Chapter 10

“The Hand of the Lord was with Him”

“Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise 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 thy kindred 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 marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, 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 Judaea. 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.” (Luke 1:57-66)

            The very last word spoken by God in the Old Testament was a word of promise and prophecy, a promise of mercy and a prophecy of the coming of another Elijah to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah, our Savior.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5-6)

            Four hundred years had passed; but now Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled. Six months prior to the birth of our Savior, John the Baptist was born by the special intervention of God.

            How easily we ought to believe God! He who gave life to Elizabeth’s dead womb can do “whatsoever seemeth him good!” “With God nothing shall be impossible!” We ought to believe him implicitly and trust him confidently, without the slightest doubt, even when (especially when) all things appear to contradict his Word. The decree of God is absolute, and cannot be altered. The Word of God is inerrant and must be fulfilled. The promises of God in Christ are yea and amen and can never become nay. God almighty will do; indeed, he who is God must do all that he has said. If one word from God shall fall to the ground, the whole Book of God crumbles to nothing but a religious myth!

Notice that the birth of John the Baptist was looked upon as a singular, special act of God’s great mercy upon Elizabeth. — “Her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her” (v. 58). It was an act of divine mercy that caused her to conceive, an act of special mercy that carried an old woman through a full term pregnancy, an act of mercy that gave her strength to deliver, and an act of great mercy that gave birth to the child. The birth of a child is a remarkable instance of God’s great mercy; and with the mercy comes a tremendous responsibility. Happy are those homes where these things are known.

The Blessedness of Affection

In all the circumstances surrounding John’s birth, the Lord has graciously scattered nuggets of grace for the edification of our souls. We have before us in the conduct of Elizabeth’s family and friends an example of that milk of human kindness, love, affection and care, which ought to flow from our breasts to one another. – “They rejoiced with her” (v. 58).

Let all who name the name of Christ follow their example. How much more happiness there would be in this evil world, if such conduct were not so rare. Sympathy in time of sorrow costs little, but is of great value. Oil in your car’s engine may appear to be an insignificant thing; but it is vital to the engine’s movement; and expressions of care and sympathy may seem insignificant, but they are not. A kind word on a dark day is seldom forgotten. A consoling hand on heavy shoulders is a sweet succor. A thoughtful card at the appropriate time is invaluable. A word of congratulation to one who imagines he is unnoticed is a great boon. A word of appreciation, kindness, encouragement, or thoughtfulness is never out of order.

Pastors, elders, preachers, teachers, and deacons must never forget that thoughtfulness, kindness, and compassion are the very essence of ministering to the souls of men. — “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). In all the strife about words and battles over doctrine, in all the controversies raging about “great” theological issues, we must never overlook or fail to give affection and sympathy to one another (Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:1-2).

The gospel of Christ, while it sets forth the righteousness, justice and truth of God, is also a great revelation of the love of God and the kindness of our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ saw our need and supplied it by the sacrifice of himself (John 3:14-16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16-17; 4:9-11).

            Our Savior’s name is Jehovah-jireh. He still sees our need and runs to our relief. What an example of kindness he left us. He went to the marriage feast in Cana to celebrate a wedding with some friends in John 2. He went to Bethany in John 11 to weep by the grave of a friend with his broken-hearted sisters. Words are inadequate to describe the blessedness of affection in the eyes of those who need it and receive it.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 4:32-5:2)

The Benefit of Afflictions

As long as we are in this world, we will be children in need of instruction, protection, provision, and discipline, children under the care of our heavenly Father. In verses 59-64 we see in Zecharias’ conduct an example of a corrected child.

This old, old man was still a child of God, a child of God who required his Father’s rod, even in his old age. Because of his unbelief, Zechariah had been deaf and dumb for nine long months. But those months of affliction had not been useless. He who was so slow to believe now believed every word that proceeded from the mouth of God.

No doubt, the nine months’ of his adversity had been spent wisely by Zechariah. In all likelihood he learned more about himself and about God, more about the character of his own heart and more about the goodness, grace and glory of God in those nine months than he had learn in all his life previously. Correction had given him instruction. He was now ashamed of his unbelief.

            Like Job, he could say, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee” (Job 42:5). Like Hezekiah, when the Lord left him, he found out what was in his heart (2 Chronicles 32:31)

            We will never escape trouble in this world of woe. Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward (Job 5:7). But in the time of trouble we ought to seek grace that we may learn by the rod of discipline. Any and every sorrow that humbles us, drives us to our knees, and brings us to our God is a great blessing of his grace and evidence of his love. Someone once said, “Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.” Trials do not change anything; but they reveal everything.

“`Tis my happiness below

Not to live without the cross,

But the Savior's power to know,

Sanctifying every loss;

Trials must and will befall;

But with humble faith to see

Love inscribed upon them all,

This is happiness to me.

God in Israel sows the seeds

Of affliction, pain, and toil;

These spring up and choke the weeds

Which would else o'erspread the soil:

Trials make the promise sweet,

Trials give new life to prayer;

Trials bring me to His feet,

Lay me low, and keep me there.

Did I meet no trials here,

No chastisement by the way,

Might I not with reason fear

I should prove a castaway?

Bastards may escape the rod,

Sunk in earthly vain delight;

But the true-born child of God

Must not — would not, if he might.”

William Cowper                              

The Best of Ambitions

We all have great ambitions for ourselves; but we have especially great ambitions for our children. We want and seek so many things for them; and we make great plans for them. But when I read the last sentence of verse 66, I thought to myself, “This is the best of all ambitions, indeed, the only ambition that is truly worth pursuing with all our hearts.” – “And the hand of the Lord was with him!”

            This great blessing which was upon John the Baptist is the thing we ought to seek, desire, and pray for on behalf of our sons and daughters. “The hand of the Lord was with him.” This is “the one thing needful,” the one thing that will benefit their souls, the one thing that can never be lost, the one thing that will go with them beyond the grave!

“The hand of the Lord was with him” to protect him, to convert him, to prepare him for his work, to strengthen him in his work, to comfort him in his trials, to sustain him in his dying hours, and to carry him into Glory. What the hand of the Lord did for John the Baptist it can do for our sons and daughters as well. Let us seek it for them.

Don Fortner

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