Life After the Sunrise

Or, Saved That We Might Serve Him

Zechariah is fired up that his mouth is opened. More than only a natural positive response, the Holy Spirit fills him with praise and prophecy. This is a spiritual song, we know it's an inspired song. It contains psalm-like reasoning, but we might want to make sure we know what he’s talking about.

As Mary's song was called the Magnificat after the first word in the Latin translation, so Zechariah's song has been known as the Benedictus, also after the first word in Latin. It means “Blessed be.” It's the first explicit blessed be the Lord in Luke's book. It's blessing not as in favor from the Lord (as was said about Mary) but blessing the Lord for His favor.

This spiritual praise song is not subjective, as in, it's not Zechariah's personal testimony of what the Lord taught him, though that would’ve been good. This spiritual praise song eventually gets around to Zechariah's own son, which would have been not only more personal but very appropriate. He had had an angel come from the Lord's presence to give that announcement. And yet this spiritual praise song is about God's promise to deliver Israel.

It's not actually Christian, at least not like we think about Christian. On the timeline, the first disciples to be called Christians were those in Antioch (Acts 11:26), decades after this event in Luke 1. It’s also not really Christian in that it’s still focus on one nation, not all the nations. In fact this observation has added weight to the argument that Zechariah actually said it, and that he said it at this time before Jesus was even born, because it represents Jewish hopes and Jewish reasons for praising the Lord based on Old Testament Scriptures. Had it have been written later, let alone written by someone in the church long after and read back into Zechariah's mouth, the expectations would have been less physical and less national.

So we've got evidence that recommends Zechariah's authorship, and good, but then maybe we have to ask, was Zechariah's approach immature? Was Zechariah wrong, as in, if he really knew what was going to happen with Jesus' ministry and teaching and death and resurrection, would he have edited his praise?

Well, why did Luke include it, some 30 years after Jesus? Luke had the perspective. Luke could have tweaked it, he could have made an editorial comment, sort of like he did about John himself in verse 66, or he could have just left it out of his record altogether. But Luke offers no correction.

Even more than that, the credit for this perspective of praise belongs not to Zechariah but to the Holy Spirit. This is exactly what the Spirit wanted sung, and then put in Scripture. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel." It’s in the first verse of the song! And it’s included to increase our certainty in what we’ve been taught, just as Zechariah himself had learned.

Verse 67 tells us whose word this is, verse 80 gives a growing-up summary, and then the song is divided by two uses of the idea of visitation.

Visited by the Deliverer (68-75)

Verses 68-75 are one long sentence.

It makes no sense to say that Israel means Jesus. In other places we do see that in some ways Jesus is the ultimate Israelite, one who is God’s Servant and completely faithful unlike Israel. But also Jesus is the one who saves Israel, He fulfills the promises for their good, not fulfills the promises in their stead.

A person is involved. Without saying Jesus' name, Zechariah refers to this one that his son would announce as the horn of salvation, an image of battle and strength leading to victory (for example, Psalm 148:14). Think of an ox with horns, and so many warriors wore horned helmets to symbolize the power (see Deuteronomy 33:17, Bock). He's from the house of his servant David, part of the Davidic covenant, resonating with Gabriel's words to Mary (1:32).

Salvation was promised by the holy prophets of old, they would be saved from our enemies. There would be the mercy promised to our fathers. God would remember his holy covenant, referring to the oath that he swore to our father Abraham. And again, delivered from the hand of our enemies.

This salvation is not simply salvation of individual souls, but a generational, even militaristic salvation. There would be forgiveness of sins (see verse 77), but it's not spiritual only.

For that matter, it is not saved to get off earth and into heaven. Zechariah looks to those who are saved to serve. The description at the end of verse 74 into verse 75 shows the purpose: that we...might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. There is no language here that limits serving to the temple or to certain days. It's all the days. This anticipates a life of serving not just following a set liturgy.

Visited by the Dawn (76-79)

The second section of the song is also one long sentence. It opens with a reference to John, but his name is not said (which Zechariah would have been a big deal to Zechariah since his faith to name his son John is what got his speech back). But in the song it’s not as much his son’s identity as it is his role.

What a title: Prophet of the Most High. It's the third mention of the Most High in Luke 1. Gabriel said that Mary's son would be the Son of the Most High (verse 32), and it would be the power of the Most High that would cause Mary to conceive as a virgin (verse 35). This Most High was coming.

The work of the prophet would be less predictive but still preparatory. The prophet would point to the Lord and also give knowledge of salvation, especially in the forgiveness of their sins.

The ESV has tender mercy in verse 78. It’s σπλάγχνα ἐλέους, “bowels of mercy.” It’s the guts, the inward parts, the place where a man’s care comes from. Compassion moves the Lord. Mercy was promised (verse 72), and mercy is behind the prophet's message. Mercy is behind forgiveness, and mercy is behind the dawning of the sun, light to those in darkness, guidance and peace.

The sunrise shall visit us from on high! He is the dawn, the “dayspring” (KJV), the “morning star.” He is the saving light!

In verse 68, Zechariah uses the past tense, God "has visited" and redeemed His people, as a completed act. But then in verse 78 the same root verb appears in the future tense: the sunrise "shall visit us." So within a single hymn of praise, God's redemptive visitation is treated as both accomplished fact and coming reality.

Many years ago near the end of my days living in Southern California I got tired of waking up to sun again every morning. “Again? Can’t there just be a cloud?” Now having lived in Marysville for almost 25 years, I have empathy for those who appreciate the sun. The sky is a great metaphor for our souls, and God is not tired of the light. And in one way, we live after the sunrise! In another way, we anticipate the sun even more.

This is good news! This is hope connected to all sorts of Old Testament Scriptures. From the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, through the psalms of expectation and anticipation, to many prophets who spoke of the light.

Conclusion

Zechariah did not get to see all that he looked forward to. He was an old man when John was born, and there's no record of Zechariah's presence when John began his ministry thirty years later.

We know more than Zechariah. But Luke wrote this part so that we would believe like Zechariah. Zechariah had learned his little-faithed lesson, doubting the word he'd received. The Benedictus is a song of believing. Luke wrote so that we'd have certainty in all that the Lord "spoke by the mouth of the prophets of old."

This includes a future for the nation of Israel. Depending on how you count, we're only about 50 generations into the predominant rejection of Jesus as Lord by the Jews. How many should make us doubt the words of God’s covenants? This has not stopped the mercy of God. This has not changed God's Word. It does mean that parts of what Zechariah blessed God for are still to be seen. There are spiritual and political mercies still to come.

The Most High has come, and He is coming again, He will visit (as verses 68, 78). We are saved to serve. Is it obvious that we are a people living in the sunrise, distinct from those still in darkness around us?

Charge

Christians, you are saved to serve. You were lost, you’ve been found, and now you are to be faithful. The Lord has filled your cup again as you have worshipped Him. Now you are called to be poured out again as a drink offering for the Lord this week. Don't hold back!

Benediction:

[May you be] strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:11–12 ESV)