Bible Study Series: Luke 1:67-80. The main themes of Luke’s Gospel and even the entire Bible is announced by Zechariah in his wonderful prophecy.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 1:67-80
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
Because he visited them and effected redemption for his people,
69 and he has lifted up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David his servant,
70 just as he spoke through the mouths of his holy prophets from ages past,
71 Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of everyone who hates us,
72 to show mercy to our ancestors,
Remembering his holy covenant,
73 the oath which he swore to Abraham our ancestor, to grant us, 74 after being rescued from the hand of the enemies, to serve him fearlessly, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you also, little child, shall be called prophet of the Most High; you shall go before the Lord to prepare his paths,
77 to reveal the knowledge of salvation to his people,
The forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the heartfelt mercy of our God,
By which the Dayspring from on high shall visit us,
79 to shine on those living in darkness and the shadow of death,
To set our feet on the path of peace.
80 The child grew and became strong in the Spirit. He was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Comments:
Garland on the purpose of the hymns in Luke’s narrative and for the believing audience:
The hymns of the infancy narrative poetically interpret what is going on and directly engage the audience to join in the celebration. They have a show-stopping quality. Luke, therefore, does not include this hymn [Mary’s hymn] and the ones to follow as an extra frill to garnish the narrative. Instead, it highlights a major theme that stages “a meeting of faith and interpretation.” God has acted, and now a believer responds and interprets what it means from the stance of faith. The effect has been that for centuries the audience has joined to rejoice with Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon and in some cases to sing along. (p. 88).
67:
Throughout Luke-Acts, when people are filled with the Spirit or with a gift of the Spirit, or the Spirit came on them, they act or speak (Luke 1:41, 67, 80; Acts 2:2, 4, 43; 6:3, 5, 8; 7:55; 9:17; 10:44-46; 11:24; 13:9, 52; 14:17; 16:34; 19:6). The infilling is not a static experience or event. And so it is here.
Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?
68:
I really like the translation “visited.” Other have “looked on,” but the Shorter Lexicon says to go with “visit.” I like the image of God coming down and visiting us, through prophets like John, but most significantly through Jesus, the Son of the Most High.
John will be the forerunner of his Lord (v. 76), so he announced the redemption for God’s people. As noted, national Israel will reject its Messiah, so now the gospel has been entrusted to the Gentiles (and Jews who convert; see Acts 6:7). See vv. 54-55 and Luke 19:41-45; 21:20-24; 23:26-31; Matt. 21:33-45
“redemption”: The Greek noun is used only here and one other place (Luke 2:38; Heb. 9:12). It means “ransoming, releasing, and redemption.” In this context, God is supposed to buy back or redeem Israel from her enemies.
What Is Redemption in the Bible?
I like Morris’ simple definition of redemption: “saving at a cost” (comment on vv. 68-70). Then he quotes another scholar: “rescue at a high price.”
69:
“horn”: this reflects the four little protrusions sticking out from the altar of God in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exod. 27:2; Lev. 4:30). In Lev. 4:30, the priest put the blood of the sacrifice on the horns of the altar of burnt sacrifice. It is easy to relate this to Jesus’ blood sacrifice, but let’s not assume Luke had this in mind (though he could have). The word “horn” came to mean salvation or deliverance, so one translation says, “brought about a mighty deliverance” (Culy, Parsons, and Stigall). It goes right to the evolved meaning of mighty deliverance. “‘Horn is a common OT metaphor for power because of the great strength of the horned animals of the Near East. The word ‘salvation’ describes the kind of strength Zechariah had in mind” (Liefeld and Pao, comment on v. 69).
Marshall: “The means of redemption is that God has brought onto the stage of history (… cf. Acts 13:22) a ‘horn of salvation’, i.e. ‘a mighty Saviour’. … ‘horn’, suggests the strength of a fighting animal. It is used in Ps. 132:17 of a successor to David, but the language here reflects Ps. 18:2” (comment on v. 69).
