5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Here we have Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah (5). Zechariah was active as a priest. Both of them belonged to the family line of the priests. And both of them loved and served God, blamelessly walking in God's commandments (6). But Luke quickly points out their trial—they were advanced in years, but they had no child (7). This could be painful in any era, but it would have been especially devastating in theirs. It was all about family in those days. Your children were your heritage, your safety net, your mission. But every time Zechariah and Elizabeth read Psalm 127's "the fruit of the womb is a divine reward," it would have stung. No matter what they tried, they could not conceive, and Elizabeth bore the blame (7, Elizabeth was barren). While Elizabeth was coming to terms with her circumstances, Zechariah was given the rare opportunity to offer a priestly prayer in the temple. While there, he was visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel told Zechariah that God had heard his prayer—he and Elizabeth would have a child. And this child would have a special calling. He would come in Elijah's power and spirit, fulfilling Malachi's ancient predictions that the prophet Elijah would return and lead the Israelites into a period of revival. This baby boy would be named John, and he would spark a revival in Israel. He would prepare the way for the Lord. And because his mission was important, John would live an ascetic life, never drinking alcohol of any kind. Zechariah struggled to believe the angel's promise. And the angel struggled to believe Zechariah's doubt. So, partly as a punishment but mainly as a sign, Zechariah was muted until John's birth. For nine months, his last words were words of unbelief. When John was born, God would unleash Zechariah's tongue, and his next words would be a song of faith. But now we come to Elizabeth:
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” (Luke 1:24–25, ESV)
After hiding herself for five months, she began to declare God's praises. We don't know her motivation for hiding at first. Perhaps she hid out of embarrassment, knowing it would have been awkward for her to claim to be pregnant at her age. Maybe she wanted to wait until it was obviously true. What I want you to see, from her words and her life, is that she had committed herself to God. Had she been like most, she would have abandoned God long ago. Instead, Elizabeth hoped in God, not only for a child but for Elijah's days of revival. In the darkness of her time, she cried out to God, right along with her godly husband, asking God to revive his work among his people. It is important to note that though they were righteous and obedient to God, they were not immune from trials. This is a far cry from modern, twisted versions of Christianity, where obedience to God must lead to health and prosperity. And though many have graduated from believing God will give you a private jet, big hair, and designer clothing, many still believe God owes them an Instagram-worthy life if they walk with him. At the very least, God, you could give me good abs. But Elizabeth (and Zechariah) were godly and in a painful trial. And they might have wondered, "Why isn't God blessing us?" But God was blessing them. The parents of John the Baptist had to be prepared for a responsibility that big. Like Hannah in the Old Testament, as the years of Elizabeth's infertility ticked by, she came to the point where she'd be willing to give God her child if he let her have one. A younger mother might not have as easily parted with her son when he went out to the far reaches of the wilderness to spend time with God—don't be so radical, son. There are other, safer ways to serve God. Join your father and me in the temple! But, when the time came, Elizabeth would certainly commit John to God—she was that type of woman. We know this because even when things were very challenging, she committed her own self and body to God. Elizabeth's commitment to God stands out as an exhortation for us today. In times of personal or societal darkness, we also must remain committed to our Lord. We must do what she did. The last prophetic word had told them to obey the Scripture and to wait for revival and, ultimately, the arrival of the Son of God (Mal. 4:1-6). We can—and must—do the same. If we do, whether in this life or the next, God will take away our reproach from us (25). Brothers and sisters, like Elizabeth, remain faithful. She committed to God during the darkest days, and so should we, for the light is coming. As Paul said:
"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:17)