The Conception of John the Baptist

["Click here for Luke's account"]

Verse 5 establishes a great deal. Herod the Great (37BC-4AD) was king of Judah by consent of Rome. His family had ruled since 55 BC when his father, Antipater, an Idumaean Governor from Ashkelon, established the Herodean Dynasty. John Hyrcanus, the Maccabean, forced him to become circumcised and to adopt Judaism. None of the Herods were Jews by blood. He was a foreigner and this fulfilled scripture that prophesied that the "scepter would depart from Judah" and therefore it was time for "Shiloh" to come according to Jacob's prophecy in Gen. 49:10. There was a Priest Zacharias, of the house of Aaron, his wife was Elizabeth, also of the house of Aaron. Her name was the same as Elisheba, the wife of Aaron. The priests were very careful to marry within their own family to maintain the purity of the priesthood.

Zachariah and Elizabeth were righteous before God yet they had no children. They had about given up as they both were well up in years. Many prominent people in the Old Testament were born to mothers who were "up in age", Isaac, Joseph, Sampson and now it would seem, John the Baptist.

Zachariah was employed in the Temple service and from the large number of people indicated here, it must have been the Sabbath Day. An Angel appears standing on the right side of the Alter of Incense. Scriptures were always read at these occasions. Each month had its own scripture. From the time of the year indicated the 17th. day of the 3rd. month, when scriptures were read from Num. 6, concerning the Law of the Nazarites which John the Baptist would embrace from conception. The appearance of the Angel caused much fear in the heart of Zachariah.

Notice the Angel's message, "Fear not, your prayer has been heard." "You will have a son in your old age." His wife Elizabeth, even though she had been barren for many years, would conceive and bear a son and they were to call him John (Johanan). He would take the vows of a Nazarite, set apart for God from his conception. Zachariah had trouble believing this and he asked, "How will I know this is true for I am an old man and my wife is stricken in years?", to which the Angel answered, "I am Gabriel, take my word for it, and as judgement for your disbelief, you shall be deaf and dumb until the day this thing comes to pass."

Then Zachariah went and his wife conceived and she hid herself for 5 months. Why? Several things have been suggested:

  1. She took care of herself, fearing a miscarriage.
  2. She wanted to keep her child away from anything that might be "unclean", as the child was to be a Nazarite from his conception.
  3. She may have been concerned about what people would say knowing her age.
  4. She may have spent this time in prayer and thanksgiving. "The Lord has dealt graciously with me, giving me a child, He has taken away from me, my reproach."


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