“salvation”: Since the theology of salvation (soteriology) is so critical for our lives, let’s look more closely at the noun salvation, which is sōtēria (pronounced soh-tay-ree-ah and used 46 times) and at the verb sōzō (pronounced soh-zoh and used 106 times).
Greek is the language of the NT. BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon, which many consider authoritative, defines the noun sōtēria as follows, depending on the context: (1) “deliverance, preservation” … (2) “salvation.”
The verb sōzō means “save, rescue, heal” in a variety of contexts, but mostly it is used of saving the soul. BDAG says that the verb means, depending on the context: (1) “to preserve or rescue from natural dangers and afflictions, save, keep from harm, preserve,” and the sub-definitions under no. 1 are as follows: save from death; bring out safely; save from disease; keep, preserve in good condition; thrive, prosper, get on well; (2) “to save or preserve from transcendent danger or destruction, save or preserve from ‘eternal’ death … “bring Messianic salvation, bring to salvation,” and in the passive it means “be saved, attain salvation”; (3) some passages in the NT say we fit under the first and second definition at the same time (Mark 8:5; Luke 9:24; Rom. 9:27; 1 Cor. 3:15).
As noted throughout this commentary on Luke-Acts, the noun salvation and the verb save go a lot farther than just preparing the soul to go on to heaven. Together, they have additional benefits: keeping and preserving and rescuing from harm and dangers; saving or freeing from diseases and demonic oppression; and saving or rescuing from sin dominating us; ushering into heaven and rescuing us from final judgment. What is our response to the gift of salvation? You are grateful and then you are moved to act. When you help or rescue one man from homelessness or an orphan from his oppression, you have moved one giant step towards salvation of his soul. Sometimes feeding a hungry man and giving clothes to the naked or taking him to a medical clinic come before saving his soul.
All of it is a package called salvation and being saved.
“house”: it means dynasty. Jesus descends from David (Luke 3:23-31), and he fulfills the Davidic covenant.
3. Titles of Jesus: The Son of David and the Messiah
70-71:
Jesus’s ministry was predicted by the prophets and therefore is valid. It was no surprise for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
It is a burden on the Jewish community over the centuries to have enemies and those who hate the Jews. Please don’t allow this to happen in your soul. It is poison, and poison distorts your perspective.
“salvation”: in this verse, it means a new era has been ushered in for them back them and for us today.
72:
“covenant”: here is a working definition:
Out of his great love for his highest creation, people, God unilaterally reaches out to them and initiates an unalterable legal agreement, in which he stipulates the terms that reveal how he relates to people, and they to him.
More simply:
A covenant is an unalterable legal agreement, in which God stipulates the terms that reveal how he relates to people, and they to him.
As it happens, the people broke the Sinai covenant, and Jeremiah promised a new covenant (31:31-34). Please read Hebrews 8 for how it applies to the church. The Sinai covenant has been replaced (Heb. 8, 9, 10).
73:
The oath he swore to Abraham is found in three phases seen in Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:1-21 and 17:1-27. The actual oath is found in Genesis 22:15-18, after Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac. Many scholars believe there are two covenants, one is an unconditional land grant (Gen. 15), which is still ongoing; it is not based on an outward sign like circumcision. Rather, Abraham believed God, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness (15:6). The second is the conditional covenant of circumcision, which has been replaced by the New Covenant, because now we are not circumcised except in the heart (Rom. 2:25-29). The unconditional land grant has not been replaced, but the second one has. This sounds reasonable to me.
God relates to his people by a covenant or legal agreement he makes with us.
74-75:
First, God has to rescue the Jews from the hand of their enemies.
“hand”: this noun is metaphorical and speaks of instrument. The hand of their enemies held them down. Now Zechariah was prophesying political and military deliverance from the Romans, but if he had lived, he would have been disappointed to see the Romans conquer Jerusalem in A.D. 70. In fact, this conquest was part of God’s judgment on national Israel’s for its rejection of the Messiah (see vv. 54-55, above, and Luke 19:41-45; 21:20-24; 23:26-31; Matt. 21:33-45).
