Elizabeth's Sorrow: Hang In There

Luke 1:5-25:
THE PROLOGUE
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron [BLESSING]. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly [RIGHTEOUSNESS]. But they had no children [TEARS], because Elizabeth was barren [DISGRACE]; and they were both well along in years [HOPELESSNESS].

The Temple Mount (grounds) in Jerusalem. The gold-domed building is where the Jewish temple stood; in there Zechariah entered the restricted Holy Place to burn incense to God, usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Worshipers prayed outside the temple while Zechariah performed the twice-daily ritual. Photo courtesy of bibleplaces.com.

GOD 'SHOWS UP'
Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot [GOD SHOWS HIS HAND], according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were PRAYING outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with FEAR. But the angel said to him: "DO NOT BE AFRAID, Zechariah; YOUR PRAYER HAS BEEN HEARD.

THE PROMISE
“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a JOY and DELIGHT to you, and many will REJOICE because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Possibly Aenon near Salim. John 3:23 - And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. Picture all the people he baptized in this water - the end purpose of Elizabeth's tears.

Photo courtesy of bibleplaces.com.

DOUBT
Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? [DOUBT] I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at the proper time."

Meanwhile, the people were WAITING for Zechariah and WONDERING why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. [CONFUSED]

FINALLY
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. [JOY, PROMISE FULFILLED] and for five months remained in seclusion. "THE LORD HAS DONE THIS FOR ME," she said. "In these days HE HAS SHOWN HIS FAVOR and TAKEN AWAY MY DISGRACE among the people."

Let me sum this up quickly. Everything’s going along okay (blessing), and then poof! Your world falls apart. (Tears). After much praying God has some answer for you, which often leaves you with hope. Then, doubt kicks in. You wait. You wonder. You get confused – did you hear God right? Finally, the promise comes to pass, leaving you with joy and the relief that the Lord did what He said He would do, and a little more faith in His character.

Elizabeth's Promise
Back then, a woman’s purpose in life was basically to get married and have children. Not having children was a disgrace, literally – I’ve read that exact word in many sources.

Her hopes had been so high! A child of a priest, married to a priest – a double blessing, they said. And they were righteous! Yet barren-ness, widely considered a symbol of God’s disfavor, plagued them. The suspicion! That they were cursed for a hidden disobedience, as Job’s friends believed. The whispers at the well that stopped when she approached.

Oh, the tears! The loneliness! The shame! The fear of divorce, in a society where divorced women had no place to go! Imagine living every day knowing you were a complete failure.

Recall the worst thing you’ve ever gone through. Add loneliness, shame and fear of being left without food or shelter to it.

Elizabeth was probably thirteen when she married, and decades passed before she was ‘well along in years.’ Every niece and nephew became a cruel mockery of her own dreams and every circumcision celebration a battle with tears. By all human accounts her prayers went unanswered; God had turned his back, apparently. He dismissed her disgrace in society and counted her tears as worthless.

The waiting, the wondering…how long did God take? You don't know you're pregnant immediately. Perhaps Elizabeth’s five months in seclusion, always puzzling to scholars, had to do with nasty rumors and skepticism.

ugh.

Yet, Mark 1:5 - The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to [John the Baptist]. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Now that's suffering made worthwhile!

Your Promise
God keeps His promises, you guys. Never doubt it. Never doubt God's goodness. Never doubt that He has a very good reason for doing what He's doing. But by all means, pray for it! Prayer unleashes God's power, and pleading for the promise doesn't evidence lack of trust in it.

Joshua 23:14 - You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

2 Chronicles 6:10 - The Lord has kept the promise he made. I [Solomon] have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

The years passed for Joshua, Solomon and Elizabeth. It must have felt like an impossibly long time at times, but they did pass and God did fulfill His promise.

Furthermore, His reason for withholding a baby all those years had nothing to do with lack of hearing prayers, or discounting Elizabeth’s misery. He planned to show the world His power by a miracle baby and His grace by the baby's purpose: bringing sinners to righteousness and preparing the way for the Messiah.

Hang In There
Never equate 'not yet,' with 'no.'

The desert outside Jericho. Luke 1:80 - And the child [John the Baptist] grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel. I find God's purpose interesting - John became "strong in spirit."

God's reason for taking years to conquer the Promised Land for the Israelites? To prevent wild animals from overrunning them. The reason David couldn't build the temple? He was a warrior king, with blood on his hands; thus God saved the assignment for his son Solomon.

I’ve been waiting for seven months for God to fulfill a promise to me. "God, you promised!" I cried out last week. "You promised!" I know that Solomon scripture because that night I opened my Bible by chance to 2 Chr 6 which details God's fulfilling his promise in the temple dedication. I opened my other Bible by chance to that same section of the dedication in 1 Kings 8.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel...who has fulfilled what He promised... (2 Chr 6:6 and 1 Kings 8:15)

Are you sitting at your computer going "Yes, but Emily, God hasn't flat out promised. I'm pretty sure this is God's will, but He's taking forever and as a result it seems like it must be wrong."

To you I say, don't give up.

A friend of mine tried for nine years to have a baby before a little boy arrived, premature, needing heart surgery and now a healthy pre-schooler. "Not yet," didn't mean "No."

Another waited ten - and she was 43 when the little tike finally arrived. "Not yet," didn't mean "No."

Elizabeth waited twenty or more. "Not yet," didn't mean "No."

A Christian friend of mine married for the first time at 36. Another did the same thing at 35. "Not yet," didn't mean "No."

I've been writing this book for years and I'm ready to pull my hair out. But I believe I'm following God's will and I believe God will pull me through. "Not yet" doesn't mean "No."

Joyce Meyer, mega-ministry-woman, was broke for six years before God gave her ministry a breakthrough. "Not yet," didn't mean "No."

In fact, 'Not yet' seems to have little, if anything, to do with 'No.'

So, Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

Study Questions
1. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, skip to the next section, "Back to Basics."

2. Are you discouraged about anything? Do you think Elizabeth was more discouraged? Did her situation seem more hopeless?

3. If so, there was hope for her. Therefore, what reason do you have for losing hope? Tell God the reason.

4. John the Baptist became "strong in spirit" in the desert. Will this experience, assuming your hope is fulfilled, make you stronger in spirit? Could this be God's purpose for you? If not, what might it be?

Back to Basics
There is hope for you. I don't care where you are in life - the messiest custody battle, sleeping on a Manhattan street corner, warring with bulimia, roiled in manic depression - there is hope for you.

Got it?

Good.

Elizabeth had a hopeless womb, and hope in God. God won - because God always wins. This is not to say that if you believe in God you'll be miraculously cured or instantly win the custody battle; it rarely works that way. But, though depression conquers you, it cannot conquer God.

That said, you must first surrender your life to God. If you're not trying to follow His commands in the rest of your life, I doubt He'll help you out in the one area you're pleading for.

Recognize that God is holy. Confess that you are sinful, and that as a result you cannot get to God of your own accord; you need His grace. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for your sins. Commit to following God's ways, even when you don't like them.

Now you have hope.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:23-24a - ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

Romans 8:6 - The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit [of God] is life and peace;...

The Manger Baby: The Bottom Rung

John 1:9-13: The true life that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Note: If you're unfamiliar with Christianity, see the next section, Back to Basics.

Many Jews didn’t recognize Jesus as their Savior. Why? I believe that one reason is that a newborn laid in a manger - a feeding trough for animals - and raised as a village carpenter didn’t fit their expectations of a Savior.

Nazareth Marketplace. Bethlehem was a large town when Jesus was born there, and whatever marketplace Joseph and Mary found food for themselves in was probably akin to this peasant scene of narrow alleyways, peeling paint and ramshackle roofs. Photo courtesy of bibleplaces.com.

Would people recognize you as a feeding-trough-Baby worshipper?

I’m talking about your character, not your actual job. Would people who know you outside of a church setting be astonished to find you cleaning up baby spit or hammering nails in a forgotten corner? Is your character testament to the reality of the manger Baby?

Some people, including me, are intimidated by being above peons at church; this is not testament to the Savior laid in a food bin for animals. There are status ladders in everybody’s life, and I challenge you to consider which one people would be surprised to find you at the bottom of and how you could change that.

Whoever wants to be the greatest must become the least of all.

A manger, a feeding bin for animals, with a toddler named Mark in it. Photo courtesy of bibleplaces.com.

I grew up in an affluent town that values success, and I drive the rattiest car conceivable to me. I was mortified when I first got it! I wouldn’t even drive it into the church parking lot, because I wasn’t comfortable in an animals feeding bin. I'm quite sure my manger car clashed with peoples perception of me - and if not, given my shame regarding it, it should have. It took ten months of prayer to get me fully past my embarrassment.

