Zechariah knew that God was intervening to deliver His people as he proclaimed being saved from our enemies. God had not sent any prophets for 400 years. Now, as Zechariah broke his silence, God again gave prophecy. As he received his voice back, Zechariah praised God for what He was doing. Luke 1: 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. 71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. [1]
As a priest, Zechariah would have been trained in the Scriptures and would have been familiar with what God had promised through the prophets. “God had promised that the Savior would be a Jew (Gen. 12:1–3), from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), from the family of David (2 Sam. 7:12–16), born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).”[2] Now Zechariah’s song affirmed these earlier prophecies.
Looking for Messiah
The Jews of Zechariah’s day were looking for a Messiah. Since God had promised a Messiah like David, these Jews assumed the Messiah would be political. The Jews had been under an enemy’s rule since the time of the Babylonian exile. They had been allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, but they did not rule their own country. At this point, Roman rule could be ruthless, and the Jews resented it.
What Zechariah and the other Jews did not know yet was that God was sending them an unexpected Messiah. Instead of sending the political Messiah they wanted, God was sending them the Messiah they needed. The Savior would free them from sin and the kingdom of darkness.
Salvation
As believers, we often think of salvation as eternal spiritual deliverance. We can receive life after death in heaven. John 3: 16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [3] This is certainly true, but God’s salvation has immediate, earthly benefits.
“The word salvation carries the meaning of ‘health and soundness.’ No matter what the condition of the captives, their Redeemer brings spiritual soundness.”[4] Through what Jesus did on the cross, we can receive a new, fulfilled life here on earth and have the hope of eternity with our loving Savior.
Colossians 1: 11bMay you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.[5] May you experience the joy that comes from being saved from our enemies in the kingdom of darkness this Christmas season. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-gift-of-song
[1,3,5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.
[2,4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 174). Victor Books.