“serve”: it is more than just the offering of animal sacrifices in the temple; it has a moral quality to it: holiness and righteousness. Your own worship must produce holiness, righteousness, and fearlessness. On the other side, it must also produce reverential awe, while you worship. Worship that does not lead to a changed life is just enthusiasm and flashing lights without substance. It is okay to have fun and joy, with leaping, but we must go deeper.
76:
John now has his mission. He will be a prophet, and he shall “forerun” (literally) before the Lord. Theologically, Jesus is called the Lord, which in his context speaks of his deity. John was a prophet of the Most High, while Jesus is the Son of the Most High (v. 32). John was killed and his body lies in the grave to this day (Luke 3:18-19; 9:7-9), but Jesus’s body never suffered decay, because God raised him from the dead, and his body did not suffer from decay (Luke 24 and Acts 2:24-32).
77:
“reveal”: it literally reads “give,” but John, in effect, reveals salvation, while God gives it. In this context I see them as synonyms.
For Luke, John’s ministry is about preaching salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and the baptism of repentance. Forgiveness is also a major part of Jesus’ teaching (Luke 4:18). Jesus’s preaching and the apostolic preaching emphasize repentance: Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31; 13:38; 17:30; 20:21). In Luke 24:47, preaching repentance was part of Jesus commission.
“knowledge”: Christ our knowledge goes into the heart. We can experience it, or, better, we can experience the reality behind the intellectual grasp. We can have personal and experiential knowledge of God and his salvation.
“forgiveness”: it comes from the Greek noun aphesis (pronounced ah-feh-seess), which means “release” or “cancellation” or “pardon” or “forgiveness.” Let’s look at a more formal definition of its verb, which is aphiēmi (pronounced ah-fee-ay-mee), and BDAG defines it with the basic meaning of letting go: (1) “dismiss or release someone or something from a place or one’s presence, let go, send away”; (2) “to release from legal or moral obligations or consequence, cancel, remit, pardon”; (3) “to move away with implication of causing a separation, leave, depart”; (4) “to leave something continue or remain in its place … let someone have something” (Matt. 4:20; 5:24; 22:22; Mark 1:18; Luke 10:30; John 14:18); (5) “leave it to someone to do something, let, let go, allow, tolerate.” The Shorter Lexicon adds “forgive.” In sum, God lets go, dismisses, releases, sends away, cancels, pardons, and forgives our sins. His work is full and final. Don’t go backwards or dwell on it. God has dismissed or sent them away.
Please read these verses for how forgiving God is:
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:10-12)
And these great verses are from Micah:
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea. (Mic. 7:18-19, ESV)
“sins”: it comes from the word noun hamartia (pronounced hah-mar-tee-ah). A deep study reveals that it means a “departure from either human or divine standards of uprightness” (BDAG, p. 50). It can also mean a “destructive evil power” (ibid., p. 51). In other words, sin has a life of its own. Be careful! In the older Greek of the classical world, it originally meant to “miss the mark” or target. Sin destroys, and that’s why God hates it, and so should we. The good news: God promises us forgiveness when we repent.
Bible Basics about Sin: Word Studies
Human Sin: Original and Our Committed Sin
78:
“heartfelt”: BDAG says the noun is related to the inward part of the body, especially the viscera, inward parts, entrails. But some update their translation with the noun as “heart.” The verb is used 12 times, exclusively in the Gospels. “It describes the compassion Jesus had for those he saw in difficulty” (Mounce, New Expository Dictionary, p. 128). BDAG defines the verb simply: “have pity, feel sympathy.” The verb is also related to the inward parts of a person. God’s mercy comes from the deepest part of his being (so to speak). Some translations have “tender.” I went with another part of the anatomy—the heart.
As an important side note, in Hebrew the verb raḥam (pronounced rakh-am, and used 47 times) means “to have compassion on, show mercy, take pity on and show love.” The noun raḥamim (39 times) (pronounced rach’meem) means “compassion, mercy, pity.” Both words are related to the word for “womb,” when a woman feels close to and love for the human life growing there. It’s deep in God, too.