Not resembling the manger Baby can cost others dearly. Many years ago some Christians I admired acted remarkably un-Christian, and for months I consciously reflected, “They’re prominent, admired Christians by many and have been for a long time, so they must resemble Christ pretty closely. If they’re like this, Christ is like this.”

I struggled to believe in the merciful Savior when I read about Him in the Bible because I was looking at two different pictures. The one they lived out had gritted teeth and glaring eyes. The Gospels painted compassionate eyes and a tender heart. There was no way they were the same Jesus - we may as well have been reading different Bibles - so I believed the visible and counted the character of the cross as empty words.

All because I couldn't recognize Him.


Study Questions
1. Am I jumping way ahead of your understanding? If so, see the next section, Back to Basics.

2. Would people be surprised to find out that you went early to help set up for a Little League game AND didn’t tell anybody? Would they be surprised to find out you sacrificed something important to you because the bottom rung needed you AND you kept it quiet?

Or would they expect to find you, outside of something you have a leadership position in, among the success-types? You know them. They look perfect, they talk perfect, they’re taking charge even when they’re not in charge, they’re probably in a rush and usually don't have time for you.

3. Would everyone you know recognize you as a feeding-trough-Baby worshipper, or is there an area of your life where people, knowing your character, would be surprised if they found you at the bottom? If so, if they could see your heart, would it correlate with their surprise? How do you think this affects non-believers?

4. What can you do this week to reflect the feeding-trough-Baby?

If you’re interested in additional feeding-bin perspectives, Andrew Murray and C.J. Mahaney both wrote books entitled “Humility.”


Back to Basics
This section is for those that don’t understand who Jesus Christ, the feeding-trough-Baby, is.

John 1:9-13: The true Life that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The apostle John, who wrote the book of the Bible containing the above quote, kept references to Jesus as ‘him’ instead of ‘Him.’ To clarify things for the uninitiated, I capitalized them.

God is a triune God, 3 in one; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one God. God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the world in order to save us from our sins.

Jesus was born to a woman, Mary, who was miraculously impregnated by God the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus as a virgin girl. She and her husband went on a trip to Bethlehem, where she gave birth to Jesus. Because there was no room in the inn for the Son of God, she had Him by the animals, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger – a feeding trough for animals. Thus, the feeding-trough-Baby referrals above.

Jesus was raised as a carpenter in a village called Nazareth, in Israel. When He was about thirty, He began His ministry as the Savior, the Son of God, preaching God's message of forgiveness and mercy and healing everyone that asked.

A street in Nazareth, where our humble Savior was raised, in the late 1800's. Photo courtesy of bibleplaces.com.

The Jewish authorities didn’t care for this ministry, and they crucified Jesus. When He was crucified, God the Father looked away, and laid all the sins of the world – every action that separates us from God – on Jesus.

God did this because He loves us so much that closing the gap between sinful humans and a holy God was worth enduring His Son's crucifixion.

Two days after his crucifixion, His disciples found Jesus' tomb empty; He had conquered death and appeared to many of the disciples before He ascended to heaven.

Thus, Jesus Christ paid the price for all our sins, and God the Holy Spirit can reside in each of our souls – if we ask Him to. We must acknowledge that we aren’t perfect, that we can never earn our way to God by being a good person, because God is perfect and even one mistake separates us from Him. We must confess our sins (things we think and do wrong) and acknowledge that Jesus Christ paid the sins, and commit our hearts to following His ways, as described in the Christian New Testament.

When we acknowledge this, we become a child of God. Thus this Scripture, quoted above:

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 3:16 is also relevant: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.


Basic Books
If you’re not sure whether you believe in God, I recommend the Case for a Creator, by Lee Strobel.

If you’re not sure whether you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, I recommend the Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel.

If you’re wondering how on earth this stuff applies to your life, I recommend a personal application Bible.

If you want to know what the Gospels say and mean without reading them through from start to finish, I recommend the novel Jesus, by Walter Wangerin.

If life seems meaningless and you wonder what on earth you were born for, I recommend the Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren (the second bestselling book in the world for all time – second only to the Bible.)

