Luke 1:66-70
Luke 1:66 (KJB)
And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner
of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
The people were very amazed at the events which surrounded the birth of John.
There was the visitation by Gabriel, Zacharias’s dumbness, Elisabeth conceiving
late in life, the name of John being given to the baby, and Zacharias’s healing
at the moment of the naming of the baby. All these events had caused the people
to ask what manner of child is this or is there something special about this
child that so many supernatural events has surrounded him? Some may have even
thought that John was the Messiah. The hand of the Lord was there to guide
John’s birth, his naming, and all the events which surrounded him since he was
the prophesied forerunner of Christ. The Lord would be with him when he starts
his ministry in about 30 years.
Luke 1:67 (KJB)
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit which was only done to those who have
become saved and now he begins to prophesy to those in attendance. He would now
speak about the things concerning the coming Messiah. He would now speak as the
prophets of old did.
Luke 1:68 (KJB)
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
The spirit of prophecy caused a person to speak as though things were already
accomplished. In God’s mind, they already were. (Rom 4:17 KJV) (As it is
written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he
believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be
not as though they were. Zacharias blesses the Lord God of Israel which
means he was giving an expression of thanksgiving to God. He hath visited His
people. The word “visited” in the Greek carries with it the meaning of “looked
for or looked after.” There was one other time when God looked upon His people
and that was when the Israelites were in bondage. (Exo 2:25 KJV) And God
looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. God had
sent Moses to lead them out of physical bondage. Here God sent Jesus to lead His
people, the elect, out of spiritual bondage and to bring them into the promised
land of Heaven. That freeing would come through the Lord Jesus Christ as He
redeemed His people through His sacrifice upon Calvary.
Luke 1:69 (KJB)
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant
David;
The horn of salvation is the strength of salvation. (2 Sam 22:3 KJV) The God
of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
That strength of salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who overcame the
entire kingdom of Satan and he can no longer prevent anyone from becoming saved.
Here Zacharias is speaking of the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. (2
Sam 7:12-13 KJV) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy
bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. {13} He shall build an house for my
name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. God promised
David that He would raise someone to sit upon his throne forever and His kingdom
would be established forever. That is the Kingdom of Christ and Jesus was the
one to occupy that throne.
Luke 1:70 (KJB)
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world
began:
Zacharias also refers to the fact that all the holy prophets that prophesied in
the past were looking forward to the coming of Messiah. He is what the Old
Testament was looking forward to and written about. It was not just written
about the history of a nation but the history of the Messianic line which came
through that nation. All those wars fought by Israel in the Old Testament was
Satan’s attempt to destroy the messianic line.