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Luke 1:57-58
Elizabeth has born a son in her old age, and the people of Israel rejoice with her as this is the same way in which the people of Israel came to be when God granted Abraham and his wife Sara a child in their old age (Genesis 17-18). God established His people Israel through a covenant made with Abraham, and eventually would give the Law to Moses to show that all man is sinful and in need of a Savior, in that no one is capable of fulfilling the requirements of the Law.
God is now about to announce the coming of the Messiah that is spoken of by the prophets in the Old Testament. The LORD spoke to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18 saying, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Jesus declared in John 7:16-19, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” And in John 12:49-50 Jesus declares, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
God is bringing about this announcement and will also bring the prophecies of the coming Messiah to fulfillment in similar fashion, by a means that is impossible for man, and only possible by God’s grace and intervention as Jesus will die for the sins of humanity and then be raised from the dead by the power and grace of God. The Apostle Paul declares in Romans 6:10-11, “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is an example and promise of God’s plan for all of man as it unfolds in His timing.
This is an example of man’s need for God’s intervention for salvation.
This is an example of the events that make the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
The story of Elizabeth and the birth of her son (John the Baptist) is a great story about keeping our faith in God throughout our lives, through the good times and the bad. We must come to a level of humility that allows us to see our broken lives without God’s intervention. Today we have the Bible to teach us of the fulfillment of God’s plan for our lives In Christ. We are not able, nor do we have the means in and of ourselves to save ourselves from the effects of sin that lives in each of our lives; it is only through salvation in Christ Jesus that we may be forgiven of our sins. Jesus tells us this Himself in John 14:6 declaring, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Dear Lord,
Your ways are so much greater than our ways. We have a hard time just trying to realize how great You really are. Please let this story of how You worked in the life of Elizabeth open our eyes to our need for You in our lives each day. Please let the story of salvation in Christ Jesus be planted in our hearts, minds, and souls that we would be humbled in submission to You in seeking Your will for our lives and salvation in Your Son Jesus, whom You sent to save the world from sin. In Jesus name I pray, amen.