They prayed for a male Child

Luke 1:5-7

In these three verses we find two very different men, one is a seeker of power and authority, the other a priest, Dr. Luke tells us the following: “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statues of the Lord.”  Verse five begins in this way; “In the days of Herod, king of Judea”, and that leaves this writer wondering what were the days of Herod like?  We have crucial details of Herod’s life that are recorded in the works of the 1st century CE Roman–Jewish historian Josephus.  You will find if you choose to investigate Josephus’ writings these facts: “Herod was the son of Antipater, was appointed governor of Coele – Syria, and advanced from one position to another until made king of an extensive territory, in which Judea was part of.  He had these characteristics: He was enterprising, keen of intellect, builder of the second temple, but bloodthirsty and cruel.”  (Page 1371 footnote 1579 of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible)  What a contrast between these two men, one a priest who has one wife who is also like her husband righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statues of the Lord, do you grasp the magnitude of that statement?  The other man is very enterprising, and intelligent, a great builder, and yet full of fear and anger, a very cruel and bloodthirsty man.

I like you may be wondering what is the division of Abijah, this may help; Shmuel Safrai a founding member of the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research, gives this insight: “During the Second Temple period, the twenty-four priestly divisions served in the temple at Jerusalem in a rotation system. A list of priestly divisions can be found in 1 Chronicles 24:7-18, which is usually dated by scholars to the fifth century B.C.E. There is no mention there, however, of any fixed order of service. Only in post-biblical traditions is it mentioned that the priestly divisions served according to a weekly rotation system.

The priests themselves lived not only in Jerusalem but also in other settlements in the land of Israel. When it was “time for the division to go up [to Jerusalem]” (Mishnah, Ta’anit 4:2), the priests left their homes, went up to Jerusalem for a week, and afterwards returned to their homes in Judea or Galilee.”  And Wikipedia had this to add; “A descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, a chief of one of the twenty-four orders into which the priesthood was divided by David  (1 Chr. 24:10).  The order of Abijah was one of those that did not return from the Captivity (Ezra 2:36–39; Nehemiah 7:39–42; 12:1).

This writer would be remiss if Elizabeth was not addressed as to her heritage, for she also was from the line of Aaron.  This couple had prayed and prayed for a child, and it was for a male child, but as the Scripture states they were both advanced in years, way beyond the time of having a child.  Is it not a wonderful thing that our Creator is not limited by time, and in that He works outside of what we earth critters are controlled by, He can and may change the rules we live by when it meets His purpose.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice