UBF Daily Bread

THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Passage: Luke 1:57~80

Key verse: 1:69

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹On the eighth day they came to circumcise^(A) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”^(B)

⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

⁶²Then they made signs^(C) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”^(D) ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,^(E) praising God. ⁶⁵All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea^(F) people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.^(G)

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(H) and prophesied:^(I)

⁶⁸“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,^(J)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.^(K)
⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[a]^(L) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David^(M)
⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),^(N)
⁷¹salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷²to show mercy to our ancestors^(O)
    and to remember his holy covenant,^(P)
⁷³    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:^(Q)
⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him^(R) without fear^(S)
⁷⁵    in holiness and righteousness^(T) before him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet^(U) of the Most High;^(V)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,^(W)
⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,^(X)
⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun^(Y) will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,^(Z)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”^(AA)

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit^[b];^(AB) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

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Footnotes

Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.
Luke 1:80 Or in the Spirit

First, his name is John (57-66). God was kind to Elizabeth and granted her a son as he promised. When the child was to be circumcised, she declared his name was John. Everyone was surprised since none of her relatives had this name so they motioned to the father and he wrote on a tablet, 'His name is John.' Then his tongue was loosened and he began praising God. Silent training ended and Zechariah praised God who is faithful to keep his promises. Second, a horn of salvation for us (67-75). Zechariah was then filled with the Holy Spirit and broke into a prophetic song. His first theme is not John but Jesus. He calls Jesus a horn of salvation. The horns of an animal are used to fight off enemies and predators. Jesus is the mighty horn of our salvation who defeated sin and the devil through his death and resurrection. The coming of the Messiah is God's tender mercy in remembering his covenant with Abraham (72-73). Third, the rising sun from heaven (76-80). Zechariah also prophesied that his son John would be a prophet of the Most High who would go on ahead of the Lord to prepare his way. Jesus is our rising sun who gives us new life and light.

Prayer: Praise you Father for Jesus the horn of my salvation and the rising sun.

One Word: Jesus, the horn of our salvation

Daily Bread

THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Passage: Luke 1:57~80

Key verse: 1:69

The Birth of John the Baptist

Zechariah’s Song

Footnotes

Cross references

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Bible Resource Data Base

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