7 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior[h]
from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
Zechariah begins by praising God for the coming Messiah,
not for his own long-awaited son.
***
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
“We will be saved …” The future.
“We have been rescued …” The past.
So right now? We can live as God created us to live:
serving God “without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.”
***
76 “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
After the initial focus on Jesus,
the Holy Spirit then led Zacharias to speak of his new-born son
and his place in God’s great plan.
***
Then he includes the whole world. Because God does.
***
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Luke 1:7-79
***
Just as Isaiah prophesied.