Christ, Our Life

John 1:1-5 - In the beginning was the Word [Christ Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The Light, shining down into our darkness. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:4-5, above). More literally, a view from the highway paralleling the western (Israeli) side of the Jordan River.

In Him Was Life
(If you’re not sure about Christ, or what He has to offer you, read the section below, ‘The Light of Men,’ first.)

Colossians 3:3-4: For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Philippians 1:21: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

In Him was life (John)
Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians)
Christ, who is your life(Colossians)
To live is Christ (Philippians)

The message seems clear: We find life in Christ. But what is 'life'? Life is not Christ-likeness; it is not being gentle and forgiving, nor is it in the struggle to be so. True life, the deepest riches, is in Christ himself. It is Him giving us life in a whole new way, pouring his love into us second by second, perhaps only because we begged for it.

John quotes Jesus later on, (John 10:3), “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

I don’t have life to the full, nor do I think most Christians do, regardless of their 'maturity.' I have experienced the edges of it in the past and want it now, but it seems so elusive! Yet Christ must want it for me - us - as well, since John quotes it as a reason that Jesus came to earth and leaves the possibility open to all people. No fine print reserves it for those who have attained a certain maturity or exercised substantial effort using their gifts. Apparently Christ wants us to have life to the full, and he wants it badly – no matter who or what you are.

The prison where Jesus may have been held. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. He sacrificed a lot for us to have it.

To me that abundant life is Christ pouring His love into me every moment, and it renders my standard Christian life a mere shell of what Christ wants for me. So why can't I have it? I don't have the answers - I doubt very many people do - but I believe Christ gives to us in proportion to what we give to Him. At an extreme level, the person that believes in God but doesn't follow Him with any particular effort is less likely to get God's extreme blessings than the child that abandons all.

As an example of this principle, Luke 6:36-38: Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

And so I wonder - does this 'life to the full' only come with our greatest gift to God, given consistently - radical obedience, complete surrender and the words, "Christ, I want you at any cost. Take my family, take my job, take my reputation - only give me You"? (I am not saying 'given consistently' in terms of years necessary to develop maturity, but time enough to indicate it isn't a passing fancy.)

My second suspicion is that it comes after constant conversation with Jesus, where even our smallest joys, struggles and frustrations are communicated to Him. Where every desire is taken to Him - including the desire for Christ Himself. "Please, Jesus!" we cry out. "Give me more of You." And then, "Moooore, please!" And later still we pound the bed in frustration, "I want yet more! The cost doesn't matter. Only give me You!"

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7-8)

John 1:4a, above - "In him was life..."


Study Questions
1. Do you want Christ at all? If you’re not sure, or don’t think so, see the section below.

2. Do you want Christ at any cost? Many Christians don’t – but the more of Christ you ask for, the more life you receive. If not, what are you unwilling to give up and why?

3. Do you believe you can have life to the full without a heart that says, “Christ, I want you at any cost”?


Back to Basics: The Light of Men
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Christ, our life, was the Light of men, says John. A light in what sense?

“I don’t know what to do next.”
“I don’t know how to forgive her.”
“I feel like there’s no purpose to my life, and don’t know how to find one.”
“It’s a lose-lose situation.”
“What’s the point?”
“Counseling hasn’t worked.”
“I can’t stand this bitterness inside of me, but I can’t get rid of it.”
“I’m living my parents expectations, not my dreams. It’s all so meaningless!”

Christ is the Light that guides us out of these situations and gives us answers. He knows what you should do next, can help you forgive her, gives you a purpose, and finds a ‘win’ in the lose-lose situation.

In short, he can help you with each of these situations, because He is the Light of the world - the Son of God, born as a human baby, crucified to pay the price for all our sins and risen forever. He longs for you to surrender your life to Him and let Him, the Light, guide you through every perplexity and trial.


Back to Basics Study Questions
1. Is this Light of the world, Jesus Christ, who wants to be the Light of your life, of any interest to you? If not, why not?

2. What situation could you pray about, to discover whether Jesus might be relevant to your needs and struggles?

3. Where might you find a church to learn more about this Light, Jesus Christ?

Back to Basics References
If you're not sure whether you even believe in Jesus, I recommend 'The Case for Christ,' by Lee Strobel.

If you're not familiar with the basics of Christianity, and for more suggestions on relevant books, see 'Back to Basics,' in my next blog, 'Unrecognized Savior.'