Needing help with Scripture study

[truthquester]

I was reading the book of Luke yesterday when I came across the story of the parents of John the baptist. It says in 1:18 that Zechariah didn’t initially believe the angel Gabriel so in punishment Gabriel took his voice so he would remain silent until the promise came true.

Does anybody know why Gabriel took his voice? It seems a little strange to me and maybe I am not understanding it in some way or taking it out of context.
Maybe somebody here can clear that up for me.

 

[glencora]

His voice was taken because he doubted God’s miracle of Elizabeth being pregnant with John the Baptist. It was a chastisement.

 

[Nelka]

Ver. 20. On account of the many signs the angel had given, that what he said was true, the unbelief of Zacharias seemed inexcusable; for the angel appeared in a holy place, in the temple, and during divine service: he, moreover, foretold what related to the redemption of all the people, and to the glory of God; from all which circumstances, Zacharias ought to have concluded, that it was a good angel, and that what he said would eventually come to pass. (Nicholas of Lyra) — Shalt be dumb, &c. He seems to have been both dumb and deaf by the Greek text, and by what we may learn from ver. 62; where we find, that those who were present did not speak, but rather made signs to him. (Witham)

 

[truthquester]

Am I safe in assuming he must have argued really heavily with the angel. The angel must have gotten really frustrated in order to do that. I wonder how long they were discussing it. There isn’t much detail about it in the bible I have. It’s a good bible but it is lacking in a few details I suspect.

 

[sirach2v4]

The more you study a Bible passage, and meditate on it, you might come up with better and better insights into it. and, I mean, not in five minutes, necessarily, but over years as you continue your study.

I like to think of myself climbing a ladder, and once in a while I manage to take a step up to a higher level of this figurative ladder.

Zechariah was the appointed priest to go into the Tabernacle of the Temple and burn the daily incense. He is no ordinary person and he is in no ordinary place. In all likelihood, he was not prepared to receive a message from God through an angel.

I’m not that familiar with the OT to recall how many, if any, priests received messages in the Tabernacle. Certainly Moses is said to have spoken with God “face to face” but maybe Zechariah hadn’t the slightest expectation of what was going to happen to him.
(Isaiah got a message in the Temple, I think, too.)

Aside: How many of us go to Mass on Sunday and expect to receive some message, even by personal inspiration? Actually we should pray for just communication through the Mass.

But, anyway, v. 20 says that it was because of his unbelief. His voice was taken away. Does that make you think of what Job says? “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” The Lord gives Zechariah a son, even to his elderly wife, but, at least temporarily takes away his voice – and so both Zechariah and other people know that something has happened in the Temple.

You could look at having a son in your old age as a punishment, too. A fair number of people want no children, ever. A fancier word for punishment is “rebuke.” He was rebuked for questioning and perhaps for even denying what the angel said.

Naming his son John was also something unexpected, but I don’t know enough to flush out the meaning of that fully for you.

Without a voice, Zechariah couldn’t explain to his wife what was going on. Can you imagine her surprise to become pregnant at an advanced age.

There are a lot of surprises in this announcement, a lot of things to meditate on.

Zechariah himself probably had a LOT to say when his voice was restored. Think about that, too.