Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 1:9

"according to the custom of the priest`s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense." — Luke 1:9 (ASV)

The “division” (GK 2389) was one of twenty-four groups of priests divided by families and structured after the pattern of 1Ch 23 and 24 (cf. 1 Chronicles 24:10 and Lk 1:5). The Exile had interrupted the original lines of descent; so the divisions were regrouped, most of them corresponding to the original in name only. Each of the twenty-four divisions served in the temple for one week, twice a year, as well as at the major festivals. An individual priest, however, could offer the incense at the daily sacrifice only once in his lifetime since there were so many priests. Therefore this was the climactic moment of Zechariah’s priestly career, perhaps the most dramatic moment possible for the event described to have occurred. God was breaking into the ancient routine of Jewish ritual with the word of his decisive saving act.