LOOSING THE TONGUE BY FAITH, AT LAST
“And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to cicumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of your family that is called by this name. and they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all.” (vs59-63)
What they knew to do was wrong. The child’s name would be “John” as prophesied, meaning “Beloved of Jehovah” (vs13). He is the friend of the bridegroom, the Jonathan to David.
It doesn’t matter what humans reason; it only matters, “Thus says the Lord”. He says, and it is done. And, when what He says COUNTERS what we think, then we bow to the word.
There is NO authority but the bible, not men, groups, leaders, councils, or human reasonings of any kind. The bible is the word of God and thus the rule of life. Wives and children are to be obedient “in the Lord”. How much more should believers be like the Bereans, searching the scripture, seeing if it is so, and judging by God’s word?
Faith, at last, works in Zacharias. He’d been muted for unbelief, and now, upon the performance of the miracle, his mind is drawn to God’s word and he yields implicit submission. This is how the mouth is opened and joy is returned: we see God faithful to His promise, though we believed not, and AGREEING with His word, God gives us loose lips to tell of His glory. He won’t bless unbelief, but heart belief produces mouth confession in all who have Him - “And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea… And [Zacharias] was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He has visited and redeemed His people” (vs64, 67-68). God builds on top of what we have, giving faith to faith, assurance to assurance, and fruit to the fruitful.
Grace religion honors and brags on God. We fear in His presence, reverencing so mighty a God.
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
He’s been mindful of His promise, remembering His mercies to us for sure. He did not slack because we slacked, but He PROMISED and fulfilled in grace: not because we deserve - “He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (vs68-70).
It wasn’t because we received Him, prepared, planned, or obeyed Him as commanded, but in GOODNESS inexplicably wonderful, He came FREELY to us, promised us blessings, and then BROUGHT them assuredly to pass.
Bless His faithful name. He says and He does, even though He must work through our unbelief, overcome it, and give us the faith we need. He promised that He’d give a king to sit on an everlasting throne, and He did it as He has said. David’s sons ruined the kingdom and Israel was in darkness, but God was faithful to His word. He miraculously birthed John the Baptist to preach the miraculous King. He is a God who does the impossible on behalf of sinners and saints who grieve Him.
His promise was always Jesus Christ. He has done good to you in the home, family, job, or health, but He’s done all this to honor the Christ, the King, who saves us from sin. This is prophecy, as we PRAISE and glorify God, seeing Jesus Christ - “That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; the oath which He sword to our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life (vs71-75).
Our enemies are sin, fear, and shame: they are not the empire of the state, but the kingdom of Satan in unbelief, darkness, and rebellion.
We are not saved from slavery to men, but from slavery to sin. We are not a kingdom of this world, but of another world, even the hidden kingdom within the heart that manifests itself by faith and love (Luke 17:20-210.
This kingdom will consummate in eternal blessedness and complete freedom, but down here, it is FREEDOM from love of this present world, freedom to love and praise God… to point to King Jesus.
We get mercy, not merit, and we get help with our misery by the hand of God. We have nothing to pay, and He relieves our oppression FREELY. Oh, one of the wonders of God is when I’m wicked and vile, miserable and ashamed, He not only hears but clears me, cleanses my mind and fixes my behavior. Bless God for mercy that is for “whosoever”, yet DESTINED for me.
Slavish fear is REMOVED when the cause of fear - our failure and inability - is removed. No longer is my weakness and wickedness a hindrance to blessing, for Christ died and the Spirit is mine by faith only and freely. The end result of faith is “holiness and righteousness” - love from a pure heart - so that Christ produces FRUIT pleasing in us by the Spirit, and it is accepted.
THE MESSENGER’S MESSAGE
“And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (vs76-79).
If He could do GREAT stuff with John the Baptist and prophecy the conquering babe, then He will do all He has said to us, too. Our job isn’t to be someone; it is to reveal how Someone has saved sinners from sins. It isn’t the messenger but the Message who is Savior and King.
Men live blindly, accursed of God, but believers know that we are saved by the substitutionary death of the Son. God gave Christ a punishment so we could be spared. He came to us and removed our sins by revealing Himself merciful. He gives knowledge to people stuck in the bondage of sin… unable to obey, filthy, and estranged from God… to see reconciliation, grace, pity, and power in Christ. He teaches the way of peace.
John became the man God promised, even as every believer is saved to the end - “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel” (vs80).
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