias wasn't in the habit of hearing a Word from the Lord. In fact, it'd been many years that he'd continued without a work or a wonder or a sign of his favor in single-handed service to him. Though when our God was ready in his perfect time he'd sent forth a messenger ahead of the Lord. The trouble though with messengers is just as you know that these too have to be faithful in telling his Word. Though at the moment, it's all but simply prayers and trust and hope in him then. Though the answer to this particular prayer doubtless was a long time in coming with just how good our God was to his children. Perhaps you can't see it just yet along with the rest of the people. Though the trouble is that when you're serving the Lord often times you've forgot your mission and your purpose and basically whatever you've been doing this for. Service then requires a different perspective knowing the Lord God whom you'd have been serving there in the midst. As the Psalmist would so often say to serve the Lord with gladness and come before him with singing. My, oh what a delight it is to be found serving the Lord. It's a joy and gladness and rejoicing at heart not for the great things he's done but because of who he is as a person within and without of holiness then. Given this perspective it's almost that every pot and pan in that city at the time of his choosing but should be holiness to our Father in Heaven. Anything other than this sort of perspective and it goes back to him there as that of the hearts of the children turned back to the Father's or perhaps it's the other way around isn't it as those that are in need of his chastening, guidance, and leadership as people in need of a shepherd, sore distressed, tossed, and afflicted with no one there except for the Lord. Then again it's a preparation of not just all sorts of good things but that of his power and his glory that's well crept into the picture at hand. It's more than an issue though just of our service to him having gone unrewarded or vain and then too have you wondered how that it was Gabriel which needed this message. Consider to the people he'd spoken of the ways of the Lord when really it was just himself that stood in need of a reminder of how good he was to all of creation and also to all of mankind. Perhaps his shushing of Zacharias question wasn't really what our God had in mind but a sharing of a burden more like that allowed this to happen. In fact, Ecclesiastes 1:3 puts it like thusly of "what profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" Indeed, it's a good question really that bears figuring out in particular. Surely at times such as these the angel Gabriel had known the Lord had a wonderful plan set forth for all man though perhaps himself being an angel he was still as one looking into the matter or seeing what the grace of God could do for a life well lived for his Son. In fact, according to Gabriel, greatness to God was much like that of his Son, a life lived for the forsaking of all else of the pleasures of man. Much as the Father in Heaven who endured the temptations of man for a season though as did Moses despised the pleasures of Egypt as much lesser than that of Christ and in enterity his own Heavenly home. That is, were faith described of in Hebrews 11 the only requirements then for getting on into Heaven between that and the proof of the Gospel borne out in the nail scarred hands and the blood that was shed of the Son. Thus, it's seen that the concern of Zacharias is also that of the angels as well there what and all with him being old and well stricken in years. It seems that Proverbs 1:10-13 would've put it thusly for time to now tell.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
It's more likely along the lines of our God is just not right with his children as some had supposed. Think of it really, which I won't go into detail about what and all Zacharias was thinking yet for his tempting the angel was all this now happening. So often the Lord found himself tempted of evil to the point in his earthly ministry that it was one continual battlefield so to speak between the evil ones and those that had gave their lives unto sin and those that had erred and fallen from him. Even Satan himself a time or two came to stand before him then really whether for no savor he'd found himself faulted or simply for that of his lack of his love, care, and concern for God's children. Though as James would've said our God tempteth no man. Rather they're drawn away of their own lusts and enticed from the fold as though there were something there that they're missing or at least left off of in the service to him. Then again, there's the tempting that's of the service to him for God himself tempteth no man though perhaps as would a wolf somewhere that had come upon a lamb from the fold as would John 10 right well told.