Scripture to Read: Luke 1:59–63
God was fulfilling His plan and He was using Elizabeth and Zacharias in doing so. We read in Luke 1:59–63, “And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.” As was commanded by God in Genesis 17:12, “every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations,” Elizabeth and Zacharias were following God’s command. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. It symbolized the need for spiritual purity and the removal of sin. True spiritual purity and the removal of sin are only possible through our relationship with Christ as Lord of our lives. When it came to naming John, Zacharias and Elizabeth knew his name had to be John, as commanded by the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:13. Zacharias had initially failed to trust God, as Gabriel had told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son. But Zacharias displayed his faith in full when he wrote, “His name is John.” We display our faith the same way, through our obedience to God (James 2:18–26).
Challenge & Application
Since Christ has made us spiritually pure and removed all our sin (Colossians 2:13–14), how are you walking in your purity?
How are you displaying your faith in God each day? In other words, how are you walking in obedience to Him?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!