Note that Luke is the only one who takes so much interest in the events of John the Baptist’s birth. It fits with his purpose of detail and being thorough.
V. 59
Circumcision on the eighth day was a part of the Jewish law, found in Leviticus 12:1-5.
V. 59-63
Elizabeth was being pressured by her in-laws to name the child Zacharias. However, an angel told Elizabeth that he should be named John. She did not give in to the social pressure and did what God had asked of her through the angel. She obeyed even in something that appeared so minor. Note Luke 1:13. Do you obey Christ even when there is social pressure to do the opposite?
V. 67
Notice that at the point of being filled with the Holy Spirit there is generally some kind of verbal result; praise, prophesy, etc.
V. 68-75
This part of the prophecy focuses on Christ.
V. 68
The birth of Christ was the beginning of the process of being redeemed. Redeem means to regain a possession at some kind of cost. Through the work of Christ, Israel and all of humanity was regained as a possession of God. The payment was paid to the justice of God or the law of God.
V. 69
Jesus is called the horn of salvation and from the house of David; that is an ancestor of David. Horn is an Old Testament symbol for power 2 Samuel 22:3. What Jesus was going to accomplish was and is extremely powerful.
V. 71
This verse is speaking of the day that salvation is made permanent, the establishment of Jesus’ earthly kingdom.
V. 72
The work of Christ was an act that extended back to the believers before him. The Old Testament believers put their faith in the future work of Christ. We put our faith in the past work of Christ. Note Hebrews chapter 11.
V. 73
The promise to Abraham was recorded in Genesis 22:15-18.
V. 76-80
In this portion of the passage, the attention is turned to John the Baptist. John’s mission was to start getting people thinking spiritually before Jesus would start preaching. John was a spiritually strong man.