Do I Really Know God? He Is Compassionate and Merciful
“Daystar”: one translation has the intriguing “Rising One” (Culy, Parsons, Stigall). I like that one. Others have “the Sun.” “Dawning” can signify a mental activity: “it dawned on me.”
However, the main point is Jesus. He is the Daystar or Dayspring. Dayspring is better, because a Daystar does not last, and it cannot enlighten those sitting in darkness and the shadows. This is a great metaphor for the coming of the Messiah whom John is about to announce.
79:
“Messiah’s task also involves guidance … The purpose of his appearing is to lead others to God, into the way of peace. The consequence of deliverance is a full life, which is able to serve God (1:74-75)” (Bock, vol. 1, p. 193).
“shadow of death”: this reminds me of Psalm 23:4: “Yes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” or harm.
“peace”: it speaks of more than just the absence of war. It can mean prosperity and well-being. It can mean peace in your heart and peace with your neighbor. Best of all, it means peace with God, because he reconciled us to him.
Let’s explore more deeply the peace that God brings.
This word in Hebrew is shalom and means well being, both in the soul and in circumstances, and it means, yes, prosperity, because the farm in an agricultural society would experience well being and harmony and growth. The crops would not fail and the livestock would reproduce. Society and the individual would live in peace and contentment and harmony. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 describes the blessings for obedience, a man and his family and business enjoying divine goodness and benefits and material benefits.
With that background, let’s explore the Greek word, which overlaps with shalom. It is the noun eirēnē (pronounced ay-ray-nay, used 92 times, and we get the name Irene from it). One specialist defines it: “Peace is a state of being that lacks nothing and has no fear of being troubled in its tranquility; it is euphoria coupled with security. … This peace is God’s favor bestowed on his people” (Mounce, p. 503).
BDAG has this definition for the noun: (2) It is “a state of well-being, peace.” Through salvation we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). We have peace that has been brought through Christ (Col. 3:15). We are to run towards the goal of peace (2 Pet. 3:14; Rom. 8:6). It is the essential characteristic of the Messianic Age (Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:15). An angel greeted and promised the shepherds peace on earth for those in whom God is well pleased, at the birth of the Messiah (Luke 2:29). In the entire Gospel of Luke, Jesus was ushering in the kingdom of God.
Do I Really Know God? He Is the God of Peace
80:
People called by God and about whom mighty prophecies were spoken as children must still grow up, as naturally as anyone else. John is different from any other child in Israel because he became strong in spirit (his own spirit) or the Spirit (God’s Spirit). It can be both the human spirit and God’s Spirit at the same time in this verse. And he was a forerunner of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.
To conclude ….
God promises deliverance for Israel, so God’s biblical story continues, but will they recognize it when it comes through the Messiah? The Jewish and temple establishment in Jerusalem did not see it; they pushed for and allowed the Romans to crucify him. Now Judaism, expressed in the temple worship, is about to sit under judgment (Luke 19:41-45; 21:20-24; 23:26-31; Matt. 21:33-45), though numerous individual priests (Acts 6:7) and thousands of Jews of Jerusalem and Judea converted (Acts 2:41; 4:4; Acts 21:20). As noted, God loves people, but he is not enamored with systems.
And now the kingdom has been turned over to the Gentiles, so the gospel can go around all the world, without Judaism encumbering it. The kingdom of God has been streamlined to the basics, without all the rituals and dietary laws and harsh penalties and other things spelled out in the Torah (first five books of the Bible). The Sinai Covenant has been replaced with the New Covenant (Heb. 8, 9, 10), but the New Covenant Scriptures still retained moral law.
GrowApp for Luke 1:67-80
1. John was about to preach repentance and forgiveness of sin. How did you experience the forgiveness of sins? What did that feel like?
2. John grew and became stronger in God. How do you become stronger in the power of the Spirit?
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